Freemasonry
by Natasha Gibbs

       Freemasonry is an organization that has affected many lives with its mysterious history, questionable reputation, and fascinating rituals.  The Freemasons impact many people today with their lodges, contributions, and myths, as one can see their emblems on buildings and hear intriguing murmurings about their secrets. Most people have grown up as curious outsiders, eagerly peering out of car windows and asking anyone who might know about the brotherhood.

At Little Axe Middle School in 2002, two students from each grade won a prestigious award for exhibiting good conduct and academic achievement. One boy and one girl from each grade were awarded at a Masonic Lodge, directed to front row seats at the ceremony, and offered punch and cookies. The Students’ pictures were taken for the local newspaper that day, and their parents were extremely proud. During that ceremony they were given plaques as a tangible reminder of their achievement. 

Although that day of glory has long passed for those students, a general curiosity about Masonic Lodges and the men behind them has hardly subsided. Many students were probably asking their parents in the car on their way to the ceremony about what the lodge was for. Most people couldn’t have provided them with information then, and there still isn’t an abundance of such information today. Although there are some substantial facts to give out, they require a considerable amount of digging. Many such interested researchers erroneously assume that there have been many before them that were enticed for Masonic information and have satiated that appetite with adequate, legitimate facts. 

While the Freemasons (also known as the Sons of Light or members of the Craft) have sparked much curiosity, their history is elusive and their secrets are simply impenetrable. According to many sources, their beginning is mysterious, and to some, it is simply unknown or ignored. Clawson states that the roots of Freemasonry can be followed as far back as the seventeenth century, at which point people of English and Scottish descent were practicing stone masonry (3).  They invited their fellow stone masons to keep lodge, creating a system of conduct and what slowly evolved into a brotherhood. Over the years, the fraternity made money through selling “the product of lodge membership” (Clawson 4). According to Zanelli, the true birth of official Freemasonry began at the premier Grand Lodge in 1717, in London, where the meetings consisted of “little more than an annual get-together for a feast or festival” (1). Tolson characterizes Freemasonry at that time as generally striving for “honorable civic-mindedness, a high regard for learning and progress, and what might be called a broad and tolerant religiosity” (30). They gradually moved away from meeting in taverns and inns, becoming more exclusive and religious.

Although no sources can claim to know exactly how the group spent their time, aside from discussing historical, intellectual, and theological ideas, many names have been noted as the fraternity blended in with American society. Of these American Masonic members, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were two, and thirteen signed our Constitution (Tolson 30). Emphasizing the popularity of the Masons during the eighteenth century, Robert states that “thirty-three of the generals serving under Washington were members of the Craft” (1). Clawson explains that as the fraternity grew in the nineteenth century, it served as the model for “unions…societies…political movements…as well as for literally hundreds of social organizations” (5). By the twentieth century, the Freemasons were a brotherhood of over one million members. In 1960, their membership peaked at four million (Tolson 30). During this time, the Masons were participating in creating foundations for government buildings and churches, as well as attending public ceremonies and parades. Yet, Clawson explains that the brotherhood would evolve greatly as it expanded, being characterized by its tendency to reinvent, alter, and rebuild itself over the years (80).

Because it was widely recognized as being intimate with the foundation of America and its leaders, Freemasonry was subject to abundant suspicion as well as conspiracy theories. Tolson delineates this suspicion when he states that “people saw the influence of Freemasonry even where it didn't exist” (30). While many members were greatly involved with the beginning and growth of the United States, outrageous myths were formed with implications or direct proclamations of Masonic political and social corruption. Three of the most popular conspiracies regard The Illuminati, Jack the Ripper, and the suspicious claims on the emblems and Masonic influence on our federal system.

The Illuminati refers to a set of people who believed they would control the New World Order, secretly controlling world politics and affairs (Fagan 1). The movement known as Illuminism, which occurred around 1776, involved many Masons in a very radical form of The Enlightenment.  The Illuminati was split into three classes, one of which was known as Masonry. Masons at the time did actually set up relations between lodges with the Illuminati, although it was eventually viewed as more of an infiltration of the Illuminati to use Masonry and other secret societies to gain power than an open agreement (Fagan 1). However, the legend extends to the belief that the Masons themselves were the Illuminati and secretly controlled government affairs, as well as the world at large, although this is clearly hyperbolic suspicion.

The second conspiracy theory began in 1888, in London, England. Jack the Ripper is a pseudonym used in reference to the man who murdered at least five of eleven Whitechapel murder victims. It was during this time that mysterious white chalk graffiti was discovered on a wall in the city next to a bloody apron (Bessel 1). There are a couple of ways that Masons were said to have been linked to the serial killing. First, Queen Victoria’s grandson was said to be in a secret entanglement with a low class woman and their illegitimate child (Besel 1). The theory goes on to suggest that Masonic brethren were involved to cover up for the prince by murdering the woman and the female friends she told of the illegitimacy. Secondly, although the chalk writing seemed obscure and even incoherent, the apron next to the writing is a common characteristic of Freemasonry, as they ritually wore work aprons, establishing a form of Masonic identification. People further speculated that because the police erased the message off of the wall before photographing or documenting it, they were somehow covering up for the Masons. Aside from these speculations, however, there is no substantial evidence to justly involve Freemasonry in the serial killings.

On a much lighter note, the third theory proposed against Freemasonry occurred as early as the late eighteenth century.  During this time, the symbols and emblems of the Masons were being “emblazoned everywhere, even on jewelry, furniture, and table settings belonging to Masons and many non-Masons as well” (Tolson 30). Non-Masons saw the fraternity’s symbols on everything and were extremely intimidated by Masonic popularity with authoritative public figures. Such fears led to suspicion when it was proposed that the Great Seal contained Masonic symbols. This was partially due to the fact that the symbols in the Great Seal were somewhat obscure in their meaning and representation. However, Benjamin Franklin was the only Masonic member on the Seals Committee, and his ideas for the project were reportedly unused.

All conspiracy theories aside, the concept of Freemasonry and its rituals are often thought intriguing on their own. Even today, the fraternity is made up of symbols, hierarchies, and ceremonies, while continually making contributions to society. Freemasonry is a complex brotherhood, rich with ancient meaning and a dramatic air. From symbolic work aprons to academic honors, the attributes of the society are rich with significance.

The apron, originally leather, is used to symbolize the laborer of society, thus receiving the achievement of being a servant or hard worker, and a man of great skill (Clawson 78). The apron expresses the identity of a servant or student of science and industry. The aprons were eventually worn turned upside down to distinguish themselves from other everyday laborers, although this was viewed by some as “clear snobbery and a betrayal” (Clawson 79). Some lodges began wearing armor and carrying swords to symbolize the idea of the Knights Templar, with whom they were largely associated (Clawson 80).

The rituals of each lodge varied greatly. Some were more inclusive toward lower income members, with initiations that were light-hearted and even humorous. Others depended much more heavily upon the hierarchy of their system and the financial position of its members. In one ritual in particular, during the initiation of the Master Mason, the initiate pretends to be Hiram Abif, reenacting the legendary Mason’s torture and murder for not giving away Masonic secrets (Clawson 81). At the end of the role play, the initiate is symbolically raised from the grave, so that he rises in the new life of a Master Mason. This physical enactment of loyalty is a rite of the Third Degree and is one of the more dramatic rituals, though certainly not the only one.

While Freemasonry is often tied closely to the darkness of secrets, suspicions, and conspiracies, it may also be viewed in a much more noble perspective. Students of numerous schools have been privileged with a seat in a Masonic Lodge and presented with an honor of achievement. The Masons have built up a reputation for academic support and community service, often having a large part in nurturing the education system and many other central aspects of our society. To simply write the fraternity off as corrupt or occult would be to give in to the potency of rumor and ignorance. The Freemasons may justly be viewed as a brotherhood that is ancient, yet ever-changing, obscure, yet prestigious, and feared, yet magnanimous. Perhaps beneath the surface of our society there lies a world of ancient secrets, or perhaps as Benjamin Franklin said, there biggest secret “is that they have no secret at all” (Tolson 30).

Works Cited

Bessel, Paul M. “The ‘Jack the Ripper’ Murders and Their Alleged Masonic Connections.” 21 Nov. 2006. 13 Mar. 2007 <http://www.srmasonsj.org/>.

Clawson, Mary Ann. Constructing Brotherhood. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1989.

Fagan, Myron C. “The Illluminati Agenda.” Educate-Yourself. 8 June 2002. 13 Mar. 2007 <http://educateyourself.org>.

Robert, Allen E. “Masonic Myths about the Founding Fathers.” The Philalethes Society. 2006. 9 Mar. 2007 <https://freemasonry.org/>. Path: Philalethes Society; Back Issues; Masonic Myths about the Founding Fathers.

Tolson, Jay. “Inside the Masons.” U.S. News & World Report  139 Sep. 2005: 30-35, Academic Search Elite. EBSCO  HOST. 7 Mar. 2007 <http://search.ebscohost.com/>.

Zanelli, Leo. “A Pragmatic Masonic History.” The Philaethes Society. 2006. 10 Mar. 2007  <https://freemasonry.org/>. Path: Philalethes Society; Back Issues; A Pragmatic Masonic History.

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