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An Inquiry Into the Nature and Tendency of Speculative Freemasonry
Full text linkAn Inquiry Into the Nature And Tendency of Speculative Freemasonry, the first person account by former mason John G. Sterns, was written to provide a historical account of Free Masonry and to warn the reader about its dangers. “Free Masonry is an imposture, that is founded in error, and opposed to the Christian religion and the free institutions of our country.” The author accuses Masonry of taking verses from the Bible and transforming them to fit their needs, with direct examples. According to Sterns, masons are under no obligation to help anyone who is not a mason. If a criminal, who is also a mason, is brought to trial and gives the signal of distress and the judge or members of the jury are masons, by oath they are to risk their lives to save the criminal. Through multiple examples, Sterns states that masons have no authority to administer oaths, much less to administer them under the penalty of death (as in the case of William Morgan of Batavia, NY). Reader, heed the author’s words with caution: “There is wrong in those who administer the oaths; they know that the candidate is ignorant of the solemn vows which he is about to make; and they have good reason to believe, that if he were not, he would never consent to make them.”https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/historical-reprints/1003/thumbnail.jp
Cobb’s Toys: Third Series, Stories about the Bear, Zebra, Lynx, Wild Boar, Walrus, Sloth and Anteater.
Full text linkLyman Cobb’s Toys is a collection of tiny books for tiny people. Priced at three cents and consisting of only sixteen pages, these children’s works are slight enough to fit in even the smallest of pockets. In the third volume of the third series, Cobb describes animals both common and exotic to an audience he lovingly refers to as his “young friends,” taking great care not to use words with more than three syllables. But what the booklet lacks in size (and syllables), it makes up for in personality. Cobb’s descriptions of animals like the bear, zebra, and anteater are fun and meandering if not occasionally poetic, and the accompanying engravings are not without their charm either. After a few short pages, it becomes readily apparent why Cobb’s works were so popular in the 1800s.
(summary written by Daniel Rosshttps://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/historical-reprints/1025/thumbnail.jp
Road from Washington City to Buffalo
Full text linkAfter reading Road from Washington City to Buffalo, anyone driving along U.S. Route 15 or another old north-south route through New York State, Pennsylvania, and Maryland can better appreciate the formidable engineering task of road building in that region during the early days of the nation. This slim volume, originally published in 1827, is a rich source of information (including place names) of the Washington-Buffalo “corridor” in the 1820s.
The report begins with a very helpful index (more like a table of contents) that corresponds to the 77 numbered paragraphs comprising the main text, in which is described not only the area’s terrain in terms of the proposed highway construction, but also its current state of agriculture, industry, and settlement. The report could also serve as a catalog for future development (mineral deposits, timber, creeks & rivers, etc.) For example, paragraph 51 (“Soil”) begins “A very large proportion of this district (48) is possessed of a soil well adapted to cultivation. That of the valleys is generally argillaceous, containing much vegetable mould. The flats within the principal valleys, especially those connected with the valley of the Genesee, are endued with extraordinary fecundity.” And so on.
The five tables are extremely illuminating in breaking down all the particulars of the four grand routes proposed (Eastern, Western, Painted Post, and Pine Creek), including alternate subordinate routes between each place, cost estimates, and price analyses. Table 1 is particularly informative, listing the geographical coordinates for each part of the route, the distance between each preceding place (with a running tally of miles from Washington), general “Characters of the Routes” (from “waving, seldom winding” to “very winding, serpentine”), grades, length of bridges necessary, and details such as Aspect, Soil, Rocks, Natural growth, and Products. Table 3 analyzes the populations surrounding each grand route and its possible variations, perhaps as a way to measure costs vs. benefits. A map referenced as accompanying material “C” in Macomb’s prefatory letter is not included in this binding, but can be viewed at http://www.raremaps.com/gallery/enlarge/33381.
The report was completed by Major S.H. Long, Topographical Engineer, and submitted to Congress by Major General Alex. Macomb, United States’ Chief Engineer (War Dept.)https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/historical-reprints/1022/thumbnail.jp