The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-31
AN EXTRAORDINARY
SECRET SOCIETY.
Members at the F D. L. c.. Have Their Arms TattOOed
and Number Over TwO-and-a-Half Millions.
How They Are Disturbing France.

ents insist upon an alteration of diet.
one boy died of this abstinence order
ed by his society.
Another way is to actually fling the
food in the masters faces, and the
members have been known to go so
far as to take the masters dinners
and leave them their own in their
place. So powerful, indeed, are the
Brethren of the Coast that discipline
is made a practical impossibility,
though to their credit let it be said
that if they are generously and kind
~ treated they behave themselves and
cOnfine their attention entirely to the
ropagation of pure and unadulterated
Atheism.
The punishment meted out by the
society to those of its members who
break their VOWS is terribly severe.
The most disgusting and ignominious
barbarities are resOrted to. Sometimes
the lobes of the ears are cut: at 9TH
ers a great cross is scratched on the
sinners arm with a penknife; while If
his offense be small he is merely fined
But just as the vows are terrible, so
are the punishments for the breaking
of them cruel and severe. Punishment
however, is rarely resorted to, for the
Brethren of the Coast are more than
loyal to their society and their oaths.
called Chiefs" who have their head
quarters in Paris. The head chief
who is practically a despot, is unknown
to all the $500 600 members, save the
second chief. Through this second
chief he issues his DEGREES, and no one
else is even cognizant OF his name.
All that the other members know is
that he. IS a boy like themselves. His
term of office expires at the end of his
enIO l., lit 81
each one of the brethren ceases when
he leaves the tutors hands.
The three head chiefs appoint three
local chiefs for each town. These ar
range meetings, collect subscriptions,
and generally control the local affairs
of the society, but they are directly
responsible to the headquarters staff
in Paris. All the meetings are held
in absolute secrecy, and generally in
the open air, while sentries are posted
in every direction to give warning of
the approach of some curious cleric.
Often not a word is spoken, but
propositions, statements or comments
are written down and passed from
hand to hand. The meetings are held
frequently, and are invariably attend
ed by the full local strength of the so
ciety, for absence, unless a good ex-
cuse is forthcoming, means prompt
punishment.
The subscription to the society is 10
francs a year. For this each member
is entitled to relief to the extent of 80
francs, provided that he can show to
the satisfaction of the local chiefs that
he is absolutely destitute of money.
Each member, in addition to having
his arm branded with the letters "A.
D., wears a badge in the shape of a
red moon, and the local chiefs bear
distinguishing tattoo marks on their
right hands. The society also posses
ses secret signs and grips"
The origin of the society dates from
about 1920. 1t was formed by two dis
contented boys who ran away from
school to America, where they lived by
the sea shore-hence the title "Breth-
rem of the Coast"
So far, the priests have been power
less to put down this extraordinary,
this terrible institution, which is wink
ed at, If not actually supported, by the
French government, whose great OBJ
ject is to destroy the power of the
Catholic Church in France. Hitherto
the church has decided to pretend ig-
norance of the society.
The Freres de la Cote are increasing
in number rapidly, and while they only
number 100000, that number is made
up entirely of boys between the ages
of fourteen and twenty 1t is not for
these boys leave school they will neces-
sarily leave the atheistical creed they
have acquired behind them.