Preface

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FAMOUS SECRET SOCIETIES
FAMOUS SECRET SOCIETIES
BY
JOHN HERON LEPPER
AUTHOR OF
“fifty years of freemasonry,” “problems of the fama,”
“the TESTAMENTS OF MASTER FRANCIS VILLON,”
ETC., ETC.
LONDON
SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON & CO., LTD.
MADE AND PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY PURNELL AND SONS PAULTON (SOMERSET) AND LONDON
3/*
To
WILLIAM JOHN SONGHURST
IN TOKEN OF THE AUTHOR’S
Esteem, Gratitude and Affection
FOREWORD
Secret Societies are as old as civilization itself.
Primitive man had to undergo initiatory rites on attain¬ ing the age of puberty; shamanism tended to become an order set apart from the rest of the clan ; and the propitiation of the tribal gods could not be undertaken without some preliminary instruction on how to approach them; but quite apart from such practices of prehistoric eugenics, magic or religion, the everyday life of the savage would force the adoption of observances to which a certain amount of mystery was attached; for example, signs by which to know at a distance whether a stranger were friend or foe, pledges to secure support from comrades in battle or the chase, and tests to exclude the untrustworthy from any enterprise that required resolution and courage.
Here we have the germs that have developed into thou¬ sands of secret associations of human beings all the world over.
In approaching this vast subject, one that comprises many things, to use Pater’s phrase, “about which men have been passionate and expended time and zeal,” my design has not been to compile a catalogue of all secret societies that ever had existence, nor even to include all that have ever been of any note ; for no volume of a reason¬ able size could have contained the material available, even had that material been compressed into the most desic¬ cated form. Moreover, I should have been loath to attain brevity at the expense of flavour and human interest; so my task has demanded selection as well as description.
I fully realise that the choice I have made may not be to everyone’s taste, and further, that the subject-matter could have been varied by omissions or additions to the nth power. To those who on reading this book would counsel
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any one of such infinite possibilities in permutation, I have only one excuse to offer : the selection now presented will do very well for a beginning; it is representative, of a wide range, and no one knows better than the author how much unused matter is ready to hand, should readers desire a continuation.
As for the societies which I have described, all are notable, though some have won their place more because of their progeny than for any particular merits of their own, for example, Les Fendeurs’, others because they are very much in the public eye just now, such as the Irish Societies; others because they are a perennial whet to our curiosity, so here are the ancient Mysteries’, yet others, such as the Druses or Templars, because many misconceptions about them have passed current for the truth; in short, each fellowship included in these pages was selected for some very good reason, which the benevolent reader will kindly take for granted, if he finds the account satisfying, but if not, then I would entreat him to seek better entertainment on another page in the company of a different brotherhood.
In describing these very diverse sodalities I have endeavoured, so far as is possible in a mere human being, to avoid partizanship and to allow facts to speak for them¬ selves, so that, as Tchekov advised, the reader may become the only jury and give a true verdict according to the evidence; but it is only to be expected that a chance phrase or word may occasionally express the author’s own sentiments, which, after all, need only be taken as a reminder that he, too, is a man.
The system of division adopted is mainly chronological, beginning with ancient societies and progressing on through the centuries to those still in existence ; but some appear out of their proper sequence in time, usually because their tendencies or objects make them one of a group whose most important units belong to another epoch. For this reason the still-existent Ansars might have been brigaded, perhaps with advantage, next to the extinct Assassins; and in other instances, too, my judgment in matters of arrangement may seem to be at fault.
FOREWORD
IX
Exact order has sometimes had to yield precedence to expediency.
The influence of one secret society upon another, whether contemporary or successive, is often so marked that two or more may interlock like the pieces of a jig-saw puzzle; and in making the attempt to reconstruct the pattern they presented to the world in their own generation I have found that the unity of the design becomes broken if its component fragments be considered singly and not in conjunction with others which at first sight appear to fall into a different picture. Therefore, now and then, I have disregarded sequence of time in favour of sequence of purpose or influence.
The extraordinary family likeness that exists between some secret societies which are separated by long stretches of time has struck every student who has approached the subject with an open mind, and has given birth to theories and arguments without number, to which I have not attempted to add. My sole purpose has been to deal with facts proven or possible, and to leave theories to those who are experts in such weaving — should they find here some new and brightly coloured threads to spread upon their loom, the author will feel that his labour has not been wholly lost. For I am none of those who would dismiss all unprovable theories with a pharisaical sniff; they may vary, and usually do, with every increase of our knowledge, but at the same time they help to increase it — what a potent stimulus to learn more of a subject is that which springs from the desire to upset some popularly accepted theory! Moreover, the theorist is sometimes gifted with a view of the finished structure, while the hodman of science cannot see beyond the bricks he is carrying to form the foundation.
In conclusion, I should like to take this opportunity of thanking those friends who have been good enough to lend me their advice and help while this book was in the making.
First of all my acknowledgments are due to Alan Murray Wells, who assisted me in collecting material for
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FOREWORD
the Greek and Egyptian Mysteries. Those portions of the book that deal with ancient religions were read by the Right Reverend Agnew Giffard, Dean of Guernsey, for whose criticism and advice I am much indebted. Other portions were read by Miss Mary Gardiner and W. J. Songhurst, both of whom suggested corrections and improvements. Yet another good friend, Miss Sheila M. Hardie, was kind enough to bring her editorial acumen to bear on the proofs, to the great advantage of the book. To all these kind helpers I return my grateful thanks. No hay hombre sin hombre, says the Spanish proverb.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
Foreword ....... vii
1. Introduction to the Ancient Mysteries . . i
2. The Egyptian Mysteries ..... 3
3. The Mysteries of Eleusis . . . . . 1 1
4. The Orphic and Other Mysteries ... 25
5. Mithra ........ 28
6. The Gnostics ....... 44
7. The Druids ....... 47
8. The Templars ....... 52
9. The Assassins ....... 56
10. The Vehmgericht . . . . . . 61
11. The Steinmetzen ...... 68
12. The French Compagnonnage .... 74
13. The Fendeurs or Charbonniers ... 91
14. The Rosicrucians ...... 99
15. The Illuminati . . . . . .106
16. The Philadelphes or Olympiens . . .123
17. The Carbonari . . . . . . .126
18. Other Italian Societies . . . . .145
19. Young Europe and its Federated Societies 157
20. The Associated Patriots . . . . .167
21. The French Carbonari . . . . .170
22. The Families and Kindred French Societies . 174
23. The Hetairia . . . . . . .180
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
24. The Comuneros . . . . . . .186
25. The United Slavonians and Polish Templars . 193
26. Criminal Societies of the Middle Ages and
Later . . . . . .196
27. The Camorra ....... 204
28. The Mafia . . . . . . .212
29. The Whiteboys . . . . . . .215
30. The Defenders ....... 220
31. The United Irishmen ..... 228
32. The Ribbonmen ....... 237
33. The Orange Society . . . . .251
34. The Fenians or Irish Republican Brotherhood . 272
35. The Ku Klux Klan ..... 287
36. The Thugs ....... 296
37. Chinese Societies ...... 305
38. The Druses ....... 322
39. The Ansars ....... 330
Index . 339
FAMOUS SECRET SOCIETIES