The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-03-05
SOCIETY EMBIEMs

SecreU society emblemS are about
played out, remarked a commnn;ca
tive Maiden lane ieweller to an IN
quisitive customer one day recentlv
THAT is, in the East. Out West and
in the South they are as popular as
ever. don't know how to account
for it, excepting that the class OF men
who are being initiated into secret Or
ders nowadays are higher-toned than
they used to be, and c-onseauentlv
less given to display. Then, besides
any n can become q Mason. Odd
Fellow, or Knight Of Pathias, proyid-
ed he is any sort of a man at all. and
this has cheapened the value OF such
insignia. There was q time when M
Mason could be found without his
gold square and compass, and
you could tell an Odd Fellow as
far off as you could see him
by his three Joined links. If you want
any proof of the decrease in this Gus.
tom justlook into the windows of the
Bowery pawnshops and notice the
large number of these emblems which
are offered for sale. / find the falling
Off in sales a serious one in my business.
The style of emblems, too, has changed
within the past few years. Formerly
nothing were wore but vest pins.
watch-chain pendants and large seal
rings. Now we sell more small rings
with onyx stones set in them in which
the token of the order is neatly en-
graved. The upper degrees of Mason
ry are generally denoted by a small
band ring of gold with a plain dia-
mond setting and the figure of the de-
gree engraved on the reverse side OF
the ring. For many years the Maltese
cross of the Knight Templar, with its
helmeted head and a keystone on the
back was the most stylish emblem we
sold, but now the demand for them
comes almost entirely from the West
and South, and the small towns in
the East. The large cities use very
few of them comparatively.
"There is another reason for this
decline" the jeweller observed. ut is
by no means conclusive evidence, be-
cause e man wears q Masonic emblem,
that he is a bona-tide member Of that
order. 1t is q comparatively easy
matter for him to wear a Maltese
cross, for instance, and pass readily
for a knight Templar for years, per-
haps, without being detected. Idon't
know that such a trick would benefit
a man at all, but men often do things
which please their vanity, even if they
do not line their pockets. Several
years ago Twas travelling in Minnesota
selling Masonic and other secret So
ciety emblems TO country jewellers.
/ stopped in the little town of Waba-
sha and sold quite a bill of goods.
While | was in the store | placed a
handsome thirty-second degree Ma
sonic eagle on my watchguard to bet
ter show off its beauty. Now | am
not a member Of any secret society
and never intend to be. When | left
the shop / forgot to take this of and
so Iwore it down to the train. Before
we had come to the first station,
Lake City, / discovered that /
had left my pocket-book with
some of my samples in a small bag in
the store and was absolutely penni-
less. / didn't know a soul on the
train and wanted TO reach St. Paul
that night, where / could telegraph
back to Wabasha and have my bag
sent to me. 1t was q very long train
fourteen coaches, | think, and | was
in the parlor coach at the rear end OF
it. / knew the conductor would be
along in a few minutes, and hated
nightly to be put off the trainaat
Lake City and miss a whole day,
which / knew would surely happen I'M
less ] managed to borrow the money
somewhere. I then looked about me.
A few seats in front of me there sat q
young man whose clothes denoted
that he had come 'front.' the East. With
serious misgivings / took my place be
side him, and after introducing my
self gave him my business card. lie
also gave me his. He represented a
West Broadway grocery. As we were
exchanging cards, | noticed that he
wore a handsome Masonic charm on
his watch chain. then told him my
dilemma.
az am in great trouble, i said
and / want to ask you to pay my
fare to ST. Paul, and ! viii return it
when we get to that city. see you
are a Mason
eyes, he interrupted hastily, as he
glanced down at the emblem | wore.
Il shall be glad to accommodate You.
by the time the conductor arrived
the matter was satisfactorily ar
ranged, and / was safe to pursue my
journey. Although | feltvery friendly
toward my benefactor, / found him
s~ingularly i'll at ease in my presence,
and as soon as be could excuse him
self he left me in the frontcar. Ididn't
see him again until we reached our
journeys end. The next day | called
upon him at his hotel and repaid the
loan. About three months later |
was pleased to see this same man