Blanchard J (anti-masonic) - Scotch Rite Masonry Illustrated Part I

162 lUSTRE ELECT ow N!NU. INITIATION. 188ask the favor of being admitted into the degree of MasterElect of Nine.Most Sovereign~—Wh5t motive induces you to thinkyou deserve such an honor to be conferred upon you?Master,of Ceremonies—My zeal, fervor and constancy,which I promise shall be doubled hereafter, have mademe aspire to beg this favor.Moat,Sovereign—Learn, Brother Joabert, that you areto impute your present admission into this degree andChapter, less to a desire we may have of conferringthis degree on you, than to an inclination we have ofmaking a trial of your conduct and courage, and yourcompliance with the obligations you have contracted inthe different degrees you have received.You may recollect that when you were made a masonafter the light was shown you, you saw all the brethrenwere armed, and you know that it was in your power toclaim their assistance in case you were exposed to anyconcealed in a cave near the coast of Joppa, anawerin~the description of one of the murderers of our lamentedMaster Hiram Abiff. He has also offered to condut~tthose I may select to the place of his concealment.All rise and request to be partakera in the vengeancedue the villai tn.Moat Sovereign—Stop, my brethren, I hereby decreethat only nine shall undertake the journey, and to avoidgiving offense, I hereby order all your names to beplaced in an urn and the first nine that are drawn shallbe the brethren to accompany the stranger.Their names are put in the urn, they proceed to b~alottill the. eighth one is elected.Master of Ceremoniea—( Knocks eight and one,00000000 0; when the brethren resume their former poentions.)Stollcin—Most Sovereign, there ia an alarm at thedoor.Moat Sovereign-Brother Adoniram, i~ee who knocksi~t the door of our Chapter to interrupt our deliberations.Captain of Guard—( Goes to the door, knocks eightand one, 00000000 0; opens it and says:) Who knocks atthe door of our Chapter to interrupt our deliberations?Master of Ceremonies—It is brother Joabert, whocomes to ask the favor of receiving the degree of MastsrElect of Nine.Captein of Guard—Most Sovereign, it is Joabert whocomes to ask the favor of receiving the degree of MasterElect of Nine.Most Sovereign—Let him be admitted.Captain of Guard opens the door; the Master of Ceremoniesand candidate enter and advance to the altar.Most Sovereign—Faithful Joabert, what is your wish?Master of Ceremonies—(For candidate,) I come todanger. You were also aware that those arms were intendedfor your destruction, to be plunged into yourbreast, to vindicate masonry, should you be so wickedas to violate your solemn obligations and divulge thesecrets of masonry or of masons. Still, notwithstanding,these most sacred and solemn obligations and the severepenalties we submitted ourselves to incur in swervingfrom them, there have been people so vile as to violatethose sacred ties and expose themselves to all the tortureswhich they had denounced against themselves.Know my brother, that at this present hour we havein our power one of the perpetrators and murderers ofour respectable master Hiram Abiff, who groans underthe enormity of his guilt, and expects every moment toundergo the rigorous tortures which his crime richlymerits, to serve as an example to deter others5