5t4rf .. ....4n.b . ' --,-. '. - , 1-- ti:t . 04.01i...4 . 0.,. '::-,''.....'ii:::-ctii.-.-..-.i:-. CD. A. WEIMER, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR. VOL. XVL-48. THE STAR AND BANNER Is published every Friday Evening, in the County Building, above the Register and Recorder's Office, by DAVID A..BUEIILtit. Ty paid in advance or within the year, $2 00 per annum —if not paid within the year, $2 50. No paper discontinued until all arrearlges are paid up, except at the option of the Editor. Singles copies 61 cents. A failure to notify a discontinuance will be regarded as a new engagement Advertisements not exceeding a square inserted three times for $1 00—every subsequent insertion 25 cents. Longer ones, in the same proportion. All advertisements not specially ordered for a giv- en time, will be continued until forbid. A liberal reduction will be made to those who advertise by the year. Job Printing of all kinds executed neatly and promptly, and on reasonable terms. Lriters and Connnuniro (ions to the Editor, (ex cepting such as contain Money or the names of new Subscribers,) must be rosy PAID, in order-to tecure attention. CITY AGENCY.—V. B. PALMER, Esq. at the corner of Chesnut and Third streets, hiladelphia ; 140 Nassau street, New York; and South-east cor ner of Baltimore and Calvert streets ; lioniinorr— is our authorized Agent for receiving Advertise -Thetas and Subscriptions to the "Star," and collect. ing and receipting for the same. CELEBRATION. HE PHILOMATIVEAN SOCIE rir TY, of Pennsylvania College, will. celebrate its 15th Anniversary on Trednes - day Evening theiBth of February: next, at 61 o'clock, in Christ's Church ; oirwhielf occasion several orations will be delived by active members oldie Society. The friends of Literature and the public generally are respectfully invited to ,attend.. Jt~ Music suitable to the oeca - gion has been procured. WM. P. RUTHRAUFF, E. G. FA lINESTOCK, LUTHER E. ALBERT, ;14, J. A. S. TR.ESSLER, M. R. ZIMMERMAN, - January 23, 1846. • td LITERARY CELEBRATION, T HE PIIRENAEOSMIAN , SOW.TV of Penn sylvania College, will celebrate its 15th Anniversary, in Christ's Church, Gettys burg, on Wednesday the 251 h of February inst. at 6 1-2 o'clock. Several addresses will be delivered by active members. The honorary members of the Society, the friends of Literature, and the public gene rally arc respectfully invited to attend. GEORGt J. MARTZ, p, WM. 11. MORRIS. DAVID. J. Er,ER, JOHN A. LI NCH; CIIAS. IL DALE, Feb. 6. td ollnniversara Celebration. T HE Anniversary of Writsumgyox's Birth Day will be celebrated by the "Union Total Abstinence Society of Get tysburg," on Monday the 23d of February inst. at 10 o'clock, A: M. in the English Lutheran Church. The "Farewell Ad dress" will be read by A. R. STEVENSON', Esq. and a Discourse appropriate to the occasion, delivered by Rev. Dr. KRAUTII. The Citizens of the borough and the vicin ity arc invited to attend. n M. L. STOEVER, D. A. BUEHLER, • • H. J. SCHREINER, Committee of Arrangement. Feb. 6, 1896. Temperance Mass Convention, IrrHE Committee of Arrangements ap -IL pointed at the County Temperance Mass Meeting, held in the Ilunterstown Church, on the 22d of February, 1845, in accordance with the Resolution conferring their appointment, duties and powers, call upon the members of the various Temper ance Associations within• the Cbunty, and upon all the friends of the Temperance cause in our midst, to assemble in MASS CONVENTION, at the Hunterstown Church, on Saturday the 21st day of Feb ruary inst. (the 22d falling, this year, on Sunday,) at half past 10 o'clock, A. M., to consult together upon the interests of the cause, so vitally and indissolubly bound up in the profperity of the Country., Several Addresses will be delivered by able speak ers, on topics connected with the Reform. The zealous friends of Temperance, and especially the Secretaries in the several Societies of the County, are earnestly re-., quested to prepare and make full reports of the condition of all the Associations within our bounds. Let each and every• Society in the County be represented in Mass Convention, by its Delegates, and by its Report. .- John Neely, Jacob King, S. 7'cnighingbaugh, Tfin. D. Mines, D. M'Conaughy, H. ii. Picking, James J. Wills, Joseph Hunter, James Blakely, ii. K. Myers, Committee of Arrangement. February 0, 1840. - ICE. 'rhe School Directois of 'CUMBERLAND township will meet `" at the house of Conrad Snyder, on 'Saturday die 14th hilt, at I o'clock, P. M. A prompt attendance of the members of the Board is desirable. • ROBERT COBEAN, Sec i y. Feb. 6, 1846. TERMS. POETRY. The following lines from the pen of Mrs. WEL- D:, have been often published, -and are no , doubt familiar to all; still they will be read with renew ed pleaasure by every lover of real, genuine poetry. Although there is a peculiar beauty and richness in all the productions of the gifted authoress, yet the "Rainbow" is one of her finest efforts. "Amr.u.i." has been accused of plagiarism ! Who can read the lines below, and `not smile at the charge ? Who can believe that a mind so gifted, a mind that could give birth to verses like these, would thus hazard a well-earned and wide-spread fame ? No! it is false—absurd! Such assaults cannot injure the reputation of "Amr.oA." Her poetry will be read 1 and admired when other authors, now more popu- lar, shall have be forgotten. The Rainbow. Br "AMELIA." I._sometimes_havel hought-in-my-lonel iest-hoursi That lie on my heart like the dew on the flOwers, • Of a ramble I took one bright afternoon, When my heart was as light as a blossom in June: The green earth was moist with the late fallen showers, The breeze floated down and blew open the flow• While a single white cloud to its haven of rest, On the white wing of peace floated off in the West As I threw back my tresses to catch the cool breeze, That scattered the rain-drops and dimpled the seas, Far up the blue sky a fair rainbow unrolled Its soft-tinted pinions of purple and• gold "Fwas born in a moment, yet, quick as its birth, It was stretched to the uttermost parts of the earth ; And, fair as an angel, it floated all free, With a wing on the.eagh and a wing on the sea. HOW calm was the ocean how gentle its swell I Like a woman's soft bosom it rose and it fell ; While its light sparkling waves stealing laughingly o er, When they saw the fair rainbow knelt down to the shore; No sweet hymn ascended, no murmur of prayer, Yet I felt that the spirit 'of worship was there, And bent my young head in devotion and love, 'Neath the form of the angel that floated above. How wide' was theaweep of its beautiful wings! Hots• boundless its circle ! how radiant its rings ! If I looked on the sky, 'twas suspended in air, If I looked on the ocean the rainbow was there; Thus forming a girdle as brilliant and whole, As the thoughts of the rainbow that circled my soul; Like the wing of the Deity, calmly unfurl'd, It bent from the cloud and encircled the world. There are moments, I think ; when the spirit re- • ceives Whole volume of thought on its unwritten leaves, When the fokt of the heart in a' moment unclose, Like the innermost leaves from the heart of a COs('; And thus, when the rainbow had passed from the sky, And thoudits it awoke were too deep to pass by; It left my full soul like the wing of a dove, All fluttering with pleasurc,and fluttering with love. I know that each moment of rapture or pain, But shortens the links in life's mystical chain.; I know that my form, like that bow from the wave, May pass from the earth, and lie cold..in the grave; Yet, oh ! when death's shadows my. bosom uncloud. 'When I shrink from the thought of the coffin and shroud, . May hope, like the rainbow, my spirit unfold, In her beautiful pinions of purple and gold. MISCELLANEOUS. COUNCILS FOR THE YOUNG.—Never be cast down by trifles. If a spider breaks his thread twenty times, twenty times will he mend It again. Make up your minds to do a thing, and you will do it. Fear not if troubles come upon you; keep ud your spirits though the clay be a dark one.• Troubles neverstop forever, The darkest day will pass away. If the sun is going down, look up at the stars ; if the earth be dark, keep your eyes on hearbn ! With God's presence and God's promises, a man or a child may be cheerful. • Never despair when the fog's in the air! . A sunshiny morning will come without warning. Mind what you run after! Never be content with a bubble that will burst, or a firework that willend in smoke and dark, ness. Get that which you can keep, and that which is worth keeping. Something sterling that will stay When gold and silver fly away. Fight hard against a hasty temper. An ger will come, but resist it stoutly. A spark may set a house on lire.. A fit of passion may give . you cause to mourn all the days of your life. Never revenge an injury, He that revenges knows no rest; The meek possess a peaceful breast If you have an enemy act kindly to him and make hint your friend. You may not win him over at once, but try again. Let one kindness be followed by another, till you have compassed your .end. By little,and little great things arc completed. Water falling day by day, Wears the hardest rock away. And so repeated kindness will soften a heart of stone. - Whatever you do, do it willingly. A boy that is whipped to school never learns hii lesson well. A man, that is compelled to work cares not, how badly it is perform ed. He that pulls oft his coat—cheerfully strips up his sleeves in earnest; and sings while he works, is the man for me. A theefful spirit gets on quick; . A grumbler in the mud will stick. Ivtl thoughts are worse endmics than lionh and tigers. for we can keep out'of the Way of wild beasts, but bad thoughts* win their way everYwhere. The cup that is full will hold no more; keep your heads and hearts full of good thoughtst.Qtat bad thoughts may find no room to enter. _ Be on your guard, and btriye aid , = To driv e all evil thoughts away. GETTYSBURG, PA.,. FRIDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 13, 1846 --- SwEnnuco.--Whatever fortune may he' SOMETHING LIKE A NEWSPAPER.-TIIC made by perjury, I belly° there never was , London Times, the most influential news a man who made a fortune by profane paper in England, was commenced . by a swearing. It often happens that men pay joint stock company. On its first appear for, swearing, but it seldom happens ~that ante it was a small, dingy looking sheet; they are paid for it. It is not easy to per- but as it possessed talents which forced it ceive what honor or credit is connected into notice, it soon attracted public atten with it. Dope any man receive promotion', tion, and gradually increased in size, pow because he is a notable blusterer? Or Is er and . influence. The property is, at the any man advanced in dignity because ho present time, divided into twenty-four is expert in profane swearing? Low must shares, of which sixteen belong to Mr. J. be the character which such impertinence Walter. The political opinions of the will not degrade. Inexcusable, therefore, ' journal are directed by the majority of votes must be a practice which has neitherreason ; of the shareholders ; and thus, as Mr. Wal nor passion to support - it. The drunkard ter posSesses. two thirds of the entire-prop-I has his cups; the lecher' his mistress; the , erty, his voice controls the bias of the jour satirist his revenge; the ambitious man his ! nal. The value of the Times, in a purely preferment; the miser his gold; but the 1 commerciarpoint of view, is X 312,000— commo n swearer has nothing; he sells his i each share being worth X 13,000. The soul for nought, and drudges in the service , annual profit of the Times is about X 45,000, of the devil gratis. Swearing is void of, of which Mr. Walter receives :IS . his por all plea, it is not the off-spring of the soul, 1 tion L 30,000. It goes on the cash. sys rlairiterwofoii'willithe texture of the bOdy i tern and never grants credit to any one.:— nor any how allied to our frame. For as ' Every notice of a death or a marriage is Tillotson expresses it “though some men ! charged for—the simplest -announcement pour out oaths as if they were natural, yet- not beimg inserted for less than seven shill no man was ever born of a swearing con- ings and sixpence, nearly two dollars. It stitution." i is said that Mr. Walter gave his daughter, as her wedding portion, the prOfits . of the' first column of advertisements in the first page of the journala splendid fortune. - I Be ON vOun GuArw.Yes, young man, be on your guard. There arc a thousand temptations in your path and a thousand voices calling you away from duty. Poor Kendall! a few months ago 'he was full of life and activity; the pride of his father and the hope of his mother.' Now he is beneath the clods of the valley; struck down in the freshness of his youth; with out 'a moment's warning. With his com panion at the ten-pin alley he quarrelled. Away, then, from temptation. Go not near where the spirit is drank and gambling is countenanced. If you are not called so suddenly away as this young man, you will sow the bitter seeds of vice to spring.; up to your injury at Saiiie future day. It maybe delightful to associate with the vi cious—but remember their end: "The path That leads to infamy and death, with flowers Of rare perfume, will oft be strew'd to draw Thy purity away., The syren voice Upon the evening air—and peacefullness Will mark the. step of those who plot thy fall, Thou must not go. That principle within Will keep thee in the right, if thou wilt ask Guidance continually of heaven. Live near To God. The daily prayer from broken hearts Will penetrate the skies." We repeat—be on your guard. Let nothing corrupt your virtue; no art se duce your integrity; no association blind your eyes; no pleasure hire you to ruin. It is a fearful step to take, upon your .first break away from judicious advice and proper restraint, when you feel that you are too lar g e or too old to listen to a moth er's counsel or a 'fatheß's advice, when to show independence, you launch your frail bark on turbulent waters, and venture near the whirlpool, which has been the destruc tion of many a noble soul. Be careful, I pray you. You may be an honor to soci ety or a curse to community ; it is for you to decide. May heaven direct you! TRUTH FORCIBLY SPOKEN.—There is a striking philosophical truth in the follow ing paragraph in the New' York Mirror: The most eloquent and effective lectures on Temperance are those addressed to the eye. • To see a man of splendid intellect staggering about the street, like a "star shot madly from its sphere," and abusing his best friend, is a sight more melancholy than death. We never could laugh at a drunken man, though wit may sparkle from him in his cups. It is a sight deplorable to gods and men, and to the relatives and friends of the fallen one, it is a grief which neither words nor tears can adequately ex press. We have W itnessed some -instan ces of late that were melancholy and pain ful in the extreme. For the poor degra ded victims, we can only feel an infinite pity. We witnessed on Nionday in Front street, a scene if possible more painful than that indicated above—an aged mother, as she appeared to be, holding on to the arm of her staggering son, as if' buoyed up by a mother's hope, and determined not to give him.up. Oh, the trials of the drunkard's mother. SADNESS.—There is a mysterious feel ing that frequently passes like a cloud over the spirit. It comes upon the ° soul in the busy bustle of life, to the social circle in the calm and silent retreats of solitude.— At one time it is caused by the flitting of a single thought across the mind. A sound will come booming over the ocean of mem ory, gloomy and solemn as the death knell overshadowing, all the bright hopes and sunnily feeling of the heart. Who can desire it, and yet who has not felt its be wildering influence ? - Still it is a delicious sort of sorrow; and like a cloud dim ming the sunshine on the river, although / causing a momentary shade. of gloom, it enhances the beauty of returning 'bright ness. \ COLONIZATION.—*The S . IS,OOO subscrip tion for the purchase of territory in Liberia is completed, and would have been .much sooner had not theterms.of it required that' the whole amount should be given by !if- teen individuals. An additional subscrip tion of $5,000 fOr the same object has been lade in smaller sums. - With this $20,000 it is proposed.to purchase the, whole re -1 mainingt ritory from Cape Mount to Cape Palnia.s, nd thus forever bannish frost) • three butt red miles of the coast the aecttr sea sin ve !nu d r.---Jorer. l'em. ~" "FEARLESS AND I'M:" Portland Bulletin The Committee appointed to•report to the.oresent meeting of the Consociation on the subject of Secret Societies, respectfully submit: That Societies of this description have recently multiplied in this country with ex traordinary rapidity. They are gathering to their. ranks a large proportion' of the young and middle-aged:men in many por tions of this-. and other Stites. Being os tensibly devoted to charitable or other wor thy objects, they of course present their claims to the followers' of Christ, who, ac cording to their holy profession, should be' "ready to every good work." The con sequence is, as was formerly the 'case with "Free-Masonry," that a large and increas ing number of our church members are en rolled on their, lists. It. thus becomes a question of high moment to all, who, as pastors or laymen, are called to give-coun sel or exert influence on this subject, what are the. tendencies of : secret associations, and ought they to be encouraged_oxldii countenanced ? Before presenting our views on this sub, ject, we will state distinctly what the ques tion is. , We do not inquire whether these societies are-or are not pursuing praise worthy objects. We are willing to.admitj so far aft thiSdiscussion is concerned, that objects are what they purport to be, such as the promotion of charity, tempe rance, or other branches of sound morality. To these objects we ourselves are devoted. and rejoice, in our humble way, to aid all righteous measures for their advancement. Our' inquiry respects these societies, not as they are benevolent, but as they are nerd. It touches only the clement of secrecy in their structure and operations. The ques tion is, whether this is a good or a bad trait in voluntary Associations, especially such as are widely extended ; whether it aug thents or hinders their usefulness, or ex poses them to he Converted into engines of mischief; whether, in short, it is a reason for upholding and joining them, or for dis approving and shunning them. Your Committee - have no hesitation in taking the ground that secresy is a danger ous attribute of such associations, and for the following reasons :-1. It , cannot aid any truly worthy cause. Every worthy cause is such by reason of its conform ity and devotion to goodness and truth.— It seeks to promote a righteous end by righteous means. But it must be obvious Oat whatever is good and true, needs no concealment, and can gain nothing from it. Truth and goodness will not only endure the severest scrutiny, but the more thor oughly they are exposed, the more fully will their heavenly and eternal excellence shine forth. Moreover, it is only by the fullest display of their nature, 'that they can be propagated. Mankind cannot be converted _to them, without first being ap prised in what they consist. This is the only way in which they have ever been diffused among men, by the constant pro- ; clamation and enforcement of them, "line upon line, precept upon precept s -here a lit tle and there a little." This is the Bible I way ; not by the hiding, but "by the mon- FESTATION of the truths, to commend our-1 selves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." 2. Hence it follows that secrecy must be a serious hindrance to any good cause with which it is associated. L interferes with that manifestation of truth and good ness, which is essential to their progress and diffusion. Were it otherwise, were its influence purely negative in this respect, it is No est an incumbrance, a clog in the , machinery of a good enterprise. It can I be maintained only at great exertion; and by subjecting men to an unnatural con straint, enforced by a vigorous assoCiation- THE BIBLE IN CHINA..—In confirmation 'al police. This surely fetters and cramps, of former intelligence, a correspondent of the movements of any good organization. the Bible Society writes, from India:—"On Moreover, it justly exposes any institution the 7th of last June, a dinner was given by , in which it exists to the suspicion of enter the East India Company. Sir Henry Pot-, Wining sinister ends and projects. Sur tinger was present, and among other things rounding spectators will :WC, and with rea stated "that lie had perused a late edict by son too, why is this secrecy- so rigidly the Emperor of China, wherein the Em- maintained, unless to hide something which peror informs his subjects that he had heard will not bear disclosure ? Why should read to him extracts from a book entitled any thing-shun the light that will bear the the Holy Scriptures, the purport of which light ! If all that 'is done. in those aseopia appeared to him to-be 'replete with virtu- lions be "pine, lovely, and of good report," ous precepts, and, as§uch, likely to do good ; ruby should they shrink and guard them thats it was a book of virtue, and with thiselveS so sedulouslyfrom the public gaze ?. conviction, he recommended it to. the Pe - Will not disinterested men suspect. that - rusal of his people, and gave-them permis- Christ's reason is the real one, "they love ion to read it, and set agreeably to their darkness rather than light became their • e , own sk!sires.'" I el4eds are evil?" TILE N. JiEnsny STATE ANTI-SLAVERY SOCIETY held its annual meeting. in the Temperance Hall, in Trenton on the 28th instant. Among the reSolutions was one determ.iiiihg to prosecute the appeal from the. decision of the Supreme CoUrt of this Static, respecting the constitutionality of slavery in New Jersey, in the Court of Errors. A committee of twenty-five from t 41ifferent arts of the State was appointed to carry his,determination into effect. ' • RHODE ISLAND vs. MASSACHUSETTS. -- I The long pending laW case between Rhoda' Island and Massachusetts, growing out of a claim set up by the former State against the latter, hr 1832, for the possession of seventy one thousand acres of land, is now before the Supreme Court of the U: States. The counsel for Massachusetts are Messrs. Choate and Webster, and for Rhode Island Messrs. Richard S. R:mdolph ,And John Whipple. The suit has been in agitation for fgurteen years. One. of the counsel said that he had survived half the Court in being at its commencement, and all the ceunsel,vriginally engaged in it. - The New Orleans correspondent of the Charleston Mercury says:—“lt seems that the notorious parish of Plaquemines, which in 1844 gave a majority of nearly 1900 for Polk, polled 148 votes at the recent Congressional election! The fact needs no comment. CI WlT.—One of the clowns of the New York Amphitheatre brings out the horse laugh occasionally. Not a few vest strings were broken when the following was throw off. "We had an awful storm once when I was at sea in the Ohio Ca nal—Captain told us to take in all sail."— ' , Take in all sail on a Canal boat !—How did you do that, sir!" "Jumped ashore and knocked the .horse down." VALUABLE ANIMAL.-A trusty house dog is sometimes the best of friends. We have an instance before us. A Mr. Betts, in Sandersford, Mass., having gone out on an evening visit, directed the oldest boy about ten years old, to place wood un der the stove—to be in readiness for the morning fire. "This the boy did and then went to bed with the other children up stairs.,' Soon after the fire communica ted with the wood, and a faithful spaniel seeing it, went to the room where the boys were three times, barking and howling, be fore he succeeded in alarming them. The smoke convinced them that the house was on fire, and on going down found the dog! scattering the brands with his teeth and paws in every direction. CIICRNINO &Ire:rt.—Every gond housewife knows that, at times, for some peculiar causes. (most generally extra sourness or bitterness of the cream) much difficulty is experienced in ma king the cream into butter: A lady writer in the Indiana Farmer recommends the following course in such cases : , I wish to inform my sister buttcrmakers of the means. I used, which co successful ly removed the difficulty. I churned, per haps, three hours to no purpose, and then tried to think of something I had read in the bidiana Farmer, or some other peri odical. I could not remember precisely, but recollected the reason stated was the cream being too sour. I then thought of soda, (pearlash I presume would do as well,) and disiolved a large tea-spoonful in a pint of warm water, and, as I poured it in, churning at the same time, it in a moment and gradually formed into a beautiful lump of solid sweet' butter. From the New York Observer. Evils of Secret Societies, &lion of Me Consociation of Fab:field West, Connecticut. The Association of Fairfield West, at their an nual meeting held at Wilton, May 2S, .1545, re ferred the subject of Scrret Societies to a special Committee, consisting of Dr. Ifewit, Mr. Atwater, 4s-rn.\ and Mr. - J. Smith, with instruction s,t .e re port to the next annual meeting of the Con la tion of this district. At the annual meeting of the Consociation of of Fairfield West, held at Stanford, Oct. 15, 1815, Mr: Atwater, in behalf of the Committee on Se cret Societies, presented a report. Whereupon it was voted unanimously, that thiS Consociation ap prove the sentiments of said report, and request the Committee, after making such verbal altera as they may think proper, to publish it in one or more of the religious newspapers which circulate in this district. Attest. THEOPHILUS Regitter of the Consociation RE PORT. TERSIS--.-TWO DOLLARS PER AENDRI WHOLE NO. 828., . .. . a. This secrecy, if not designed to hide, cvil, is, nevertheless calculated loiter it.-=. For as light is the native and congenial el ement of truth and goodness, so darkneSs is the "'favorite element of delusion 'and wickedness. This is so true, so universal ly recognized and felt, that all the . world mitlerstands a deed of darkness to mean a 4eed of • iniquity. - Hence Christ declares,- L"every one that doeth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds, should be reproved. But he that doeth _truth cometh to the light, that his deeds. may be made manifest. Thus we see. how darkness is propitious to the evil' that covets it. It exempts iniquity from', that exposure to public reproof and indit ! , nation which would constitute . its most' 1 powerful check. Shielded by the secrecy : 1 of these societies, men may be unconscious= ly beguiled into proceedings wholly abhor.: rent to the original designs of [heir found crs and of themselves, when they first be.; came members. Such we believe was the course of events in the Masonic institution. The first objects of this society appear to . have.been purely benevolent. Most of its' 1 members probably joined the fraternity' without any sinister intentions. But under, the magic protection of secrecy; enormous corruptions wore gradually foster'ed,which at length forced their own disclosure, and a roused, a tempest of opposition to it, from which,,as, yet, it has shown no symptins: of - recovery. This is the natural, and,'as 'we think,"enavoitlable:tenderiey - ,Of seciesk in all associations, however pure or benev-: lent their original objects. It removes some of the most important restraints of human depravity, and opens. a field in which the ambitious and profligate can con cert sinister schemes, and acquire a disas trous influence unhindered by' the salutary ; check of public scrutiny and disctussion, 4. Serious objections lie against the' oaths and pledges to preserve secrecy, ta 7 ken by nienihers of lliese societies. Our Savior's prohibition, .44swear not all,"lns the most liberal construction - which can be' given to it, restricts - the - libe* of Wilier _ the oath to high and solemn occasion,* which the most momentous interests are staked upon it. ' Even the' promises, or. • pledges given. in these cases, are unlawful . whether confirmed by this fearful solentity, or, not. For in order to he lawful', they must bind us to that and that only, which at thetime of making them; we know to be right and proper. But how can he' know this, who promises. or swears to make a secret of that of the nature of which he is, from the necessity of the case, utter ly ignorant ? How does he know that it may not prove to be of such a character, that every good meaning man will be bound to disclose it as'soon as he knows it, and that the prodiise will be "better kept in the breach than the observance ? " Such pledges of secrecy, therefore, are plainly unlawful. We believe that in some, if not all instances, they are so framed as to bind to other things, such as fidelity thud devo tion to, the interests Of these associations. These promises, for the same reasons as the promise of secrecy, are plainly unwar rantable. The moral evil is of course great er when this wrong is guarded and &dem-, nized by an oath for its confirmation: The administration of oaths unlawful in their nature and objects, involves a trifling with this important solemnity, which is highly pernicious in its tendency and influence. 5. All secret associations engender a• clannish spirit among theirmembers, which' often gains a dangerous sway, and leads . to unhappy consequences. This exclusive spirit, at least in its worst developments, ari ses from their secrecy. The operations: of each secret society being concealed from all but its own members, there can •be no communion or sympathy in regard to it be, tweet). theni and other men. They are thus isolated, sd . far forth, from society at large, in their feelituri and aims. This cir, cumstance,joined to the opportunity which secrecy affords for devising and adopting methods of selfish agrandisement, veiled from the view, and shielded from the cen- sure of the public, often generates a vehe ment clanship among he members in fur thering their own interests, which inter- fees with their obligations and duties • to other men and to society at large. It dis turbs and diverts the natural and sponta neous action of the social feelings and affec tions in private and public relations, in the . channels of friendship and business, the administration of justice:, the conferring of place or power in church or state. In oth, er words, it often leads to the giving of sup pOrt or patronage to the members of the society, when; if they were not members, they would not receive it, and un their 6%m merits aremot entitled to These results may be not be developed* end matured at once. They may not now appear, even in thegerm. But the seeds of them certainly exist in .the very nature of a secret society. In proportion• es They spring up and grow, they operate as a dis turbing and disastrous influence in,all-the spheres of human activity, all the relations of mankind. The disclosures in regardto masonry. showed that it had carrted,sr liality for its members into, business .and politics, that it infected the administritiop of justice, and even intruded into the •nnc tuary, of::God- - We are deceived- if ,The• triore recent class of secret societieiv (10410 t already display this parti ality of their mom- ,-- berg for esch other, lionu t of t h e o m . mon concerns of - lifm---89 faros thittpio.. wails it will spread jetikmoty,disaord Mid torneas bttwoOn them and othor ohlasinte—, It id at bow. a dan: 4 rOus eddy; lirhitik
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