The Universal Language of Freemasonry - ArchiMeD - Johannes ...

Chapter 9 - Masonic and Anti-Masonic Literature 739
sheep, too. But it should be said that, according to "Masonic manners," the whole
affair was a proof of very "un-Masonic conduct" of several individuals that was
certainly not appreciated by Masonry as an institution. The question of who has
murdered Morgan - if at all - has never been solved.
A few words should be said here about the impact of the Morgan scandal on
black Freemasonry. Interestingly, there was no harm done to Prince Hall
Masonry, on the contrary. While the Order came close to disintegration among
the whites, the black Masons even profited from the affair:
While almost fatal for white Masonry, the agitation was harmless to the
blacks. Apparently the anti-Masons did not see any danger to
equalitarian democracy in the aristocratic pretensions of black free men.
Indeed, the hard times the whites experienced provided new
opportunities for Prince Hall Masons. Some 'unemployed' white
Masonic degree instructors found jobs in teaching blacks some of the
higher ritual of the Order, while others asked the assistance of blacks in
carrying out their Masonic work when a quorum could not be raised. 1833
Linguistically, the Morgan scandal had the consequence that some
neologisms came up, such as "a good-enough-Morgan," that was also employed
by classical authors. Thus, Herman Melville, in The Confidence-Man: His
Masquerade lets his con-man make the following remark: "That corpse of
calamity which the gloomy philosopher parades, is but his Good-Enough-
Morgan." 1834 A footnote to this unusual statement names an adequate substitute
for this expression: "any device, scheme, etc., which can be used temporarily to
influence voters," which is a quotation from the Dictionary of Americanisms.
Then, the footnote gives a sketch of William Morgan's presumed fate, stating
that the anti-Masonic Thurlow Weed answered a jest of an attorney for the
Masons by calling a body identified as Morgan's "a good-enough Morgan for us
until you bring back the one you carried off." The press, however, quickly
changed this into "good-enough Morgan until after the election." 1835 We can see
that the entry in the Dictionary of Americanisms has employed Weed's alleged
intention as ascribed to him by the press, so that Morgan could become a
synonym to a scheme to influence voters.
Another neologism is "Morganry." Duncan used it in his exposé of the Craft
ritual when describing the ceremony of "shock of enlightenment": "In some
Lodges, at the last word, 'light,' the brethren stamp their feet and clap their hands
once; but this is nearly done away with, now-a-days. Too much 'Morganry' about
it, as it is styled by Masons." 1836 Thus, the American Masons of the second half
of the 19 th century seem to have applied the term "Morganry" to those
ceremonies that appeared too exaggerated in their eyes, alluding to the exposé
1833
Muraskin, p. 36.
1834
Parker (ed.), p. 41. For a corresponding explanation of this term, see also Lang, p. 121.
1835
Parker (ed.), p. 41.
1836
Duncan, p. 35.