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

Chapter 9 - Masonic and Anti-Masonic Literature 777
has been confirmed to us both by German Masonic authorities and by German
researchers on the field of Freemasonry. We cannot speak for France here since
no auction items available for profanes could have been located, but we assume
that neither this practice nor the harmless joke prevailed or prevails there; the
above-mentioned card being an exception. However, the goat depicted on it
could have referred to other fraternal orders, where the goat riding really formed
a part of the ceremony and was also mentioned in the stage directions of the
rituals. In Masonry this practice must have been very rare, since it was not
conform with the earnestness of the sublime degree, in which it was employed. It
was strictly opposed by Masonic authorities. The goat riding belongs to the
category of entertainment and can be considered a publicity stunt or gimmick to
attract candidates. It is not really intended to frighten them off but to make them
curious, and it resembles the test of courage little boys have to go through when
they want to join a gang. We also presume that this procedure was mostly
practiced in isolated country lodges who were not as strict in their rules as the
lodges in big cities (cf. our chapter on Claudy's plays dealing with Doric Lodge)
and had difficulties to draw new members. America seems to have been leading
in this sector. These goat riding cards often are combined with other hilarious
ceremonies like giving the candidate a cold bath, or emphasizing the
conviviality, i.e. the refreshment and the drinking.
The humorous goat riding story seems to have been so popular in America,
that a whole book has been dedicated to it, The Lodge Goat by James Pettibone
(copyrighted 1902), from which the following sketch was taken. Next to many
goat riding poems and illustrations, it contains anecdotes, rhymes, and funny
stories for the leisure time of the brethren and sisters.
Pettibone was a 32° Mason, a Knights Templar, a member of the Nobles of
the Mystic Shrine, of the Independent Order of Oddfellows, of the Knights of
Pythias, and others, and therefore had a great experience with folkloric customs
melting with otherwise sincere rituals.
Not only initiates in the shape of human beings were depicted in fun
illustrations, but the goat riding topic also found entry into the animal kitsch
wave.
The pictorial scene on the next page was sent to the author by an auction
seller who did not know its age or provenance, but it surely stems from the late
1800s and shows the officers and brethren of a lodge in the shape of dogs. It is
marked in silver ink "King Dog Food Company" and probably represents a
Woodmen lodge, since it belongs to a print series with titles like "Stranger in
Camp." The word "camp" is not typical for Masonry, but rather for the
Woodmen of America. In contrast to Masonic rituals, that do not give the
slightest hint of a materially existing lodge goat, the ritual of the Modern
Woodmen of America mentions the goat as an equipment (here, it must be put in
that the version we have consulted dates back to 1945):
The following-listed articles may be used in the exemplification of the
Ritual: Camp-fire, tripod, and kettle; fruit and water; four robes or