Arizona republican., 1911-06-18
ANCIENT SECRET SOCIETIES
RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS
Tests for Egyptian NeoDhytes-The
Dreaded Assassines.

The earliest secret societies were re
Hgious rather than political. I'm the
mysteries Of Persia, India and Egypt
an inner ling of priests formed an eX-
elusive association whose members
gradually became the repositories IF
the bulk of the learning of the COM
munity Severe tests OF courage and
nerve were imposed upon AN aspirants
for admission 10 the order
Among the Egyptians the neophyte
was taken down a deep shaft IN one
Of the pyramids ana subjected To
Ihreefold trial by fire. by water and
ny air. He had To- walk across a graft
lng OF red hot iron bars. with narrow
interstices wherein h- might tread i'm
safety; To swim a wide and dark chan
mel communicating with the Nile and
To hang suspended 10y two iron rings
over an abyss in the blast of two
swiftly revolving wheels, even then
he had To undergo prolonged fasting
and silence and 20 take an oath of
secrecy ere his initiation was COM
plete
\ secret brotherhood 81 mobiles. part
" religious and partly political. which
aimed at the concentration of know
ledge and power in the hands of its
members, says the London Globe. was
established by Pythagoras AT Crotoua.
in the south of Italy. For n time i'll
succeeded in gaining supreme dire,-
ton of affairs but after the Syuari,,s
had succumbed to the spartan dfsci-
pine of the order il was suppressed
hy rising OF discontinued democrats
I4. al. III p
ANA laWleSs condition of many coun-
tries. ene"ndered by the weakness or
The absence Of their nominal rulers.
was especially favorable 10 the growth
of secret societies Toward the close
rf the eleventh century Hasau-den-
Sahah. n Mahommedan fanatic. seized
me castle nf Alamut and founded the
sect of the Assassins.
Il was still d moot point whether the
word which their evil deeds have given
81 permanent place in the languages Of
Europe as a synonym for murderer be
derived from the founders name or
from the hemp opiate ~haShish.
WhereWith they Were wont 90 fudGI.I
their brains 10 a pitch OF sullen franzv
The Venetian traveller Marco Polo tells
If an ingenious plan adopted by their
chieftain To insure the unquestioning
devotion,of his dupes.
This was no less than the creation
Of sham Paradise. with luxurious
gardens, rivers OF honey and wine and
houris, all complete; thither the man
selected for any dangerous exploit was
transported in q state of intoxicatfon
and on his return was told that ne
"a F..r E--
after death. The terror Of their name
soon spread through Europe.
No potentate was safe from the ven
Eeance OF sect which regarded death
in the execution OF their lords de-
crees as the gate TO paradise. Kink
Philip Augustus Of France. the con-
temporary and foe of Richard Occur
d. Lion. having incurred their enmity.
was SO afraid of them that he dared
not stir abroad without his guards
round him. and perhaps his fear ap-
peased the ruthless sheikh for their
plans rarely miscarried The order
was ultimately crushed in 1856 by an
irrupuon of Mongols under Hulaku
Khan
in Germany the violence and anar-
chy that prevailed after the outlavrv
Of Henry the Lion. when every petty
baron tyrannized without let or hin
drance over all whom his power could
reach. led TO the institution Of very
different secret society, whose function
was purely judicial. The .Vehmger-
lcht' was an attempt to check the IL
cense of the feudal lords and to s.
cure the due chastisement of crime.
II WAS the rrpr6 hoo CT ,f tIi- y.r.,,-.
that it judged in secret and punished
in secret. like the Deity It's origin
was additionally ascribed To Charlie
magne. Every member was sworn