New Orleans Republican., 1875-01-24

Albert Pike.
"Laertes,' writing to the New York
Graphic from Washington, presents the fol.
lowing pen and ink sketch of distin-
guished man at the Capital:
There is no authority given for the rumor
that Albert Pike is to be elected to the
United States Senate in place of Powell
Clayton. Pike lives in this city, or at
Alexandria, near by, and is the greatest
Mason in the world.
Arthur Macarthur, of Wisconsin, judge of
the supreme court of the District Of Colum-
bia, gave me queer account Of Pike last
summer.
Said he: 81 had heard of Albert Pike as
being an Indian, or Texan ranger, OF some.
thing.
He came to our court and stood up there
like Moses or some Of the able bodied patrl.
archs. His long, gray hair in ringlets fell
down his back and shoulders. He stood
between six and seven feet high, and stout
in proportion, weighing, l should think, 300
to 400 pounds. A look of the frontiersinan,
the poet and the lawyer, seemed mixed in
his face, with a type of something heather
and antique.
HE had a big bandana handkerchief in
his fist, clenched into little ball. Ever
and anon he drew this across his nose; and
then seized it in his fist again.
"And then this queer old wonder rolled
of law and learning, solemn and rapid,
right on in the line of his argument, as
practical as could be, but his Illustrations
and quotations were rare and unusual.
was astOnished.' -
Macarthur, by the way, is a great devOurer
of books and men. He is native Scotch
man. His wife lie bright little body from
Madison, and both are popular here.
Albert Pike iS man history has stepped
30 V1d, r11lV iV,f fha VII ,f en-
many sides to his character, and SO plain
withal. He was born, at NewburypOrt,
Massachusetts, the son Of shoemaker. A
willful, poetical spirit took him to Mexico,
and he returned in pack-train as a mule
driver, from Chihuahua 20 Fort Smith.
Settling down in a printing office at Little
Rock, he became an editor, lawyer, and
chief Of the Wing party, which he led with
untiinching consistency through perpetual
minority down to the civil war, fighting
meantime in the Mexican war, and doing
the government business of the CherOkees.
He became Itch and celebrated.
QuarTeling with Jefferson Davis soon
after the rebellion began, he withdrew from
the contest, and at the close was poor. He
removed to Washington City about the
year 1867, and opened law office with
Robert johnson, ex-senator, the nephew OF
Vice President johnson. His home is at
Alexandria, that formerly busy seaport,
where a large house with garden, stable
and every comfortable appurtenance of
gas, water and police may be had for about
$50 month, whereas the tyranny OF fashion
makes the same style of residence cost in
Washington $500 month. There, with an
unusually vivaciOus and intelligent daugh-
ter, Pike spends his time in large library,
containing perhaps 5000 volumes, elegantly
rebound-the collections of a lifetime. His
taste for books extends to their covering,
and be has passion for elegant printing in
common and cOlOred ink. all his own vol
umes on Masonry and HindoO philosophy
being produced in this way BY bis amateur
disciples. Fine swords, duelliug pistols
which he has used on the field, collection
of elaborate pipes, which he smokes pretty
much all the time, and strange things o.
rertU, are parts of his surroundings. His
poems have been collected and reissued
within the past two years, and he has writ
ten series of books on Masonry, which,
Queerly enough, have carried him from his
apparently trivial theme back TO medieval
Jewish and finally Sanscrit Masonry, as he
believes. NO5 being Mason, i am only
aware that, either as a poet or Q scholar,
Pike has traced the germs of Masonry be.
yond the vestibule of history. He is a
Sanscrit scholar and has composed some
aDstruse treatise, now undergoing publica-
ton in London, which is spoken of with ex
DGbbdhbN ny hlb AIlNhuE.
Some time ago | asked one of Pixies
friends if he had found anything to beat
Moses account of the creation OF man.
YES" said his friend, 1.-THE story in the
Sanscrit, from which Moses, when he was
in Egypt, undoubtedly picked up his ac.
counts Of Genesis, is to this effect"
"GOd made a man and woman, and put
them on an island in sight Of the shore OF
another land. God said to the man: There
is everything on the Island necessary foI
you. 1t is made for you that / may enjoy
your happiness. Nothing is a restraint tb
you except this: You must not go off the
island. Nothing but willful spirit car
take you off; for tell you here is ALL God
said TO the woman, i have no commands
for you except TO love and obey this man
for whom you were made
1.-The couple got along very well until one
day the man, whose name in the Sanscrit
resembles the Hebrew Adam, said to the
woman: Il shall go. over to yonder shore
] hear the music of strange birdsO over there
The flowers are brighter than these. This
place is played out
ale took the woman on his back, and
jumping from stone to stone he crossed the
water and reached the tempting shore
Instantly bolt Of lightning and convulsiOT
scorched up everything around
"Ihe Lord appeared before the disObe
dent couple with considerable .sternness
He cursed the man Instantly.
"Then turning to the woman the CreAtO
said, And what made You leave the island
What have you to say&hat may not ours'
you, tOOP
"The woman replied, with that presence
of mind which distinguishes her sex:
"There is the man you told me to obey
and, bad rs he is, wherever he goes / will
CO. He shall go wherever he pleases If h'
takes me along
"The woman was forthwith blessed, ani
not cursed, as Moses related. She wa
allowed to have p6sterity, and to be blessed
in the love of children"
l asked my interlOeutor, who was an Olt
Californian, if Mr.. Pike entertained an
hard feelings toward Moses.
''No, he said, pike thinks Moses was
good deal Of a man.
SiIent Men.
r1.s IL T..