bach; the imaginations
of the higher orders were set dangerously afloat by Montesquieu; and the
multitude of all ranks was surprised, confounded, and hurried away by
Rousseau. Thus was the public mind in France completely corrupted, and
the way prepared for the dreadful scenes that followed."

But there is also another chapter to the dark history of this "noisome
and grievous sore." The same author says again:

"After Voltaire had broached his system of infidel philosophy, and
brought it unto perfection, it was taken up by the celebrated Dr. Adam
Weishaupt, professor of canon law in the University of Ingolstadt, and
by him perfected as a system of light or illuminism. On the 1st of May,
1776, he founded, among the students of the above-named University, a
secret society under the name of the _Illuminati_, whose avowed object
was to diffuse the light of science, these secret societies being so
many radiating centers of light. But the science taught was the most
atrocious infidelity, and its object the overturning of all government
and religion. Free masonry, being in high repute all over Europe when
Weishaupt first formed the plan of his society, he availed himself of
its secrecy to introduce his new order, which rapidly spread, by the
efforts of its founders and disciples, through all those countries, and
found its way even to the United States. It would not be possible here
to give even an outline of the nature and constitution of this
extraordinary society--of its secrets and mysteries--of the deep
dissimulation, consummate hypocrisy, and shocking impiety of its founder
and his associates--of their Jesuitical arts in concealing their real
objects, and their incredible industry and astonishing exertions in
making converts--of the absolute despotism and complete system of
_espionage_ established throughout the order--of the blind obedience
exacted of the _novices_, and the absolute power of life and death
assumed by the order and conceded by the novices--of the pretended
morality, real blasphemies, and absolute atheism of the founder and his
tried friends. Reference can only be made to these things as
well-established facts.

"It is important here to bear in mind one or two facts, in order to
realize what an engine of corruption this secret organization of the
_Illuminati_ was. One fact is, the high popularity which these secret
societies at that period enjoyed. It was unbounded. There is something
which commends suc