Excerpt from The Cyclop?dia of Fraternities: A Compilation of Existing Authentic Information and the Results of Original Investigation as to More Than Six Hundred Secret Societies in the United States
In the Cyclopi?dia of Fraternities the first attempt is made, so far as known, to trace, from a sociological point of view, the development of Secret Societies in the United States.
Freemasonry, of course, is shown to be the mother fraternity in fact, as well as in name; but particular interest will attach to details connecting many of the more important fraternities with Freemasonry. Broader, and fully as interesting, is the fact that in free and democratic America there are more secret societies and a larger aggregate membership among such organizations than in all other civilized countries.
The probable extent of the influence of secret society life may be inferred from the fact that more than 6,000,000 Americans are members of 300 such organizations, which confer about 1,000 degrees on 300,000 novitiates annually, aided, in instances, by a wealth of paraphernalia and dramatic ceremonial which rivals modern stage effects. More than 30,000 members are annually added to the rolls of Masonic Lodges in the United States; quite as many join the Odd Fellows, and one-half as many the Knights of Pythias; more than 100,000 join other secret societies, the lodges, chapters, or councils of which dot the country almost coincidently with the erection of churches and schoolhouses.
It is rarely that one in ten of the active members of secret societies is familiar with the origin and growth of his own fraternity, and not one in a hundred has a fair conception of the relation of his own organization to like societies, or of the origin and evolution of leading organizations which form the secret society world. For this reason not only the 200, 000 new members of such societies each year, but older brethren as well, should find in the Cyclop?dia Of Fraternities a valuable supplement to all previously acquired information on the subject. So much that is not true has been written about secret societies by their friends, as well as enemies, and so much that is of doubtful authenticity regarding them appears in what have been considered standard works, that an analytical supplementary treatise becomes a necessity.
More than half the secret societies in the United States pay death, sick, accident, disability, funeral, or other benefits. They are an outgrowth of the old English friendly societies and of Masonic influences, and are generally described as beneficiary and charitable organizations, sometimes as fraternal orders. Their total membership is enormous and is growing rapidly. The movement represents a system of cooperative insurance, usually characterized as "protection," and is attracting the attention of not only old line insurance companies, but of legislatures as well.
So important has this branch of secret society life become, that it has been given extended treatment under "National Fraternal Congress," which chapter is contributed by Major N. S. Boynton of Port Huron, Mich. Returns as to the nature of the protection or benefits given, and methods of collecting the same, with costs per capita at various periods, have been furnished by nearly all the large beneficiary societies, and are published in full. The accompanying analysis and comparison are by Mr. Frank Greene, managing editor of Bradstreet's. This feature should prove of exceptional interest to members of beneficiary orders.
One of the revelations of the book is found in the reference to secret sisterhoods attached to beneficiary fraternities, as well as separate societies of women, relatives of members of brotherhoods, numbering altogether about half a million women.
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