The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1882-12-16
INITIATING THE OLD .UIN.
Giring Pa the "Royal humber deg,1c'
the bad boy plays mason.

Say, are you a mason or a nodfellow
Or anything - asked the Milwaukee
bad boy OF the grocery man, rs he went
to the cinnamon bag on tine shelf ard
took out a long stick of cinnamon bark
to chew.
"Why, yes. of course I am. But
what set yon thinking of that ?" asked
the grocery man. as he went to the desk
and charged the boys father with a
half pound of cinnamon.
"Well do the goats bnnt when you
nishiate IA fresh candidate 2"
"No, of course not. The goats are
cheap ones, that have no life, and we
muzzle them and put pillows over their
heads. so they can't hurt anybody
said the grocery man, as lie wicked ut
a brother Odd Fellow who was seated
on a sugar barrel, looking mysterious,
''But why do You ask?'
Oh, ncthin', only l wish me ard my
chum had muz1ied our goat with a pill
low, Pa would have enjoyed becoming
a member of our lodge better. You
see, pa had been telling US how much
good the Masons and Odd Fellows did.
and said we ought to try and grow up
good so we could jine the lodges when
We get big, and l asked pa if it would
do any hurt for us to have ii play lodge
in my room and purtend to nishiate
and pa said it wouldn't do any hurt.
He said it would improve our minds
and learn US to be men. So my chum
and me borried a goat that lives in a
livery stable and carried Him up to my
room when pa and ma were out riding
but the goat blatted so We had to tie a
handkerchief around his nose, and hi
feet made such Il noise on the floor tina.
we put some baby socks on his feet
Well, sir, my chum and Inc practiced
with that goat until he could bunt a
picture or a goat every time. We Dor
ried q buck beer sign from a saloon
man and hung it on the back
of a chair. and the goat would hit it
every time. That night pa wanted to
know what we were doing up in my
room, and Z told him we were playing
lodge and improving our minds
and pa said that was right
there was nothing that did
boys of our age half so much good as to
initiate men, and store by useful mol
lidge. Then my chum asked pa if he
didn't want to come up and take the
grand bumper degree, and pa LATED
and said he didn't care if he did. lust
to encourage us boys in innocent pas
time. that was improving to our intel
lex. We had shut the goat up in il
closet in my and he had got owe r
blatting, so VT took off the handker
chief, aud he was eating some of my
paper collars and skate straps.
We went up stairs and told pa to
come up pretty soon and give three dis
tinct raps, and when we asked him
who ome there he must say "a pilga-
RE who wants to join your ancient or
der and ride the goat Ma wanted to
some up, too, but we told her if she
come in it would break up the lodge
cause a woman couldn't keep a secret
and we didn't have any side saddle for
the goat. Say, if you never tried it,
the next time you nishiate a man in
your Mason's lodge, You sprinkle a lit
tie kyan pepper on the goats beard
afore you turn him loose. You can get
three times as much to the square inch
of goat. You wouldn't think it was the
same. Well, we got all fixed and pa
raped and we let him in and told him
he must be blindfolded, and he got on
his knees a lafiug, and 1 tied a tower
around his eyes, made him get down on
his hands and then his back was right
towards the closed door. and I put the
buck beer sign right against pas
clothes. He was a lafing all the time
and said we boys were full of fun we
told him it was a solemn oath. Eand Wa
wouldn't permit no levity, and il he
didn't stop lafing We couldn't give him
the bumper degree, Then everything
was ready. and my chum had his hands
on the closet door. and some kran nen