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

Chapter 9 - Masonic and Anti-Masonic Literature 767
to Masonry where members are forbidden to go out soul hunting. At first, he has
some scruples since he has never had any good experience with the other secret
orders he has joined so far:
I have joined the Masons, the Odd Fellows, the Sons of Malta, the Good
Templars, and the Daughters of Rebecca, but I never had very good luck
with them. People would go and write exposes of them and lay it to my
charge, and in various ways make it somewhat busy for me. 1909
This statement illustrates that joining a secret society in the writer's
environment is rather a social decision and not a philosophical or moral one.
People meet to drink and have a jolly good time. The author himself
characterizes the Sons of Malta as a "great and long to be remembered funvehicle".
1910 As a writer, he is afraid of being charged with writing exposés of the
orders whose ceremonies he witnesses. However, all his friends urge him to join,
tell him that he is prejudiced, and scare him with the dark admonition "Don't
make any mistake!" 1911 He is further told that it would just be the right order for
him since "all the fellows," 1912 with which is meant the newspaper men, belong
to it. Thus, the K.O.P. is described as a kind of class order for a special audience;
although it is not "a kind of paper order," at least "not altogether." 1913 Moreover,
it is said to be more efficient than the Masonic order: "It is destined to be a
greater order than the Masons; in fact, every Mason of any note is joining the
Knights, well knowing that their own old order will soon go to pieces." 1914
Bricktop finally asks whether there is any penalty for not joining it, and he is
told "the penalty of being in the dark." 1915 And who wants to remain in
ignorance? All the clichés about secret societies are exploited, for a member tells
him that he will never lack friends if he joins, even if he should happen to be out
of money. To lure him, the Knights send him a letter telling him that they admire
him and know his record, asking him directly whether he would like to join. A
friend describes to him the social attraction of the order: " 'Been to the theater
lately?' [...] '- No; I don't care to go since I joined the Knights. The fact is, there
is so much more attraction in the lodge-room than in the theater that I prefer to
go there.' " 1916 Bricktop feels somewhat annoyed by all these Knights asking for
his membership, and when even his hairdresser turns out to be a member, he
rushes out of the barber's shop and goes to a colored barber, astonishing him with
his demand to finish up his shaving: "But there was one consolation, that ebon
[sic] reaper was not a Knight of Pythias." 1917 This statement shows that colored
1909 Bricktop, p. 4.
1910 Ibid, p. 6.
1911 Ibid.
1912 Ibid, p. 8.
1913 Ibid.
1914 Ibid.
1915 Ibid, p. 9.
1916 Ibid, p. 12.
1917 Bricktop, p. 20.