CHAPTER IIL

There are two reasons for taking up this ques- tion in clearing away the brush from the secret society question. In the first place some weak minds who might unite with some secret order supposing that that is the only way of becoming acquainted with it, may be saved from the shame and danger to body and soul involved in such membership. In the second place, it is important for those who are opposed to lodgism to know how abundant are the sources of information and how thoroughly an intelligent man who desires to understand the secret society system may do so if he will only use the means which lie ready to his hand.
There are four sources of information, by the proper use of which, any person who wishes may become thoroughly informed as to lodgism with- out ever entering a lodge. First, the public exer. cises of the orders: second, the literature of the orders; third. the. testimony of seceders, and fourth, the word of God.
There are in the life of all modern secret so-
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30 Modern Secret Societies.
cieties certain occasions on which they welcome those not members. Laying of corner stones, dedications of halls and temples, installations of officers, funerals of deceased members and social gatherings are often public and intelligent per- sons who attend and listen may come to conclu- sions as to the character of the orders. The re- galia which members wear, the titles by which they are addressed, the ceremonies which they per- form, the addresses which they make, all furnish information to persons who have never entered their secret places or sworn their bloody oaths.
Take for example the ceremony of corn, wine and oil which is used in laying the corner stones of public buildings, the hymns sung and the Grand Master’s address on such occasions. The scatterings of corn and the pouring of wine and oil upon the stone point unmistakably to heathen sacrifices which began with the altar of Cain. The hymn at opening the service:
“When earth’s foundation first was laid By the Almighty Artist’s hand,
*Twas then our perfect laws were made, Established by His strict command.”
is sung in the hearing of all. Poetic license may be plead in defense of many absurdities, but to make God responsible for the ridiculous cere-
Modern Secret Socteties. — 31
monies and death penalties of a secret lodge in- vented in the Apple Tree tavern, London, less than two hundred years ago, cannot thus be defended. The chorus and the succeeding verses are not less false and absurd than the one which is quoted.
The Grand Master’s-address is remarkable in that it contains six distinct falsehoods and ends with a prayer, yet not a prayer for forgiveness. As this. little speech is a fair specimen of all lodge oratory, we give it in full:
“Men and brethren here assembled, be it known unto you that we be lawful Masons, true and faithful to the laws of our country, and engaged by solemn obligation to erect magnificent build- ings to be serviceable to the brethren, and to fear God, the Great Architect of the Universe. We have among us, concealed from the eyes of men, secrets which have never been found out; but these secrets are lawful and honorable, and not repugnant to the laws of God or man.
“They were entrusted in peace and honor, to the Masons of ancient times, and having been faith- fully transmitted to us, it is our duty to convey them unimpaired to the latest posterity. Unless our craft were good and our calling honorable, we should not have lasted for so many centuries, should not have been honored with the patronage of so many illustrious men in all ages, who have
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32 Modern Seeret Societies.
ever shown themselves ready to promote our in- terests and defend us from all adversaries. We are assembled here to-day, in the face of you ali to build a house, which we pray God may de- serve to prosper by becoming a place of concourse for good men, and promoting harmony and brotherly love. throughout the world, till time shall be no more.”
All who are informed know that Masons ‘are not engaged by solemn obligations to erect mag- nificent buildings, that they have no secret which cannot be divulged, that such secrets as they do have are not lawful and honorable, that there were no Masons (such as these) in ancient times, that antiquity is no proof of excellence, and that il- lustrious men in all ages have not defended Free- masonry. Yet this medley of falsehood is printed to be recited on all corner-stone occasions and the Grand Master, who may be godless and wicked man, is to end the lying recitation with a prayer.
The burial services of Freemasons, Oddfellows, Modern Woodmen, the Grand Army of the Re- public, and other secret societies, all convey the impression that the persons buried have gone tc heaven and as men who are not Christians may freely unite with these orders, it is evident that they have a religious or semi-religious character. Then, too, the literature of these and other lodges
‘
Modern Secret Societies. 33
furnishes a vast fund of information to any one willing to buy and read. The addresses of lodge- men on social and other occasions also teach those who wish to learn and who do not desire to be- come lodgemen. ilass
Then, too, the testimony of seceders from lodg- ism is abundant and reliable, so that we can not only know the history, philosophy and religion of these orders, but may become acquainted with the rituals and know the ceremonies through which their members pass, the obligations which they assume and the penalties by which they are bound. It is entirely safe to say that all who have availed themselves of these means of knowl- edge are far better acquainted with any lodge than are the majority of its members. Lodgemen usually content themselves with learning the grips, signs, passwords, and lectures of their orders: many of them do not even so much as that. One who studies from the outside knows all that they do and much beside.
But the most important source of light on lodg- ism is the word of God. This wonderful book is for all places, all occupations, all circumstances, all time. It is not only an infallible guide, but an all-sufficient one. A man who will study the Bible about secret societies will find the system described and learn the will of God concerning
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34 Modern Secret Societies.
it. There is an old saying to the effect that fools can learn only by their own experience, while wise men save themselves much trouble by taking ad- vantage of the knowledge of other men. In re- gard to the subject under discussion this is very true. No man is required to go through the weary and disgusting round of initiation to under- stand the real character and tendency of secret orders. The testimony of the orders in their public ceremonies and in their literature ; the testi- mony of seceders who, for Christ’s sake, have abandoned them and the all-sufficient, unshakable testimony of the word of God unite to furnish ample evidence to all honest and ingenuous minds.
ChewP he R TV.
IF EVIL, WHY DO SO MANY GOOD MEN UNITE WITH AND SUSTAIN THEM ?
“T preside over no lodge, nor have I been in one more than once or twice during the last thirty years.°— George Washington.
“In my opinion, the imposition of such obligations as Freemasonry requires should be prohibited by law.” —Daniel Webster.
I do not see how any Christian, most of all a Christian minister, can go into these secret lodges with unbelievers. * * * Do no evil that good may come. You can never reform anything by unequally yoking yourself with ungodly men.—D. L. Moody.
Secret societies are not needed for any good pur- pose, and may be used for any bad purpose what- soever. In my opinion, such societies should be pro- hibited by law.—Wendell Phillips. ;
Masonic oaths are a conspiracy against God and man. They are not repented of while they are ad- hered to. Refusing to renounce is adhering. Ad- herence makes them partakers of other men’s sins. To laugh about the abduction of Morgan is laughing about murder.—Charles G. Finney.
A more perfect agent for devising and executing conspiracies against church and state could scarcely have been conceived.—Charles Francis Adams.
We will not tolerate our members uniting with the Masonic or other infidel societies —Augustana Lutheran Synod.
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Ghon. PT ER TV.
It is a bad sign as to general character to make loud and lying boasts. At times a man or an organization may do this from simple vanity, but often more serious defects are implied. When the Master Mason has been through the initiation of the first degree, he resumes his clothing, is placed in the northeast corner of the lodgeroom and lectured. Among other things he is con- gratulated on being received into so ancient and honorable an order—ancient as having existed trom time immemorial and honorable as tending in every particular so to make those who are con- nected with it. Still further he is told that the greatest and best men have been encouragers and promoters of the craft, and this claim in some form is made by all except the very young lodges.
‘Respecting this claim to the patronage of great _ and good men, two things are to be said: First. it would prove nothing if true, and, second, it is not true. The tendency to worship men rather . than God and to go by what they say rather than what He says is very marked and has always
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wrought shame where it has been indulged. The Bible pronounces a curse upon the man who trusts in men, who makes flesh his arm. We should thank God for all good men but we should not worship them. Two or three recent instances have sharply illustrated the tendency to think foolishly about men which seems to be taking pos- session of our own people. Admiral Dewey was educated at public expense and supported through many years by our treasury. During these years he conducted himself in a blameless way and was probably unknown to nine-tenths of the Ameri- can people. At length there came a day when it was possible for him to perform a great public service. He did his work well and earned the thanks of his government. At once the people broke out into paroxysms of praise. One would have supposed from the excitement that every American officer was expected to be a coward or an incompetent and that the nation had been de- iivered from deadly peril by the one man among her naval officers who knew what he ought to do and was brave enough not to run away from his duty. A few days passed and this over- praised gentleman made a present to his wife of a house which had been given to him by his admirers. Instantly there broke from the public
which had been singing his praises a storm of re-
ee
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proach, not to say vituperation. One would have supposed that he were a public criminal or de- graded person from the chorus of reproaches with which he was visited. It made one think of France. ; ‘
So, if it were true that the greatest and best men of all ages had been encouragers and pro- moters of lodgism it would not prove that it de- served to be promoted or encouraged. It would only require us to scrutinize its claims carefully before accepting or rejecting it. It would be difh- cult to name an evil which could not claim the shadow of some great names to hide its deformity. Polygamy, slavery, and intemperance are notable instances. Each of them is universally repro- bated, yet each of them was at one time almost universally accepted by the race, at least the most enlightened and progressive portion of itovit all good and great men had approved of secretism, that would not prove that the system deserved respect or support.
But lodgism has not been so fortunate as the iniquities above named. It has been so obvi- ously inconsistent with the highest qualities of manhood that it has been generally suspected and condemned. Some prominent persons, usually office seekers, have been active members of secret associations, but in general strong men in all
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40 Modern Secret Societies.
lines of life have been opposed to lodgism, or at least indifferent to it. To draw on names most familiar’ to Americans, take Washington, who, though in his youth a Mason, abandoned the lodge tor the last thirty years of his life, as is proved by his own testimony. Or take Daniel Webster, our greatest constitutional orator, who said that the imposition of lodge oaths ought to be forbidden by law. Or make a list of our great merchants, manufacturers and teachers, none of whom is publicly known as interested in secretism. Or take our great evangelists, like Edwards, Finney, Moody and Whittle, all of whom were openly hos- tile to the lodges. It will be readily seen when the examination is concluded that .strong, inde- pendent, godly men have been indifferent to secret societies or opposed to them, while their advocates and supporters have been men who made a living by them, or depended upon popular favor for place, profit and power, apparently not willing to trust to their own energies and the blessing of God to secure them.
Since this is undoubtedly the case, how are we to explain the fact that modern secret societies are accustomed to boast of the good and great men who have patronized them? They who make the claim must know how vain and false it is. Why do they make it? Is it not because they
Modern. Secret Societies. 41
know that the orders in which they are interested have no valid claims to public confidence? How natural and easy it would be to show that secret orders are justified by Holy Scripture and rea- son, if they were. How easy to say that Masons, Oddfellows, Jesuits, Woodmen, etc., hide away in the lodge rooms because they could not do their alleged works of charity in open assembly, if this were true. How easy to show that gangs of thieves, counterfeiters, traitors, and anarchists work in secret needlessly and could openly pursue their nefarious occupations, if they would. How easy to show that all honest men and organiza- tions which now do their work in daylight could carry it on more effectively behind tiled doors, if this were the case.
But since all know that lawyers, doctors, teach- ers, farmers, mechanics, ministers, merchants and members of all other useful occupations delight in publicity; since all know that schools, churches, insurance companies, courts of justice and other helpful organizations are open; since all know that they who conspire against government and prey upon society do so under cover of darkness and secrecy, one can well understand why, having no substantial basis for public respect, the lodges should take advantage of the prominence of mem- bers, no matter how secured or used, and boast
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of an antiquity which they do not possess and of adherents whom they never had.
If secrecy were as old as sin that would not -prove it better, and if all great and good men be- lieved in lodges that would not show them to be innocent, needed or helpful; but since the lodges of our day are all modern and since they have been condemned by whole bodies of Christians, and since the strongest and best men whom we have had have been opposed to them, and since by their very mode of organization they class them- selves with the evil forces of society, these claims which they make to the patronage of the good and great seem deliberate attempts to deceive and to secure by falsehood a popularity and power which the truth, if known, would not enable them to obtain.
Concluding this chapter we affirm: First, that lodges have been condemned by statesmen like John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United States ; William Wirt, Attorney-General of the United States ; Daniel Webster, Senator from Massachu- setts; Millard Fillmore, President of the United States ; William H. Seward, Secretary of State for the United States; Charles Sumner, Senator for Massachusetts, and Thaddeus Stevens, the Great Commoner of Pennsylvania.
We affirm, second, That they are condemned
Modern Secret Societies. 43
by whole denominations of Christians, like the United Presbyterians, the Reformed Presbyter- ians, the Friends, the Wesleyan Methodists, the Free Methodists, the German Baptist Brethren, the Lutheran Synods and by almost all leading evangelists from Charles G. Finney to the pres- ent time.
We affirm, third, That though many worthy men have been connected with lodges they have never been the most earnest in their lodgism, but have been usually disgusted with the foolish and profane ceremonies and have practically retired, going seldom to the lodges and being willing to leave the management of the orders to the other sort of men who are found in all lodges.
And lastly, we affirm, That in all cases where lodges have been made the subject of religious, judicial or legislative investigation they have been found to be hostile to good citizenship and in numbers of instances, e. g., the Jesuits in Europe and Freemasons in America, they have been con- demned by law.
WENDELL PHILLIPS.
sd tke RV,
DO NOT THEIR CHARITIES PROVE THEM ENTITLED TO PUBLIC RESPECT ?
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I will aid and assist all poor, destitute, worthy Fel- low Crafts, knowing them to be such, as: far as their necessities may require and my ability permit, with- out material injury to myself—Fellow Craft Oath.
I will aid and assist all poor, destitute, worthy Mas- ter Masons, their widows and orphans, knowing them to be such, as far as their necessities may require and my ability permit, without material injury to myself and family.—Master Mason's Oath.
I furthermore promise and swear, that I will assist a Royal Arch Mason, when engaged in any difficulty, and will espouse his cause so far as to extricate from the same, whether he be right or wrong.—Royal Arch
Oath.
And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; and great grace was upon them all. * * * As many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things which were sold, and laid them down at the apostles’ feet; and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.—Acts, 4 :33-35.
Inasmuch as ye have done if unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.—Matt. 25.
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OE I Ee
GipAPTER V.
It is said that a Roman augur could not meet a brother augur without smiling. Conscious of the little frauds and hypocrisies which they prac- ticed on the people, they found it impossible to be serious when’ by themselves. It seems as if this same smile that revealed the ancient deceit would break out on the face of the secret society men of our day when they salute one another by their lofty titles or talk of the virtues of their orders.
Take for example the argument that secret so- cieties are to be justified because of their chari- ties. It is true that a provision for sick and death benefits is part of the bait which most lodges of our day throw to those whose oaths, influence and money they wish to obtain. It is also true that some of these orders pay out large sums to their members annually in pursuance of these agree- ments. And these payments are said to be char- itable! When the widow has received the one, two or three thousand dollars which the lodge promised her in case ‘of her husband’s death, she-
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writes a note to the local paper expressing her thanks to the order for paying her after death proofs according to the covenant entered into. These payments are often mentioned to the detri- ment of the church of Jesus Christ and we are told that if the churches would care for their members as well as the lodges do, there would be no need for secret societies.
And yet all persons who choose to be informed know that accident and insurance companies are doing the same thing every day, call it business, not charity, and thank people for allowing them to transact the business for them. If the insurance companies should pose as benevolent organiza- tions they would be laughed at, yet lodge men cali their orders charitable institutions.
All know or should know also that secret so- cieties in making up their membership carefully exclude persons who are likely soon to need aid. In general they prefer men. They wish men in youth or middle life. They select men who have no serious physical defects, such as blindness, lack of limbs, or organic disease. They will not ac- cept persons who have no means of support. They require these thus selected persons to pay before they are accepted as members. They require them to continue to pay so long as they remain members. They turn them out if they become
Modern Secret Societies. 49
unable or indisposed to pay. They promise aid in case of sickness, accident or death, only to these thus selected, who have paid up to date and to certain relatives. Those which make reports show that they receive from these whom they aid far more than they return. And then persons call these organizations charitable! And they compare them with the church of Jesus Christ to the disadvantage of the latter, when all know that the church receives rich and poor, learned and ignorant men and women, adult and child, whole and maimed, sick and well, without money and without price. All know that the churches rear beautiful buildings, heat and light them, provide in them instruction and comfort and throw the doors open to the whole world. All know that the church provides relief for pov- erty and suffering in all cases, except where she has so educated civil authority that it, having power to tax, can make a more ef- fective provision than would be possible to a voluntary organization. Is it not astonishing that Satan himself can make men call lodges charitable and reproach the church for lack of benevolence ?
It is obvious, however, that all lodgemen know that something needs to be done to kill the taint of secrecy if lodges are to thrive, and hence
50 Modern Secret Societies.
they lay hold on one thing and another to sugar coat secretism and get worthy men and women to take it for the sake of what, covers it. Why does mutual insurance need secrecy? It does not need secrecy, secrecy needs mutual insurance. Why does patriotism require the aid of secrecy? It does not ; secrecy requires the aid of patriotism. Thus virtues which all must honor are harnessed to the car of lodgism and are made to draw the loathsome mass of Christless prayers, bloody oaths, shameful ceremonies, windy titles, and selfish ambitions into popular favor, and persons speaking of such complete illustrations of devilish selfishness call them “benevolent organizations.’
If secret societies wish to act as insurance com- panies why do they not pull down their blinds, open offices instead of .lodgerooms, print state- ments instead of rituals, prayers and burial sery- ices, and go into business like honest men? If they wish to pose as benevolent bodies why do they not receive the needy and raise money from those who are well to do for the benefit of those who are suffering? If they wish to act as churches why do they not say plainly what their religion is and not attempt to deceive men into a Christless church by claiming to be a charitable organization?
There are undoubtedly many men in modern
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secret societies who are personally honest. Is it _ not time that they abandoned organizations so thoroughly false and hypocritical, that they cease to lend their honored names to such a mass of false pretence as now makes its way through the world under the title, secret societies ?
Passing the claim to the name benevolent, there are two remarks which we wish to make, and first as to the business management of these so-called charitable organizations. It is said that eighteen hundred of them have failed during the last twenty years. We do not know how this number was determined, and it seems very large ; perhaps it is too large. It is evident, however, to one who has observed at all that the mortality among the secret insurance companies is very large, and the question arises, why this should be the case.
Various reasons may be assigned. At times the salaries which the managers fix for themselves are very high. It sometimes seems that the treas- urers are apt to prove untrustworthy, and it ap- pears certain that the very principle of paying benefits by assessment will destroy any insurance company when the average age of the insured is high. As mere business orders they seem doomed.
Another remark is that to train men to look for
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help from an order instead of teaching them to rely on industry, economy and God. is to do what one can to eat out their manhood. The duty of brotherly helpfulness is taught by Christianity, has never been effectively taught anywhere else, but the system of paying sums of money to a lodge in order that it may help you, instead of saving it and living so that by God’s aid you shall not require human assistance, seems a vicious principle which can only work harm. We shall never forget the impression produced on us by a middle-aged man who was insured in a num- ber of these so-called benevolent orders, when he said: “I should like to die. I am worth more to my family dead than alive.” His statement may have been true, of that we cannot judge, but it was sad none the less. Were the orders to which he belonged responsible for it?
lant on hy RVI.
WOULD THERE BE NEED OF LODGES IF THE CHURCHES WOULD DO THEIR DUTY?
Then Satan answered the Lorn, and said, Doth Job fear God for naught? But put forth thine hand. now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face—Job, 1:9, II.
And Satan answered the Lorp, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face—Job, 2:4, 5.
Now is come salvation, and strength, and the king- dom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night—Rev., 12:10.
And he showed me Joshua, the high priest, standing before the angel of the Lorp, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.—Zech., 3:1.
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do: he was a murderer from the begin- ning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it—John, 8:44.
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and. the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.—Rev. 12.
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Ger TE RV 1.
We hesitated to take up this subject, -but it is so often suggested that it seems wise to do so. In the question there are two implications: First, the churches do not do their duty; and second, lodges are needed, in view of ,this lack. As to the first proposition it may be frankly admitted,. while the second is positively denied. Churches do not do their whole duty. They are made up of imperfect men and women. Multitudes who should be in them are not. Some of those who are nominally members, spend more time, labor, thought and money on lodges than on churches. Many members have a name to live while they are dead. They say, Lord, Lord, but do not do the things which Jesus com- manded. They are swallowed up in the cares and pleasures of this world. All this makes the work of the real laboring church more difficult and it is not strange that she fails in many respects to be all that she desires and that Christ re- quires, to the needy, perishing world. All this is not only charged by lodgemen, but is admitted
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with sorrow and shame by the church herself, Daily she strives to be more nearly what her di- vine head and Master would have her be.
But it does not follow that there is need of lodges on this account. There is never need for false pretenses and lying claims. There is never need, in times of peace and under a free goy- ernment, for any secret organization. All honest work may be done openly; “out of the darkness,’ dark deeds grow.” It is probable, however, that when this question is asked the real point in the mind of the questioner is this: “If the church would give more money to those who need it, would not that hinder the growth of secret so- cieties?”’ There is no doubt of it, but then the question arises: Is it the duty of the church to give money to these men who join lodges to get help? Weare confident that it is seldom or never the work of the church to distribute funds to such persons. The office of the church is not pri- marily to distribute money among poor people, but to create such characters in men that they shall not only not need charity themselves, but shall be in a condition to relieve the necessities of those less fortunate.
We are often told that there are hypocrites in the church, and we know that this is true. What would the church be if she should distribute
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money to idle, extravagant or vicious men? Would not such a flood of worthless characters profess an earnest desire to become church people as to fairly swamp every Christain organization ? Our Lord never offered financial.inducements to men to become his followers. On the contrary, he assured them of hatred, persecution and death by violence. In this way he sifted men and gathered about Himself that brave company who carried the cross in triumph to the ends of the earth.
At the same time it is the duty of the church to distribute alms’ where it can be wisely and help- fully.done and for two thousand years the church has been doing this. Not so generously as she ought, but more generously than any other or- ganization the world has ever known, and at the same time she has established’ moral standards and created a moral atmosphere which have created the charities of the world. When a fam- ily is discovered suffering for lack of food and fire, why is it that all about are eager to aid? Because of the teachings of the church. When a city is devastated by fire or flood what communi- ties respond to the cry for help? Christian com- munities. When millions of people are starving under a cloudy or a burning sky, what nations send ships laden with relief and even harness the
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lightning to hasten their gifts on the way? Chris- tian nations. How would such lessons be learned from orders which exclude the needy, make all that enter pay and limit benevolence to those who have paid for them and their friends?
It is the height of impertinence for members of secret societies to criticise the Bride of Christ. Imperfect she undoubtedly is, but she has no lessons to learn from lodgism. Imperfect she is, but she is still the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Imperfect she is, but she is founded upon the rock of divine truth and the gates of hell, which have never prevailed against her, never will prevail, for God is in her and all her enemies will be confounded and put to shame.
It is very true that the methods of work may be improved. Employment agencies might be es- tablished which should seek places for worthy men when labor is scarce or fails. Savings banks might be encouraged for old and young. Lessons in the economics of housekeeping might be freely given, and the helping hand should be more freely extended to all who seek to help themselves.
Still the chief work of the church will always be to get the souls of men into living contact with the Savior of men. When this is done, all else will follow. Dropping vices and practicing tem- perance will improve health. Divine aid in this
———
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respect will follow believing prayer. Fidelity to employers and industry in labor will increase income. Habits of economy will make a given income produce larger results and will lay by a portion for fhe rainy day. Kindness to others will raise up friends, and in ten thousand ways God will prove that his eyes run to and fro through all the earth that he may show himself strong on the part of those whose hearts are perfect toward him.