The Anderson intelligencer. (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, January 10, 1878, Image 1

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

v-,. r ?*/. .?'?.?V?. >r ^ ... ; .! ,;, ??h- . i ?> . -o-.' li'-ds > .wsf/* -orti:! ?-i>; .a-iiiLjjfjji^! !fc ..Ji?i*"?.rtH?(?y? nu .,m/!.{> ; _ 4<.,*^",l7jt:_i,1Jl lS,ir, ?Jch^?niril* > j ?nfc **? ?mit?* oj tono and Virrr Oom ?tr ?nour?, In advance. Two IKitxiM a* ea* ot 0? ?OL^uifgr ?Ix "saheedpt*?" ere not UV?B foe ? Ins perieA this sU m?a?h?. BAT S3 i)P AD*WBTnf#a.~<,**VM?r per ?lucra o' OBS Inch for the ?rat tnaertlon, ?nd Hftar cinUp^- ?QUmti forsnbseqaentliuer?enttcMUuut three mon tbs. Ho a-drortUemt nie couuieieee Uba/elcontracto will be au4s^Itu uioec ?Ublnj to advertise for three, six er twelve ttoniU. Ai tertisiec by eonlrsctwul b9e?aflntd le Ute Us> uedUtebualnesaeftbsflrmeTlBOivlilnaJ contrsc ' ofituary Hotlees ezeeedlnf flt? Uses, Trlbetee of Re?poet, ?od tl? peron*! esssssmlecsiOM ew xssttore of iBdivldusJtBUreeA. will be cnargea ror ai adrertlolBg rates. Anno*.: jtaeaU of aoajrrlaxo* 13d dcathi, tvt4 notlcea of? religious character, are respectfully solicited, ?sd wig be Inserted gratia A PLEA FOB ?UR COUNTBY. BIB. EDITOB: The heeding of thin article would seem to indicate that our country, our Stabs, mttrt be involved io some great physical calamity, involving a great deal of personal suffering, such ?uch as war, famine, pestilence. Do nui be too hasty, kind reader. Thank God none of these terrible scourges afflict any portion of our common country ; arid the little Palmetto State is peculiarly favored in all these respect?. And yet the head, ing of this article is peculiarly appropri ate in the present financial condition of our State. Debt, like a dark and lower ing cloud, bongs over our people, ready to burst at any moment in all ita fearful consequences of bankruptcy and ruin. That homestead and bankrupt laws may in a thousand cases oomo in to the relief of the debtor ciaos doesn't really mitigate the fearful (rain of moral consequences invariably resulting from a resort to these doubtful expedients. Under tho old re gime it was the proud boast of our littlo State, and of our people as a community, that we promptly paid our financial ob ligations to the lost farthing. And we were always able to do this beende it -was a cardinal principle never to contract a debt without a reasonable prospect of prompt payment. Our rales of interest were uniformally low, and our taxes light. Our government and laws were wholesome and invigorating to the entire body politic. Our labor was the most Htnble and reliable the world ever saw. As a consequence of the war all these necessary ingredients for a prosperous State were completely overturned, and our people left to the mercies of the piti less storm, without rudder or compass to guide them. With a bad government, high taxes, high rates of interest and a totally demoralized labor, no wonder that to-day the farmers, thousands of them, laborers and employees, find themselves engulfed in the maelstrom of debt, una ble to meet their obligations. The?*, in ??cir train, have involved hundreds of our most liberal and patriotic merchants ?in tho same unfortunate predicament nvitb themselves, and unless we are wise Ibetimes utter financial ruin must over whelm UH as a people. We wish calmly to discuss the debt question, without turning aside for a moment to indulge in crimination or re crimination. Indeed, we have no censure for any class of our people in this unfor tunate condition of affairs. None what ever. While there may be an isolated few in every community who care for nobody but themselves, and care nut who sink BO they swim, yet the great body of our people, and especial^ all the leading business classes sincerely desire the entire prosperity of our State, andjuc nilling to make great sacrifices to attain this end. Creditor and debtor alike will strive thereto. Tbe Legislature has done all that ?fc can do, by giving us s. ?vholesouie usury law, such sn one as stood on our statute booka during all the years of our former prosperity. Our representatives have shown, also, a de termination to cut down expenses to'the lowest possible minimum in amount, so as to lighten the burden of taxation as much os possible. By carrying out this programme even to the verge of stingi ness is what they ought to do, and is what the people expect them to do. But still there is a field of operations, the most important of all, which the legisla tor dare not enter, sacred only to the cultivation of creditor and debtor. If there ever was a time when compromise and forbearance) between these parties was necessary to enable our State safely to pass the breakers ahead, that time is the present With the enlivening pros pect of a good government, with our lc-or system gradually becoming more and more systematized and productive, it does seen that we have arrived st an era in our financial history when it would be'Vell to take soundings aud as certain our exact condition financially. In other words, let past indebtedness be so adjusted between creditor and debtor that' each may take courage, reasonably, assured on the one hand that past in debtedness will bs gradually but certain ly liquidated, and on the other that tho debtor will not be driven to the wall in this his hour of extremity. Such a course generally adopted, will ensure tho old ship of State a safe passage through the perils of the storm. This done, and a very few year? will tell tho old, old Bible truth, that tho road to prosperity, for States os well as individuals, lies through much tribulation. As aa illus tration of the practical meaning of this article, permit as *o recite thc terms cf a settlement agreed upon nt Anderson recently in a case of debt involving thousands of dollars-probably a hun dred thousand on tho creditor side, and but two solvent debtors , on the other. Tttn.i> KUliiJ.-,-1 ?V..S.....1. ?V.~! -o-"-"~"---" t""t---r> attorney to pay twenty-fire cents, on the dollar, of past indebtedness, -^nd with a representation of $38,?0O on tho creditor side, '/ill present promptly decided to accept the offer. One of these creditor gentlemen, a farmer, told me th?twhe'4' the proposition was made he reasoned thus with himself : Give these debtors a living chance; bear ye one another's hui -throw, a ?rt */* MM U- of Christ Take another. An old and highly ie spec table merchant of this County-long since dead-in his earlier commercial history, fell in possession of tract after tract of land from his neighbors, who thoughtlessly. involved themselves so as to force thom to give up even their homesteads und migrate to frontier re gions. After an experience of nearly four score yearn, this gentleman declared that it would have been better for him to have compromised with them and permitted them to remain in possession of their homesteads, to still further con tribute to his success as a merchant, and to building up the country. Of course, every CARO of indebtedness I ha? its peculiar phase which rust cuter j into the cou* {deration of a compromise ; I hence, no oue but debtor and creditor I can adjust it. Ltt our merchants always, bj interest and iodination the fast, but sometimes mistaken, friend of the tanner, set th? ball in motion. It scarcely can be denied by any observing man that the direct cause of tho financial distress that has overtaken us is the high rates of in terest demanded first from tbs merchant himself and next from the farmer. And as these high rates of interest led to an enormous disproportion between credit and cash prices, eren a hundred percent, in some cases, thus more and more erip? piing the laboring classes, and increasing at every step the hazards of the trade, thus necessitating at every step an In creased per cent to cover the risk; that such a policy would ?srioualy result, as it hes done, is not to be wondered at. Indeed, it is the legitimste result of a suicidal policy. Better at one single blow utterly destroy the entire credit system of our country, than to dream of any Bubatar'ial prosperity for our 8tate, under such a ruinous policy. So far as agricultural advances are concerned, the laws amply protect the creditor, so that with low rates of interest he merchant can afford to sell his merchandise at a living rate to the consumer. Not buy a pound of bacon at eight and nine cents, and sell it on a credit for only a few months at one hundred per cent. The farmer, too, taking the cue from the mer chant, at once advances the - price of his corn from 75 cents per bushel, cash, iu the spring, to 91.40 in the fall. Thus, turning upon his o..i class, and extort* ing ruinous rates o? interest from his brother farmers, in the enhanced price, simply because'it is common. And so on ad infinitum. Where the laborer pros pers, the laudlord will alike prosper, and where the laborer and landlord both prosper, tho merchant sees bis richest and best trade. T. H. B. WOHA? IN ? ??ONRY. An Address Dollvoro : iefore BScfclgad Lodge, No. SO, Ancle ? (Tree and Accep ted Masons, nt their ,*i Mlo Installation In the City of Coramba., 8. C.. December 37. 1877, by Hon. T. J. Mackey. WORSHIPFUL MASTER AND BRETH REN OF THE MYSTIC TIE : We have as sembled to commemorate in due form tho installation of St. John the Evangelist into the office of Grand Master of An cient Free and Accepted Macons.. On this anniversary, our brethren, wherever they may dwell, whether amid the hum tina stir of populous cities, or the quiet af remote villages, gather around the altar of our order to rekindle their Ma sonic zeal at its holy and undying name, while gratefully recalling the beloved name and eminent services of our most illustrious patron. From the frozen belt of thc North, where nature glitters in her robe of icy splendor, to the Indian isles of balm, where the-palm tree waves its feathery leaves above streams that flash' in the fanlight of everlasting summer, tba prayers and praises of Masons are, ??jcciidi?iK ?hi;, day to M.? Sup?e?iO Arch itect of the Universe, without whose aid the wisest designs of man are but as bub bles upon a troubled ocean. The mystic cord o! Masonry weds the islands and the continents to-day I Men ot all races and tongues are communing in its universal Language, "And round tho world ilia thought of all ls as the thought of one." Before pro. soding with the special sub ject of this address,. I desire, as in har mony with ita" purpose, to review briefly the character and career of him whose festival we here celebrate. The pages pf sacred history, the traditions of Masonry and of the Christian Church furnish the sources of our information upon this in teresting theme. St. John the Evangelist was the son of Zebedee and Salome, und . was born about the year of our. Lord four or five. He was the youngest of .the dizciplca. There is a tradition in the church that he was the bridegroom of the marrriage at Cane, in Galilee, the occasion of tho first mira cle performed by Christ, where "The conscious water saw its God and blushed." He was by occupation a fisherman. Wo learn but little of him until near tho close of the Saviour's ministry and Ute, when he had conferred upon bim the most lofty and benign distinction of being "that disciple whom Jesus loved." At tho last simper he war the disciple who was "leaning on Jesus' bosom"-a posture in tho ancient modo of reclining at table that was considered as e??ark or the highest respect and confidence. It waa to him that Jesus In confiding friend-, ship pointed out by a sign the disciple who should betray him. His specially confidential relation to his Divine Master was evinced by the fact that when Christ had said to his disciples, "Que of you shall betray die," "Simon Pc-ie? beckoned to him that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake." . He was tho only disciple who with the courage of faithful love dared to titeud his beloved Master to the cross,'and he it was to whom Jeans referred when in his final agony he ad dressed to hia mnthflr.thfl warda "Wo. man, behold thy Son l" And lastly, he was the first disciple to reach the sopnl- J ch re after Mary.- Magdalen bad an nounced that "they have taken away the Lord out of the sepulohre, and wo know not where they have laid him.". The blended qualities of gentleness and cour SKo CA?MU?VC? lu iuu cu or ?ever ut iuvt apostle fur^jijn a striking illustration of a fact often observed ia the battle field of life-that "The bravest are the tenderest, .. Th? loving are the daring." St, John tho Evangelist mas* have been as pre-eminent among his compeere for bis eloquence as bo was for the gen tler virtues, since we are informed by the apostle Mark that he, sod bis broth er, james, tho Great, were entitieu by th sir rnsste?, Bo???rgco, or "ino Sons ol Thunder," to indicate their power aa orators. " _ In the reign ot the Roman Emperor Diocletian, about the year 92 of tho Christian era, John was banished to the Isle or Patmos. where he remained for seven year?, and wrote that awfully^ sub lime and mysterious work, tho Apoc alypse or Book of Revelation". Trom the building of tho first temple of Jerusalem, one thousand years before Christ, down to the Babylonish captivity, Free Masons' lodges were dedicated So rKing Solomon; from thence to the com ing of the Messiah, they wei* dedicated to Zcrubbabel. the builder of the second temple; and from that ti too to the final destruction of the temple by the EOAiau General Titus, at tho fall of JcrusaWOi, !? tho >c*r V3, they were abdicated to ??%. John tba Baptist 0wico t*> the raanj massacres nod disorders which fol lowed that appalling and memorable event, Free Masonry Bunk'very much into decay. Many lodges vcr? entirely broken up, arid but few could meet in sufficient numbers as required by the in dent constitution of the order. At a general meeting of the craft, ! eld at the city of Benjamin, it was concluded that the chief cause of the decline of Masonry waa the want of a Grand Master to pre side over the order. They therefore de rated seven of their members to wait upon 8t. John tho Evangelist, who wes then Bishop of Ephesus, and request him to accept the office of Grand Master. He returned for answer, that although well stricken in years, being upwards of ninety, yet having been Initiated into Masonry in early life, and being deeply concerned for the welfare of tho order, he would take upon himself that respon sible office. He thus completed by nis learning and noble example what the other St. John had ?riectea by bis seal, and thereby drew what Free Musons term a "line parallel." Since Aat period all Masonic lodges throughout Christen dom are dedicated to St. John the Bap tnt and St. John the Evangelist, by the title of the "Holy Saints John." According to Chrysostom, (the golden mouthed,) who wrote in the latter part of the 4th century, St. John tho Evangelist died in the city of Ephesus, in tho year of our Lord 126, at tue age of 120 years, havinf survived all the other apostles near'', fifty years, and performed bis apostolic duties for almost a century from the time that he became a disciple at the age of 26. To this seemingly un cultured fisherman the world is indebted for the most simple, sublime and porfect definition of Goa ever penned by mortal hand. For thousands of years the attri butes of Deity bad been the subject of the prophet's deepest meditation and the poet s grandest song. In tho beautiful Theogomy of Hesiod, in the starry splen dor of Homer's immortal pages, in the teachings of the divine Plato, the lessons taught oy the God-like Socrates, or the treatises of the profound Aristotle, we seek vainly for a definition of God which at onco satisfies the judgment and the heart of humanity. It remained for this Galilean fisherman to syllable the unut terable longing of the humas soul by proclaiming that "God is love I" There are moments in the life of every man when he /eels himgeif nearer the Great Spirit of the Universe, and in such . moment must ' the Evangelist have caught these words from voices of tbs unseen land, that cat. ? to. him in the still watches of the night, in the hushed calm that brooded over his lonely boat aa it rose and fell on the blue waters ol Galilee, while tho starlight of Judea gleamed bright on the hills of hci becnty. It may .well be asked, "why is it thal an order which boasts such an exemptai of its principles as St. John the Evangel ist should rigidly exclude woman from itt folds, and while inscribing the golder words, faith, hope and charity, on -he walls of its lodges, still denies all ap preach to its altars to the sex which ic iud Walks of daily life practically illus trates those words in their highest Bonse' The reason for this exclusion cannot bi found in any supposed intellectual info riority which unfits woman to rightly understand the symbolic science of Ma sonry, or in any known incapacity on he part to practice its tenets. All histor] and individual experience would alik< rebuke such an erroneous assumption From tho days of Semiramis, the re nowned queen of Assyria, whose geniu ;?3au? Babylon the glory ot the East uni adorned it with structures of euch ata pendons magnificence as to? be* classer among the wonders of tho world, womat has attested her capacity to sway "th rod of empire." ana to administer sue cessfully the governments of mighty na Lions. Tho Sictoric stsdsnt will rec?! the triumphant r. gu ol Isabella of Cai tile, the friend and liberal patroness c Christopher Columbus; thc reign c Queen Elizabeth, justly termed the go! den age of England ; the reigns of tb two Catharines of Russia, ano of Quto Anne, while the English-speaking rac are proudly beholding at this day tb happy reign of the Empress-Queen, tb good Victoria. In the realms of though the broad field of letters and of art, w< man- has gemmed her coronal with tl most i brilliant achievements. Indee? the cultured Greeks symbolized the highest 'conception of mental power i tho form of a woman, and Minerva wi at once tue Goddess of Wisdom, of Sc emilie War and of the Liberal Arts. But it may be suggested that the e elusion of woman troca the Mason lodge is due to the supposed inability her sex to keep a secret. This suppo; tion is grossly erroneous, and unjust impeaches both the sagacity of Maso ana the honor of woman. - In all ag woman baa been peculiarly distinguish for her unswerving fidelity to every ho orable trust, and tho annals of mankii attest that no good cause ever met betrayer io a woman. "Not she with tralt'rous kiss her Savio ' Btung; Not abo denied him with unholy tongi She, whlla apostles shrank, could dane brave; Lsat at his cross, and earliest at his gravi Women, indeed, are the secret-keep of the world. Every woman's ear t confessional, differing, however, from t confessional of the Roman Catho Church, in this, that while in the lat the penitent confesses his sins, in t former mau usually proclaims his virtu real br affected. But woman has aires been tested, and has proved herself as _4_JI__ -if _..1--_. - MunMTuutu va JUWDUUIV ocrcicm. Two women have been initiated ii Vie mysteries of ancient craft Mason and by their characters and conduct fleeted honor upon the order, whose m sacred laws exclude them from ito rn? bership. These two cases, howei stand alone, and famish to Masoni startling episode in the history of tl order, whose inexorable aalic law \ thus violated. The circumstances un which those initiations took place stated by the highest Masonic anth ? tics to have been as follows: In the year 1786, the Hon. Elltafa St. Leger, the daughter of Visco Doneraile, received the first and sec degrees of Masonry in Lodge No. 44 Doneraile, in Ireland. The Lodgi which she wss initiated was comrx chieny of the nobility and most res] table inhabitants of the country aro Donersile. Its communications t usually held in the town, bnt during Mastership of Lord Doneraile. ui whom his sister , was initiated, it mi his Lordship's n?rfdence. During on tho meetings of the Lodge at Donoi House, Mb? St. LegeV, then 22 yea; age. stationed herself in ? room adja to the Lodge, ?md after removing a tion of a brick ?rom the partition i with a pair of seizors, she placed he so as to command a full view of all transpired in the Lodge, and adi saw and heard all that was done or ia the conferring of the first and ie degrees in Masonry, which was tbi tent of the proceedings on that n Becoming aware fron? what she fa that the brethren were about to sen? She for the fini time folt tromVli ?lire to the awkwardness ead danger of her situation, and began to consider how she could retire without observation. She ?-ecame nervous and agitated, and nearly fainted, but so tar recovered her self aa to be aware of ?be necessity of withdrawing aa quickly as possible. In the act of doing so, being in the dark, she stumbled against end overthrew a picic of furniture ; the crash was loud, and the Tiler who stood on the lobby or landing, guarding the entrance to the Lodge, at once gave tho alarm, burst open the door of toe room in which Mise St. Leger was concealed, and with a light in one hand and bis drawn sword in the other, confronted the now terrified and fainting lady. He was soon joined by other members of the Lodge, and, it ts asserted, that but for the prompt appear ance of her brother. Lord Doncraife. and other prudent members, she would nave paid with her life the penalty of what was then esteemed her great crime. The first care of the. brethren present was to resuscitate the unfortunate lady without alarming the household, and en? deavor to procure from her an explana tion of what had occurred. Having done so, they placed ber under guard of the Tiler and another member in the room where she was discovered. The mem bers re-assembled in tbe Lodge and de? liberated as to what, under the circum stances, was to be done, and for two long hours she could hear the angry discus sion upon a motion deliberately made and seconded that she should be put to death. At length the good sense of the majority succeeded in calming the angry and irri tated feelings of tho members, when, after much had been said and many things proposed, it was resolved to give hor tho option of submitting to the aim* sonic ordeal to the extent she had wit nessed, and if she refused the brethren were again, to consult. Being waited on to decide, Miss St. Leger unhesitatingly accepted tho offer, and she was accord ingly initiated, and the degrees of En tered Apprentice and Fellow Craft were conferred upon her. She subsequently married Richard Aldwortb, Esq., of New Market, and waa .known and designated among Masons as "Sister Aldwortb.'' In a memoir of this lady, published at Cork, in the year 1807, it is stated that, "placed as she was by her marriage with Mr. Aid worth at the head of a very large for tuna, the poor in general, and the Ma? essie poor in particular, had good reason to record her numerous and bountiful acts of kindness. Nor was her charity accompanied with ostentation-far from it; it bas been remarked of her that ber custom was to seek out bashful misery and retiring poverty, and with a well di rected liberality to eootbe many a bleed ing heart," The only other instance of the initia tion of a woman into Free Masonry is recorded by that distinguished Masonic writer, Clavel, in his admirable work, the History of French Masonry. In the year 1796, in the city of Paris, a Masonio Lodge, presided over by Brother Cuvelicr do Trie as MssiO?-, having ope&sd in the first degree, among the visitors who waited in the. ante-chamber and desired admission was a youthful officer ic the uniform.of a captain of cavalry. His Masdaic diploma or certificate was re? quested of him by the member deputed to examine visitors for the purpose ol having it inspected by the Lodge. Aller some little hesitation, the military stranger banded the member a folded paper, which was immediately carried to the Orator of thc Lodge, who, on open ing it. dir covered that it was the com mission of an aid-de-camp, which bad beon issued by the French Directory to the wife of General de Xantrailles, a lady of the highest culture and refine ment, who, like many of her sex In that revolutionary period, had donned tbe masculine attire ana bad won military {?referment at the point of the sword on he field of battle. When the B&cfe ci the ?uppo11^ Masonic diploma was mode known to the Lodge, great, indeed, was the surprise expressed.' But the mem bers were Frenchmen-they were exci table and they were gallant, and, conse quently, in a sudden and exalted fit ol enthusiasm.- which, as Masons, we can not excuse, they unanimously deter mined to confer the first degree of Ma son ry on the brave roman who had sc often exhibited every manly virtue enc to whom her country, on more than one important occasion, had committed trust; requiring tho greatest discretion and th) loftiest courage. Madame de Xantrailles was at once made acquainted with thi resolution of the Lodge, and hh? r-?pl'ed "I have been a man for my country, an< will again be a mon for my brethren.1 She was forthwith 'introduced and initia ted as an Entered Apprentice, and re pea ted ly afterwards assisted the Lodge ii ita labors in the first degree. The reason, then, for the exclusion a woman from the Masonic Lodge canna be found in any supposed want of ia tellectunl fitness or iuability to preserv inviolate secrecy on her part. It mut be sought for where alone it can b found, in tho origin and primitive chm actor and design of Masonry itself, an just1'ce to our order demands that j should be fully, theoga ?grvLfullj made known. Women are exclude from the precincts of our lodges, nut bc cause we" would, but because wo mus As masons we recognise the nobility < her nature, and honer her. lofty virtue not only while wo are assembled in tb seclusion of the lodge, behind the myst] veil which conceals from the eyes of th profane that "Hieroglyphic bright wbic none but craftsmen ever saw," but in th world's great arena, "Where manhood struggles for the sake of mother, sister, daughter, wife, The graces and loves w?tch make The music of the march of life; And woman, in her daily round Of duty, walks on holy ground." Our ancient landmarks, however, ii oxorably deny us the privilege of belt associated with her in the labors of tl lodge. These landmarks are the ni written or common law of Masonry, d rived from the ancient customs of M sons and the decisions of the highest M sonic tribunals, which, like "the laws the Medea and Persians, change not." It is declared in one of our most vent able landmarks, which forms a part the irrepealable organic law of Masoni that "the persons admitted members a lodge must be good and true men, mature as?, free born, no bondmen, woman, and under the tongue of go report." This exclusion of worn sprang D*turally fros: the fact that il sonic lodges were at their origin coi posed exclusively of operative masoi practical mechanics. We are informed by the most reliai writers on the history and traditions tbe order that it originated at the hui ing of King Solomon's temple? wh< 183,000 workmen were employed seven years In tho construction of tl magnificent edifice, dedicated to the wi ship of Jehova. These woef.raen wi drawn from macy nations, and were ii separated from each other by their ?ur customs and languages. They were under tho supervision and direction Hy ram of Tyre, the widow's son, a gr and good man, illustrious alike for virtues and wisdom, who, we are told Holy Writ, was "Tb? eon of a womat ?;.?;> - ? . ': - '.:."'//"'? tho daughters cf Dan, whose father was a Tyrian, who kuoweth how to work ia gold and in silver, io brass and in iroo, and in marble, and in timber, in purple also, and violet, and silk and ?cari rt, and who k&oweth to grave all aorta of grav ing." A large proportion of the skilled work? men were also Tyrian*. Tyre was then io the meridian of her imperial splendor, whoa "her merchants were princes" and ber daughters the queens of the earth. She was at that time the chief seat of the Dyouyaian mysteries, whose leading fea tures were the commemoration of tho death and r?surrection of Bacchus. Those mysteries were chiefly celeb rat od by an organization known then, and even down to the sixth century of the Chris tian era, as "The Society of Dyoolsiao Architects." That society was doubtless the prototype of the order of Free Ma sons; To blend in one harmonious whole the varied and diverse elements that com posed the vast multitude engaged in building tbe temple, and thus more effi ciently to direct their labors to the same common end, as well as for purposes of moral government and mutual instruc tion, and to perpetuate in after years social ties that had their birth among men long associated in the construction ofthe grandest monument of human skill tho world had ever known. Hiram insti tuted Masonry and the Masonic lodge, and was its first Grand Master. Upon the tragic death of the Master, soon after the completion of the temple and beforo its dedication, King Solomon was elected Grand Master, and he invested the work ing implements of the operative mason with their present character as mond symbols. These implements, for pur poses of symbolic instruction, TTS rs termed jewels. The order, however, re tained its operative character, ana as there were no women among the ancient architects, and as the gentler sex were unfitted by tbe delicacy of their structure from performing the severe labors uf tho operative mason, woman was necessarily excluded from the original organization. The rule which required that exclusion then operates with undiminished force now, as it is irrepealsble, and Masonry, as a symbolic institution, must continue to obey the law of its being derived from the operative art. Masons, however, are taught' to cherish profound respect and tender regard for woman ic all the rela tions of life, and the mother, wife, sister and daughter of the Mason are' the sub {eels of their special care and moat kind y guardianship. We esteem it as a pri vation that our lodges are not brightened by the halo of woman's nameless graces, and that her presence, which would add uew lustre to our jewels, is not permitted to cheer our weary workmen in their labors or to give exquisite zest to their hours of refreshment. I have said, Worshipful Master, that woman, in the walks of daily life, sym bolizes the divine idea of charity, that holiest principle of human action, by wbich all considerations of self are sub ordinated to the benign purpose of siding the poor and needy, and relieving ? the sorrows of the suffering. No more beau tiful exemplification of this noble princi piabas been furnished in our time than is illustrated by tbe beneficent institution In whose behalf Richland Lodge. No. 39, invokes the aid of the charitable, and liberally gives its own through this pub lic installation of its officers. The Palmetto Orpht.n Home is hot t Masonic institution, but it nobly illus trated t st charity which is the keystone oi the Masonic arch. Founded a fee years ago, by a few ladies of exalted worth tin the city of Columbia, it hai been sustained through their unceasing efforts by private contributions, sough and obtained by them in the midst o public calamity fros our citizens. Ii sprang fros* a dire necessity wbich de mended that instant relief which privat? charity then alone remained to give. Ii the streets of the capital and in our vii leges were seen wandering the unbouset children of the dead Confederate soldier the sky of heaven only above their an co >red heads, and the public highwa; alca beneath their travel-worn foot. "Homeless near a thousand homes the; stood. And near a thousand tables pined fo food." Their fathers went forth in obedienc to the precepts of the Stace, and died ii defense of its honor. They fell on field shot-sown, sud bladed thick with steel They planted the palmetto flsg cf S?6? Carolina on many a hostile battery' Brooking guns, and have left nothing be bind them but hocorablo memories, an these tender plants that sprung up nen the farrows made by the red ploughshat of war. The Palmetto Orphan Home furnishe to-day tho only sheltering roof for man of these children of our unforgotten deac It has clothed, fed and educated fifty-or of these orphans during the past fh years, consisting of thirty-seven girlann fourteen boys. There aro now two nt; three inmates bf the Home. On arri vin at a suitable age, the boys ara bound ( trades, and proper homes and avocatloi .are obtained for the ?iris. Many mo deserving applications fe; 1 the Horneare necessarily refused tbrout .sheer want of means to support any ado donal number of inmates. The distil guished superintendent of the Home, E J. W. parker, the eminent physician. Il Tetley, thc worthy treasurer, t't. B. ] j Bryan, antkthe noble matron, Mr.? Lyne ! all serve without pecuniary campeos ? don. It is not s merely local institude I for Chester bas furnished twelve of tl inmates, Barnwell si?, Fairfield six, Ne' berry five, lancaster three, Lexingt< one. Union one, and Richland seventec while the contribution for its suppc have been derived, mainly from citizc of Columbia. In this, the hour of its greatest nee th? friends of the Palmetto Ofohan Hm appeal to the Sta te for aid tb maints its present inmates, and to enable it extend its sheltering care over mai other needy applicants of the same cl? who require speedy succor. Shall tb appeal in vain ? Shall it be truly sa that twelve years after the war, wh Wada Hampton rated in redeemed Sou Carolina-Hampton, the Sir Philip 0 ney : of America, tbs "??celltis cf t Sute-the orphan children of the m who followed where the plume of Han ton led in the path of honor, vainly 1 peal to the State to furnish them w one mansion,: beneath whose roof tl may be sheltered and trained during 1 Sender years of their infancy ? Shall < home be denied to the orphans of tb who Buffered or who died to save.) homes of all? . Pile,-if you will, memorial granits ; marble to do well deserved honor to Confederate dead. Let your menura tal shafts sentinel the white sands el 4 coast 1 Let them greet from afar the of the mariner in the fading rays of setting san, and blush with the firet 1 of morning, but wbilo thees celebrate fitt'ogly your gratltudo to the d< neglect not to give some worthy tokei your charity for the. living! If tl orphans of our Confederate dead sr< appeal in vain to the P?ate for the they so greatly need, then may. they 1 exclaim in tbe language of Scripture, white viewing the lofty columns that commemorate the causa !s which their fathers struck and died, "We asked for bread, and'ye gave usa atone." "But South Carolina is free" again, 1 "Free as the winds that winnow Her shrublesa hills of sand, i Free as the waves that batter Along her yielding land." And in tbe garments of her beauty thero will surely be found some fold in which to shelter these helpless orphans of the State. SOUTH CAROLINA IN 1877. Notable Event? In the Stat? buring- th? Past Year. Frvmx lae ChorUtitm Nnc4 and Owrie*, Jitmtary lit JANUARY. 2d. Governor Hampton issued his proc lamation calling for a payment of ten per cent. ?n the taxes. 8d. Unusually cold weather. Ther mometer down to 22 degrees 4th. The State Senate compromise committee met, and failed to agree on a Slan for the settlement of the political faculties..The third unsuccessful at tempt made to burn the town of Darling ton. 6thf?The tax-payers of Colletpn inaugu rate a series of mass meetings, subse quently held in avery county, pledging support and payment of taxes to the Hampton Government. 8th. Emancipation celebration in Charleston......Mass meetiegs of tax payers throughout the State pledge sup port to Hampton. 9th. The collection of the 10 per cent, tax assessment begun. 10th. Democratic ticket elected in Port Royal. ll. Governor Hampton anuounces bis appointments of collectors of the 10 per cent, assessment. 12th. Riot in Marion, caused by an at tack on a colored Democrat-several per sons wounded. 18th. The Lowndesvillo murderers con victed at Abbeville by a partially colored jury. 26th. The motion made bcfoio the Su Ereme Court for au injunction restraining lardoso and Dunn from paying out the State's money, which, waa subsequently grausoa. 20th. The quo tcarranto against the Hayes Electors for thia State dismissed by the Supreme Court. 29th. Judge R.B. Carpenter's famous decision declaring Chamberlain Governor defacto died. 28th. Holloway, a colored Radical trial ?ustice, shot and Killed at Timmonsville >y unknown parties. GOth. Governor Hampton issued a par don, which was subsequently recognized by Judge Mackey, to a prisoner in Ches ter jail.A prisoner released by the sheriff of Aiken.on Governor Hampton's pardon. FEBRUARY. 2d. Governor Hampton removed the Chamberlain coi? tty auditors and treasu rers. 6th. Judge Carpenter grants injunction restraining Cardoso from paying out State funds. 7th. State Grange meets. 8th. Ex-Solicitor Runkle blows his brains out at Columbia. . . 9th. Martin Farquhar Tupper lectures in Charleston. 10th. Goveruur Hampton gives $1,000 to relieve the colored Orphan Asvlnm, nth. Longshoremen's* riot in Charles ton. Several persons injuicd.Gov. Hampton commissioned his first militia officer. 16th. Senator Cochran acquitted of the murder of young Dent at Columbia. 20th. Grant's order issued forbidding the South Carolina militia to parade in honor of Washington's *>Irthaay, and Gover?o.' Hampton issue* rs proclama tion relativo thcieto. 21st. Grant burned in effigy at Sum merville. 22d. Annual raceMng of the Washing ton Light Infantry, " jd reception of the visiting committee from the Clinch Rifles of Augusta......United States flags dis played at half-mast and in ' mourning in Columbia......Chief Justice Moses strick en with paralysis. 27tb. Fifty thousaud dollar fire in Camden.Associate _ Justice Wright signed order releasing Tiida Norris under Hampton's pardon. 28tn. Riot by negroes on Combahee. BJotera subsequently captured by militia. il ARCH. 1st. Wright attempts to recant his ac tion in the Tilda Norris case. 2d. Associate Justice Willard decides that Wright's recantation is illegal, and Tilda Norris is released. Wright myste riously disappears. Judge Mackey form ally recognises Hampton as Governor. 6th. Receipts of the Hampton govern ment published, amounting to $120, Ki.77. 7th. Judge Shaw officially recognizes Governor Hampton. 8th. One hundred and .?'ly thouiaud dollar fire at Newberry. 18th. Tutige Reed orders the jailer of 'Charleston County to receive a prisoner o idsr tbeecsur.itmentof R. Chisolm, Jr., one of Governor Hampton's trial justices, the jailer having previously refused to do so. 14th. Thomas J. Counts, Democratic nominee for State Senator from Barnwell County, elected.......Associate Justice Wright reappears in Columbia. 16th. Adam Joh naen, N-dson Brown, Lucius Thomas and John R?:nry Dennis, the Hausmann-Portman murdera-a. hnne at Aiken.Governor Hampton begins thc organization of the State constabula ry. 20th. Judge Reed decides that Hamp ton is Governor, and the Chamberlain trial justices collapse. 2?tb. Two incendiary fires, destroying much valuable property in Greenville. Loas?w^?uo. 27th. Governor Hampton leaves Co lumbia for Washington to confer with the President by bis invitation, and is accompanied by the Charleston Commit tee. Grand receptions are accorded him at Wilmington and Richmond. 29th. Gov. Hampton and the Charles ton Committee arrive in Washington. 80th. Tho reinterment of the body of Gen. John A. Wogener tikes place. APRIL. zd. Order issued by ino President re moving the troop? ?rom tho South Caro lina State House. Gov. Hampton's tele gram received . in Columbia saying: "Everything is satisfactorily and hon orably settled." 8d. The ordeT for tho removal of the troops is published to take cflbct on tho lOthV 4th. The location of the Lutheran Col lege is awarded to N ^wherry. 6th. Gov. Hampton arrives in Colum bia, and ia received^ with great demon strations of rejoicings. 10th. The troops v?sate tho State House, arid Chamberlain gives up the contest 11th. The formal transfer of .the State House to Gor. Hampton takes place. 13th. Great storm of wind and rain, doing great damage to rico und ether crops and injuring much property **? thia -- ; " 1 ; 1 11 ; ???' city..Governor Hampton iss?es bia proclamation convening tho Legislature, j ICth. Gov. Hampton vleiU Charleston, and is received with unprecedented cn 1 thuairurns: a grand military parade and I review takes place, and theauaual celo i bration of the Washington Lischt Xnfan I try is held in the Academy of Music at night......The State officers? offices iu the State House are sealed up by order of Governor Hampton pending the action of tho courts. lOth. Gleavee gives up tho contest for the .Lieutenant-Governorship.' 20vh. Steve Anderson, the Issi of the tlan'jrnann-Portman murderers, is execu ted at Aiken. 23d. Dublin J, Walker. Republican State Senator, is arrested at Chester charged wf'h issuing false certificate?. .Gibson ?nd Byrd, colored P?r?r>n* Uti ve? from Fairfield, resign. 24tb. The extra session of the General Assembly begins. The Democrats cap ture tho Senate, and Lieutenant Gover nor Simpson takes the chair..A saluto is fired by the Washington Artillery in honor of the redemption of Louisiana from bayonet rule.' 26th. The Governor's first message sent in, The members of the defunct Mackey House aro required by tho House of Rep* reecntatives to purg themselves of their contempt. 28tb. The Chamberlain State officials give up the contest. A motion is raado to impeach Wright. MAY-.'-. 2d. Tho Senate investigating commit tee is appointed. Sd. Tho formal transfer of the Stoic officials' offices and record? is made.. The inauguration ball takes place in Co lumbia. 4th. Wightman Allen, John Alien, and Jenkins Whittier, three of the negro Lowndcsvillo murderers, nrov hung at Abbeville, the Governor having commu ted the punishment of tho others, 9th. Wbittemore's theft of the fund for providing pictures of Lincoln and Sumner for the State is exposed by the Newa and Oourier. 10th. Stoto Press Association meets in Charleston. Annual Begaus begins. Memorial day in Charleston. 11th. The Episcopal Diocesan Conven tion moots in Charleston.Mr. J. Evans Edings, Jr., is murdered and robbed by negroes near Charleston. 13th. Bishop Moore is connccrated Bishop of St. Augustine. 14th. Two Democratic Reproontativet are elected Sxavn Fairfield County. 15tb. Just! ie Willard is nominated bj tho Democratic caucus for Chief Justice and subsequently elected.......Cheston elects a Democratic State Senator.. The Ellenton trials begin in the United Sutes Court at Charleston. 17th. Western excursion of busiL.es men arrive here.Whittctnore's fiigh is announced.Judge Mciver uu?hi moualy elected Assoomte Justice to fil the place of Justice Willard, promoted 18th. Appropriation bili pu js#afte long struggle.Jack Burgoon, negro hung at Marion for the to un rr of Mi Gregg. 21et. Information ia filed at Orange burg* against Solicitor Butts of this CSE cuit. 24th. A day of thanksgiving and pray er is celebrated throughout the Stotel, accordance with the Governor's prods matlon.The first revelation of th contente of Woodruff's famous "llttl book" are made in the News and Ob?riet ?Gib. The report of the committee c privileges ana elections ousting th Mackey delegation lc presented in th House and subsequently adopted. 28th. Whittemore's resignation as Sec ator is presented. 30th. The Democratic nominee fe Representativo from Orangeburg is cle< tedf. ?3d. A f100,000 fire occurs in Unioi ..The jury in the Ellenton cases fal to agreo and ls discharged. 5th. Wright; is impeached for drunl enness. 7th. Judge Kershaw elected to fill ? B. Carpenter's place. 8tb. The General Assembly adjourn Gth. E. J. Scott's bank in Columb suspends. 19th. Tho Democrats elect their ca didato for probate judge in Richland, i 20th. Gov. Hampton arrives at A burn, N. Y., and ls; enthusiastically i calved. 26th. The D?mocrate of Chariest and Darlington elect their LogifllatI tickets without opposition.......?.Lot O'Brien killed in Queen street by t grce?. 27th. L. C. Carpenter arrested in C lumbla for forgery, and bailed. 28th. The Fort Moultrie Monument the Battery unveiled. ' > JOLY. 4th. First mass nesting of the adi cates of the LlborLn Exodus. 7tb, Destructive hailstorm in Mar] County.Largo r?conciliation meet! of whites and blacks at Ellenton. ' 13tb. Execution of David Pearce a George Stevens, Charleston County j ; yard, for tho murder of Mr. Edings. 16th. Inaugural'.on of the fest tb. roi schedule by the S nth Carolins Balta from Charleston to Greenville. 21st Arrest of Cardozo. 22nd. Promotion >f Lieut. Col. 1 dolph Siegllng to the command of old Fourth Brigade of South Carol Volunteers. 23rd. Arrest of F. J. Moses, Jr.. 24th. Arrest of A. O. Jou<-" in Char ton, and Samuel J. Lee ii. Chester.. Flight of Josephus vvoodrtin on steamer Virginia for Philadelphia., Flight of Ex-Liautenaot : Govcj Cleaves from Beaufort.Newbt County redeemed hy the election < full county ticket, and Hon. Y. J. P to the House of Representatives.. Woodruff recaptured. Auuucrr. 8th. Meeting of the Stete Orange Stoto Agricultural and Mechanical sociation at Anderson Court House. 29th. Kershaw County redeemed. 80th. Woodruff. Jones, Owens. Pal soo. Scott, Lee * Co., indicted by Richland grand jury. SKPTEHBRX. 1st Execution of Cash Harrie Edgefield, for the murder of Mr. H ?rd. Arrest of the Orangeburg Co officials for fraud and breach of tna office. 4th. Fairfield redeemed. fitb. Flight of Van Tacssll and i from Orangeburg. Otb. First bale of Carolina K\ ii cotton received. 22nd. Governor Hampton's rctui Columbia, after his Wee torn tour President Hayes. 25tb. Appointment W Judge 1 Northrop as U- S. District Adorne Sonth Carolina. ' 27th. The terrible explosion a Charleston Mining and Manufact ?Company's works. OCTOBER. ?th: This poisonine of the Gr j family.Cardozo togged InJ&U. J Gth. Arrest of Senator ratler? r:**! Settlement*. fi?* ta?*rtte&8 . ' .'? SAC ' TV msMJt8roirpmt&-~1n artic- to ro??I? : ^ ' .> We aro not responsible ft?* the *-lew?r.tl? optnlod? of Qure?rreepoMeftte. . AU eomrauiUc?Jlue?i1v)uM lrtf4dr.w?to,,K?i? Itu? InWUgtmetr." ead eJIcijet?i-, irs??. orders, 4*>, sltoald be tasde pe??lile to ?le order ?f . E. 8. ?4IJERAT ?k^?., ? ? Andeselo, 8? C. Washington, D. C., on.a requisition from Goy?ruor Hampton. lOtb. Miles G. Parker's retara to tad home of his adoption. 80tl?. Pardoning of thc Ccmbahee rioters by Governor Hampton. K0VEHB9B. Sth. Marlboro' redeemed by tho elec tion of Col. O. S. McCall, (Dem.) to the State Senate. 7th. Cardozo convicted at Columbia. 11th. Congressman Smalls convicted of bribery at Columbia. 18th. L. Cass Carpenter convicted at Columbia..Opening of the 8tato Fair nt Columbia. 14tb. Yance and Hampton at Colum bia. l?th. Military prize drill at Columbia. The Governor's Guards victorious. 16>.h. The Hon. H. P. Kimball, tho Winnebago orator, at Columbia. i?th. non, a. u. Campbell elected State Senator from Charleston. . 28rd. Fearful accident on tho Char lotte, Columbia and Augusta Railroad .near Rock Hill, S. O. 26th. Cardozo, Smalls and Carpenter sentenced by Judgo Townsend at Co lumbia. 27th. General Assembly met at Co lumbia. 28th. Hampton's message to tbe Gen eral Assembly. Election of Col. Farrow os clerk of the Senate. DECEMBER. 1st, Gen. M. O. i Butler, sworn' in as United States Senator. 4th. Attorney-General Janies Conner's letter of resignation submitted to the General Assembly. _ 6tb. Election of : Judge wallace, JUB- ? tice. Haskell and Attorney General L. Z\ 8th. Mr. J. C. Sheppard elected Speaker. lltb. Fassage of th. -"nury .bill. Water obtained at the new ?.rk?j.'nn welt. 17th, Mayor Salo and hU board of Aldermen sworn in.."'..WiHiam8burg re-, deemed by the olectioh Of Cel. Mc Cutchon as State Senator. 20th. Educational amendment to the Constitution ratified hy the General As sembly.Adjournment of the Legisla ture for tho Christmas holidays. Some days ago the Hegiakr drew a con trast between tho expenditures of the Hampton and Chamberlain administra tions, and showed a difference in favor of the Democratic rule amounting in round numbers to $450,000, which was effected in tho first year, under serious disadvan tages. The comparison we instituted war. based upon the reports of tito State Trouu urers, and only included the actual out lay of money collected during the respect tivo years. There was no p.;jcount taken of '-he ouoimous deficiencies cf ?ie Cham berlain administration, a portion of which baa been met by the Democrats during tho present year. A gentleman who is thoroughly cutWcitaut wita ino nnnncir.t ? history of South Carolina, occupying a place of great importance, bas furnished tu with his statement of the actual re form accomplished by tho Democrats, to which we invite attention. The aggregate figures are as follows . Tax levy 1876-6 under Cham berlain, ll milla, on basis of $120,000,000 as the total tax able property of \heSt?te.?...$l,82d,000 Deficiencies' under Chamber Iain for .OT?-W....... 460,000 Total amount expended ander Chamberlain for 1876-'76.....$1,770,000 Tax levy 1877 auder Hampton; 7 mi.ts, on basia of $120,000, 000..,. $840,000 Amount In tho'Stato Treasury at the end of Bul fiscal year under HamntoQ remsinisg unexpended.'..... 116,000 Total amount expended by Hampton's government....... $725,000 Thc difference r?tweentbe expendi tures under Chamberlain anti Hampton amounts to $1,045,000. Them were ao deficiencies under the Hampton government but every dollar appropriated by the Legislature waa paid. '?ho mass of floating indebtedness which neT confronts the tax-payers W?? accu mulated mainly in deficiencies, by ap propriating moro money than was levied ana collected. This Was a favorito de vico of tho Radicals, and was practiced every year. Indeed, if the tax levies bad always.beon equal to tho appropriation?, the patience and endurance of the tax payers would have been exhausted y caro So, and the movement which swept ?se .planteareis from high positions Sould h?ve : been; inaugurated earlier, ut the pretended reform of Chamber I Iain stifled the denfanda of an oppressed, people for a abort time, and it waa not until the hypocrisy, aaa deceitfulness of hie professions wero exposed, that tho op portunity of creating deficiencies was for ever annulled. ^?h? figures we have given are from. cereM estimates of an experienced legis lator, in.regard; to tho deficiencies. ** may be interestlngj however, to enter moro into detail. r.na show the different items of expenditure' on which there ba* boen such an immense r?duction within a ningle year of honest and capable gov ernment. A goodly portion of theos item? aro permanont reforms, . accom- 1 plisiiCd by the Legislature daring ita se%> . sion las*spring, and for Which the mem bers are enU?ed to the approval of their constituents. In some instances, perhaps -notably tho nublio school*-tba ex penditure for thecotniog year will be Seater, but the satisfaction is had that era will be corresponding benefit de rived from the increased appropriations. Among other reductions in expenses, tho following are Included in the statement already given: ? ~ Swto University, $14,000; Stat* Nor tom cchoois, w?jWO ; Uiaflin University, $4,000; Stato Orphan Asvlum, $8,000; Publjo 8choolst $860,000 ;' County Treas urers and Auditors, $120,000: Legfcla tlvo Expenses, $106,(H^rPublio Print ing, $40,000; Penitentiary, $luM0; LoBatioAaylum,Ar3,000; School Com misa?oners, $28,000 ; Salaries, $10,000; Stationary, $18,000. These items Aggregate the sum of $768,000, and sulficiently * explain the character of the redaction m?.?to by the belonge to tho'denfodeW, and ia regard to tho different--* r^pecting the cpendl lure for public echools, the advautago belongs to tho Democrats, for there was a large amount ostensibly given by the Radicals for the support of pub'ic schools which never bcaofitted teachers and pu pttt, but belongs to the inevitable defi ciencies. The TJeraocralA on th? other hand, ha*? paid out evsry cent appropri ated fer thia puipese. :'. Tbs exhibit is *raly gratifying and ea coaraging to tho iaa-payer, and ?lu prevean incentive of the strone** taod, (omalnuiu tho supremacy gaio^tlvrwigh organised effort on tiso nari of th? I?a> ocrata. it washy unitedand harmonious counsels that wo ruccseded hut year, and. tb?> preservation of that uaity^anq fcar* mbny w'/U maintain tho scale <.? ~" and reform which hr laaugunfod.