Most worthy Brother! You have now been initiated into some of the secrets of the Holy Brotherhood, otherwise called the Secret Band of Brothers; you have become a member of an Order which, I trust, you will ever cherish—feeling it is worthy of any of God's children; and, if you so consider it, and also consider yourself a true and lawful member, you will now make the same manifest by an inclination of your head, in token of assent,
Art. 19. The member having bowed in assent, the Grand Master shall again proceed, as follows:—
Now, Brother, you, through choice, can take one degree, which will entitle you to a benefit in sickness or in distress; and likewise entitle you to the use of the scale, which will enable you to converse with any Brother without any possible chance of detection, by paying the trifling sum of twenty-five cents per month, to the Worthy Grand, who is the proper person for you to apply to for assistance, which in all cases must be done verbally:—in token of assent that you wish this degree conferred upon you, you will now lay your hand upon your heart and answer in the affirmative.
Art. 20. After conferring the foregoing degree, the Grand Master shall again proceed, as follows:
Brother, it is now my pleasant duty to inform you that the degree just taken entitles you to a full membership of the Holy Brotherhood, and also entitles you to a benefit of thirty-three cents per day, if imprisoned, or confined by sickness, caused by exposure or otherwise,—which you, in all cases, must make known to the Worthy Grand, if possible, through a Brother, but by no other process; and you must be careful to observe one particular point, which is, never, under any circumstance, to approach the Worthy Grand as an intimate acquaintance, for fear of being suspected as such, and thereby bringing mistrust upon him through some person who may have had their eye upon you, as a man not carrying out the principles which they approve of as being the ones best calculated to promote their priestcraft.
Art. 21. The Grand Master shall thus continue:
You being now a member of this Holy Brotherhood, it falls to my lot to apprize you of the position which you now occupy, and some of the duties incumbent upon you. This society claims you as a Brother, and, should you be sick, will prepare hospitable means for your comfort—should you be in difficulty, through misfortune, you will ever find friends ready and willing to assist you: should you for any offence be brought to trial, your judges, jurors, witnesses, &c., you will find composed of men selected from this Holy Brotherhood: you have the privilege at any time to go and come as you please, to retire or live in public life; but you are to make known every transaction whereby certain classes may be considered as dishonest—and if the person offending is not committed by a Brother, you are bound, if possible, to see that the offender is brought before the tyrannical bar, and, likewise, if it lies in your power, to have the said offender convicted; and, if convicted, it shall furthermore be your duty to apprize the Grand Master the length of time he is sentenced, to what prison, and what punishment—as we, as men and Christians, hold it a duty for each member to throw every obstacle in the way of the people called Christians, for the purpose of bringing them to the laws which Nature's God has set apart.
Art. 22. Having now informed you of some of the benefits and duties falling upon you, as a Brother, I now come to an article of penalty, which you will find requires your close attention, as follows:
If you betray a Brother, this Constitution allots to you but one punishment, which is—DEATH BY VIOLENT MEANS!—and this sentence will surely be carried into effect—as sure as that there is a sun at noonday, or stars at night; and the Brother, so terminating your career, shall receive, in compensation, the sum of three hundred dollars, which shall be paid to him by a Grand Master, for this society.
Art. 23. If you are ever true and faithful to the Brotherhood, you shall be sustained by them, in all your undertakings, right or wrong; and should you meet with danger, by reason of the Brotherhood, which sometimes happens, by your making the same known to the Grand Master, he will, if your quarterly and annual payments have been regularly made, refund you the full amount. You will be charged, annually, five dollars for your head, and a half cent per annum on all your common chattels and freehold property,—which you will be required to pay in advance, yearly, to ensure you the benefit and full privilege of the Secret Band of Brothers' Mutual Insurance; the principle of which is adopted for the special benefit of the Brotherhood, as we feel no interest in befriending any, not even our own blood relations, unless with a motive of sooner or later bringing to bear our Christian creed, and making them true and faithful Brethren.