Through the Key Hole - RoseCroix.org.au

its Masonic symbol”.
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“ I was moved by the distinction, especially since I had been arrested by
the Gestapo in Paris when I was twelve years old, however, since I was
somewhat familiar with the history of German Freemasonry between
both world wars, the mention of an emblem worn by German Freemasons
under the Hitler regime, sounded to me a bit odd. Many German
Freemasons wear nowadays a Forget-me-not pin instead of the more
conspicuous square and compasses, to show they belong to the Craft,
but since when and why? I didn't know.
ERNST GEPPERT’SPOINTS
Tow years later I was sent a copy of a letter written by one of Germany’s
foremost historians, Masonic Bro. Ernst Geppert, who was born 1916
and made a Mason in 1951. In 1974 he published a tremendous [piece
of scholarship—the first full list of German Lodges since 1734.
when his master has no work for him. The nature of the “greeting” is
unknown today but was probably a formula rather than a Word such
as was given in Scotland.
There was in the organisation a chain of authority not established in
England, a much more compact country. The lodge was subordinate
to its provincial Lodge and the chief Lodge of Strasburg was predominant
over all.
There is no evidence of any direct connection between the Steinmetzen
and Freemasonry.
His letter was addressed to the Master of a newly-founded German
Lodge which had selected the blue forget-me-not as the lodge jewel and
the reason for doing so was explained in a printed note. Geppert wrote
to the Master correcting the mistakes in the note and closed with the
remark “ You might perhaps at sometime choose to adjust your version
to the factual one”.
Geppert made the following points.
1. The Grand Lodge used to let a pin be made for its yearly meetings
and it gave one to each of the delegates. Those made for
the meeting in Bremen about 1926 represented a forget-me-not
and were manufactured in a factory in Selb, a small town near
Beyreuth. The brethren of Breyreuth never thought of replacing
the square and compasses with a forget-me-not.
2. In 1934, the NAZI’s invented the so-called Winterhilfswerk which
consisted in collecting money on the streets during specific weeks
in winter. The money was in fact used for re-armament. Young
sters were asked to participate and Geppert happened to be one
of these youngsters who was given about 100 badges, sometimes
pins, to be sold for a minimum price. Different designs were cho
sen each winter and they were worn only during the time of a col
lection to identify those who had contributed.
The House of the Steinmetzen