Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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«» a \ * ».v* > DEMOTED TO SOUTHERN RIGHTS, MORALITY, AGRICULTURE, LITERATURE, AND MISCELLANEOUS NEWS. JAMES H. NORWOOD, EDITOR.] To thrnc otmsetf be true; And it must foliate as the night the day; Thou canst not then be false to any man.—Hamlet. VOL. 1. DARLINGTON C. H., S. C M WEDNESDAY MORNING MAY 7, 1851. THE DARLINGTON FLAG, IS PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY MORNING, AT DAKLINGTON, C. H., 8. C., BY JOHN - LOR ME. f F. HE TERMS OF StrfecRrPT & In advance, (per annum,) At the expiration of six mouths - 3 At the end of the year - - - - - - 3 ADVERTISING : Advertisements, inserted at IS cents a square (fourteen lines or less,) for the first, ! and 37| cts. for each subsequent insertion. , Mosin ess Cards, not exceeding ten lines, inserted at $5, a year. All business connected with the Flag, will be transacted with the Proprie tor at his Office, one door above the Dar lington Hotel, or with the Editor at lus law Office AN ADDRESS, Delivered before St. DavuVs Irfdge, No. 72, at the Dedication of the Masonic Hall, in Darlington, S. C., on Saturday. March 8, 1851. BY BROTHER T. B. HAYNSWORTH. (Published by request of the Lodge.) Friends and Brethren: We have this day assembled, to dedicate accor ding to ancient rites and ceremonies, to Masonry, Virtue, and Universal Be nevolence, this Hall, whose ample and fair proportions give evidence of tla* i masonic real and energy of its builders. It will be the pleasing task of him who now addresses you, to consider with you the origin of the Society for whose use this edifice was erected, to portray to you some of the tenets and principles by which that society pro- ■ fesses to be guided, and the objects sought by it to bo accomplished. As the first period of the history of every country is clouded in obscurity, and the historian, in uttcm|>tiiig to inform the world of the events which then trans pired, finds hiftisolf often perplexed be tween truth and fiction, so is it with ♦l«* history of Masonry. Neither have the labored investigations of tbo learn ed antiquary nor the ingenious specu lations of the philosopher, been success ful in fixing the date for this time hon ored institution. Some there art' among Masons, who contend with abundance of warmth, that Masonry originated among the an tediluvian patriarchs, who derived their knowledge of it from God himself, and there are traditions of the acts ami say ings of tliose patriarchs, which are suf ficient to convince the minds of many, that the masonic institution was coeval with the first society of men, and that iU principles and tenets were preserved among the patriarchs until the flood, and by Noah and his sons after the Hood, and were handed down to an elect few, and through these again, were transmitted, by tradition, from generation to generation. Some there are who think that masonry, as a dis tinct society, was founded immediate ly after the confusion of tongues and the dispersion of mankind at the build ing of the tower of Babel, while there are others who date the origin of this institution from the time of Oman, the Jebusite. He who now addresses yon, is not a stickler for such very remote antiquity, and inclines to coincide in opinion with the majority o^Mie fraternity, who as- crilie to masonry, a comparatively mo dem, though still an ancient origin.— n* opinion it, that the masonic insti tution was first organized in its present form, at the time of the building of the temple otfhe Lord in Jerusaiein and that aftertlietempIfifraseompMra, the work men dissemmiaated the principles of the Order, and established lodges of mgaqns over the then known world. It Would requim volumes to enume rate and dgriffilhe different arguments derived iugiii hljjtory, tradition and other sources, ffl* support of this opinion.— But I do not here propose, even to men tion the most prominent of those argu ments; it is enough to say, that the evidence which masons have among themselves, is conclusive to their minds that their society existed in the days of King Solomon, and the testimony which the world has, is sufficient to oo«rince the learned that masonry took its rise at a period bkfcro authen tic history commences, find is more an cient than any other existing human iustitution. In this dbhnection, let us pause and reflect for a moment, on the antiquity of Masonry. Even dating its origin from the time of the building of the Temple at Jenisaletj^pearly thirty cen turies have elapsed since its firstbrgan imation. Since then, all other human institutions have fallen victims to the fell destroyer, time; governments and thrones, and prineipgUfie-, and powers have had their rise, their time of matu rity and their decay; since then, the people chosen by God, who were the greatest nation on the globe, in all the constituents of moral and national greatness, have l*eeu driven from their sacred city, and are now scattered over every country under heaven; since then Babylon, “the glory of the Chaldees’ excellency,” has become a desolation, and Nineveh, "the city of three days’ journey,” has fallen ; but masonry, un scathed by the hand ef time, has ex isted, though government after govern ment has been subverted. It has ex isted, though wars have from time to time spread their devastations over the earth. It has existed, though super stition, and ignorance, and error, du ring the dark ages of the world, held the minds of the masses of the human race in bondage. And it stiM exists and flourishes. Masonry is old—but the memljera of the mystic tie are now more numerous than ever; and in every land in which a knowledge of the true God exists, there its light shines with a gentle, yet steady lustre. Masonry is old—but the hand of the innovator has not taken one single stone from the temple, amt the fair fabric of masonry still proudly rears its summit towards the heavens, in all its original and just proportions, and with all its pristine splendor. Masonry is old—hut the same rites and usages which were adopted by ma sons in their asscmUies at the time of organization of the institution, are yet sacredly preserved among them; the same tenets, the same irrevocable laws are the rules of their government and action. Masous now meet as did King .Solomon, Hiram of Tyre, and Hyram the Builder. They act upon the same tenets and part with the same ceremo nies. And here, my brethren, permit me to remark, and I know you will respond cordially to the sentiment—So may Masons ever meet, so act and so part. There are some persons in tlie pre sent day who decry antiquity, and who imagine that the moderns are in the possession of all learning and every virtue. These persons frequently ask the question,—Why is it that masons pride themselves upon the antiquUjr£>f their order? I will not pause hereto make a labored comparison between the relative learning and virtue of the ancients and the moderns, but 1 hold that whenever an institution is very ancient, the presumption is fair that it cannot be founded in error. It is true that antiquity cannot consecrate error, it is no less true, that if the tenets which masous held true at the organi zation of masonry, were then true, they will ever remain so. If they were founded in error, time, which discovers all things, would have discovered these errors, and the institution would long since have fallen; that it has not so fallen, thongh centuries have elapsed, is proof that it is founded on the princi ples of eternal truth, "which are the same yesterday, to-day and fover.” But although masonry prides itself upon its antiquit}’, yet it is not con fined to the wisdom of the ancients; it is progressive, and appropriates to it self all the learning of the modems, and while it inculcates among its qgta- lies the practice of every virtue, at the same time it encourages them iu the cultivation of all the liberal arts and sciences. Bat here some one of the uninitiated may say—If you hold such tenets why are you a distinct society ? Why meet recyf Why have-symbols and %, and adorn yourrehres with f First, then, we are a distinct :y, because we believe we can more effectually cam out our'bbjeets m unison than separately. We meet in secret, because far away from the busy multitude, screened from the wicked, the noisy and the vulgar, we can securely, unintemptedly, and calm ly meditate upon great truths, and hum bly 'listen to those lessons of virtue which are contained hi, and illustrated by the ceremonies, the traditions and the emblems of the order. As one who Mto secluded himself in the bottom of a deep abysa, can even in tiie day time mb the fixed stars twinkling in the hea- refis, which are invisible to those who dwell on the surface of the bright earth, so to the seclnded and humbly-medita- tive, are revealed many things, " not dreamed of in the philosophy” of those who live constantly amidst the noisv throng, ana surrounded bv aH the nf- turements of the gay world. We nae sjHbols, and eBpHs, and these are the very pride andglory of masonry. Masonry has been poetical ly defined to be “a beautiful system of morality, veiled in allegory and Ifhis- trated by symliols;” and again it has been defined to be “ the science of sym bolism.” This science teaches, by die aid of emblems, the whole duty of man in every situation in life, in which h<? may be placed, and not in a dry, didac tic manner, but so as to render the task of instruction a delight both to the teacher and to die hearer. As he who treads the ma^y walks of a rich par terre can admire the iieauties of nature, made more lovely by the hand of Art, and at the same time inhale sweet odors and cull choice flowers by the way, so the aspirant after masonic knowledge, has new attractive fields of thought laid open before him, and while in his progress after truth, he admires the wisdom which inspired the great insti tution, he also appropriates many gems of knowledge of “ purest ray serene,” winch are as effectually hidden from the world, ms are those natural gems which “ die dark un fathomed caves of ocean bear.” See, sus|iendcd on our walls a ma sonic chart, on which is represented a small number of emblems. Every ma son has there ft volume rich in allego- fy, rich in poetry, rich in good sense and practical information, and withal, interesting enough to fix the attention and leave its indelible impress upon the mind and upon the heart. The mean ing of some of diese emblems has been given to the world in partial revealings. while diat of odiers is locked in the repository of faithful breasts. While some of these emblems en lighten the understanding, as the glori- ons orb of day fills the world w ith glory, others touch the heart, and the softer | emotions gush forth, as the pure waters did when Moses touched the rock with his magic wand. While some of them tell us plain truths in simple allegory, ! others are as pleasing to the fancy as is to the natural eye ; “ any fair lake which tlie breeze is upon When it breaks into dimples and laughs in the sun.” While some teach us our duty to the Great Architect of the universe, others tells us of our high destiny, our social and moral duties and responsibilities. The light of day, the darkness of midnight, the prismatic colors of die rainbow, the meandering rivulet, the loftly mountain, the secluded valley, the rock from the quarry, the flower of the lily, the spmj of evergreen,—all these, with mant^ther sensible objects have heen symbolized by the fraternity, and the intelligent mason Finds tongues in trees, hooks in running brooks. Sermons in stones, and good in everv- thing.” To tbe masonic student, masonry is a.fair fabric w ith hieroglypbical inserip- HlNis which he can easily dee.ipher, en graven all over its external and inter- : nal walls; through its apartments he j loves to wander, since at every visit he discovers some new attraction. In each a|>artnient of this temple, beautiful j objects meet his eyes; in each, “a ' stream of rich, distilled perfumes” sa- ‘ lutes his nostrils, and iu each, at Ids bidding, “soft and solemn breathing sounds” fall gCfetlv on his oar, and of ten wrapt in n pBaaing cxtucy, he is ready to exclaim wilh the poet, “ How cliarming is divine philosophy! Not harsh and crabbed as dull fools sup pose; But musical as is ApoUc’s lute, A perpetual feast of necured sweets Where no crude surfeit reigns.” Many of the simplest of these emblems, have heen borrowed from operative ma sonry, and as the operative mason with the aid of his implements was engaged in the erection of a material temple, ac cording to the designs laid down on ! the trestle hoard of the architect, so die speculative mason is, or should be, em- ployed m tlie erection of a spiritual temple, according to the roles laid down on the great trestle-hoard, on which is revealed the will of thsri^preme Ar chitect of the Universe. Without infringing upon any of die arcana of the Order, I will partially lift up the veil and illustrate a few of the simplest of thess emblems. tie* this apron which I wear j it h white, and that color is an emblem of parity; it is made of lamb’s skin, and the lamb ia the emblem of innocence. So whenever a mason invests himself with this badge, ha is reminded of his dntr.ta haws pureandinaocent thought* and to suppress Us evil passions and gross desires, and be is bound by every princiole of honor to act consistently with die tenets which be professes, of which this emblem is tea outward to ken. * Here ia a simple square. “ This mplement to opsretl tor hy F they are enabled to correct the errors of the eye, and to ! adjust with precision the edges, Sides and angles of their work; the nicest joints are thus constructed, and stones are fitted with the greatest accuracy to fill their destined stations. Not less im portant to speculative masons is this instrument, as a significant emblem of morality. And as by die application of the square, die stone is tried and proved, so by the application of the principles of morality, each action of human life is judged and approved or condemned, as it coincides with, or de viates from those principles, and ns the stone that by inspection with the square does not prove true and trusty, is rejected or its defects amended, so each action which is not consistent with the dictates and rules of morality, is carefully avoided by him who desires to erect a mental structure, which shall | afford him honor in life and repose in death.”* “ 'i'lie chisel demonstrates the ad vantages of discipline and education; | tlie mind, like a diamond in its natural state, is rude ami unpolished, hut as tbe effects of the chisel on the external eoat soon present to view the latent Iieauties of the diamond, so education discovers the latent beauties of the mind, and draws them forth to range the larger field of matter and space, to display the summit of human knowl edge and our duty to God and nmn.”f By the hour-glass, we are reminded of the rapid flight of time, the uncer tainty of life, tlie certainty of death.— W e are taught that to each is given an ! allotted space in time, wherein to pre pare for that larger allotment of eter- j nity, where the workman is to receive the rewards of his labor. The slow but sure descent of its glittering sands, is seised by the mason as an apt em blem of his own ap|>ointed descent to that grave, which is to bo the house of all living men, and from whose dark- i ness, and silence and solitude, he can only lie raised by the omnifio word of the Grand Master of heaven and earth. Contemplate, my friends, tboHhioral effect produced by constant reflection upon these themes; the thoughts are : chastened, and man’s nature made more fit for henvem the mind is purified from 1 gross desires, the bonds of brotherly 1 love are drawn closer together, and a i philanthropy, wide as the earth, is eul- ; tivated, so that he who is a good ma son, must indeed lie a good man and a I good citizen. If, then, this science of symbolism is productive of good results; if these 1 emblems and symbols enlighten the understanding and touch the heart; if the character is moulded by them, and they possess in themselves sufficient in terest to induce the mind to reflect fre- ! quently upon them, would it not be well if every individual (after the man ner of masons) had signs, and symbols ‘ and emblems of Ins own to be engraven I upon his heart and carried constantly i with him, to remind him of his duty to his God, to his family, to his country and to mankind 1 If such were tlie case, the time would soon come, foretold by sages and prophets, when Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth, would prevail over the whole earth, and the maxim of “ do unto others as you would that others should do unto you,” would be univer sally practised; then, it would ever af ter he unnecessary for masons to have esoteric symliols and emblems, and use a distinctive costume. Then indeed would there be “——no more occasion for level and plumb line. For trowel or gavel, for compnas or square, for one wide spread masonry, the pure freemasonry of tlie heart, would fill every bosom. Then hut o«e lodge of masons would exist, W tlie length of tiiat lodge would be from east to west, its breadth from north to south, its cov ering the starry decked canopy of heaven. * Mackey’s Lexicon of Freemasonry. frOMTICAt. snim umii\t. A short time since we sent a special correspondent from this office to South Carolina, and the Southern States gen erally, for the purpose of canvassing public opinion in those parts of the con federacy, and re|!orti»g the progress of the great secession movement in that region, which was originally set in mo- [im F. DE LORRE, PROPRIETOR. NO. l( NEW YORK POLim AND CONVERSA TION. It is useless to deny that the majori ty of the people of tlie State of N. York are deady opposed to slavery, and have fully made up their miiids that it is tln ir religious duty to do all in their jiower i to destroy it in the United States. To i use the words of an old merchant, the State is rotten with abolitionism! Take out the cities of New York (hid tion by the abolition fanatics ol tlie Brooklyn, and A’e can scarcelv name North, and which, according to present ! a town where the ont-and-out abolition ists Would not have a ma jority of votes in a contest with the silver greys or old hunker democrats. So determined are the jicople in the Western part'of this iv. It communicates tbe imjiortaiit State to destroy slavery some way or that the first movement in favor ol j Home how, that they look upon what apjiearances, is rapidly a|iproaching a crisis. The first of our correspondent’s despatches has already been given, and tholast two will be found in our columns to-da fact secession, or revolution, in the South ern States, will lie made in tbe ehy of Charleston, by a convocation, or con vention, of all the Southern Rights As sociations of South Carolina, which is to be held early in the month of May next, for the purpose of discussing the great question of secession. This important subject is beginning to attract the attention of the whole world. Our readers may rest satisfied that we shall place the earliest and most reliable intelligence before them connected with this subject, having made arrangements to procure it by J mail and telegraph. We shall publish in our columns, from time to time, in formation of the exact position of the j public mind of South Carolina, and the j curse and a burden, and the sooner Southern States generally, as well as they go out of the Union and use them- of all the steps that may Ik* taken, one selves np the better. Their negroes by one, iu the grand national demur- then will all run away, and they will tnent now in process of development j have to go to work themselves, iis we they look upon are termed Unionism in this city as their natural enemies, and they insult and taunt members of the Union Com. mittee with cowardice, knavery, treach ery, Ac., Ac. Country merchants now in town, go boldly into the stores and counting rooms of our citizens and be gin to taunt them with having sold themselves to the Honth. They call them doughfaces! men who have no souls! no patriotism! no minds or prin ciples above dollars and cents! 'iTiey tell us that the Southern people are knaves, tyrants and thieves and that they have no respect or regard for them what ever. And as for dissolution or secession, their language is, “ Let them (the South) go! they have always been a in that section of the country. 'Fite declarations made by Senator Butler Butler, of South Carolina, re cently, and those of other public men in tiiat region, at tiiflerent times, vary more or less in detail, but all unite on one commtfii ground, tiiat of the pro priety and necessity of South Carolina weeding from the Union, and setting up an independent nationality, without regard -to whether the movement is countenanced by any other Southern State or not. In this, all her speakers and public men agree, and their opin ions, according to all appearances, are entertained by the great mass of the jicople. In this region of the country, politicians, as a general thing, scout the idea that .South Carolina intends to car ry into effect the purpose w hich she has so often avowed to the world ; but in doing so, they show that they do not know' the character of the people with w'hom they are dealing. Neither do they properly understand the state of affairs at the North, which is urging South Carolina into secession, and oili er Southern States into the same cur- do, and get their living honestly.” Any one at all acquainted with the course of the Albany Evening Journal and the New York Tribune, readily secs that tins language is of their teaching, and conics from their school. The pat ronage given to tlie New York Tribune in this city by our merchants ami bro kers, and to the evening Journal, by tlie Whig party, has enabled them to circulate through this State and Ohio thousands of copies of their cheap weeklies filled with these senti ments and slurs against New Yorit- ers, until they have poisoned the pub lic mind and turned the eurrent of feel ing dead against us. Since the opening of river naviga tion and tlie arrival of such vast num bers of country people, our merchants and the Union Committee seem to have become convinc >d that it is useless to at tempt to change the current of public o- pinion in this State. It is all oneway and directly opposed to the efforts of the Un ion Committee, and in favor of high handed measures against the South. It is as common as to liear them speak of rent. They do not Comprehend that a the weather to hear a merchant say, ** “ O it is idle to attempt to stem this abolition current: New York and Ohio are all over abolition, and the people will listen to nothing but uoti-sUverv, free-soil and the repeal of tbe fugitive slave law. The President might, they continue, “had he taken strong mea sures last fall, and come out with spirit ami determination, and removed every high-law officer and put in their places friends of the compromise, have broken dissolution of the Union w ould ruin the ! North, or tiiat the Southern States, from I their vast agricultural wealth, possess , the elements of a mighty empire w ithin themselves. They do not comprehend that we are dependent on tlie South for 1 our prosperity—that two-thirds of the commercial wealth of the North hangs upon our union with the Southern States as it now exists. The North, regard less of all these cousidcrathms, and ap parently reckless of results, persists in , up the Seward faction, but it is too late. a course of policy towards the South, which, if much longer continued, will inevitably produce a dissolution of the Union, and with it the downfall of the prosperity of the North. Notwithstand ing the hostility waged against the He has done just enough, and tiiat hes itatingly, to get the btired and con- tenipt of the free-soilers, and not enough to inspire confidence and cour age to his friends.” I tell you,” safll one of the leading and a South,a large proportion of the people committee men and a merchant, on of the States, particularly in Georgia Saturday, to a company of merchanfa, and \ irgtnia, are still loyal to the con- i “ We shall have non-intercourse with stitution, and are willing, as far as in the South In less than five years, and them lies, to carry it out to the fullest , should prepare for it. Aswan) is as extent. But wo cannot close our eyes cunning as the devil and as ambitious to tbe fact that an immense majority of as Osar. He has been here and made the people of SouthCarolina, and large a Union speech ; lie thinks to quiet us and make us lielieve him our friend. f Masonic Monitor. Not Particclab.—A negro woman haring one day rece ? - jd a reprimand from her mistress for some trifling of fence, was M much irritated, that she | went directly out, kneeled down, and i made the following prayer: “Oh good massa Lord, come take me rita out ob j dis world dis berry minute; if you is po coming yourself, send de debble, or anybody else. Goon.—A tutor of a college, lectur ing a young man on bis irregular hab its added with great pathos. Your eonduct will bring your father’s gray ira with sorrow to the grave” “That is impossible,” replied tM youth, “ray father wears a wig.” minorities in other Southern States, are fully determined to unite in seceding from the Northern States, at some early day, if the provision of the constitution relative to the reclamation of fugitive slaves, be not carried out, in all its origi nal strength and rigor, and nceordingto theiatent with which it was framed, 'ilw proceedings and debates in tbe Convew- tion of tegfltate Righto Associations, »• bout to be field in Charleston, South Ca rolina, will be probably the most impor- of the country, for many years iiast. In their effects on the future. VVe have accordingly made every preparation to give the public mind in this region, and the North generally, the earliest infoe* •nation of this great movement in the South.—Y. y. Herald. and he has quieted a good many, but is a devil and sets the snares of the devil. The State is as completely un der the thumb of Weed and Greely ns the members of a catholic church are under the thumb of the bishop. We have been cheated and humbugged all our live* by these fellows: we paid for printing a hundred thousand copies of Seward’s high-law speech when ws paid mousy to Draper and GrianeH for tant that hare taken place in auy parti the Whig party, and we ace now pay- OirThe following is given aa mode of parsingdown East; ‘ Court is a verb active indie present tense ant girls in Ike nrighl all the to print sermons to counteract'it. We have paid for ami supported the Tribune for ten years, because we thought It a whig pa|ier, and now w© are getting abuse from it. In abort, gentlemen, we have bean turning the grindstone to sharpen the knives which ass to eut our throats.—-V. ZD* (£r A negro woman named Nonette, died in St Martinsville, (La,) on tea 2ftth Eareh fast, aged 115 years.