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

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Chapter 9 - Masonic and Anti-Masonic Literature
written by William Morgan, who obviously had used his great imagination freely
when describing the Masonic ritual.
Further, as we have already explained in our chapter on technical vocabulary,
the brethren who left the order in protest were called "Seceding Masons 1837 ," and
the true brethren who stayed in spite of all murder theories were named
"Adhering Masons." However, there was still another sort of Masons who
became infamous for their activities long after the political movement had ceased
to exist: the so-called "Renegade Masons," who took Morgan as an example and
tried to sell mock degrees to credulous people:
After this party's defeat and extinction, the tirade against Free Masonry
was carried on for a number of years by another set. It was a type of socalled
'Renegade Masons.' [...] [...] Anti-Masonry found new keepers.
[...] 'There sprung up a set of little, dirty, lazy, sapheaded, unprincipled,
renegade Masons, who, not having succeeded in working themselves
into public employment, determined to make merchandise of their
treachery, and thus put money in their purses. This little band of
contemptible parasites, unwittingly did more to put to shame the cause
of Anti-Masonry than any other overt act of individuals. Had these
vagabonds understood human nature a little better and taken time by the
forelock, they might, indeed, have made fortunes by conferring degrees
and lecturing on Masonry; but they did not commence their farcial
exhibitions, until the people had become tired of the subject [...]. 1838
As to the catchword for the scandal itself, "Historians, in general, all agree in
calling it the 'Morgan Affair.' " 1839
9.2.3 Fascism vs. Freemasonry
Historically, it has been shown in Section 2.4 on Germany and Section 2.3 on
Italy how Fascism dealt with Freemasonry. Linguistically, this section will
illustrate how the "universal language" of Masonry was abused for
propagandistic means by the Fascists. The first question that arises is why the
hardest attacks against Freemasonry and its phraseology were performed at a
special time in history. According to Reinalter, conspiracy theories arise in times
of ideological, political, and economic instability, such as in the period between
the two World Wars in Germany. The conspirators serve as scapegoats for the
existential fears among the population caused by socio-political events:
1837 Cf. Lang, p. 124. They were also called "Renouncing Masons" (CME, p. 519).
1838 Mock, p. 150.
1839 Ibid, p. 10.