VOL. 1.
GREENSBORO, N. C., THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1875.
NO. 8.
POETRY.
THOUGHTS.
in Grt4wiiSt.
By Mrs. C. Keese S-
Wlien, ai'os back, life Temple rose
Majestic nea'^U ti e rising .im,
Th'-^ sicre.l scrf>ll wa then unroUed,
The glorious brotherhood begun.
And proudly down the tidu of j^enrs,
Amid the rocks that frowning lay,
The vessel wirli Mi'Oiiic,ft ig
Ha.s k‘pt i^-s ^afe and -t-oidy way.
The cmv are pled red to noble d -ed-s
To battle bravely f >r the Ri dit;
To liold trutb‘ sr.an'lard ever op,
To .'^caTe ■ d o k ie by the I'gbt—
Tolielp a "alhui b-otli t n-e,
To f‘Cd tlie poor assi-t weak,
Tt> dry, widi tender, pityiiir hand.
The tear upo-i the \vi low’s cb..*ek.
Base slaud -r. serp mt like and foul,
Shall d'e beu airli Ma-onic heel;
The swo-d shall from tne scabbarl leap
When woman's honor mak ’S appeal!
W'uin r iging U;ite. on brittle field
S:rive.> *vory better puls" to >mother,
The sin'dng foe, with feeble sti’eogth.
Gives mystic touch that mak'‘s him brother
On laud or s'a, in eve *y clhiie,
W.icr'or the tongue of man is spoken,
la found the tni 'e and -^p )tl ‘s- ’‘s-juare,”
The Mason-j’ ever honored token.
Their creed hold-j all that's good and true,
No Christian teiching can be sny'er;
The pra}'er we list at m dher’.s knee
In spirit is not better, purer.
Onrsed be the man who falsly takes
The sacred oatli, for selfi.sli gain,
Who stains his armor—cailiff knight!
And biingsreproach upon the name,
But bles^ied shall tlie brother be
Who purely wears tlie signet given,
Till God the Great High Fried, shall call
The sacred Lodge above in Heaven.
^eenville {Ala.) Advocate.
Marrying a Mason.
BY WM. BOUNSEVILLE.
'• Had I known you were a P’reemason,
I slioiild never have married yon.”
On a snug and well eu'tivatel farm,
but not of large extent, in one of the
western counties of Western New York,
bad been erected a cosy and convenient
iitUe cottage, yet large enough to answer
the present needs of the family which was
to occupy it. A much traveled road pass
ed it a few rods in front, leaving abun
dant room for the display of horticultu-
xal taste, which opportunity had been
.freely improved. The center was a mass
of bloom, graveled walks conducted to
unexpected and half concealed beauties
while a thick forest of the common ever
greens, spruce, cedar and pine formed a
protecting wall against the freezing blasts
of winter, and a screen from the piercing
heats of aatomer.
Around, and in rear of the residence,
were the usual appliances of a thrifty
farm, and the neighborhood gave evident
and abundant proof that industry, fru
gality and taste had regenerated the ster
ile soil, and that the owners were the
masters and not the slave of fabor. To
the eastward, through the thick foliage
of the evergreens, could be seen the white
.spire of the one church where nearly ev
ery familv in the neighborhood assembled
on the Sabbath to worship God, and on
an opposite corner of the street, had been
reared the necessarv adjunct of a well
govertjed communitv—a school house ol
such dimensions and used under such
regulations as precluded the necessity of
anv child growing up in iguoraiice and
coriseipienti vice.
.“Ml the surroundings
seemed fitted for engendering pure and
saint.iry intiueiice over those who came
within its reach.
The school building, which was two
stories, and of a more pretentions .-liarac-
ter than most edifies used for h t pur
pose in t.he country at the period ot which
we write, had a portion of the space be
neath its roof, devoted to other matters
than
Teifliing the t/m'iif/ ''tea liow to shoot. '
It Was occupied to teach the matiirergeu
eratioii the way of duty—in fact it was
a da,sonic Lodge Koom. There could
have been but little of the anti-Masonio
element in the community, else a build-
gin erected by a general tax, would hard
ly have been rented for a purpose, which
in that case, must have been obnoxious
to a portion of the proprietors. And
this little community prospered and were
happy, and no element of discord was
mixed with the public di.sposition.
It was into this arcadian paradise that
William Walton brought his newly wed-
.led biiile. She was a daughter of the
Puritans, and self reliant; a little opin
ionated, and had been taught th-at Fiee-
masonry was the source of great evil in
the community, and that Freemasons
we.e not very inactive emissaries and
worshippers of bisBrimstone Majesty.”
It may be as well to say that Walton, pre
vious to his migration from Vermont, had
largely shared in that opinion ; but a few
years residence in New York W'here the
Fraternity was talerated, and an acquain
tance with many of the active members,
convinced him there was much good in
the Institution, and, just before he set out
on his journey to bring to the home he
had prepared, his wife, he received the
degree of Master Mason.
It was only a few days after the hap
py pair h.id become settled in their beau
tiful and love-lighted home, that one of
the Brethren called, and during the con
versation that ensued, casually asked
Walton if he would attend the Lodge on
the next regular communicatien. His
reply was in the affirmative, when the
wife, who was present, arose, and de
manded, in a voice hoarse with excite
ment ;
‘‘ William Walton are you a Freema-
mason?’
" I am,” was the reply.
“ Had I known you were a Freemason,
I should never have married you,” she
fairlv screamed, her face livid with anger,
and before an answer could be given, she
left the room, ami retired to her own
apartment. Of course the Brother apol
ogized on the score of ignorance that bis
question would introduce a-i unsettled
controversy and left the husband to
smooth the anxieties of the “ ragged edge
of connubial difficulty,” as best he could.
But tliatta.sk was not so easily per
formed. The lady uniformly refused to
listen to what tire culprit had to offer in
his own justification, and whenever he
nudertook that task, either left him alone,
or replied so bitterly that it required all
his self-command to prevent- Lim from re
torting in a similar strain. Thus pa.ssed
the years. Children were born unto them,
acres were added to acres, barns were
pit led down that greater ones might he
hnilded, a new and more pretentious
house was erected in the evergreen grove;
all the evidences of pro.sperity were
about them, and still the controversy on
the Masonic question was unsettled, and
the .stereotyped phrase which stand.s at
tlie head of this article was often yet re
peated.
The family had commanded the re
spect and esteem of-their neighbors; i's
head had been oho.sen by his fellow citi
zens to fill high and honorable places in
the public service ; he had aci ieved a
reputation for honest/ and capability
which is p; s.^essed by few iu this age and
country; hewasagood husband, a kind
father, a trusty public officer, and an hon
ored man; and still if his wife had
known he was a Mason, she would never
have married him.
A man with an hoae.-5t principile and
purpose, is likely to give too much cred
it to others foi honesty, and this frequent
ly leads him to place his confidence and
trust where they will be abused and be
trayed. Walton had extensive dealings
in real estate, “ endorsed for a friend”
occasionally, but manageil to keep things
square and ea.-iy during his lifetime, tbo’
his property was som.h.imes considerably
encumbered with mortgages.
It so happened that business took him
to New York City. Th.;ire was a colli
sion of trains—several were killed, some
were desperately wounded, among whom
was Wsltcn, and others escaped unhurt.
Fraternal hands ministered to his wants,
and heeding his request to be taken home
to his family, accompanied him, and as
far as human skill could compass that end
relieved him from his sufferings. But it
was written that he should die. and soon
the Lodge, of which he was a member,
was called to pa/ the* last tribute of re
spect which the living can perform for
the dead. As it was the expressed wish
of the deceased that he should be buried
by the Fraternity with all the impressive
forms and rites of the Order, the widow
could scarcely object, however much she
felt like doing so, and the burial was per
formed under the sole auspices of the
Lodge.
On examination of the affairs of the
estate, they were found to be in a far
worse condition than any one had antici
pated. The executor was compelled to
sell all the real estate except the home
stead, and the proceeds of these sales
ba*'ely were sufficient to pay the legal
demands against the estate, including
several endorsements amounting to about
twenty thousand dollars; leaving the
homestead, with a mortgage of two thous
and, for the family. The widow with her
family, seemed likely to be turned out
upon the cold charity of the world.
The Lodge, however, without consult
ing her had determined (dherwise. That
portion of the homestead which was sit
uated between the house and the river
was laid out in town lots, some of the
more wealthy of the members purchased
a number of them, and thiough their in
fluence “Walton's additiou” became
popular as a jtlaoe for residences. Heal
estate in that quarter nicrea.-e.l rapidly*
in value, and in an incredibly short time
the mortgages were paid off, and a sum
realized in addition sufficiently large to
secure a respectable livelihood to the be
reaved family.
When the final settlement was accom
plished, the executor, who was also Mas
ter of the Lodge, as the safe.st securities
with which he was acquainted, invested
the surplus in United States Bonds. It
was a pleasant day for the Lodge, as W'ell
as for the family, when t'nose bonds, rep
resenting a sum, the interest of which
placed the widow and her children in
comfortable and independent circum
stances were reported as the result of the
effort to save the homestead, and it would
be difficult to say which was most pleased
with the successful administration of the
estate, hut from that day the widow for
got to repe.it the old refrain, that had
she known her husband was a Mason she
never would have married him But it
was soon known to the Craft, she had said
privately to .some of her intimate friends,
that no daughter of hers should marry-
a man not a member of the Lodge, wit!,
her consent, and that her sons should all
be Masons if they were found worthy.
We leave the reader to decide when
she acted most wisely—whe.-t she was
sorry she had married a Mason, or when
she was desirous that all her children
should participate iu the benefits of the
Institution ? and would only say, therr
are many Mrs. Waltons in the world.—
Voice of Masonry.
Brown, the mind-reader has given the
Chicago people a terrible fright in declar
ing that most women are gifted, without
knowing it, with the same mysterious fac
ulty he possesses. The Chicago Bene
dicts are packing their trunks so that
they may be ready to leave the momect
their wives discover they are mind-xeaf};-
ers-
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