Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-23
NOT ONE EXCEPTION
Made to the Wholesale Denunciation
of Secret Societies.
A PLEA FOR TEMPERANCE ORDERS
Fails to Secure Them Anything but Strong
Denunciation. Z.
THE CLOSE OF THE STATE CONVENTION

The Anti-Secret Society Convention was
again in full operation yesterday.
Short addresses were made BY delegates,
and DR.. Stoddard answered several questions
which were handed him relating to church
members and their relations to secret So
cieties. Dr. Bates, of Boston, he said, was
opposed to oath-bound societies "Let lit
tie snakes gowhere snakes belong, he said.
DR.. Stoddard was opposed to the Good Tenn
plars as detrimental to the Church. The
God of Masonry, he said, was not the God
of Jesus Christ All church members who
belong to secret societies sho uld lose their
fellowship. He objected to the secret pass
word required by the Grand Army and
said that the record of a man as a
soldier in defense of his country should be
paramount to the barrier of a ritual.
DR.. Campbell, Wesleyan minister, said
he was proud of belonging to a church
that would not tolerate secret societies.
Concerning the Jr. o. U. A. NJ. he said he
preached sermon against it. but previ-
cusly sent to Councillor Collins for informa
tion, and received a reply that it could do
the order no good, and it might do harm to
advocate the divinity of the Lord Jesus
Christ
An Obstacle to Christianity.
Rev. j. L. Weaver, of Burgettstown.
and Rev. j. Schuh, of Allegheny, were the
principal afternoon speakers. The former
attacked especially the Masonic order,
claiming that it was an obstacle in the path
way of Christianity, temptation to young
men, and, in fact, deception. He made
the statement that man could not be
good Mason and good Christian at one and
the same time. He referred in like manner
to other secret societies and denounced
them as untrue to honor and religion. Sey-
enty per cent of the Presbyterian ministry,
he claimed, were opposed to secret socie-
ties.
Rev. W. P. Shaw, of Midway, Pa. ex-
pressed his sentiments in a few chosen
stories which, he alleged, proved the falsity
ofthe pretensions of different secret societies.
He knew Of case where young man had
become oblivious TO piety, forgetful of his
work and weak in integrity because he was
member of some of the traternal societies.
Rev. J. p. Stoddard, of Boston, arose and
made quite plea in behalf of the temper
ance cause. He said he had at first been a
temperance man, afterward a prohibition
ist and finally an abolitionist. He said he
was still an abolitionist and always would be.
He then branched from the temperance
subject to that of the much-discussed socie
ties. The knights Templar was the order
at which he directed almost exclusive atten-
tion. This order, as was the fate of other
societies, was denounced.
Stories as Arguments
Rev. DR.. D. c. Martin, of Allegheny, had
q fund of stories rejecting on Knights |
Templar Odd Fellows and Masons, and said |
the stories represented accurately his views |
and dconvictlons. His isassertions were that each |
of these orders existed merely by ''pluck- |
ing from new members sufficient money to |
carry the order through. Help was asked |
of everyone who was newly elected yet |
when help to him was imperative he could |
find it not, except from a more recent men,
Der than himself. The speaker claimed that
the Free Masons terminated their lodge
meetings by adjourning to saloons to drink
and dissi pate otherwise.
Rev. Dr. McAllister said that the fault
lay with the Church; that if the Church
wanted temperance it should work for tenn
perance, and ifit wished the suppression of
secret societies it should work, and not talk,
TO accomplish this end.
Reports were then heard on church cor
respondence and benefits The report of the
Committee on Resolutions was presented
by DR.. McAllisteE The purport was that
the Christian Church was opposed to secret
societies, as they were inimical to the gen.
eral welfare The report was adopted.
Charitable Features Ridiculed.
Last nights meeting concluded the con-
ventiou. There was fair but not large at
tendance, At the conclusion of the devo-
tional exercises an address was made by the
Rev. J. H. Schuk, OF Allegheny. After re-
iterating statements made by former speak
orc dannupnipp iafi |
society and menace to our civil ins.itu-
tions he took up the charitable societies
He ridiculed the idea of a so-called
charitable society asking S25 or $50
to take in an object of charity.
They would not even then, he said, take
any one in who was disabled or who couldn't
keep himself and family. To call it charity
was a hollow pretense and sham. They
say they are charitable to their own MEM
bers, but not one dollar in five goes to the
widow and orphans. They pay money for
hall rent, salaries of officers, uniforms, trav-
cling expenses of delegates, banquets, street
parades, etc After all these are paid for
there might be mite left for the widow.
The committee on correspondence re-
ported that they had received two COM
munications. One was lengthy letter
from the Rev. Mr.. Chalfant, of York, Pa,
expressing his hearty sympathy with the
work and wishing it success. The other it
was stated by the chairman, was not so
lengthy nor so hearty. 1t was from E. d.
Glenn, of Johnstown, Grand Chief of the
knights of the Golden Eagle. The
letter was not read but brief :
extract giving some of the qualifications
for membership in that order was cited in
order TO take exceptions to them. Among
the qualifications were that to become
member person mnst be "a white male of
good moral character and a believer in the
existence of a Supreme Being and of the
Christian faith" This, it was stated,
meant that it was only necessary to believe
in the existence of the Christian faith.
An A tack on the Oaths.
The next speaker was the Rev. J.P.
OF Boston. He devoted his ad-
dress to the covenants or oaths of secret
societies He said that all true Christians
are held together by their living Head,
while these secret organizations are held to-
gether by their oath or covenant, and with
out it they fall. He referred to the oaths
tc obey the lodge and lodge masters. and
not reveal the secrets under various penal
ties. of the Grangers, knights of Labor.
Knights of Pythias, Golden Circle, KIu-
Klux and others, and placed them on the