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

10.7 Final Word
Ein und derselbe Mond spiegelt
sich in allen Wassern
Alle Monde im Wasser sind
Eins in dem einzigen Mond. 2087
Chapter 10 - Conclusion 849
Now our reader is "duly and truly prepared" to read the closing words, and
may hereafter proceed "from labor to refreshment." In our conclusion, we are
going to sum up our findings on the universality of both Freemasonry and its
peculiar "language." What kind of universality did we want to prove with this
dissertation? Surely, it is not the kind of universality that over-zealous Masons of
the 18 th and 19 th century claimed for their fraternity when they pretended that its
roots laid in ancient Egypt, or even before the Flood ("Antedeluvian Masonry"):
The universality of Masonry is thus described by a masonic [sic] writer
of the last century: 'Leaving holy ground, we trace Masonry amongst
the Eastern Magi, and in the renowned learning of Egypt. From whence,
like other sciences, taking a westerly direction, it was brought by that
European apostle of Masonry, Pythagoras, from whose propagation it
reached the British isle. Its principles were respected and disseminated
by Brahmins, philosophers, artists, and saints, and diffused the light of
science to the remotest corners of the earth. It taught natural religion,
philosophy, subordination, and arts on the banks of the Ganges, in the
hieroglyphics of Egypt, the sanctuaries of Eleusis, the schools of the
sages, the caves of the Druids. 2088
It is evident that such far-fetched and anachronistic idealism was the
fabrication of a romantic age. Freemasonry as an institution originated in the 18 th
century and not within ancient cultures of the East. Thus, this "ancient and noble
institution" cannot claim antiquity other than that of about three hundred years.
The conclusion will sum up that, as the fore-going evaluation has shown,
Freemasonry is not a uniform web, but rather a patchwork. However, in spite of
differences in the particular times and countries, the "language" of Freemasonry
is understood world-wide, which is a great achievement, not paralleled by any
imitative fraternal organization. The "language" of Freemasonry is not simply a
construction of grammar and rhetoric, but implies a whole complex of
symbolism, hierarchy, traditions, and social structures. "Language" in
Freemasonry is a principle, not only a mode of expression and intercommunication.
The previous chapters have shown what Freemasonry is and what it is not by
drawing parallels to other fraternal orders and insurance companies. Although
2087 Traulsen, p. 69.
2088 Quoted in GHCDF, p. 692. This encyclopedia was published in 1869.