What Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time
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What Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time Shooting Ourselves in the Foot Presentation at the District 20 Meeting, March 31, 2017 – Lexington, KY John W. Bizzack, Ph.D. rom 1793-1805, England’s growing from Hitler. A close review of existing concern and fear of invasion by defenses brought to the attention of the FNapoleon’s enormous army and Parliament a small and long forgotten navy resulted in Parliament authorizing group of civil servants who still several watch stations to be built along maintained a lookout for Napoleon’s the English coast and manned by civil invasion fleet. servants. What seemed a good idea at the time in The purpose of these watch stations and 1805 to the King and Parliament had duties of the lookouts was to serve as the obviously outlived its original purpose, early warning system to an invasion fully but somehow that “good idea” became expected to arrive by way of the English lost in the mire of governmental Channel. bureaucracy and the lookouts for Napoleon’s invasion fleet – long after his Napoleon’s plan to invade England, defeat and surrender at Waterloo – however, was sidetracked in 1805 as he continued. became more focused on his military campaigns in Austria and Egypt. In 1815, This story is similar to what happens in the English army defeated Napoleon once Freemasonry when we continue to do and for all at the Battle of Waterloo and something but forget the original the threat of an invasion completely purpose of why we started it in the first disappeared. place. When that occurs, there’s a tendency in subsequent generations for In 1939 – a 124 years later - England was things like that to become thought of as again preparing for and mounting something we’ve always done. defenses against a possible invasion, but this time the threat of invasion came 1 And when we think we’ve always done it Both events are inescapably connected – - even when that’s not true - we also tend and while it serves all Masons well to be to think it is still a good idea. aware both occurred is helpful – knowing the details surrounding why they I’m going to tell you about something occurred at all is essential - if we are to this evening that has happened in understand why we do what we do today Freemasonry– much like the lookouts in in our practice of Freemasonry because of England. that 1843 “good idea.” England built watch towers to keep This story begins on a gusty, but warm Napoleon out - when an invasion never rainy evening on September 11, 1826, came – they forgot why they built the when William Morgan – a transient, watch towers and allowed them to exist drunkard, suspected cowan, an operative for 124 years. stone mason with a reputation and track Freemasonry adopted a non-binding record of deceitful braggart - was forced suggestion from a convention that held against his will into a carriage by several no authority over grand lodges, yet every men known to be Freemasons - and grand lodge adopted the suggestion. The never heard from again. Morgan had suggestion kept Entered Apprentices and previously lived in VA, KY and in parts of Fellow Crafts out of lodges for 144 years. NY before moving to upstate NY to What may have seemed a good idea at Batavia. the time outlived its alleged need and Eyewitnesses and later confessions purpose. Strangely, that perceived need offered enough proof to place the and purpose, even when it was proposed responsibility for kidnapping William in 1843 was a half-baked idea at the time. Morgan - subsequently causing him to ______________________ never to be seen again - squarely on the shoulders of Freemasons. There are 2 primary and pivotal historical events in American Freemasonry that Five years of legal investigation and continue to influence the way our prosecution on the matter of Morgan’s fraternity operates today. disappearance left a trail of: One event caused the other – and the • 20 grand juries and 15 trials; purpose of the first event was long • 54 Freemasons indicted, 39 brought to forgotten by the time most of the grand trial; lodges in American realized the reasons we did one thing was no longer needed • 10 were convicted, but none of the or effective at all. charge of murder. 2 Each of the defendants confessed to • Masonic clergy were dismissed from abducting Morgan and holding him their churches. against his will for days – but no one • Lodges were burnt - and public confessed to killing him. Masonic participation at funerals; The trials added to the anti-Masonic cornerstone laying, and parades sentiment that already existed in the immediately waned and, in some places, country - opposition stemming largely completely disappeared. from the pulpits of many churches. • Anti-Masonic committees were Hearing details reported in dramatic established in practically every state. news accounts of the Morgan Affair Anti-Masonic books, pamphlets, and fanned those flames. speeches were common and consistent. ___________________________ Masonic meetings were disrupted. For nearly 14 years following the Ultimately, Freemasonry was discredited disappearance of William Morgan, waves as an intellectual society - and portrayed of charges of illegal and immoral as a dangerous subversive organization - activities levied against all Freemasonry thus men no longer were eager to join or were rampant across New England and even be known as Freemasons. spread to other states. As an institution, the reputation of • Masons were accused of subverting Freemasonry was utterly decimated in political and religious institutions/and America. corrupting the criminal justice branch of The number of Masons in the United our government. States during the acknowledged hay-day • Women and the church joined in of the Anti-Masonry hysteria, dropped against Freemasonry -unifying the call for from 100,000 to 40,000. Six of every ten Masonry to be abolished – a call that Freemasons left their lodges – many who turned into a movement. moved to new towns and states claimed they’d never been Freemasons. • Eventually, Anti-Masonry spread more or less extensively into all the states - New York alone went from 20,000 denouncing first the institution and then members to 3,000 and from 480 lodges to the men, as unfit for any public office, eighty-two. The Grand Lodge of and unworthy of any respect. Pennsylvania surrendered its charter in 1834, conveying its property to trustees, • Not only were men who were Masons and did not reincorporate until 1859. denounced, but also denounced were those who would not denounce them. 3 Kentucky saw its membership rolls cut in • Masons began to assume and practice half and the number of lodges dropped a cautious attitude in the hope of from sixty-six to thirty-seven. dispelling the misapplied public label of secretive and subversive. The Grand Lodge of Kentucky fell into considerable debt and barely survived – a • Masonic temples were no longer fact verified by the historical writings of called such, and we began instead calling Kentucky Past Grand Master Rob Morris, our facilities lodges. who wrote in his 1859 book, The History • The study of esoteric subjects and of Freemasonry in Kentucky, “A practices like the Reflection Room along continuation of these circumstances with other parts of our heritage began to would have extinguished Masonry in slowly vanish from our traditions so not Kentucky.” to alarm those did not understand or Today we can easily trace the fraternity’s seek to appreciate the value of men reaction to that event and the subsequent searching for Light. anti-Masonic hysteria that rapidly spread • Other traditions easily fell by the through American to answer why we wayside so not to make Freemasonry adopted a non-binding suggestion that look like it was anything more than a unintentionally – but ultimately – further convivial, private get together by weakened American Freemasonry. members behind closed doors. For decades following the Morgan Affair, • Traditions and practices in place since Freemasonry seemed to work very hard 1737 in America began to die - even music to become fluent in apologizing for was believed to be unnecessary since so Freemasonry. much of it played on an organ sounded As a result, we observed practices and too much like religious hymns. traditions – all an integral part of the • Formality and protocols were watered system of Freemasonry, begin to vanish down and Freemasonry across the nation and fall out of practice following the began to rely strictly on ritual as the only Morgan Affair and anti-Masonic hysteria Masonic education necessary. that ensued across the nation. • We curtailed, and in some cases Freemasonry adopted the strategy that banished fraternal feasts and gatherings the institution must curry favor with all altogether – again to the extent that of society to regain the lost prominence many today who have been Masons for once enjoyed. decades have never attended or even Following the thirteen years of attempts know what a Festive Board or Table to stamp out Masonry in North America- Lodge involves. 4 • And in many states, even the requesting all American Grand Lodges to definition of proficiency has been diluted send a delegate to Washington, D.C., for to simply knowing the grips, steps, and a convention to “fix” many of the passwords of each degree before moving problems facing Freemasonry in America. along to another degree. Too few lodges attended for any business to be conducted, so they decided to • We slowly began to embrace the attempt another convention in the next notion that fundraising and promotion of year. charitable giving outside of our membership not only occupied members, One of the purposes stated for both but pleased outside society, making the conventions was to establish "a uniform institution appear less threatening and mode of work throughout all the Lodges more mainstream – perhaps even of the United States.” shielded from public criticism to some Another was "to make other lawful degree.