Washington State Grange

Return to Part 1 of "What is a Fraternity?"

Fraternal differences

Of course, fraternities have fulfilled this important civic empowerment function along with a host of other voluntary associations. Fraternities, however, offer some distinctive qualities that tend to set them apart from the other groups. The first difference might be the name; many of them are called "orders" and the official name of the Grange is actually The Order of the Patrons of Husbandry. Here the term "order" refers to an organization where members unite under the same set of rules, customs and regulations. The buildings where meetings and other activities are held are often called "lodges" but other terms are employed by some groups, such as "Grange" in our own order (in this case the name of the meeting hall or the local chapter evolved into the common name for the entire organization). The term "lodge" comes from the practice of providing secret lodging for outlawed Knights Templar (precursors to modern-day Masons) during the Middle Ages. More about this later.

Peculiar names of officers are also a characteristic that sets fraternities apart from most other associations. Instead of a "president," many fraternities have a "master" and, when spoken, that office title is often preceded with an adjective such as "worthy" or "worshipful." These are merely traditional terms of respect and do not connote any sense of reverence or actual worship of the individual or the office. Other offices within the fraternity have specific names that have been established within that particular order and often those titles relate to unique functions the office has or to cardinal teachings contained in the organization's "ritual."

Ritual! Of all the distinguishing features of fraternities, ritual is probably the most often cited. The Masons are the grand daddies of all fraternities, with a history going back centuries (that story will take another article!). Most fraternal customs and practices are traced back to the Masonic model and this is the case with the set-up of the meeting room, the order of business and the "ritual." The word "ritual," which has in recent years fallen into some disfavor, merely describes a series of instructional allegorical dramas that are a key feature of initiation for new members into the organization. In an effort to convey some of the organization's history, mythology, and the group's emphasis upon wholesome, right-living, these dramatic presentations were created. They provide a common base of experience for all members; everyone who joins the fraternity goes through the same instruction. The dramas are intended to relate in an effective and inspiring manner basic truths about life such as the golden rule, honor, duty to family and friends, etc. In the days before television, these "ritual" exemplifications were grand events for both participants and onlookers. They roughly compare to confirmation or bar mitzvah ceremonies in churches and synagogues where the initiate is formally inducted into the group. Today, many people tend to think lodge rituals are quaint relics that remind us of our past but, as anyone can attest who has seen Grange or Masonic ritual properly performed, there are some deep lessons hidden behind that antiquated language and sometimes strange scenes.

Although the lessons contained in these dramatic rituals are roughly the same from fraternity to fraternity, each group has woven the truths into different stories that relate to the major theme of that specific fraternity. In the Grange, of course, the theme is agriculture so the story is spun by using examples from the field, the home and the barnyard. For the Masons, whose tradition traces their history back to the stone masons who built Europe's cathedrals, the stories employ examples from that craft. America's first native-born fraternity, the Improved Order of Red Men (organized in 1833; one of their oldest lodges still stands in Skamokawa, Wash.) had its ritual filled with allusions to Native Americans (probably in a manner that would not be considered politically correct nowadays). All of these dramatic "hooks" were unique means to tell a story we all need to hear be kind, be ethical in all your dealings, improve yourself and help one another.

Beyond those special ceremonies that are used to initiate new members or install officers, the term "ritual" can also refer to a traditional form of conducting a business meeting (or, in the case of religious organizations, a worship service). In that sense, every organization has a "ritual."

Often the dramatic stories of the fraternity's ritual come in several scenes or parts, most usually presented at different times. When the initiate participates in each successive part, he/she is said to have attained or received that "degree." The Grange has seven levels or degrees in its ritual. The Masonic order has three with the third being the most dramatic; hence the common saying, "I'm going to give you the third degree," which refers to a memorable, almost frightening interrogation or confrontation.

'Secret' societies?

Fraternities are sometimes called "secret societies," a term that brings forth another misunderstood aspect of the groups. During initiation, most fraternities secure from members a promise not to share details of what they see or hear in the lodge with non-members. They are then instructed in a series of complex practices and passwords that allow them to enter the group's hall, participate in meetings and identify other members by employing certain "secret" signs and handshakes.

In actuality, these practices probably originated during the Middle Ages when the Masonic fraternity was in its infancy. Many historians now feel that the fraternity evolved out of remnants of the old Knights Templar monastic order that was banned in 1307 by Pope Clement V. [6] Many former knights were captured and executed and those who escaped needed a network of friends willing to offer refuge. In those days the best way to identify your friends was by the use of secret codes, much like those we see employed in old spy movies. In later centuries when fraternities were basically associations with business meetings, the old practices were modified and retained in order to continue a feeling of mystery and importance for the group. In some cases they were necessary in order to be certain that those attending meetings were qualified to do so; passwords and handshakes were a dandy way to do that. (For example, this was critical in some regions of the country in the early days of the Grange. When the organization was battling the railroads, it was common for railroad personnel to try to "infiltrate" Grange meetings to learn what was being planned. Entrance requirements such as passwords and signs identified those who were not entitled to attend. In most Granges today, the use of passwords has been eliminated and other fraternities are making similar changes.)

Another function of "secrecy" is to protect the element of surprise and wonder for the new initiate. If the initiation drama were known to the candidate prior to the initiation ceremony, its impact would be much less.

There are ritual and secrecy parallels between fraternal groups and certain churches. Prior to the Second Vatican Council, priests in Roman Catholic churches faced the altar during the liturgy, keeping much of what they were doing hidden to the congregation. In most Eastern Orthodox churches there is a screen at the front of the church which shields certain objects and activities from view, creating a sense of mystery with congregants. Perhaps the most secret of Western churches is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon). Their temples are used for ceremonies where only certain members are admitted and they are sworn to secrecy about the ritual's language, activities and content. In fact, the late Thomas Stuart Ferguson, a renowned Mormon scholar, archeologist and founder of the New World Archaeology Foundation at Brigham Young University, wrote in 1976 that his church "is probably the best conceived myth-fraternity to which one can belong." [7]

Service clubs such as Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis, Altrusa and others are not strictly fraternities but they employ some aspects of the fraternal model in their structure, organization, and the way they induct and honor members.

The emotional base of fraternities, then, is to instill a sense of familial brotherhood (and these days we need to add "sisterhood") among its members and, from them, to the society at large. In America those of us with fraternal experience are proud to point out that most of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, those who wrote our Constitution, and many of our presidents (including Washington) and leading jurists were Masons. (Two presidents F.D.R. and Truman were Grangers as well as Masons.) The principles of democracy that our nation's founders incorporated into our system of government were those that they learned and practiced in their lodge halls. Without the involvement and sacrifice of Masons, it is unlikely that the democratic revolutions of the eighteenth century would have happened when and as they did. And every time we sing America The Beautiful we give voice to the chief ideal of all fraternities the spread of brotherhood, liberty and freedom: "America! America! God shed His grace on thee, And crown they good With brotherhood, From sea to shining sea!"

References

1. The Joiners: A Sociological Description of Voluntary Association Membership in the U.S. by Murray Hausknecht (1962, Redminster)
2. For a more complete discussion of this family/tribal origin of fraternal groups, see The Idea of Fraternity in America by Wilson Carey McWilliams (1973, U. of California Press) and People, Pride and Progress: 125 Years of the Grange in America by David H. Howard, chapter 15 (1992, National Grange)
3. Origin and Progress of the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry in the United States: A History from 1866 to 1873 by O.H. Kelley (1875, J.A. Wagenseller, Publisher)
4. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert D. Putnam (2000, Simon & Schuster). This is an excellent book that provides many clues about decreased involvement by Americans in membership organizations as well as the general decline in all civic activities such as voting.
5. See also Membership and Morals: The Personal Uses of Pluralism in America by Nancy L. Rosenblum (1998, Princeton University Press).
6. Masonry's fascinating story is told in Born In Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry by John J. Robinson (1989, M. Evans & Co.).
7. One Nation Under Gods: A History of the Mormon Church by Richard Abanes (2002, Four Walls Eight Windows Publishers). Ferguson's letter containing this quote is reproduced on pages 79-80.

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