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Show cm'-a' cm'-a' I SEEN FI10M A WINDOW. 'RICH AND RARE SCENES WITNESSED IN A CUFtTAINLESS LODCE-ROOM. Jp""t Experiences of a Candidate He Is Oliia an Kioallent Ide of tba Vpa and Downs or Life. ... o bs Initiated Into 'nbIbbW soma of tbo tecret njiJJ3W tflito soclatlea of the 'MlflffaWl T5 dy ,s hllarloua Cl mPqI- V and alde-spllttlng ' ' I KIIYi.4 3lrfornll con- 1 Hllf cerncd except tbo I VH7 candidate. It la a M -JL kind of basing W0 Zf frolic. When tie " head of tho bouse- If hold, ao called, cornea homo late at night and tells bis wife with a grave, dccoroui faco that ho haa "been to tho dodge," and that there waa "a good deal 'Of extra work golnjj on," tho fond soul thinks her husband haa been engaged In one Important though necessarily secret business connected with the manage, racnt of tho benovolent aocloty to which bo bolongs, and that without his presence pres-ence at the meetings tho Ljclotjr would .go to the bad. Instead of that ho has boon helping to put some conBdlng victim through a course of involuntary gymnastics that it would malto a graven imago of John -Calvin laugh to ace. . Tuero Is a certain lodge of good brethren that holds Its sessions on a third floor not a thousand miles from ths corner of Stato and Madison streets, . ., aays tho Chicago Tribune, tbo dato of , t meeting bolng not a thousand years re mote from' the first Saturday evening of each month. Tbcso brethren are not -always as enrnful as they should bo In closing tho bunds that keep the prying -oyo of tho "cowan and eavesdropper" from seeing what goes on Inside the Uodgcrooin, and on a certain evening ,- some months ago aovsral young mon I Tfho had nothing better to do. nnd who LiSHBaVvl aaa aaw aaaw aaaj 1 Kg TnB CANDIDATE. t M happened to And tiiumselve In a com- minding location, waiched tho process M of initluting a candidate into tho rays- U terlos of tho order. They could uot sec M tho wholo performance, but they saw all 01 its principal features, and their account 9 -of it Is faitufiilly glveu below. ft& The candidate, about whoso eyes a 111 "bandago had been tied, was marched t2i urounil tha room several times and led Hi up iu frout of tho official at tho further B -ond.presuraably the Vico-Somo-lhlng-or- ' Ml -Otbor, wbCro ho appeared to tako an -I m -obligation of somo Kind. lie raised his I. & Tight arm and extended It upward to its Eg "full Isngth. IIo held It Micro so long Q that it began to get tired aud it dropped little. A watchful brother stonpl up behind him and pushed the nrm up. IIo Hi held It straight up again for a llttio m while and again it began to droop. Then it was pushed up again, and every J timo tho poor fellow let his arm down I Ml over ao little somuhody shoved it up. I At last ha couldn't aland it nnv longer S Fjj and dropped his arm to his side, ills 1 M -tormentor theta led him to somo part of I fl tho lodgo-room out of tho range of tho If watchers' vision. M Si Wbcn next ho enmo In sight, a few JE Mi minutes latcr.ho waa attired In his shirt, US drawers, aud socks. All his outer gar- ijsj mouts had been removed. In this airy 1 uniform he was led, still blindfolded. Into jD the majestlo presenca of the same official H -that bl administered the obligation to V H him. This worthy roso up, and tho two 1 H -confronted each other for about ten I 91 minutes, tho time being occupied, seem-1 seem-1 (H ingly. In the delivery of a long charge I'l orlccturs. Tho candidate shifted un-I un-I IB easily from ono foot to tho other, as If M 11 impatient to have it over. If ho had 11 known what was coming ho might not Ml have been lu such a hurry. But this m H Tart of tbo ceremony cams to an end at , jH last. Ills conductors turned him about nnd ho seemed to fall on his knees. II Tho brethren gathered round him so jjH' thickly thnt tho watchers could not seo Kjn "what they were doing with him, but it mKj "was certn'in tboy were not putting any 'Ma jSj anore clothes on him, for when ho was fljf'fjl permitted to rise ho was seen to bo in "-H M the samo deml-tollet as before. ' m fa .. IIo was ucxt conducted around the W IE room, n brother lin ling blm by each S m arm. A blanket or rug had been brought M n -out from sumo mysterious recess in tho m lodge-room, aud as ho walked along thta ' W m "wns apread out on tho floor in front ot S",B I'm. Wlieuover bo slopped on It In tho XI -coursp of his rambles It was Jerked vlo- 99 lently out from under lilm and down ho Ml went, being saved from sitting hard on i the floor by tho brothren who bad hold 5jSjj -of bis nrmi. They Jerked him up jkm again, TliU performnnco was repeated .Mm in" o dozen times or more, tho brethren 'JIS T?,' weru "ol "tbcrwiso engaged In vR9 making it pleasant for the candidate jH Amusing themselves jl he .walked by '1 ,J1L ifLL K fe banging film with things that looked like hugo bologna sausages and probably proba-bly were cloth bags stuffed with straw or sawdust. They pounded him with these and flung them at him as ho flounderod and cavorted on the treacherous treacher-ous rug. I this TtuAcn&nons nua. Meanwbllo a zealous brother with an oblong wooden box supposed to contain shot rolled them from ono end to tho othor by raising each end alternately, tho object being to convev the Idea that a terrific storm was assisting at the initiation. initi-ation. Another zealous brother tapped a deep-toned boll at Intervals. This portion" ot tho corcmony over tha candidate was pormitted to rest a few moments. A dozen or so of the members mem-bers took off their coats and prepared for the serious business that waa to follow. fol-low. They marched tho doomed man, still blindfolded, abou,t the room a few times more.and conducted blm to a platform plat-form or stand about three feet high. This stand was near tho center of tbo room. They lifted him up and stood him on top ot It. The brethren who had taken their coats off brought out a big blanket and held It stretched out tightly In front of tho helpless wrotch. At a prearranged signal the man with tho shot-box turned on another storm, the boll sounded dolefully through tho room again, and a stalwart brother, who had taken his position behind tbo candidate, gave him a quick push and tumbled him hoadlong into the blanket outstretched to rccolve him. The eager watcbenton tbo oulalde crammed their handkerchiefs Into their mouths and took In tho entertainment. They saw the athletes who held tho blanket bond to tboir work. Tliey saw the victim of that confidence game tossed six feet into tbo air at tbo first Jerk. lie camo down on his hoad and Went up again llko a feather. At the third bounce bis heels kicked tho ceiling, lie clutched and pawed at tho air, his hair stood on end, be made desparato efforts to save himself, but tho fun waxed faster aud more furious, nnd up and down bo bounced, end over end, now stiffening btmself nnd now flopping limply, while the sound of the racing storm continued and tha deep tone of the bell.rang In his ears like tho knell of a lost soul. The grunts of tho blanket tossers as thoy stiffened tbolr backs kopt time, time, tlmo. In a Kind of jorking rhyme to the see-saw motion of tho earnest brother who stood on a chair and churned bis aims up and down liko Parlck Barsflcld Gilmoro conducting an anvil cuorua. With the regularity of a machine thrsa costless ornaments of tho mystical brotherhood tossed the Inltlato into tbo air, without slipping an eccentrlo or missing a ccg. Every ono of them had gono through tha mill himself, and he was getting oven. They tossed blm till thoy were tired, and then with a final jerk that banged blm aealnst the colling they stopped, rolled him from the blanket to tbo floor, and stood over blm panting. They had conveyed to his mind aomo Idea of the. ups and downs or life. If ho had failed to receive ills monoy's worth the blame did not rest on their consciences. After a short time the recipient of all these fraternal attentions was conducted to the dressing-room In tbo cornor, the bandago was removed from bis eyes, and he was permitted to put on bis clothe ,; (Ut f Jm id Hm 111 TUB DP AUD DOWN OF LJFE. lie wiia then conducted to the presiding presid-ing official, who apparently explained to him the symbolic meaning of tho solemn ordeal bo bod gouo through and instructed in-structed him in tho grips, signs, and tokonsot tho Initiatory degrco that had Just bcon conferred upon him, These Instructions given, the right hand of fellowship was extended to tho candidate and bo was declared a duly initiated member of the order, after which tbo other members crowded about blm and congratulated blm, and tho ceremony was at an end. Aud now, with this flood of light let in on the doings of tho Bubllmo Order of Fizzennctums, tbcro is no reason why the wives of tbo devoted brethren who meet from timo to time to counsel, admonish, and strengtbon one another In the discharge of tbo duties devolving upon tbem as members of a most noble order should not establish a Subllmo Sisterhood, with equally solemn rites and coicmnplcs. This Is the day for the emancipation ot woman. Let her stand upon her rights. Let her have lodges of hef own, and let bnr husband stay at home lodgo nights and mind tbo baby while she goes to participate in the work: of initiating some slater into tho sacred raystones or an order within whose hallowed hal-lowed confines no prying husbaud shall over poke nls meddlesome nose. |