CHAPTER VI.

MORAL VALUE. Love Virtue, she alone is free. — Milton.
Moral obligation is based in the nature of God, and all moral questions may therefore be in- cluded under the general head of religion. Yet morality may be considered independently of its religious ground ; and the influence of a system on certain principles is to some extent a distinct question from its influence on the relation to God in which they are based, and still more dis- tinct from its influence on the institution which maintains them, in this case the church of Christ. Some considerations, therefore, may properly be given as to the general moral influence of the societies.
The societies do some good in developing those qualities which make men capable of suc- cessful organized effort. Their requirements train men to the invaluable habit of faithfulness ; and the maintenance of their secrecy develops fidelity and trustworthiness. They also teach men how to unite and live with their fellows in social relations, and how to apply their united energies in continued effort. All of this is val- uable ;* but the greater part of it is incidental to any organization, and can be learned as well from membership of a base ball nine, or any other live association.
The societies may establish and maintain a certain standard of honor. Says ex-Governor Hawley, as already quoted, " There is a great
70 THE SECRET SOCIETY SYSTEM.
positive value in the cordial, mutual pledges,, of confidence, assistance, trust, encouragement, equality, fidelity, and honor." ^ This value may be in cultivating the sense of honor, which is a binding force in society, and, if rightly defined as "a fine sense of justice," is most worthy of cultivation. An instinctive aversion to any- thing really dishonorable is one element of true character. But the law of honor has an almost invariable tendency to become simply a law of custom, so that when the code prescribes a duel, the man of honor will always fight. In his lect- ures to the Yale Seniors, President Porter says,^ " The law of honor may be in conflict with the law of duty and the law of God." The immi- nent danger in cultivating this is that it may come to overshadow the great truths by which men should live. ''ThQ law of honor ^'' says Dr. Paley, quoted by President Dwight,^ " is a sys- tem of rules, constructed by people of fashion, and calculated to facilitate their intercourse with one another, and for no other purpose. Consequently it forbids nothing, but what tends to incommode this intercourse. Accordingly, it allows profaneness and impiety in every form." The true law of life is not the law of honor nor even the law of duty alone, but the Christian law of love, which at once transcends and in-- eludes them both. Lieber's remark has special force here: "No moral phenomenon is more common than that the more compact an associa- tion becomes, the more its members are apt, be it by the common esprit de corps or by an errone-
^ Psi Upsilon Catalogue, p. xi. 2 I quote from niemor}^ ^ Sermons, Vol. I, p. 424.
THE SECRET SOCIETY SYSTEM. 7 1
ous feeling of honor, to value the interest of the association higher than any other, and some- times, as has but too frequently happened, to end in adopting a moral code or standard of their own, to be judged of only by the promotion of the interests of that association." ^
Good is sometimes done, particularly in the colleges, through the influence of nien of strong moral character over their fellows in a society ; but, as a general thing, the good men are hurt more than the bad men are helped. This point will be further considered in another connection.
It is claimed that the fraternity watches over and reclaims from wrong-doing its weaker mem- bers, particularly in the colleges. Without doubt, some good is done in this way ; but, after deducting the amount due to other relations, particularly the close bonds of college life, the gain due to the fraternity would probably not be very large. Then, too, the assistance is lim- ited by artificial society lines, which operate to withdraw it from some who would otherwise re- ceive it.
One of the great arguments put forth by those who defend the societies is the benevolence which they practice, to which some organiza- tions devote large sums of money. Two things are to be said here : In the first place, it is a partial benevolence. It limits its kindness to members of its own clan, and pays no heed to others. It is true that society teaching often in- culcates universal benevolence; but these admo- nitions are practically nullified by the exclusive
^ Political Ethics, 2d edition, Vol. II, p. 197.
72 THE SECRET SOCIETY SYSTEM.
spirit of most orders, so far as the society influ- ence is concerned, and they do not result in ex- tending to uninitiated persons, or to their fami- lies, those cash payments which constitute the claim to benevolence. Such benevolence would have left the man who fell among thieves to die by the roadside, unless he also had been a Sa- maritan. It is exactly that kind of benevolence spoken of in the Sermon on the Mount, for which our Lord expressly substitutes a larger and more unselfish benevolence. It is true that there are natural ties which to some extent di- rect all benevolence ; but secret societies per- vert this truth, as they do so many others. The trouble is that they institute an artificial benev- olence which has no legitimate place, and con- sequently infringes either on the natural ties, or on the claims arising from the universal broth- erhood of man. For instance, a stranger is hurt on the street; men help him a little, perhaps, until he makes some sign, when the members of his society instantly are ready to give him all possible relief; which last is very well, but it is hard to see why they should wait for the sign. Secondly, this benevolence is not properly be- nevolence at all. It cannot be called benevo- lence when men help one another because they expect to be helped in return. The real princi- ple is not benevolence, but mutual insurance. It may be all right to institute mutual insurance, but it is not benevolence. This is clearly shown by the fact that members of these societies gen- erally forfeit their claims to assistance by failing to meet their dues, the investments of years be- ing sometimes wholly lost in this way. Some real benevolence there is, no doubt, incideatally,
THE SECRET SOCIETY SYSTEM. 73
but it cannot be claimed on this ground that the associations are essentially benevolent, any more than a railroad corporation is because it occa- sionally helps a poor employe. The Supreme Court of Maine, says a quotation from the Bos- ton Journal^ has declared that "a Masonic lodge is not a charitable or benevolent institution, and has decided that its real and personal estate is subject to taxation like other property."
Viewed as a plan of insurance, even, this can hardly be called a good economical system. In 1871, a revenue of $3,000,000 was claimed by one association, and the sum spent for relief was $800,000. A report of the Grand Lodge of New York for 1881 gives total receipts, $83,556.55 ; charity, $405. The Grand Lodge of Massachu- setts reports for last year, total receipts $107,- 246.03; for charity and funeral expenses, $1,- 563.79. To be sure, it may be said that the bal- ance is expended for other good objects ; but these have been separately discussed, and, at all events, must be balanced against a considerable expenditure, in addition to the objections else- where considered. It is probable, however, that college societies are not often mutual insurance companies; financially, at least, though they may perhaps be called such in other spheres.
Some of the principal moral advantages of the societies have now been considered. On these might possibly be based some claim to a good moral influence, if the society theory were not involved in such grave difficulties by its fundamental principle of secrecy.
This is a principle not at all calculated to pro- mote either morality or religion. Though often perfectly innocent, it keeps such bad company
74 THE SECRET SOCIETY SYSTEM.
that it must always be challenged ; above all, when it is made systematic and perpetual. Se- crecy may not always be wrong, but wrong-do- ing always tries to be secret. A secret system does not develop the frankness and openness which are among the best qualities of character. Any one who compares the free openness of the Anglo-Saxon race with the stealthy nature of some other peoples will see why ex-President Woolsey declares secrecy "averse to the Eng- lish character." College secret societies, says Dr. Howard Crosby, "are pretenses, and thus at war with truth, candor and manliness. How- ever harmless in their actual operations or un- dertakings, however well composed in their membership, however pure their meetings may be, the fact of secrecy is insidiously w^eakening the foundations of frank truthfulness in the youthful mind," ^ Lieber gives the political objections already quoted, as being " in addi- tion to their preventing the growth and devel- opment of manly character, and promoting van- ity." ^ John Stuart Mill says, " The moral sen- timent of mankind in all periods of tolerably en- lightened morality, has condemned concealment unless when required by some overpowering motive."^ Single texts of Scripture are to be quoted with care as to the context, but the fol- lowing seems to be pertinent : " Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they
^ College Secret Societies, published by Ezra A. Cook, Chicago ; p. 31.
■' Civil Liberty, p. 135.
2 Dissertations and Discussions, Vol. IV, p. 46.
THE SECRET SOCIETY SYSTEM. 75
say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?'** Our Lord also seems to state a general principle in this passage,'* ^' Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither Cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be re- proved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God." A special objection to secrecy is that it gives opportunity for im- moralities. The more upright members of a secret association are often overborne by the others, while the pledges to secrecy and the sup- posed demands of honor prevent them from using means to purify the association, or taking the public action which would remedy mat- ters. Dr. Crosby says,^ '' I do not speak ignor- antly, but from a personal experience. Thirty years ago I was a member of a college secret so- ciety, and, while I had upright fellow members, and we encouraged literary culture, I found the association was chiefly a temptation to vice. The promise of secrecy prevented all disclosure to parents, and the seclusion was thus perfect. We met in a back room of a hotel, liquor was brought from the bar-room for the company, and, as in all such styles of association, the con- versation gravitated to the obscene and the sens- ual. At times the scene became painfully dem- onstrative. I do not charge all or any of our college secret societies with such excesses at this day. Thirty years may have wrought a change.
1 Isaiah XXIX : 15.
2 John III : 19-21.
^ College Secret Societies, as above ; p. 32.
76 THE SECRET SOCIETY SYSTEM.
The very society to which I belonged, I have reason to believe, at this time is perfectly free from these stains. But still they all offer a re- markable opportunity for sins, in which public- ity would not allow their members to indulge for a moment."
Many of these organizations are said to teach morality. Apart from religion, as already ob- served, this may have no small value ; but it is then off its true ground. It has lost the moral dynamic, the underlying divine personality which makes it a power, and so fails of its due influence among men. Even if heeded, it often becomes mere expediency, and so cannot be compared with that unselfish morality which is based on religion. The relation of the societies to Christian morality, as such, may properly be considered under their relation to the church.