The Wilmingtonian., 1886-02-20
Continued from last aCeek.

Hear, therefore, but believe what is the
truth. ~ approached the confines Of DEATH and
having trod on the threshold Of Proserpine,
returned therefrom, being borne through
all the elements. At midnight l saw the
sun shining with its brilliant light, and ap-
preached the presence of the gods beneath
and the gods above, and stood near and
worshipped them. Behold l have related to
you things of which, though heard by you,
you must necessarily remain ignorant" 1t
has been asserted that the tragical death of
Orsiris was represented in the drama of the
mysteries of Isis but there is not in exis-
tence sufficient data to warrant such CON
clusion. The probabilities seem 20 be, that it
was preparatory step to the greater mys-
teries, teaching the necessity, of moral purity.
The second degree, or the mysteries of Sera-
pis Herodotus gives no account further that
calling them the nocturnal orgies of Scraps,
god of the first rank Scraps is said t.
have been Osiris only while in Hades. 1t il
possible in this initiation that the death OF
Osiris may have bean represented, but at
best this is but conjecture. The mysteries
of Osiris were the elimination of the greater
mysteries. In it were taught symbolically
the lesson of death, and the resurrection, the
| legend of the murder of Oris, the search fol
the body, the discovery and restoration t.
| life were represented. Rolltn, the historian
tells us "wonderful things took place upon
this occasion, visions were seen, and voices
were heard of an extraordinary kind. A
sudden splendor dispelled the darkness o
the place, and disapp airing INN eda'ely ad
ded new horrors to the gloom. Apparitions
| claps of thunder, earthquakes, heightened
| the terror and amazement whilst the per
| son to be admitted, overwhelmed with dreaC
| and sweating through fear, heard trembling
| ly the mysterious volumes read to him, if il
such condition he was capable of hearing
at all" The Herophans was the presiding
| officer, his obligations compelled him tC
remain in state of celibacy. He was cal
led Eumolpidae his principle assistants
were torch bearer and a herald, who's,
office was to pronounce certain mysteriOu
| words, and third attended at the altar
| The Athenians believed that the posessors 0
/ the mysteries were sure to obtain eterna
| felicity, and that the profane were doomed
to wallow in dirt and filth, Diogenes re
| fused to believe this as also did Socrates, tn
historian informs us, that it was on tn
| account of his refusal to be initiated wa
one reason that rendered his religion sus
| poObehs L nc uuiulbldleu were HOG peTInllLe
| to enter the temple of Ceres, and it was
capital crime to divulge the mysteries
Diagoras was prescribed and reward wa
set upon his head for talking too freely
Aschylus, the poet, barely escaped with hi
life for mentioning the mysteries in some 9
his tragedies.
These ceremonies lasted nine days upo
the fourth day basket was laid upon a
open chariot drawn by oxen. Women 70
lowed with mysterious baskets, CAREFUL
concealing their contents This ceremon
represented the carrying off of Prose pine
Pluto. The sixth day was called the da
of torches, representing the search made fc
Proserpine. Upon the seventh, the mo,
imposing ceremony took place, the son q
Jupiter and Ceres was crowned with myril
These and other ceremonies were founde
upon tradition, that has been Transmitted
but imperfectly through the ages, an
from it we CLEAN that Osiris left the care
his kingdom to his wife while he travele
for three years, communicating to other nj
tions the art of civilization and that whi
Al absent his brother entered into oonspiraC
Il to dekhrone and murder him that upon
, return Typhen, his brother invited him to
entertainment, in the month of November
, that Typhen had prepared a chest, inlai
with gold, and promised it to the persC
whose body it would most exactly fit: tn
Osiris was persuaded to try it and WI
treacherously shut in, the lid nailed dow
and then thrown into the river that aft
some days the chest was cast on shore
Byblos, in Phenecia, at the foot of tama
isk tree that Isis, overwhelmed with grie
sraversed che earth seeking the body tn
otter many adventures she discovered Il
spot, and returned in triumph to Egyr
where it was then proclaimed that 0sir
> was risen from the dead aud had become
! god. Among the init ted, Herodotu
, Plutarch, and Pythagoras,, Hercdotus al
!, Putarch have given brief accounts of the
mysteries. But Clement, Bishop of Alexa
. dra, informs us that the more importaI
were not revealed even to all the priest
but to select number of them only.