Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-02-16
AETI-MAS0NIC.

It may not generally be known that there
exists denomination of Christians known
among themselves as United Brethren in
Christ. They are not a numerous sect, but
are reported to be men and women of ordi
nary piety, and as having fair share of
Christian zeal. Their spiritual doctrines re-
semble those entertained by the Methodist
Episcopal Church. They retain, however.
from the age of eobweb mist and dust, now
thoroughly fossilized notion that the Ancient
Order of Free and Accepted Masons is a
grand secret conspiracy against all recogni-
tion of the common tie which binds hu-
manity together, and also is a conspiracy
against the accepted religions of mod
ern times. Their opposition. however. is not
confined to the Order of Masonry alone, but
extends to all secret Orders whose member
ship is bound together by vows, obliga-
tions or covenants of mutual helpful
ness. They deal largely in expletives, de-
nunciations and pretended exposures of
Masonry, holding TO the few fragmentary
ideas which have long since been thoroughly
exploded by the liberal spirit and high en-
ightenment of the times.
One of the votaries of these old-fashioned
ideas paid this city visit for the purpose of
converting our people from the wicked ways
of Masonry, Odd Fellowship, Red Menship
and Good Templarism, to the higher
and better life of unfraternal, uncon-
genial, uusocial. individualized selfshness.
1t was announced that he would hold
forth in the U. B. Church %. B.
is the short for United Brethren), at the cor
ner of Fourteenth and X streets. The pub.
lished announcements declared that all the
of E1,o
riding, pole-climbing, and branding "Esot-
eric" business, would be thoroughly exposed,
and also the passwords, signs, grips and
other tokens belonging or pertaining in any
way TO the great mystic fraternal system of
Masonry.
Notwithstanding some curiosity might have
been felt on the part of the public to acquire
this initiation, and learn all the secrets at the
reduced and popular price of p cents per
head, the meager gathering composed of a
few men, a few mora women and
fewer boys, assembled at the appointed
time, and recognizing each other as of
apostle of anti Masonry regarded his mission
as not to call the righteous but sinners to re-
pentance, the small assembly waited the
gathering of the multitude-which never
came.
Meantime they whiled away the hour in
singing psalm tunes while our reporter
sharpened his pencil and waited for the
pyrotechnic part of the exhibition. As
musical performance the singing does
not require comment, being very much
after the order of ordinary psalm-singing,
with tunes exactly as long as the psalms, with
long meter, short meter and with meter by
moonlight drawl, until finally the man of the
pod auger faith arose and announced, among
other things, with spirit of uncharitable-
ness, that the press of the city had failed
to duly appreciate the Importance of
his advent to this people as an
anti Masonic missionary, and that notwith-
standing he had paid the sum of 81 or such a
matter for advertising, he had become per-
suaded that the only way additional notice
could be obtained in the city papers was by
payment of % cents per line. 1t may be as
well to state that this is a free notice
Masonry, read what purported to be the oath
in the Royal Arch and the Knights Templar
degrees, in which the candidate was supposed
to do some awful cursing, some fearful cove
nanting, and some of what boys would call
"tall swearing" He of the ancient faith
gave one of the passwords of Masonry. Let
the fraternity tremble, because we are
going to repeat it now, and here
after any one will be able to work
his way into a Masonic lodge-perhaps he
will not have to work himself out. The word
is Boaz. The speaker said that the "bo !"
part of this word came from the French and
stood for beautiful; that "az," or the suffix,
was also French, and stood for ass that,
therefore, the true etymology of the word,
when applied to a Freemason, signifed a
beautiful Ass.
He read from President Blanchard's "Phi
lippics against Masonry" and also some ex-
tracts from other anti Masonic writers, and
concluded by saying that be was exceedingly
tired of work for the public good when
forced to witness failure upon the part of
the public and upon the part of the press to
appreciate the grandeur and import
ance of his mission. He closed with an
eloquent peroration, declaring that he would
infict upon the community the just punish
ment of taking his departure to San Fran
cisco, where he assured his auditors the press
were not such big hogs.
The gentleman is speaker of fair ability,
reads plain print easily, but it was impossible
to gather just what he was trying TO get a5
or when the next performance is to be held
The lecturer in spite of his crudities and
coarseness, was not wanting in the spirit of
sincerity and earnestness to perform what
evidently appeared to him to be a conscien-
tious duty.