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YOLi II. RALEIGH, FRIIAY, OCTOBER 19, 1849. NO AG .
ADDRESS
delivered.- before Fellowship Lodge, No. 81,
OF FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS,
At UmithUM, June 24, J8.4.9.
By Henry V. Mimer.
FRIENDS AND BRETHREN : TV
I appear before you in obedience to cull which I could
Dot' well disregard. It would, however, have been gratifying to my feeling,
mid certainly more conducive to the pleasure and instruction which the Cere
i oniea if this interesting occasion are bo well calculated to impart, had some
one been selected whose experience and learning render him better qualified
to address you.
There is nothing which more strikingly illustrates the character of the
age and country in which we live, than the general and enthusiastic efforts
which arc in progress to improve the conditio!) and elevate the moral and in
tellectual character f nil classes of men.
To advance such objects, Societies and Associations are constantly
springing into existence, which, professing to have in view some beneficial
and benevolent cud, ure able to command the united energies of vast bodies of
men, whose seal, in must inst-inces, affords some test of the sincerity of their
convictions, and the purity of their motives.
That some of these Associations are not destined for good, but rather
(end to evil, either from the principles by which they are governed, or the
mentis which ure adopted to effectuate their purposes, will hardly admit of
denial. But there is a consolation in the assurance, that, as those which
are erected upon a filse basis, will, in the nature of things, work out their
own downfall, so those which are founded upon the Rock of Truth, need
not fear the violence ol denunciation or the rashness of opposition, but look
lurwaril, with a steady eve, and resolute purpose, through all the mists of
t rror which may envrloie them, to the bright, clear light which will burst
upon their final success !
The Hand which directs this vast machinery of moral and intellectual
ffliirt, is Divine; and as it will assuredly uphold and prosper those Institu
tions which are of good report, and whose fruits are full of sweetness and
healing to the N.itiiin, ku too is that Hand sulliciemly powerful to elicit good
out of evil, and to turn, with skill and promptness, all the devices of men,
however imposing they may have been rendered by the sanction of human
antlority, to the consummation of its own glory, and the strengthening of its
own power !
VVs are told in a beautiful Apologue, tint an Eastern Phiioscpher, who
was once ask nl what inscription he would furnish as most appropriate to all
the worts of man, replied, "I would write, upon each and all of them, the
words This too shall pass aaay !n
Could this response have been given with a conviction of its truth to
tinny, who, in the haughtiness of their pride, imagined that the works of their
hands and the monuments of their greatness were to be immortal, how would
that pridejhave been humbled, or how readily would the indiscreet Soothsayer
have met the f ite of liiin who dared to remind the Ancient Potentate, in the
full glitter of his power, that he and his kingdum were mortal I
v.. T . .: : .1. t. ; r - :...l .1.... Vi... .:. . .
.. e III rcvipwilii; 1MB NisiuiT vi uabi purs, we iiuu mat avuamico wciu
overturned ; Empires which had stood forages the shock of Revolutions, sud
denly overwhelmed; systems ol intellectual wisdom,which had long been the
admiration and delight of the enquiring and the curious, refuted or discarded :
the proud Empire of Rome which, lor twelve hundred years, led Nations
captive at ber will, and carried her conquering Eagles in triumph to the
utmost boundaries of the known World : the Kingdom of Charlemagne,
which grasped at the same unbounded dominion : the gorgeous panorama
of Military Conquest, which was spread out before the astonished gaze of the
Nineteenth Century, by the fiery Genius pf Napoleon : the proudest Theories
of Philosophy, by which the magic fame of Plato, Aristotle and others,
ld captive the minds of their votaries all all, had written npon them
the melancholy sentence of the Eastern Philosopher, " This, tv, shall
sim away!"
: " So fails, so languishes, grows djin add dies,
" All that this world i proud of. From their spheres,
" The Star of Human Glory are cast down ;
" Princes and Emperors, and the Crowns and Pdlmi
"Of all the mighty, withered and consumed!"
There is, however, a part which remains : a part which is immortal !
Governments may perish, but their examples live. Associations may die, hut
the influence ot their principles remains. The most intricate or sublime
nystems of intellectual or moral reasoning1 may be dissipated, but their hn-
Eitsions fof good or evil, for truth or error, exist, long, ling--Hfter the
mes of those who pcomulged or erected them, have passed away, and been
gotten forever !
However interesting it might be, it would scarcclv be considered aparo-
1 "prists, even had I the time and information at command, to enter into a
minute history ot the Urigm and Progress or f ree Masonry. We know that
ihe Craft consisted, in its infancy, principally of Operative Masons, whose
primary object was the. improvement of Architecture, by the application of
lie Rule anil Principles oT the Science ol lieometry. rrom its Operative,
to Its speculative an Mural character, the transition Was easy and natural
v The lirst we learn of the establishment of regular Lodges, was at the
period of the erection of the (Irk at Temh.s by that wise and powerful Ruler,
(lno SotiMox Under the influence of the intimate friendship which' was
formed by the mystic tie of Masonry, between him and Hiram, King of Tyre",
(he uraer nourished toau astonishing degree, ami spread throughout tliesur
rounding parts of that Eastern Country.
Its introduction into Europe is attributable to Ninus, as early as the
year of the World 8.03,0, from which time its success varied until the yiar of
par oavimir, Vtri, when the Ijrarol Lodge ot t or was ijiunueu. and received
(he countenance and support of King Athelalaiie, o viiiich Jaidgc bis brother,
idwln. was the first Grand" Master. ' '
From tlie Grand (communication which assembled at Vnrk, about that
period, wi derive oqr boot i of Constitutions upon which rests the Order of
Ancient York Masons.
It was tlio founding of thaj; J,ndge which gave an impulse In Masonry
that was felt throughout the civilized world. Its advocates and disciples
spread over Kumpo the western part of Asia, and the northern parts of Af
rica, birly alter tho settlement ol this countrv by thy bun.peaii. it waa
introduced with the improvement it had undergone, and soon gained a per
manent foothold, from which il has advanced, with a firm and steady step to
the present period; There is no section of the Union in which its salutary
influence i not tcit, eitlier through the direct operation ot a regular Lxlge
or tnc sileni but sure ctfi.-ct ot Us principles through the exertion or its indi
jridual members.
If iniquity of existence can add to the claim which an Institution may
have fq public respect and cyusideralion, tlien indeed, dm the Order of free
and Accepted Miifpps, present credentials which cannci disregarded. For
nearly Ihme thousand years has It existed. relainiiiL' its dtiinnislied fea
lures and keeping stesdily in vi, w iho irreat oliiects of its fmnidaiion amidst
all the changes yhich have marked the progress of events. In whatever
f lime and under yhateyer Government U has been planted, there its princi
ples ni oenevoience ana cnaruy nave tweo deep root, am) )ii due season pro
duced the richest fruits. "
' Nor tins it lacked at any perjod of its exigence, the conntenancc and
fneouragwnei.t of the purest hearts and the brightest intellects. Under the
potectiug and harmonizing influence of its principles, the crowned bead and
)Ik humble peasant have sat together. Men of conflicting political and re
, . . . . i ; i . i i ..
pcrniiasiojif looping sieauny jn .view anu yieiuins one.nence to tne
precepts of ,the Order, have met in charity and good wl The Statesman
and 1 hilesopher the Poet and Divine men of al! caliinffs. and every eon.
flicting pursuit, hye reed from their labors, fnder the expanded branches
of this tfec, which has o long witlmtood and breasted the fury of the storms
which have boat against its venerable trunk. 1,.
Amongst llist gilaxy of bright names in tlie liistory ,o our own country,
wli'ich ha v. irne wj))ing and devoted tesjimriv to its character and objects,
none h -lj ask fnf a brighter, a more lUuivlrious than that of the Father of
Ins Lnuu'K:- lt the captious Caveller. and biffotled reviler cease tiwtr eui'
bilteml rsseps, for there is recorded high up, on tlie lonz scroll of its vols-
.!.. it- : . .? ..'... ! i
wrs, me ijiiitr ui ii A-nisii iwi, fjv iniijF-n'ic pyraniio oi wnoar lamr, win
stafjd njntipnt uemding njjes, emiitiog ffoui jts lofty fuiDinit a piifeand
stendv beam of liclit which ia destined to Wad the Nations of the Earth to
the reverence ana practice of political virtue the establishment of good
Government, and the enjoyment of well regulated freedom !
It is not however upon its antiquity alone, nor upon the sanction of the
illustrious names which adorn its annals, that Masonry rests its claim to the
approval and support of nil good men. ' 1,1 is willing to stand or fall by the
principles winch have ever governed it, and the olijecls winch are presented
for its accomplishment. In hours of its severest trials it has depended upon
the intrinsic. merits of its causoTor success. When assailed with all the
bitterness of ignorance and bigotry when persecution kept its fires lighted
up, in every valley and upon every hill, the hellish glare ot whose names was
but a type a miniature of the hearts of those who kindled Ihem, and longed
for fresh victims tor the devouring element of their cruelty ; IT never for one
moment lost sight of its benevolent purposes ever exercising the virtue of
forbearance bearing in mind that "a soil word lurneth away anger, and
confident that its success depended not upon violence or denunciation not
upon altercation or excitement not upon cruelty and persecution, but on the
strong assurance which has accompanied the Order in every trying vicissitude
through which it has passed, that as light should break in upon the minds of
men, its virtaes would shine forth in all the mildness and beauty or their
character.
It is not however in the full gsze of the public eye that Masonry spreads
out its trophieB. It erects no monuments of brass or marble to impress it
actions upon the minds of the astonished multitude. It is not amongst the
gay and glittering throngs which surround the thrones of Princes, or press
with eager curiosity around those who bear upon their persons the insignia
of civil or military renown but in the privacy of the domestic circle, that
Masonry would apply lor a just consideration of its claims to hutio? and
respect.
Nor would it hesitate to forego any and all the charms which the career
of wealth and power can bring, to the gratification of the most unbounded
ambition, to walk an humble handmaid ot Charity, as she scatters around
ber blessings, coming to the hearts of the suffering and distressed, like the
manna which fell from Heaven, to the starving Israelites of ohl!
To relieve the distressed feed the hungered clothe the naked bind up
the broken-hearted raise the fallen pour light into the dead and darkened
intellect call out and add vigor and efficacy to all the nhler impulses of the
heart what higher what more heavenly objects could elicit the admiration
or command the energies of man 1
Its mission, like that of the good man, the anniversary of whose birth we
have met to commemorate, ia but "to prepare the way" to prepare the way
for those still tubhmer virtues, which illustrated (he character of Him, whose
life here was one of goodness, love, purity and suit-ring who died "the just
for the unjust" and who, wltllst in all the agonies of the intensest pain and
anguish, uttered that heavenly inspired invocation, " KiitT,rire they
know not trhat they do .'"
Whilst at the same time that it remains one of tlw profossed principles
of the Order to confine its acts of benevolence within no particular limits,
but to extend the hand of Charity to all mankind, and brotherly love, to all
Masons or their families, who may need it, no matter in what clime such may
be found, yet melancholy and mortifying indeed .would it be, were they to
neglect those objects of their care and aid, which are around and about them,
and which conic under thoir immediate view.
Brethren, it is not necessary that you should go far hence to find an ob
ject worthy tlie active exertions of every Mason. I should be doing injustice
to the Order, and violence to every generous impulse, were I to pass it over
without notice. .
For years nriBt. the attention of Masons in other Slates and Counties,
has been earnestly directed to the great subject of Education. Under the
fostering care ol the Order, Seminaries of Learning have sprung up and
been nurtured in many sections ot our country, producing results, me inliu
ence of which will be felt throughout succeeding generations.
The appeal which has been made to the Order in our own State, cannot
be disregarded, without placing at our doors a heavy responsibility, i he
Grand Lodge of the State, in 1817, by a series of Resolutions, brought the
subject ol establishing seminaries lor tlie education ot children ol living.
and the orphans of deceased Masons, before the subordinate lsxlges. the
matter was discussed and urged with much zeal and ability at the last meet
ing of the Grand Lodge. The Grand Master in an eloquent address which
should call forth a hearty response from all the Lodges, has pressed this sub
ject upon us with an earnestness and ability which is worthy of the highest
success.
It is propneed to raise a fund sufficient to found and support an Institu
tion of learning, at which tlie children of brother Masons who are in needy
circumstances, mav receive the advantages ot a liberal education, under tne
supervision of the Grand Lodge. I will not stop here to inquire into the
practicability of the plan. If two thousand regular Masons, in connexion
with, and aided by, tlie large number of retired Masons in the Slate, sarink
back in despair from the accomplishment of such a work, then indeed ia the
spirit which actuated the Fraternity in days past, gone gone from amongst
us! liut the feasibility of the plan has been demonstrated beyond cavil'
beyond the captious objections even of the most miserly parsimony. ¥
should nope of us witness, in our day and generation, such a work brought
to perfection, we can at least make a beginning. We do not indulge the vain
hope to soe such a project spring into full perfection, il;e the tamed luKldess
whom the Ancients represent as leaping ready armed from the brain of Jove.
To some it may be granted to lay the foundation to others may be the labor
of building the superstructure, and to those who shall come after theiii, may
be lelt the gratification ot witnessing the completion oi uie cuince. uui
still we can do something. We can lay the corner stone with assurances
that the work will fio up and go on. We may not see and enjoy all of its
l'. " t II I.. llf- Ll IJ .1
messings, out some ponion may iau 10 our ioi. vis may noi ucuuiu uie
brightest effulgence of the new-risen planet, hut some few of its rays may
penetrate the gloom which surrounds us. And is il not an object worthy of
all our energies? Does it not present the strongest claqns to our support 7
Can we be true to the great and benevolent precepts of he Order, and with
hold our aid. however small from such a work marked as this Is by every
thing which should elicit the best hows, and exertions of the generous and
the good J
1 coiuess my nean is run wnrn i rmeci upuu uie giunuus rrruit iiiibu
must necessarily follow the erection of such an Institution. !ok around
yon my friends, at the condition, menial and moral, of many children whose
lament were once ornaments to tne vruer. mnugfi mem, are many who
were deprived of the comforts of life, and passed under the iron yoke ol
poverty, by the same b(ov yyi'ieh severed them from paiental care andsssisr
tauco. Whilst poverty and suffering are thus pressing them to the earth, tlie
wants of the body, you stand resdy to relieve. Your purse is open your
hearts are open, to satisfy their hunger and clothe their nakedness. But oh!
how infinitely more important lo their present and eternailiippiness, t the
satisfaction of those other cravings which prry upon lha' niiud, and devour
the immortal aspirations of tlie soul ! Month'altcr mouth passes like a dark
wave, inio Jhe Ocean of the past year after year with icy fingers creeps
upon thein, but ho hand' is raised to lift from their intellects the thick and
chilling cloodof ignorance! ' The light of intelligence is around and about
them it beams foith Iron every countenance, and warms every heart, but
no ray il allowed to penetrate' (heir souls! dope of its genial influence
warms Into life and activity their down-atricken minds ! Amongst thein may
be fhnse who under proper culture, would' leave llje impress ol their minds
opon the age n which they live, transmitting to posterity a fame, which
Would no) only add to the character of the Order, but give new lustre to pur
National renown! And yet we hesitute I
ThelFratcmity, in every part pf the Civilized World, are awakening to
the great Importance of this subject They see and feel that in the race of
Mental and gjaral Improvement, Vbich if now going on, and which is giving
to everything a new and more active form' arid character, that for this Order
to stand by, in dull and listless inactivity, would be to falsify its principles',
and to assume a position which, evert in the darkness of the Middle Ages,
it would have scorned to Wd'; for 'even' fnen, were the lodges of Europe Uie
rerjositoritVof Learning and of the Holy Scriptures, and from them went
forth many a beam of light which burst through the thick gloom that bung
over the continent, and carried joy and mental freedom to thousands!
' What a neble example did, )he Masons of Germany, Denmark and Swe
den, niore than half a century ago, present for our Imitation I fechobli d
Seminaries of Learning were erected in many sections of those countries, for
the education ol the children pf Masousj'yho, by Jjieij poverty. M been
debarred this advantage J '
In an Imtitutton of this kind, established at Brunswick, the Students
were taught all the higher branches of learning, and regularly examined by
the puke of Brunswick, himself a briglit snd zealous Mason j and the most
di-sc'rvihg among them were rewarded with suitable pKinimhs fo litimulate
thein to renewed exertionf. ' ' ' "
'At Eisenach sevc;J Seminaries of tlif same clitracte r were erected and
flourished, Jn a few years, thry had sent ' Uijk upwards of (Tight hundred
children, instructed in all the principles of Science and Christianity.
In 1771, a like Institution was established at Cassel, and continues to
this day to spread its blessings throughout the surrounding country.
The united Lodges of Dresden, leipsic, and' Garliu erected, in 1773,
at Frederii'katadt, a Seminary of Learning, which has been richly endowed,
aud greatly encouraged. In a few years after it went into operation, il had
educated ami sent forth eleven hundred children, many of whom subsequently
took their places amongst the most distinguished Scholars and Statesmen of
the Age ami Country in which they lived ; and even now, sotne of them are
known to the civilized world as being in the front ranks of the most illustri
ous men ot Lit rope.
The same benevolent and enlightened fpirit has governed the Fraternity
in other parts ot the Kastern Continent. A,d should we, who believe that
to much, both of individual' and National happiness and prosperity depend
upon the enlightenment of the public mind, bo found in the rear of our bre
thren whose lots have been cast under the Monarchies aud Despotisms of
Europe ? Who can calculate the value ol such an Institution to the rising
generation aye, to generations yet unborn ? None can estimate what, men
tal richness il may gather up for our S'yi',e and Country !
Brethren, it is lor you to say whether 'such sweetness is longer to be
wasted on the desert air whether such gems, such intellectual riches are
to remain obscures in the dark, a. id now impenetrable, caves of ignorance !
With you 1 leave this cherished object of the Order, confidently assured
that the appeal which is made by so many of the needy and uneducated
Offspring of your brethren for light that light which illumines the soul
that light which points tho way to Heaven that light which teaches " 'tis
not all of life to live," but that there lies beyond this transitory existence a
dread reality for eterjial weal or woe, will not tj made in vain ; but that
there will be found, nv every section of our State, men who, with wise, bene
volent, and resolute hearts, will push forward tins great work to a glorious
consummation.
good cause, we chall have the approving smiles pf those, who, as they are
the first to eschew evil, should be (lie last to desert good : And let thein ever
remember, that, Inasmuch as one claiming to belong to the Order of Free
and Accepted Masons, forgets or neglects tfie sacred duties ol domestic life
dashing to the earth all the holy treasures of filial love and rilling with
poison the cup of conniibiariiappiness in so much has he departed from the'
high and ennobling precepts of the Order ! '," i. . .
Brethrex ! Tiiave thus, in my feeble way, performed the task, which
your partiality allotted me. Would that I had possessed the ability to do
justice to those principles of oiir Order, the' beauty and power of which are'
this day being illustrated throughout oiir own country, and in' every part of
tho Civilized World. From all those who desire to see" tbf precepts of
Kindness substituted for the influence of Force, id the government and con
trol of the iriinds and heartB of men, the Institution ol Free Masonry must'
ever receive the highest commendation, and the richest reward that Earth
can bestow ! Under such hopes, its disciples can "go forth to meet the
Bhadowy future without fear.and with manly hearts." Arij may tlie Great
Ruler above so chasten your minds and govern your actions, that you may
oe prcparea ior an entrance into ll)e Tem?le "not made Willi hands, eternal
in the Heavens !" ' , . , ,i .
Brethren, whilst remembering our sacred obligations to each other as
Masons, let us not, I beseech you, forget our duties and responsibilities as
men and patriots. Wo live in an age marked by stirring incidents. The
human intellect seems more than ever on the wing for new discoveries, new
experiments the human passions ever eager for new gratifications, In this
great drama ot hie on this excited and varied stage ot action tlie humblest
amongst you have a part to perform, either for good or ill. The civilized
world has but recently been called to contemplate a succession or Revolu
tions which in many respects have no parallel in history. The events of the
last twelve months have overturned thrones and revolutionized kng establish
ed governments. The whole of Europe has been writhing under the throes
of the mightiest political Revolutions. The sceptre of Monarchy has been
shivered in the grasp ot ancient Dynasties. It is proclaimed that the spirit
of civil freedom has been aroused to action that her voice is heard in deep
a nd resolute tours amidst the mountains of Hungary and on the sunny plains
of classic Italy that the long smouldering ashes of down-trodden and dis
membered t'oland, aro about to be rekindled and that the once ureen Isle
of the Oceap may yet be able to prove that she has not listened in vain to the
Heaven inspired Eloquence of her Grattan and her Cumin. What are to be
the effects on the civilized world of that voles n a which is threatening to
burst over Europe what horrors the eruption is to produce what fields are
to be laid waste, and depopulated by the hot lava which will burst from its
fiery craterwhat villages, and towns, and cities, and temples,are to be over
turned and buried beneath this molten mixture of human passions, no one
can foresee none can venture to foretell. Doubt and darkness hang over
the future. The sagacious and philosophic mind of Edmund Bubke enabled
him to declarewith truth, when speaking of the Government which was
reared upon the ruins of the first French Revolution "Before ils final settle
ment, it may be obliged to pass through great varieties of untried being ; and
in all its transmigrations to be purified iiy tire and blood." If the scenes
which have recently been exhibited in Europe, a recurrence of which is still
apprehended with awful terror and alarm, be, as is claimed fpr them, but
evidences of the rousing irp, the full awakening to its strength', of ihB long
pent spirit of human freedom and national regeneration, we can but bid it
triumph ; hut let us uot forget to ask for it to demand, as necessary for its
permanent success, moderation and wisdom the safe and holy guidance of
Virtue and Religion ! Thank Heaven i we have no such political tyranny
to encounter no such religious intolerance against which to struggle. ' The
civil and religious privileges which we enjoy were won by the indomitable
valor, and have been transmitted down, by the far seeing wisdom and pru
dence, of those illustrious men whose fame- has become the common property
of the whole nation the common inhentage or every Inend of free Govern'
tnent throughout the world ! Aud though an much haa been done by those
who have uone before us, still the cup ol our national and individual respon
sibility is full, and it will not be permitted to pass from ui. Of its ingredients
we must drink, at evcrv tuzard.our full share, the eyes ot all Nations and
People are turned, wit'i n ep and absorbing anxiety, to our Confederacy to
our system of Civil f J Religions Freedom. The enemies of Free Institu
tions watch ils progress with dread 'heir friends with delighted hope and
joyous confidence; and it is because they long for its perpetuity and suc
cess, that they entreat us to observe with sacred devotion the warning
of Washington " not to interweave our destiny with that of other na
tions not to eutanirle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European
ambition, rivaUhip, interest, humor or caprice." It is only by a frequent
recurrence to the wise and conservative counsels of this great man and
his illustrious compeers, that we can expect to protect fron) the machi
na'ti6nsof secret or open enem'.oii l home or abroad, the invaluable bless.
iugs we enjoy. They taught us by their example that moderation is not al
ways the virtue of cowards, nor compromise the prudence of traitors. It is
true, that we have not the same course of duty to run the same sufferings
and privations to encounter the same battles to fight the same troubled sea
of political dangers to explore : But we have the road of our duties and res
ponsibilities marked out before ns-brbad and plain thrugh beset with difli-
- .1. . I -f ' T Ann k. Uul '.n3 tl'tu tn tl.tt Pnnati.
CnlllcS anu aruuuus UI appilttuif. nc lujrni Biu " us w yuupw'
tution and Liws of our Country. We can rebuke alt mean, sectional je'al
niisiea and animosities which would tend to embitter one portion of out People
against another which would arouse in hostile conflict brother against
brother father against son, and son against; father drenching one common
soil with the blood of common kindred and friends. We can place our stamp
of disapprobation upon that wild and utibridled fanaticism which would kin
dle the fires of discord throughout our glorioun confederacy which would
root up the deep foundations of our National prosperity and renown. We
can assist hi opening the eyea of our countrymen to the mischievous inten
tions of wicked and designing liien. We can aid in pointing but to the ig
norant the path to intelligence and virtue" Sic iiur adqstra !'.'. We can
instil into the hearts of our children a high snd unconquerable devotion to
the Union. We can invoke with humble confidence the blessings of Him
who holds as in the hollow of His hand the destinies of nations, and who led
onr fathers, with the same merciful care and protection that he threw around
'.lie Israelites of old. throueh all the dancers and fiery trials of the Revolution!
Let nado this, and then indeed shall we feel that we had accomplished
something as rtien-ss patriots as Masons as Christians, to discharge the
heavy debt of gratitude which we owe fo the great arid good who (livelong
since' run their career of usefulness and honor, and to transmit to posterity
(h ' -, civil and religious blessings, which they labored even unto death to e
. .'I''!,. 1 .1 L L I.. I.. .1... I...-. I.!-.!. I !h1,.h.
lauiisn, anq wnica nave proveu iu uo uie ucai uuiu-njfiu nuu uuuicm mucu
tanceof inan.
' To ihe Fair Auditors, who have honored na with their presence on this
occasion, v. hat can I say half erjiml to that which they richly merit T ' Had
( language adequate to the sentiments of respejf and reference which should
ever be insnired by their benminir and lovely countenances, I might' dwell
with pleasuro on tlie influence which they always exert In enlightened socie
ty, Over the hatsher tlx. I might appeal to those thrilling emotione which
mnat ever arise in the breast even of the most callous, at the mention of those
familiar bui magie vntin-Mothet Sister Wife! I iniglit dwelj with de
light on the earliest dawning of those young' affections ot the hearl, which
under proper p'arenlal culture, expand into the amplest and sublimes! senti
ment of benevolence a pd patriotism. I mlghi fqllow tlie hopes of the mother
as with the eye of Christian faith and piety ahe reared up to aterner man
hood, those tender virtues, which 'lit youth, are but (he foreehadowings Of all
the trighter and 'purer realities of a well spent life'. Haa" f fhe power of
language, I might portray those charming virtues of the heart which have
made the sex, iq alt agre, the pioneer in y cause, whifi? had m view the
amelioration of man I 1 might pictnre to "you tlie self-denial, the f irtitndo,
thesufji'ring, the genileifesa, the unceasing charity, exhibited by them in the
nvdot or sickness, sorrow, anu distress . . .
u Cnim dawn
To midnight, keeping angelic watch tajfc ..
iWebbing soirit, lightj'ng Its way to Heaven C?
THE STATE OF DESERET.
The Richmond Whiff SaVS Our readeure not nrnhnlilv nunrn that thn
Mormons, who have settled on Ihe Great ShIi Jake, havealreadv become suf
ficiency numerous to claim the privilege oflentering the 'Unibn as a Sover
eign State. Such, however In (he fact, as will be seen by'lhe following pas
sage which we give on the authority of the St. Louis Republican. The edi
tors of that paper have Seen certified copies of the' constitution, and give the
sunjotneu account ol it, ol tlie causes' wl.ncli lu'd to its adoption, and of the
proceedings 6( the Legislature under it. ' ' : "
The new Rtaf.; is miaintlv stOed'the State of Deseret which imnlies.
according to the Mormon History and interpretation, "The Honey Bee," and
ia sigmncant oi industry anu me Kindred virtues, It is scarcely necessary to
say to our readers that the population of this new Stute is comrosed altooelhr
of persons professing the Mormon faith, of whom the number is rapidly in
creasing every year, that bt ing the State to which all their emigration 1h
la.,.r;'r' In nnAn,ltnA H t l..tfk: l- .1 I- . .! .
""""'6' " unav piuiiccuoiyn, in cviivimug cist', ine peculiarities oi inis
people are preserved, though we cannot see that thih will offer any good bar
to their application for admission into the Union. '
In ono respect, at least, the Convention which farmed the constitution for
the new State has set a good example. ' They were employed only one week
in action upon it, and we do not see but what it is as good a one as some of
our States have been able to form after years of agitation, aud 'Months of de
uueraiiuii. ' :. -
When' the Convention assembled, on the 5th of March, at the Great fin It
Lake, they appointed a'commit'.ee to draft a constitution, who made their re
port accordingly. ' ' '' ' ' ' '. ;v
The powers of the government are divided into three departments execu
tive, legislative and judicial. ' '' : ' ' i 1
Tlie article in relation lo the legislative department is not essentially differ
ent from the constitutions of the several States. Members are required robe
free white male citizens of the United States, and to take an oath to support
the constitution thereof. ' The first Senate ia lo consist of 17 members, and
the House of 35 members. "
In the' Executive Department provision is msde for ilieelnrtion
LidutenanrGoverhor, Secretary of State, Auditor of ' public Accounts, and
Treasurer; The judicial power is vested in a Supreme Court aud such inferi-
A Chief Justice and two A-
'-.-. .
But I fnrhear, under Jhe ronf)dc nt lielief, that in Uiis, in every other j r
or tribunals as the Legislature shall establish,
sociates compose the Supreme Court.
Thefifib article provides for the election of all the .fiicers named in the .
Constitution, on the first Monday of May, last, and for a vote for or against
the adoption of theCor.stijiitlbn'and'if a majority of all the legal vote aba It
oe m lavor oi iu adoption, uie same snail take eni cl troin and after said elec
tion." .. ;
In the Declaration of Rights, it is declared "that all men have a natural and
inalienable right to worship God according (0 the dictates' of their own con
sciences, and the General Assembly shall make no law respecting an eatati
!:.' k:.:.. .l. r i. .1 rr 1: "r , . .
fiviiuivuL ui iciiiuii, ur pruiuuiMiig lue iree axeret! inereoi, OT disturbing any
(xjiboii in ma reiigiuus wprsjtip or senumenis prouaea na act not insturo ll.e
public peape nor obstruct' others iri their religion wort'iip." " ' "
j ne constitution was adopted on he 0m Marco, I84Q. , '
The first General Assembly met on the 2d of July. : 'Millard Snow was e-
lected Speaker of the House ; Alfred Carrington, Cletk : John D. Lee. 4a-
sistant Clerk ; and Geo. D. Grant, Sergeant-at-Ami. '
Alter tne organization the chairman-announced to the House that a major
ity of all the voles of (he people had been given for the 'adoption of the Consti
tution ; and that Brigham Young had received a majority ef all the rotes for
Governor; Beber C. Kimball for Lieutenant Governor; Wm Richard for
Secretary of State ; Wm Clayton for Auditor for Public Accounts,' Jot 8.
Heywood for Treasurer; and they were severally informed thereof.
On the 3d a resolution was passed providirg for a joint committee to me
moralize Congiesa for a State orTerritoiial Government: which waa after
wards reported and adopted.
On the 6th inst., according to previous resolutions, the Legislature met in
joint session, and proceeded to' ballot for a Delegate and Representative td
Congress, when Almon W. Babbitt, Esq., having received a majority of all
the votes, was declared duly elected. ' ' . . c . . . ,
untne lath the Legislature adjourned iu die. Before doing so they
adopted a memorial to Congress, in which they set forth the reasons which
have induced them to organise a State Government. " They cite the failure
of Congress id provtde a -government for the territory acquired from Mexico,
the' abrogation of the Mexican law, the anarchy which has followed. "The
revolver and the bowie knife," they say, "have been the highest law of the
land the strong have prevailed against the weak while persons, property,
f h r r1 mr mnA Mllninn h.HO kann nnaiflfejl n A Piling nnnMl..l.il L1 I
ly, they represent that there is now a sufficient number of inhabitant resid
ing within the Strife of Merrf to support a State Government, and Is relieve
the General Government from the expense of a Territorial Government, and
they therefore ask that th" Constitution accompanying this memorial be rati
fied, and" that the State of Deseret be admitted into the Union on an equal foot
ing with the other Slatci , r that sucii for.n nf Government may be given td
them as may be decrhed expctljent ; and that their Delegate may be received
dnd their interests p operly represented in the Congress of the United State;
Not a word is aaid in Ihe Constitution about slavery pr the Wilniol proviso,
such things not having entered into the imagination of law-giver a impor- .
tant for their welfare, 'li.e Constitution will bepn ssedupot Congress, snd, '
if rafifjed, fwo new Senator and a Representative will kood appear in that
body from tlie State vf peteretti State which wa without a settled inhabi
tant four years ago, and which l some twenty-five hundred miles from the
eat of the Federal Government " ' ' '
We think we can see in this'appjication, the gem of much future trouble
of a war between the Mormon and the' other ?e .tier of California such a'
was waged between them and tlie people of Uis6ari and minors.' The cus
tom, as far at we can'learn, has a! way been, heretofore, for Congress to lay
off a State, and not for any portion of (he people of a territory to constitute
themselves a State, and call on Congress fa doininn their own foregone con
clusion. These men, being a portion of the inhabitants of the territory of
California, have, without any tort of warrant a fares w can' see, created in
imperium in imjtrio, a State within a State, o)ely bjT virtue of their own
authority. By reference to tlie map, ft wiij be'secn Ml they propose to cit
the ferrilflry ol California nearly iri two, taking themselves an endrrrout slice,
and leaving the fragments afterward to unite as they may. ' The; rest of Cal
ifornia, whert thi Mqpnon State hal'h ve befn formed, will resemble a
squaie board out ofAbich a large triangle has been sawed, So large will
the new State be, arid in srfeh a fragmentary coieliliouVili it leave the '-t
of the territory, that it will be difficult to form a utc of respectable size bi t
of ny one of the fragments. . , '
W ram ot think that the people of Calironia will r er consent to r
thifir territory mutilated in such a iTranjre fashinc ; and we1 have no doult
they will rroteBt' yigi.rously 'against ft. The win 'e Term', ly J .. ai''.
misfiori aa VState at 'tlie next session; tnd When it shall hue bee u thus s -mitted,
it will be time enough t talk about d'f.dii g i . ''" '
thus do we brpe to 'w Free Soilism and the Wtlmot Proviso kilUd for
ever and their deaths will put an erid to tlie aspiratrOiis and mirhi-vnia
projects f all tons who.- politlca rplfal they hat e l een for this lot g
lime past New Mexico 4ij follow in good time arid w pray God that
this will be the last new territory we may ever have to be a bone of eonten
lion between the North and the South. Rather let harmony, pea an i I vp,
sh identity of interests, and a common dvstiny, be united to tlie ci.mi,,. j.
I Union, cmcnted by tbt blood nf pur romruon ancestors, ami eudejred by th
I reqpV oif'tW if inhering and Iriniiinltf. '
f