The Confederation or Fraternity of Initiates (1941)

7/30/2019 The Confederation or Fraternity of Initiates (1941)

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A Magazine Issued by Authority ofthe Rosicrucian Fraternity and

Devoted to Mysticism, Oc-

cultism and the WelUBeing of Man.

VOLUME 5

MayJune 1932 to May 'June 1941

R. Swinburne Clymcr. Editor

P u b l i s h e d b y

T h e Ph i lo soph ical Pub l ish ing Com pany

B e v e r l y H a l l

Quaker town , Pennsy lvan ia


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In t r o d u c t o r y

B y J o s e p h F. O l d e r

The present volume is rich in so-called new truths. The

story of The Ansaireth in Syria is particularly interesting

because it contains much that is new to many students and

also because Dr. Paschal Beverly Randolph, former Supreme

Grand Master of the August Fraternity, lived in Syria for a

time, where he was permitted to study the Ansaireth Mys

teries which he later brought to America.

Under the title of The Secret Schools there is a short de

scription of the leading authentic occult schools throughout

the centuries. Here the reader is permitted to quickly learn

the outstanding characteristics of the teachings offered under a

variety of names from the dawn of history to the present time.

The Painter and His World is an allegory which impartsreally great spiritual truths to the student who is able to read

between the lines, recognize the symbolism and find the Law

of Life in all its fullness and beauty.

I t is rarely tha t treasured truth like this appears in print. A

close study and repeated readings will bring a rich reward in

added occult knowledge and the ability to recognize the working

of Gods law in the life and experience of every man and

woman on the face of the earth.There is another activity which is of vital interest to stu

dents of truth and Divine law. I t will find a welcome in the

hearts of all fair dealing and truth-loving men and women.

Part Two of this volume describes some of the methods used

by an organization styling itself as A. M. 0. R. C. in an effort

to discredit the authentic Rosicrucian Fraternity and wrong

fully appropriating to its own use not only the name, but also


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vi INTRODUCTORY

the insignia, while having not a single shred of the authentic

teachings, which are highly religious and Soulual.

On the basis of Divine law, if a man permits another to kill

him, then he is guilty of two sins. He commits suicide because

he does not defend himself. He also commits the sin of omis

sion, because he contributes to the crime of murder, taking

part in the murder of himself.

This law equally applies to Fraternities. If the authentic

Rosicrucian Fraternity permitted another to steal its name and

symbols without resisting, its officers would be partners in the

theft, committing the sin of omission in not defending itself.

In this instance the name and symbols have wrongfully been

appropriated. There is also the attempt to murder the au

thentic Fraternity by claiming the fraudulent to be authentic.

In bringing the truth before the public the authentic Frater

nity is defending its life and property. I t is observing the Di

vine Law by protecting itself and its valuable possessions.

There is also a report of the manner in which this spurious

Rosicrucian organization is selfishly and regardless of personal

honor and conscience using its own members and the public

libraries throughout the United States in an unethical manner

to secure publicity for A. M. O. R. C.by unauthorized insertion

of advertising leaflets into the books of public libraries, as

also in books on the shelves of book stores.

Librarians throughout the nation know that this work is going on, yet have not found a law or method by which this

obnoxious and disconcerting activity can be stopped.

As long ago as about 1933-1934 the writer personally talked

to several A. M. 0. R. C. members who performed this work

on request from the California headquarters.

In each instance, the members confessed a feeling of guilt, a

knowledge of unethical activity, a recognition of an act simi


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PART TWO

Volume Five


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THE

CONFEDERATION

OR FRATERNITY

OF INITIATES

OR

La Federation Universelle des Ordres,

Societes et Fraternites des Initites

The facts herein stated are not an

Accusation, but justified self-defense

and the Refutation of false accusations

knowingly and deliberately made.

H e who perm its a wrong, when able

and in pos ition to pr even t or refute it,

is as guilty as the one committing it. -

T h e R o s i c r u c i a n L a w


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T h e C o n f e d e r a t i o n o f

In i t i a t e O r d e r s

The Confederation of Initiate Orders is known as

La Federation Universelle des Ordres, Societcs et

Fraternites des Initites. 1( is the outgrowth of alegitimate desire for closer association on the part

of the many and various authentic Occult, Mystic and non-

Masonic Initiatory Orders and Fraternities throughout the

world.

The effort to bring about such an organization was first

started in 1904 by Sidney H. Beard, then Grand Master of the

Order of the Golden Age 1 and editor of the Herald of the

Golden Age. Progress was slow, as no such movement had

ever before been attempted. During 1909, the effort so far as

it had then progressed, resulted in the formation and Incorpora

tion of the Royal Fraternity Association, so named because the

leading spirit was a citizen of Great Britain, a monarchy. This

Association continued active until 1929, when it was merged

with the then organized International Confederation.

Until 1908 the only known and active Rosicrucian Organiza

tion in the United States was known as the Randolph Founda

tion.- Occultists and Mystics with an inclination to researchwork can readily verify this.- Beginning with the year 1908

several spurious organizations calling themselves Rosicrucian

Th e M an ifesto issued by the 111. B rothe r Beard and published in

th e H erald o f th e G old en Age in the year 1001 will be found in The

R osic rucia ns; The ir Tea ch in gs.

2 F or com plete, do cum ental inform ation see Vols. I an d I I of theR osic rucia n F ra te rn it y in Americ a.Clymer .


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AND THE PEOPLE 7

T h * a b ov c i i r e H im * t h e p i i iK i ' p t! " F . I ' . I O . S . I . - d e le -

fa s wmf ot ffoav of iw a ll ied c rgn nant ion^ p ho top i i l j cd no i iv it io . Belg ium, by f ro t r r Kendal Kt> w In t T h e Su pre me S rc w .ti v of A. M. O. R. ' -ipp*--*' - th ird frotr. Icfi infrom.

I'v.i Wiu.-HJ.m i, O ftieia l Vtiit orin n


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8 THE INITIATES

International Secretary WarnsAgainst FALSE Rosicrucian

Confederation

W H EN the.organisation of the F. U . D. O. S. I .was completed, and many organizations were rightly rejected, or not admitted-beca use their q ua l

ifications showed them to have no historical or legal background commensurate with the titles and names

jthe y ass um ed 'th es e or ga ni za tion s se t- a bo ut to try jto d isqua lif y no t on ly th e age -o ld an d ho no ra ble.societies of, which the "E. U. D. O . S. J." wa s co m

posed. but to defam e its officers as well. In otherKvords. not having any standing or recognition them

selves, or any documentary proof thereof, these js pur iou s m ov em en ts fou nd it n ec es sa ry to tr y an d idiscredit the "p. U . D . O. S. J

The first and most childish claim, and one very,prominently advanced by a small self-styled Ros^

' c ru c i a n g r o u p , h a v i n g i t s h e a d q u a r t e r s O n a f a r n ^ i ' r

, the Eastern pari of the. United States, was that no , , .

uch Congres s was held i B c w k Is . Bulqum,. bv the q:%, ft , witfc &>>iliir Wallejfa t jtftttj (bttii Witfc, w liu- mill} mwwfjwS.

vecinjiif liie aw i/n t V r*u rv .Ho et W^nryuHan* pn-MiualiujtW true of, t& Svi-U*a} W ;a u&

jBi'iltfi Jlt r.ii-MMJ.ii.ii'uilnV JSwitrvnfJtw,

rt i ikr-H&e&SiMt/ti & M fla&r *?,.tries?*.

iOtMmi, lv."Wh.ww :,i fovU-w& tntr.

**


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AND THE PEOPLE 9

u n t i l 1915 that Mr. Lewis organized his clandestine, spurious

and illegitimate 1 organization, and it will be readily under

stood that the terms Charlatan, Spurious, and Fabri

cated rightfully belong to him who makes these charges, ac

cusing another for his own sins.

(2) The symbols used up to 1921 by the Rosicrucian activi

ties of the Randolph Foundation were those which had adorned

the books, documents and lessons of the Fraternity since its

foundation in America beginning with 18S6. No change hadbeen made in them because they were the recognized and au

thentic symbolic representations not only of the Grand Mas

ters, but also of the era of the Fraternity and of the Great

Work under these Grand Masters. It was Mr. Lewis who fab

ricated a wholly new, unknown, non-symbolic design for the

emblem of his A. M. O. R. C.3 It was only after the passing of

the Supreme Grand Master, Edward H. Brown, and his Coun

cil of Three that Dr. R. Swinburne Clymer, as the succeeding

Supreme Grand Master of the entire Fraternity began the use

of the insignia of his own House,0 while also, according to Rosi

crucian Landmarks and usage, he continued the use of the

symbolism of the Randolph Foundation.

(3) Contrary in every respect and detail to this accusation,

the Randolph Foundation in all its activities has not used in

istered by the Secretary of the Com m onw ealth . For a complete historyof this at tem pt at gross usurpation, Facsimiles of cert if icates of reg istra

tion, see Volume One, The Rosicrucian Fraternity in America.

'The use of these terms m ay suggest an at tem pt to besmear the charac ter of the person und er discussion. T his is no t so. The term s designated properly apply to associat ions, fraterni t ies and organizat ions oper

a t i n g wi th o u t bona fide au thor i ty . O ur whole at tem pt wil l be to stateplain, readily proven facts for which there is documentary evidence open

to legally authorized invest igators.

5See bo th Volumes One and Two of The Rosicrucian Fraternity in

A m eric a for ful ly i l lustrated proof of the facts.

See R a va le tt e , th e R osicrucia n S tory , pages 47-54, published after theworld meeting in Paris of the Universal Confederat ion.


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12 THE INITIATES

Societies and Fraternities, had formed an International Or

ganization and Registered in the State oj Pennsylvania, the

title C o n f e d e r a t i o n o r F r a t e r n i t y o f I n i t i a t e s , i.e., I he

International Confederation: La Federation Universelle des

Ordres, Societes et Fraternities, and it is readily apparent that

his Federation Universelle des Ordres et Societies Initiatigues

is a gross fabrication of the worst kind and he stands guilty of

the very thing for which he accuses R. Swinburne Clymer,

Supreme Grand Master of the authentic Rosicrucian Fraternity.

(6) This statement is wholly contrary to the tru th as veri

fied by investigation. Practically all of the organizations

named were spurious and organized for the express purpose of

forming an organization for which even the name was appro

pria ted. The proof of this statement will be offered as we

proceed. The Ordre Kabbalistique de la Rose-C.roix is one

of the oldest of Rosicrucian Organizations in France, the Or

dre Martiniste has a most fair record, the Supreme Grand

Master of both is F r a . . Chevillon, who openly denounced

Mr. Lewis and his clandestine activities."

(7) The manner in which these charters and documents

were manufactured would be unbelievable were actual proofs

lacking. Mr. Lewis fails to mention that the F. U. D. O. S. I.

did not have as its foundation even a fraudulent Rosicrucian

organization, but was launched on a hastily constituted Ma

sonic Rite of Mizraim and Memphis, and with the help of a

Co-Masonic body.9

In many of the European countries the Rite of Memphis, ifLegitimately constituted, is recognized as legitimate. Here in

America, Masonry does not so recognize the Rite and classes

it as clandestine, illegal and fraudulent. The authority used in

See Facsimile of certification or registration herein.

See Volume Two, The Rosicrucian Fraternity in America f o r r e p r o

duced do cum entary proofs of these s tatemen ts .


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An d t h e p e o p l e 13

the formation of the F. U. D. O. S. L was not that of a legiti

mate European Rite, but, as stated, of a hastily formed clan

destine Rite which had no foundation in fact and never was

recognized by any of the European Masonic bodies.10

(8) Mr. Lewis, throughout his career of fabrication and

self-clothing, as he terms it, has been consistent in his claims

that the Headquarters of the authentic Randolph Foundation

were located on a farm in Pennsylvania. Undoubtedly thou

sands of people at one period of his activities did believe thatthese Headquarters consisted of an old farm house and a barn.

Since the publication of The Rosicrucian Fraternity in Amer

ica with photographs of many of the buildings, he no longer

finds it so easy to mislead others in this respect; but despite

this he continues to publish and republish this falsehood.

(9) This is another falsehood. We never made the claim

that such a meeting had not been held in Brussels, but we did

claim, and we still claim, that it was wholly clandestine; without any legitimate authority; was not Rosicrucian in charac

ter; that it was based on the fabricated authority of a pseudo-

Masonic fraudulent Rite of Memphis which itself had no exist

ence and equally clandestine Co-Masonic bodies, and that it

was, and still is, the fabrication of one man who also was re

sponsible for the documents and their manufacture and their

use at tha t meeting. Moreover, as already stated, the name

was only a slight variation of the one registered in the United

States five years before and filed in every country in the worldunder Copyright treaty.11

(10) Despite the fact that with all his influence in certain

quarters, all his financial power, Mr. Lewis could not succeed

10See V olume T w o, The Rosicrucian Fraternity in America fo r repro duct ion of documentary proofs o f these s ta tements .

11 See Volum es One and Tw o of The Rosicrucian Fraternity in America and Cert if icate of registrat ion reproduced therein.


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AND THE PEOPLE IS

Lewis and A. M. O. R. C. neverhad even a shred of legitimate

authority. It is also a fact that no one could have conferred

authority upon him to establish the Rose Cross anywhere in

Europe for the one good reason that long before Mr. Lewis

became active, the Fraternity had been established in every

country in Europe, and it is a Rosicrucian Law, as it is a

Masonic Law, that wherever the Fraternity is active, no other

Order of the same or similar name may attempt to function.


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AND THE PEOPLE 17

THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDERK n ow n a s " T H E A N C I E N T , M Y S T IC O R D E R R O S A E C R U C I S " t h r o u gh o u t t he w o r ld

SUPREME TEMPLE FOR NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICAROSICRUCIAN PARK SAN JOSE. CALIFORNIA. U.S .A .

S e p t e m b e r 1 8 , 1 9 3 9

G r a n d L o d g e #F . & A. M.

D e a r G ra nd S e c r e t a r y :/

You h a v e a l r e a d y r e c e i v e d , o r u n d o ub t e d ly w i l l r e c e i v e , S * f r o m o n e , R . S w i n b u r ne C l y me r w ho p u r p o r t s t o c o n d u c t o ro p e r a t e a n a u t h e n t i c R o s i c r u c i a n O r g a n i z a t io n f ro m a f ar m ^ inP e n n s y l v a n i a a mo no gr ap h t i t l e d ;

" Th e S e c o n d F ama F r a t e r n i t a s F o r a New AgeB e g i n n i n g I n Th e T w e n t i e t h C e n t u r y , "

I t I s a c c om p an ie d b y a l e t t e r b e a r i n g t he t i t l e :

"La F e d e r a t i o n A n l v e r s e l l e d e e O r d er s ,

S o c l e t e s e t F r a t e f rr i t e s d e s I n i t i o s . "

Th e o b j e c t o f t h i s m o no gr ap h a nd l e t t e r a p p e a r s t o Im pl y t h a th e , o r h i s R o s i c r u c i a n m ov em en t, i s a s s o c i a t e d w i th a c o n f e d e r a t i o n o f r e c o g n i z e d , e s t a b l i s h e d p h i l o s o p h i c a l , o c c u l t , m y s t i c a la nd I n i t i a t o r y O r d e rs i n E u r op e , t h u s g i v i n g h i m s e l f an a u t h e n t i c b a c k g r o u n d.

P l e a s e b e a d v i s e d , h o w ev e r, t h a t t h e r e - h a s b ee n s uc h / F e d e r a t i o n i n E u ro p e e x i s t i n g f o r a g r e a t nu mb er o f y e a r s . / a n da c t i v e a t t h e p r e s e n t t i m e , k n ow n a s t h e "FUDOSI" ( F e d e r a l ;t i o n U n i v e r s e l le d e s O r dr es e t S o c l e t e s I n l t l a t l q u e s ) / T h i sF e d e r a t i o n t h e a u t h e n t i c re c o g n iz e d bo dy r e f u s e d t o / a c c e n ti n t o i t s m e m b e rs h ip Mr . C ly m er o r h i s o r g a n i z a t i o n , ^ a s h e h a d ,a n d h a s , n o R o s i c r u c i a n c o n n e c t i o n s o r b ac k g ro u n d r e c o g n i z edb y t he m a s h a v i n g m e r i t .

T h i s O r g a n i z a t i o n T he A .M . O .R . C . w h ic h i s w o r l d w id e ,i s , h o w e v e r , o n e o f t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n s o f t h e " FUDOSI" ; c o n s e q u e n t l y Mr. C ly m er a t f i r s t b eg a n a t i r a d e a g a i n s t t h e " FUD 08I ",c l a i m i n g i t f a l s e , o f no c o n s eq u e nc e , a n d o f no i m p o r t an c e .N o t s u c c e e d i n g b y t h a t m e th o d, i n t h e l i t e r a t u r e w h ic h h ed i s t r i b u t e d t o M as on s a nd o t h e r s , h e t h e n l a s t s p r i n g w e n t t o

ROSICRUCIAN PARK THE INSTITUTION BEHIND THE ORGANIZATION


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18 THE INITIATES

P a g e 2

E u r o p e . T h e r e h e c la i m s h e m et w it h t h i s u nkn ow n c o n f e d e r a t i o nan d s ig n e d many im p o r t a n t a r t i c l e s a n d d o cu m e n t s, a p p a r e n t l yt o g i v e h i m s e lf an Eu r op ea n R o s ic r u c i a n b ac k gr o u n d . A c t u a l ly ,h o w e v er , t h e "FUDO SI" t h e r e c o g n i z e d an d e s t a b l i s h e d l e a e r a -t io n d e c l a r e s in o f f i c i a l do cu m e n ts an d In c o r r e sp o n d e n c e ,w h i ch we h a v e , t h a t t h e c o n f e d e r a t i o n w h i ch M r. C ly m e r nowc l ai m s h e I s a p a r t o f , an d fr om w h ich h e c la i m s t o h a v e r e c e iv e d a r t i c l e s , i s un kn ow n t o t h em , an d i f i t d o e s h a ve ane x i st e n c e an y a r t i c l e s w h ich t h o s e a t t e n d i n g a d o p te d an d si gn e dh a ve no m or e l e g a l w e ig h t w it h t h e t r u e R o s i c r u c i a n O r d e r th a nt h e mer e b l a n k p a p e r u p on w h i ch t h e y w e r e w r i t t e n . T h i s m on o

g r ap h , t h e r e f o r e , w h i ch Mr. C ly m er a l r e a d y h a s , o r w i l l , se n dt o y ou i s o b v i o u s l y i n t e n d e d t o I m p r e s s M a so n i c G r an d Lo d g e sw it h t h e a u t h o r i t y a n d b ac k gr o u n d o f h i s o r g a n i z a t i o n , b a s e du po n t h i s p u r p o r t e d c o n f e d e r a t i o n i n E u r o p e. T h i s com m u n icat i o n I s I n t e n d e d t o a d v i s e you t h a t su c h a c o n f e d e r a t i o n a sMr . Cly m er ex po u n d s h a s n o l e g a l s t a t u s a n d n o st a n d i n g w it ht h e "FU D O SI "i an d t h e r e c o g n i z e d h o n o r a b le f r a t e r n i t i e s o f E u ro p e w h i ch a t e i t s m em ber s

~He t a k e t h i s o p p o r t u n it y o f a t t a c h i n g h e r e w i t h an i ss u eo f o u r m o n th ly p u b l i c a t i o n o f l a s t M ay. I n th e c e n t e r su p p l e m en t you w i ll se e an a r t i o l e o f w a rn i n g in w h ich i t i s p r e d i c t e d t h a t Mr . Cly m er w o uld a t t e m p t t o e s t a b l i s h o r c l ai msom e su c h c o n f e d e r a t i o n a s h e h a s , a n d w h i ch w o u ld h a ve a

t en d e n cy t o l e a d p e r s o n s t o b e l i e v e h i s O r g a n i z a t io n h ad r e c o g n i t i o n by t h e h o n o r ab le f r a t e r n i t i e s a b r oa d .

SUPREME SECRETARY

CAP:MR_l

ond, those not able to visit headquarters have requested and

received literature showing the actual photographs of the build

ings at the Quakertown, Pa., headquarters.

(2) Probably the greatest and most vicious falsehood of

which Mr. Lewis, A. M. O. R. C., and all those associated with

him have ever been guilty is implied in this statem ent. From

the very beginning of Mr. Lewiss activities the true Fraternity


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AND THE PEOPLE 19

has repeatedly pointed out the impossibility of Mr. Lewis ever

having obtained authority to establish a Rosicrucian body in

America from anjr authentic organization anywhere on earth,

because the Landmarks of the Fraternity forbid even the at

tempt to do such a thing wherever the Order exists.

If A. M. O. R. C. or anyone connected therewith can pro

duce any letter, request or statement that the Supreme Grand

Master or any other person officially connected with the au

thentic organizationthe Randolph Foundationrequestedaffiliation, membership in, or recognition by A. M. 0. R. C. or

F. U. D. O. S. I., the Supreme Grand Master of the true Rosi

crucian Fraternity will deliver to A. M. O. R. C. all the au

thority he possesses, as also all property belonging to the Fra

ternity. The statement made in this letter is utterly and

maliciously false.

(3) This certainly is true. As already mentioned, The In

ternational Confederation of Initiates and Initiate Orders isnon-Masonic, and has no connection whatever with Masonry,

while F. U. D. O. S. I. was based on the self-organized Rite of

Mizraim and M em phis1 and Co-Masonic bodies wholly taboo

by American Masonry. The Confederation cannot have stand

ing with such a clandestine body, has never requested it, and

has consistently pointed out its illegitimacy.

(4) The signatures to the Fama disprove this accusation

and on the contrary show that in Europe, Central and South

America every legitimate Rosicrucian organization is a memberof the Confederation.

The entire letter implies that both our letter to the Grand

1A complete history, with documents showing the whole plan andmethod of fabricat ion of both the clandest ine Rite of Mizraim andM em phis, the Associat ion of Co-M asonry (female M asonry ) an d the

final org aniz ation of F. U . D. O. S. I. by these org anizations is given inVo lu me Two , The Rosicrucian Fraterni ty in America, pages 235-280.


27/82

20 THE INITIATES

Secretaries and the Fama have been more or less a tirade

against A. M. O. R. C. and F. U. D. O. S. I. To disprove this

we reproduce herewith the letter of August 2, 1939. This will

show that neither was mentioned in any manner whatever and

that the letter itself was a dignified communication between

Brother and Brother.


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AND THE PEOPLE 21

i,a Iu i K iR jm o r t n n i v e R s e i i J ie

Aes OROReS,SOCI0P0S 5*FBITOlfflfdB des 1011108

A Private at\d / lutl \orati \ le Corr\n\Vir\ icatior\Fron\ l l \e

' (} ra i\d E as t a r \dS oV irceo / a l l Rps icruc i&i \L ic | l \t

l i / lLIv quaKertovJry.Pa.August 2 , 1939

D r . E . A r t u r o A l a r d oG r a n d S e c r e t a r y

S a i n t D o m i n q u e

D e a r S i r a n d B r o t h e r :

I t i s my f i r m b e l i e f , b a s e d o n e x p e r i e n c e c o v e r i n gmore t h a n t h i r t y y e a r s , t h a t i n a l l f r a t e r n a l a f f a i r s , w h eth erM a s on i c o r o t h e r w i s e , M as on s a s w e l l a s t h e p u b l i c g e n e r a l l yh a v e an a b i d i n g f a i t h t h a t t h e S e c r e t a r y o f a G ra nd M as on icb od y i s i n t o u c h w i t h an d c a p a b l e o f s u p p l y i n g i n f o r m a t i o n n o to p en t o t h e g e n e r a l p u b l i c a n d o b t a i n a b l e f r om n o o t h e r s o u r c e .

F or t h i s r e a so n , a nd be c a use we know t h a t ma ny Masonsa r e s e e k i n g r e l i a b l e a n d a u t h e n t i c i n f o r m a t i o n on e s o t e r i c s u b j e c t s , t h i s p r a n d Bo dy ( n o n - M a s o n i c ) t h r o u g h me , i s f o r w a r d i n gt o y o u u n d e r s e p a r a t e c o v e r , a M on og ra ph j u s t i s s u e d a nd d e a l i n g w i t h t h e R o s i c r u c i a n F r a t e r n i t y an d a l l i e d b o d ie s a c t i v eu n d e r t h e n ame o f t h e U n i v e r s a l F e d e r a t i o n o f O r d e r s, S o c i e t i e sa nd F r a t e r n i t i e s o f I n i t i a t i o n . I r e q u e s t y ou r k in d i nd u lg en cea nd a s k t h a t y o u g i v e t h i s p u b l i c a t i o n c a r e f u l r e a d i n g an d t h enf i l e i t f o r f u t u r e r e f e r e n c e i n o r d e r t h a t s h ou l d y ou be a p p e al e dt o f o r i n f o r m a t i o n o n t h e s e s u b j e c t s y ou may r e f e r t o i t .

T h e o r g a n i z a t i o n s w h i c h f o r m t h e m e m b e r s h i p o f t h i sC o n f e d e r a t i o n a l l w or k u n d e r a u t h e n t i c a u t h o r i t y a n d co m p et en tj u r i s d i c t i o n . I n no i n s t a n c e i s t h e r e a ny c l a i m t o M as onicc o n n e c ti o n i n a s f a r a s t n e R o s i c r u c ia n s an d t h e i r a c t i v i t i e sa r e c o n c e r n e d . T h i s i s ma de c l e a r i n t h e M on o gr ap h .

T h a nk i ng yo u m o s t s i n c e r e l y f o r y o u r k i n d c o n s i d e r a t i o n .

F r a t e r n a l l y

R . S . C . G . C .

Supreme Grand Maste;L a F e d e r a t i o n U n i v e r s e l l e


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P a r t T h r e e

During February, March and April of 1941, Dr. R.

Swinburne Clymer, Supreme Grand Master of the

International Confederation of Initiate Orders,

visited the countries of South America to induct

formally the authentic established Rosicrucian Organizations

into full membership into the Confederation, all of which is

part of the published history of the Confederation. A full re

port can be found in the Revised Second Fama.

Shortly after Dr. R. Swinburne Clymer returned from Eu

rope, Mr. Lewis, in his June, 1941, issue ofRosicrucian Digest,

published another of his utterly misleading articles under the

heading of AMORC Is Imitated Again. This one and one-

half page article is herewith reproduced so that no one can beaccused of misquoting. Our notes and comments follow.

(1) This is almost an exact copy of the statem ent in the

first article and was fully answered.

(2) We request that the reader carefully note and bear in

mind throughout the study of this article that Mr. Lewis, as

Imperator, here italicized the phrase The First public declara

tion, etc. This appeared in the November, 1934, issue of

I he Rosicrucian Digest. Next refer to the reproduction of

the certificate of registration of the Confederation or Fraternity

of Initiates which was made in 1929, f i v e y e a r s b e f o r e

t h e f a b r i c a t i o n o f F. U. D. O. S. I. As previously

stated, this name was thereafter registered in every country of

the Copyright treaty. Since the certificate of the Confederation

of Initiates was registered five years before F. U. D. O. S. I.


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AND THE PEOPLE 25

(4) Admittedly, imitation is the highest kind of flattery,

but when it is imitation of things most sacred, of things which

deal with the Soul, the highest in man, and which leads to de

basement and loss of faith by sincere seekers, it becomes crimi

nal and without justification.

(5) This so-called Second Fama issued by A. M. 0. R. C.

is fully discredited in The Rosicrucian Fraternity in America.

(6) As in America, A. M. O. R. C. did establish in a num

ber of South American countries branches of its clandestine

organization, despite the fact that the Rose Cross had been

established there for many years by Crum Heller and continued

active. According to the Ancient Landmarks no Rosicrucian

organization, even if legitimate, may establish itself in any

country where the Order already exists. Therefore, any Lodges

or activities which A. M. O. R. C. established are without

rights and necessarily clandestine.

For the information of the Imperator and all connected withA . M. O. R . C . , let it be emphatically stated that Dr. R.

Swinburne Clymer, Supreme Grand Master of the authentic

Rosicrucian Fraternity, d i d n o t g o t o S o u t h A m e r i c a t o

e s t a b l i s h t h e R o s y C r o s s i n a n y c o u n t r y w h e r e t h e

O r d e r e x i s t e d , but to induct into the Confederation such Or

ders as had previously been legitimately established and con

tinued active.

The Confederation is for the purpose of associating, for one

common purpose, all authentic organizations engaged in eso

teric or spiritual work into one harmonious whole; not pri

marily to establish the Rose Cross. However, where no legiti

mate Rosicrucian organization exists, all possible aid is given

to the establishment of such a Fraternity. This was done in

Chile.

(7) This one word Advertisement is the key to the entire


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26 THE INITIATES

situation. The authentic, legitimate Rosicrucian Fra tern ity, as

is Masonry, is forever and completely forbidden to advertise.

Its Ancient Landmarks prohibit it now, have always prohibited

it in the past. By their advertising shall ye know them.

(8) We agree with the Imperator and for that reason A. M.

O. R. C. never offered Soul teachings to its followers except

those which were first prepared, produced or issued by the

authentic Fraternity, the Fraternitas Rosa: Crucis.


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THE INITIATES


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H i t l e r i s m i n A m e r i c a

Hitlers destruction oj books which in any way interfered

with his regime is repeated in free, democratic America.

When the people of America were informed,

through newspapers, magazines and public speakers, of the destruction of books by the arch-ego

tist Hitler, they stood aghast; condemnation of this

act was universal, and rightly so. The good people of a free

democracy could not conceive of the possibility of such a thing

taking place here in America, yet within a very short time

thereafter it actually did take place, as we shall show.

T o digress for a moment, the volume of which this report

forms a part, together with the reproduced documents and

other direct information, prove beyond a doubt that an organi

zation variously known as T h e R o s i c r u c i a n s , The Brother

hood of the Rosy Cross, T h e T e m p l e o f t h e R o s y C r o s s ,

T h e O r d e r o f t h e R o s i c r u c i a n s and other appellations, has

existed and been active in America since 1774, and that by

their own writings, prominent men, men active in science and

literature, professed affiliation and were active in its interest.

Furthermore, these official publications show that, like Ma

sonry, but one such organization is legitimately permitted toexist in any one country. Any other organization attempting

to establish itself under the same or similar title is classified

under the law as clandestine, illegitimate and fraudulent.

No such attempt had been made by any organization until

about 1909. Then in 1915,1 one H. Spencer Lewis felt that the

1For comple te informat ion and reproduct ion of or ig ina l documentsand publications, see Th e R osicrucian Fraternity in Am erica.


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AND THE PEOPLE 31

lished 2 here in the U. S., and Lodges will be formed 3 all

over the countrythe old and true Order. We need lit

era ture and welcome 1 such as Clymer and I am in a

position to sell books and pamphlets to members.

You may send me your catalog and wholesale prices.

Yours

T h o r K i i m a l e h t o ,

R X C .

We answered this A. M. O. R. C. letter as follows on Janu

ary 28, 1916.

January 28, 1916

Thor Kiimalehto

Brooklyn, N. Y.

Dear Sir:

Your letter has been received and noted. Pleased to

learn that you like the booklet so well.

At noon I mailed you two booklets, one of these marked,

and I now call your attention to a few facts:

1st. Do you know that the Rose Cross was founded in

America more than 60 years ago; that continually since

that time booklets, books, and MSS. have been issued by

the Order?

2nd. Do you know that it has been working ever since;

that it has members throughout the United States, many

3T his s ta tem ent i s posi tive tha t lodges wil l be formed n o t t h a t t h e y h a v e b e e n f o e m e d all over the count ry , a f t e r the date on whichthe let te r was w ri t ten, nam ely, Ja nu ary 25, 1016.

1Later Lewis a t tempted to make h is fo l lowers bel ieve that I had a t tem pted to become a me mb er, associate myself with them, etc. Thisef fect ively p roves tha t m y co-operat ion had been requested. M y re act ion wi l l be no ted in the answer to th is le t ter wr i t ten to me by thesecretary of the then forming A. M. O. R. C.


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32 THE INITIATES

of whom are teachers, lawyers, physicians, statesmen,

etc.?

3rd. Are you aware of the fact that but one Order of a

given name can (may) exist in this country? That we

(for instance) have no right to go to another country

where the R. X. exists, and that no second Order can be

founded here for the very good reason that such would

not be Rosicrucian, would not possess Rosicrucian teach

ings, and would possess no authority, being fraudulent onthe face of it.

I call your attention to these facts, as the knowledge

may save you a great deal of trouble in the future. We

hold the original Charter for this country. Our Lodges

have been open, our Convocations attended by the mem

bers, and, as is natural, these members come to us for con

firmation as to whether an R. X. Lodge is under our

Charter or is fraudulent.

You are late in conveying any message to me, seeing

that the original Charter has been in my hands since

1895, that the original papers are in my possession, that I

have organized two Convocations and that I have taught

many personally.

I certainly wish you success in any good work that you

may do, but why not, if you are an Occultist, be sincere

and, if you evolve a system of teaching, give it a name oj

its own?I have the honor to be

Very truly yours,

R. S w i n b u r n e C l y m e r ,

Master of the Order.5

In Duplicate. Second copy for attorney.


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AND THE PEOPLE 33

In order to justify himself Mr. Lewis attacked us from time

to time, but it was not until 1932 that Mr. Lewis went to the

extreme length in attempting to connect us with what he called

a conspiracy to ruin his organization through the activity of

Mr. George L. Smith, a former A. M. 0. R. C. member. The

fact that we did not know Mr. Smith at the time the action

began was a clear indication to us showing the extent to which

Mr. Lewis would go in an effort to secure recognition for his

fraudulent organization. It effectively warned us that the timehad come to fully protect ourselves and the Fraternity from

the machinations of those who had unlawfully usurped its

name.

Having connections with every authentic Initiatory organi

zation in Europe, we placed into their hands the detailed in

formation of what was taking place and requested that they

furnish us with the original documents disproving practically

every charge and every claim Mr. Lewis had ever made against

us, and at the same time prove all our charges against him.

W h i le w e w e r e c o lle c t in g t h i s e v id e n c e , Mr. L e w i s i s s u e d h i s

b o o k l e t Audi Alteram Partem, i.e., H e a r t h e O t h e r S i d e . We

t h e n m a d e t h is t h e b a s i s fo r t h e tw o - v o lu m e w o r k : T h e R o s i -

c r u c i a n F r a t e r n i t y i n A m e r i c a . T h i s w o r k w a s c o m p le te d

in 1938 a n d c o p i e s o ff e re d t o t h e p u b l i c l ib r a r i e s . L e t th e

r e a d e r b e a r i n m in d t h a t i t w a s Mr. L e w i s w h o t it le d , p u b

l is h e d a n d e x t e n s i v e l y c ir c u l a t e d h i s H e a r t h e O t h e r S i d e

b o o k l e t a n d p l a c e d i t i n to t h e l i b ra r ie s . We d i d n o t p r o t e s t tol i b r a r i e s , b e c a u s e w e b e l i e v e t h e p e o p l e h a v e t h e r i g h t ,

a n d s h o u l d h e a r b o t h s i d e s , b u t w h e n o u r a n sw e r a p p e a r e d ,

Mr. L e w is f a c e d a b o u t a n d b e c a m e a se c o n d H i tl e r in h i s a c

t iv i t y t o d e s t ro y b o o k s .

The se le t ters and others pu blished in T h e R o s e C r o s s O r d e r are in

the Arch ives o f the Fratern i ty and open to inspect ion to any au thor izedofficial of the Government.


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AND THE PEOPLE 35

Feb. 24, 1638.

Dr. R. Swinburne Clymer,B e v e r ly H a l l ,Quakertcmn, Pa.

My d ea r D r. Clymer:Aa you ask in your le t te r of the 22nd

fo r an ex pre ss io n o f op in io n onth m ate r ia l which I fo rwarded toyou, I s h a l l s e t down here some thou ghts t h a t have occurred to mei n th i s c o n n e c ti o n .

1 . As a l o g i c a l p r e l im i n a r y t o an y a c t i o n , al i b r a r ia n should make a c a re fu l s tudy of the two volumesof your work ; "The Roslcf ruo ian F ra te rn i ty in Amer ioa ,"and such an exa m ination would amply re fu te the claimsmade i n th e l e t t e r t o l i b r a r i a n s .

2 . I t i s n o t on l y a n i n s u l t to t he i n t e l l ig e n c eo f l i b r a r i a n s t o a t tem p t t o o oe ro e them i n t o s u p p res s in gy o u r b o ok s , b u t s u ch an ac t i o n i s d i r e c t l y o p po sed t o t h eAmer ican p r in c ip le o f f reedom of speeoh , as we l l as be ingmos t unwor thy o f an o rgan iza t ion c la iming to be the t rueRoaicruo ian o rder , which i s founded upon bro therhood ,o h a r i t y a nd t o l e r a n o e ^

3 . I doubt whether a l ib ra r i a n , once hav ing acoep ted

and ca ta logu ed yo ur books fo r the f r ee use o f th e pub l io ,h as an y r i g h t t o r emo v e t h en f ro m c i r cu l a t i o n o er t a i n l y Ishould no t dare make such an at tem pt .

4 . Though l ib ra r i a n s , a s a o las s , may no t be fam i l i a rw i th o cc u l t l aw s , o rd i n a ry o b s e rv a t i o n and ex p e ri en ce s ho uldo r e a t e s u s p i c i o n o f a s o - c a l le d R o s io r uc ia n F r a t e r n i t y whosel i t e ra tu re so ob v ious ly p la ce s the emphas is upon form, wi thi t a t awdry im i ta t io n s o f the g rand eur o f Thebes and Kamak,i t s p a i n t ed h i e ro g l y p h i o a , an d i t s pompous " Im p era t o r ."

8 . In a world o f sham and p re ten oe , th i s i s on ly apar t o f the g r .ea t conf l i c t tha t i s on be tween shadow ands u b a t an o e ; r ea l an d c o u n t e r f e i t . , Aa P a t an j a l i s ay s i n hiBT og a S u t r a s : "Where t h e re i s l i g h t , t h e re i s a l s o s h ad o w . ..

tha ba star d v es ture and the b astard powers of psychism aree a s i l y a t t a i n e d ; y e t , eVen when a t t a i n e d , t h ey a r e a d e l u s i o n , and t h e v e ry es sen ce o f u n re a l i t y . "

I b e l ie v e t h a t t h e above w i l l d e a r l y d e f in e myp o s i t io n , ftnd I a ssu re you , Dr . Clymer , o f my f u l l m ora l suppor taa w el l a s ny d es i re to aid you otherw ise in eve ry way in my power*

S i n o e re l y y o u r s ,


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36 THE INITIATES

Again calling attention to the fact that Mr. Lewis had issued

and widely circulated his H e a r t h e O t h e r S t d e , to which T h e

R o s i c r u c i a n F r a t e r n i t y i n A m e r i c a was the answer, and

we here reproduce the letter issued, after copies of these books

had been placed in such libraries where the librarians had ex

pressed a willingness to receive them. Let it be repeated that

we made no effort whatever to keep his booklet out of any

library or from being circulated in the mail. We were perfectly

willing tha t the American people should be the judge. Our an swers to the charges made will follow the reproduction.


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AND THE PEOPLE 37

A M

THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDERK n o w n 01 " T H E A N C I EN T , M Y S T IC O R D E R R 0 5 A E C R U C I S" t h ro u gh o u t ih e w o rld

SUPREME TEMPLE FOR NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICAROSICRUCIAN PARK SAN JOSE. CALIFORNI A. U.S .A .

F e b r u a r y 1 2 , 1 93 8

Chief Librar ian

Publ ic LibraryR e s p e c t e d L i b r a r i a n :

We be lie ve th at we ar e Ju st if ie d in assuming th at your connectionswi th the publ ic l ib rary o f your c i ty warran t our b r ing ing beforey o u r a t t en t io n a r a th e r se r io u s mat t e r .

A Reuben Swinburne Clymer, of Quakertown, Pe nnsylv ania , o ff er s toship to public l ibraries two volumes of a book writ ten by himself ,hoping that they wil l be used for general reference and possiblygene ral ci rc ul at io n . These books are en ti t le d, The RosicrucianF ra te rn it y in America. They ar e lar ge , bulky books, and from thet i t l e given above, which appea rs stamped on the back of the books,and from their size, they would appear to be instruct ive, educat ion al , and h is to r i ca l in value and of ben ef i t to research workersand those searching for facts in connection with philosophical and

ed uc at io na l movements of the Middle Ages and th e pr es en t time. /

But we ar e f i l in g the fol lowing pr ot es t with you on the bas is t hatthe se TWo volumes by Mr. Clymer ar e n e it h er h is to ri c a l rec ord s, noreduc at ional , in s t r uc t iv e , nor of value to any research worker , Inas much as the y c o n s ti tu te wholly and s o le ly an at ta c k upon theRosl-rcr uci an Order in America and in Europe.-A The Rosic rucia n Order 'thr oug hou t t he w or ld, known as AMORC, has been in e xi st en ce f o r ^many ce n tu r ie s and has had a spo t less re p u ta t i o n ^ i t i s ' a recog n iz e d and d e f i n i t e f r a t e r n i t y , f r e e from p o l i t i c a l , s o c i a l , r e l i g i o u s , o r o t h e r d e s t r u c t i v e o r c r i t i c a l a t t i t u d e s . We r e f e ryou to the Fourteenth Edit ion of the Encyclopedia Brl tannlca underthe s ub jec t of Ros lcrucla nlsm , Webster1s New Int er nat ion al Dictio na ry (Una bridg ed), the New Standar d Encycl oped ia, and many othe rencyclopedias and d ic t ionar ies which g ive a t rue and accurate h is to ry of t he R os ic ru c ia n Order known as AMORC. (See the enc los ed

booklet en t i t l e d , "Recogni t ion ." ) 3This man Clymer has been iss ui ng pamphlets and bookle ts a tta ck ing ^the Rosicrucian Order for nearly twenty years,/an3~a number~"Sf~hisat tacks have reached var ious cour ts in Cal i fo rn ia , includ ing theFed era l Cou rt and Sup er io r Courts . He has even been mentioned byus in a s u i t fo r l i b e l and a dec isio n rendered by a Superior Courtin which he was specifically named as one of the conspirators, and

ROSICRUCIAN PARK THE IN STITUTION BEHIND THE ORGANIZATION


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38 THE INITIATES

Ch ief L ib ra r i an 2 Feb ru ary 1 2 , 1 93 8

th e d ec i s io n fo rb ad e h i s co n t in u in g to i s su e h i s iMrar r ll u s p amphl e t s a nd l i b e l o u s m a t t e r p e r t a i n i n g t o AMORC. ^ a v ol dm a l l s I n c a r r y i n g on h i s s c u r r i l o u s c am p ai gn , n e h a s p r i n t e d x n ea etwo l a r g e v ol um es a nd i s s h i p p i n g t hem by e x p r e s s t o p u b l i c l y -

b r a r i e s w i t h t h e h o p e t h a t t h e l i b r a r i e s w i l l a c c e p t t t j e m - ' i p m p u tthem i n t o c i r c u l a t i o n o r in t he r e f e r e n c e r o o m s . ^ r c h a s p l a c e a at i t l e o n t h e b ac k o f t h e s e boo ks t h a t t e n d s t o make t h e l i b r a r i a n sb e l i e v e t he y c o n s t i t u t e a h i s t o r y o f t h e R o s i c r uc i an F r a t e r n i t yin Amer ica. Even a casu a l ex amin a t io n o f t h e t i t l e p ag es ox e

seco nd volume o f t h ese bo ok s p l a i n l y r ev ea l s t h a t i t i s an a t t ac Kand an exp ose and a c r i t i c i s m . Ov er n in e ty p e r cen t o f t h e m at t e rco n ta in ed in t h ese v o lu mes i s n o t o n ly d es t ru c t iv e an d h ig h ly

U f O I t g l T x b u t s o a b s o l u t e l y f a l s e a n d a b s u r d a s t o b e t ho ro u gh ly ^mi l a iST i fc rA In f a c t , ev ery o ne o f t h e f a l s e ch arg es wh ich he nu^ .esin t h ese b o o k s h as a l r ead y b een r ev i ewed b y th e fo l lo win g d ep armen ts o f t h e s t a t e and co u n t ry : The Un i t ed S t a t es Po s t O f f i ce d e p a r tmen t , t h e Depar tment o f Ju s t i c e , t h e In t e rn a l Rev en ue Dep ar t -ment, th e Federal Trade Commission, t he Fed era 3 _ Co u t_ o f_ _ Cd i j^ rn i a^ .and v a r io u s S u p e r io r Courts o f C a l i f o r n i a . c a s e ,p a r tm e n t s o f t he G ove rn me nt h a ve g i v e n o u r o r g a n i z a t i o n a c l e a n . D i no f h ea l th , an d in ev ery co u r t case we h av e h ad a d ec i s io n in o u rfav o r , q

We th e re f o re p r o t e s t a g a in s t t h ese b o ok s b y Mr. C ly mer b e in g p l ace di n y ou r l i b r a r y a nd p u t i n t o c i r c u l a t i o n i f h e o r h i s r e p r e s e n t a t i v e

o f f e r s t h e m / ^ I t wou ld mean t h a t y o u r l i b r a r y a nd go od o f f i c e s wo ul dbe used to c ar ry on h is campaign in a manner to avo id use o f thema i l and t o a vo id r e s p o n s i b i l i t y on h i s p a r t . A s u i t a g a i n s t himwould br in g no re s u lt s Inasmuch as he has no money to pay fo r dama ge s o r c o u r t c o s t s , a nd a n i n j u n c t i o n a g a i n s t h i s I s s u i n g a ny mor ebooks would be evaded by i ssu ing the books under f i c t i t i o u s names


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AND THE PEOPLE 39

C h i e f L i b r a r i a n 3 F e b r u a r y 1 2 , 19 38

so me o l d b o o k s , a n d e v e r y l a r g e l i b r a r y i n t h e c o u n t r y h a s a numbero f b oo ks d e a l i n g w i t h t h e e a r l y h i s t o r y a n d p h i lo s o p h y o f t h e R os i-c r u o i a n s \ \ ,

VThese two books by Mr. C lymer , how ever , and a l l o\f h i s o th e r pamphl e t s a nd b o ok s o f v i l i f i c a t i o n , a r e o f no v a lu e ir\ t h e c a te g o r y o f R o s i c r u c i a n i s m e x c e p t t o c a r r y on an u n f a i r a t ta c k y a n d u t i l i z e t hep u b l i c l i b r a r i e s t o f u r t h e r h is own e nd s. He f r e q u e n t ly r e f e r s t oh i m s e l f a n d h i s p u b l i s h i n g o r g a n i z a t i o n a s The P h i l o s o p h i c a l P ub l i s h i n g Com pany, a l s o a s R o s i c r u c i a n B r o t h e r h o o d , a s The B e v e r lyH a l l C o r p o r a t i o n , a nd n um er ou s o t h e r t i t l e s . H is a d d r e s s , ho we ve r,i s Q u a k e r to w n . P e n n s y l v a n i a , an d t h e t i t l e o f t h e b o ok s, we r e p e a t ,i s The R o s i c r u c i a n F r a t e r n i t y i n A m e ri ca .

I s h o u l d b e g l a d t o h a v e y ou l e t me know w h a t y o u r l i b r a r y d e c i d e st o d o a b o u t t h i s m a t t e r . T h er e a r e h u n d r e d s o f go od a nd r e s p e c t e di n d i v i d u a l s l i v i n g i n an d ar o u n d y o u r c i t y who a r e m embers of t h i sR o s ic ru c ia n O rd er , AMORC,^and who have been much conc erned a bo utt h e p o s s i b i l i t y o f t h e s e m a l ic i o u s bo ok s b e in g c i r c u l a t e d t hr ou ghy o u r l i b r a r y . They b e l i e v V a s we d o , t h a t I t i s s im p ly a m a t t e ro f b e i n g p r o p e r l y I nf or m ed as t o t h e i r r e a l n a t u r e .

Any f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n you d \ s l r e r e g a r d in g t h i s m a t t e r w i l l beg l a d y s e n t t o y ou . y *

Y o u r s v e r y t r u l y

RML:MK(Enc. )

OUR REPLY

(1) These books are instructive, educational and historical

and of unquestioned value to both the student and the research

worker for the reason that therein will be found an almost com

plete history of both the authentic organization dating from

1614 to the present time, and the documentary history of the

form ation and activities of the clandestine organization. The

books issued by us, T h e R o s i c r u c i a n F r a t e r n i t y i n A m e r

i c a , contain much of the Fraternitys exoteric teachings, e x -


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T R E M E L Y R A R E D O C U M E N T S F R O M T H E E U R O P E A N O R D E R S ,

which, had they not been placed into our hands, would have

been destroyed by the hordes of Hitler and no longer to be

had. These reproduced documents are of untold value to the

millions interested in the esoteric. They cannot defame any

person or organization unless that person or organization has

defamed himself or itself by the acts which necessitated their

publication. The reproduction is merely historical.

(2) An utterly false statement. The entire literature issued by A. M. 0. R. C. and the letter by its first secretary,

which is published herein, offer unquestioned proof that A. M.

O. R. C. began its existence no earlier than 1916 and that it

could not possibly have had a spotless reputation for many

centuries.

Its reputation for truth is about as spotless as is the leopard.

It may be said in all honesty 15that, almost without exception,

every claim of legitimacy written or published by Mr. Lewis

and the A. M. O. R. C. is just about as truthful as this claimof his.

(3) Mr. Lewis has made much of his recognitions, and

leaflets publishing such recognitions have been issued, cir

culated and placed within the covers of books in libraries by

the hundreds of thousands. Our space is limited, but let us

give an example of how these recognitions are secured. To

do this effectively and without bias, we herewith reproduce a

letter written to one who sought the information.7

This person is not now, and never was, a member of the Randolphfoundation, the Fraternitas Rosa; Crucis or any of its activities.

The name of the person to whom this letter was addressed is deletedlo avoid embarrassment. This person never was, and is no t now, amember of any of the Randolph Foundation activities.

40 TH E INITIAT ES


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AND THE PEOPLE 41

Funk &WagnaIIs Company 554-560 F ou r t kA ve n nc , N e w Y ork, N . Y

Edi to rial Room s o fThe New Standard Dictionaries

THE NEW STANDARDUNABRIDCED THE PRACTICALSTANDARD Till! DESKSTANDARD THE NEW COMPREHENSIVE STANDARD . THECONCISESTANDARD

C h a r l e s E a r l e F u n k , L i t t . D . , E d ito r

April 5. 1939.

Your le t t e r o f March 30th, addressed toMr. George W. Jone s, J r . , has been refe rre d to me fo r reply .

The def in i t io n of the te rm Rosic rus iana ppe a r ing i n t he c u r re n t e d i t i on s o f ou r s e r i e s o f St anda rddic t ionar ies was besed on mate r ia l suppl ied by the Secre ta ryof the Rosicrucian Order (Amorcj a t San Jose, Uall i 'ornia .

The enc losed pamphle t indica tes the i r ap p rova l o f ou r de sc r i p t i on o f t h e i r o rga n i z a ti on , t he ba s i cfa c t s of which a re conta ined in the def i n i t ion appear ing ino u r d i c t i o n a r i e s .

Very truly yours,

Charles Earle Funk


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42 THE INITIATES

(4) This is not a correct statement. Such books and book

lets were not attacks, but the a n s w e r s t o a t t a c k s u p o n u s

m a d e b y M r. L e w i s a n d A. M. O. R. C. He whose character

is attacked and who fails to defend it is l a c k i n g i n c h a r -

a c t e r .

( 5 ) Mr. L e w i s m a d e an d p r in t e d t h i s s t a te m e n t so f re

q u e n t l y t h a t , l ik e th e f is h e r m a n a n d h i s s t o r y , h e u n d o u b t e d l y

h a s t r ie d t o m a k e h i m s e lf b e l ie v e i t. We h a v e a n s w e r e d th i s

f u lly in th e tw o vo lu m es , T h e R o s i c r u c i a n F r a t e r n i t y i n

A m e r i c a . We h e r e re p e a t , h o w e v e r, t h a t a t t h e t im e Mr. L e w i s

a n d A. M. O. R. C. s t a r t e d h i s l ib e l s u i t w e d i d n o t k n o w

G e o r g e L. S m i t h a n d we have never in any way been served

in such a suit. M o r e o v e r , t h o s e d e s i r in g i n f o r m a t i o n o f h o w

t h e d ec is io n r e s u lt e d , a n d t h e a m o u n t p a i d b y Mr. L e w is to t h e

s a i d G e o r g e L. S m i th , w i ll fi n d t h e f u ll s o r d i d d e t a i l s i n t h e

tw o v o lu m e s m e n t io n e d .

(6) An utterly false statement. It is here emphatically

stated that n o t a s i n g l e s e t o f t h e s e b o o k s w e r e m a i l e d

o r e x p r e s s e d t o a n y l i b r a r i a n o r a n y l i b r a r y u n l e s s w e

F I R S T R E C E IV E D A L E T T E R F R O M T H E L I B R A R I A N S T A T I N G T H A T

t h e s e b o o k s w e r e a c c e p t a b l e . Every such letter is on file.

It is not wholly true that these sets were shipped by express.

Within certain zones the sets were shipped by express because

the cost was less. In all other instances, to Canada, Mexico,

and all foreign countries, the books were mailed.

(7) It is freely admitted that the material is critical, but

there is not a single false or misleading statement in these

books unless it is a reproduction of something said or printed

by Mr. Lewis, A. M. O. R. C., or those engaged in fabricating

and advertising A. M. O. R. C. or the F. U. D. O. S. I.

(8) This is admittedly an important question. We do not

here have the space to answer it. Moreover, it has been com


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44 THE INITIATES

about them is an advertisement. We welcome investigation.

We suggest the study of the Lewis publications and comparing

their contents with our literature. We likewise welcome criticism

because this reveals weaknesses if present. We do not fear ac

cusations because this offers us an opportunity to reveal the

truth. Mr. Lewis and A. M. O. R. C. know full well their in

ability to defend the falsehoods published and circulated, there

fore they must destroy. Hitler was in a like position. He knew

full well that the books in the public libraries would reveal thefalsity of his position and teachings, therefore the destruction

of books on that 10th day of May, 1933.

( 1 2 ) I t w a s n o t w e w h o m a d e t h e u n f a i r a t t a c k . I t w a s M r .

L e w i s in h i s b o o k l e t , H e a r t h e O t h e r S i d e . T h a t w h i c h he

c a lls a n u n f a ir a t t a c k was the answer. A l l o f v o l u m e t w o is

d e v o t e d t o t h e r e p r o d u c t i o n o f h i s H e a r t h e O t h e r S i d e . C o u l d

w e h a v e re p r o d u c e d th e s e i n t h e b o o k had they not previously

been published and circulated? W e a n s w e r e d t h e s e a c c u s a ti o n s

a n d a t t a c k s w i th d o c u m e n ts f ro m E u r o p e d a t in g b a c k t o y e a r s

b e fo re M r . L e w is w a s b o r n . W e u s e d th e d o c u m e n t s a s p ro o f

o f th e a c tu a l t r u t h r e l a ti v e to t h e a u g u s t F r a t e r n i ty a n d i t s

f o u n d a t i o n a n d p h i l o s o p h y . We did not attack. W e a n s w e re d

h i s a t ta c k . H a d T h e R o s i c r u c i a n F r a t e r n i t y i n A m e r i c a

b e e n p u b l is h e d f i rs t a n d h i s H e a r t h e O t h e r S i d e t h e r e a f t e r ,

th e n h e m i g h t a c c u s e u s o f th e a t t a c k , b u t H e a r t h e O t h e r

S i d e w a s n o t o n l y p u b l is h e d f ir s t, b u t p la c e d in e v e r y p u b l i c

l i b r a r y w i llin g t o a c c e p t i t, a n d i n a d d i t i o n t o t h i s , i t w a s w i d e l y

c ir cu la te d b y h i s h e n c h m e n a n d t h e m e m b e r s o f A. M. O . R. C .

(13) In many instances this was true. What these members

were requested to do and what they did will be shown in the

reproduction of a letter of instructions issued by A. M. O. R. C.

On March 10, 1938, we received a letter from the librarian


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46 THE INITIATES

You ask: What is back of this lette r? Simply this:

Mr. Lewis does not wish the information contained in

these books to become public.

We feel that you should be fully informed and, having

a copy of the said letter before us we will answer it in

detail, but first of all let us call your attention to this

fact:

You will no doubt find on the shelves of your library

a copy of R o s i c r u c i a n Q u e s t i o n s a n d A n s w e r s by Mr.Lewis." If you will read this book you will find that it

is mostly a diatribe against myself and Dr. Randolph, who

founded the authentic Rose Cross in 1856. We did not

ask you to refuse this book because this is America and

we feel that people should be permitted to know both

sides. Moreover, tru th must ultimately prevail.

A s f a r b a c k a s M a r c h 11, 1936, M r . L e w is f e a re d w e

m i g h t p u b l is h t h e f a c t s a n d w a r n e d l ib r a r i a n s a g a i n s t u s .S e e p a g e 21, V o lu m e tw o , T h e R o s i c r u c i a n F r a t e r n i t y

i n A m e r ic a . I t is u t t e r ly f a ls e t o sa y t h a t a t t h a t t im e ,

o r p r i o r th e r e to , w e p l a c e d a n y l it e r a t u r e , o r e v e n a t

t e m p t e d to p la c e a n y l i t e r a tu r e , i n t o l ib r a r i e s t h e

r e co r d s o f y o u r l ib r a r y w il l p r o b a b l y s u b s t a n t i a t e t h is

s ta t e m e n t . H e s im p l y v o i c ed h i s o w n f e a r s a n d in t h i s

u n e t h ic a l m a n n e r s o u g h t to i n f lu e n c e l ib r a r i a n s . P a r a

g r a p h tw o o f t h e l e t t e r : 10 T h e s e b o o k s are h i s t o r i c a l ;

t h e y g iv e a n a l m o s t c o m p l e te h i s to r y , b a s e d o n p u b l is h e d

w o rk s a n d d o c u m e n t s o f t h e A u t h e n t ic O r d e r . T h e y a ls o

g iv e th e h i s to r y o f t h e L e w is o r g a n i z a ti o n b a s e d o n t h e i r

. . A s previous ly s ta ted , ins tead of h id ing fa l sehoods publ ished , we ca ll

the light of day so th at the y m ay be refuted. W e did n o t

so i i i ( i.raran . t destroy tha t who l ly untru thfu l and m alicious book ,l .others m ight no t see i t , bu t requested him to read i t so th at the

](jac t s might be revealed and the t ru th m ade know n.

Reproduct ion of the A. M. 0. R. C. let ter dated February 12, 1938.


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AND THE PEOPLE 47

o w n p u b l i s h e d w o r k s . Moreover, they contain repro

ductions of documents obtained from the European or

ganizations; documents extremely rare and to be had

only through these organizations in Europe. Besides this,

they give the entire philosophical basis upon which the

original Fraternity was founded.

Paragraph three of the letter: I t is true that the Rosi

crucian Fraternity was founded several centuries ago but

th at was the authentic body. The A. M. O. R. C. was organized no earlier than 1916. To prove this we refer you to

pages beginning 198 of volume one and 648 of volume

two.11 You will find th at he (Mr. Lewis) tells one hun

dred and one different stories of the founding of his or

ganization. Please remember these stories are w o r d f o r

w o r d from his own publications.

W hat is the reason for this? The authentic organization

was founded in America as a separate body in 1856. By

1915 more than 500,000 books had been published and

sold and the Fraternity was well known. Mr. Lewis, then

in New Thought, saw his opportunity to establish a new

organization, illegally taking the name of an organization

already in existence. Ever since then he has been forced

to justify himself for this unethical, and in many states,

as in Pennsylvania, unlawful acts. His present effort is

to prevent these facts from becoming known.

Paragraph four of the letter: Here he indicates libel.If there is libel, then he himselj is the guilty one since

every word relative to himself and his organization is based

on his own published statements as made in Court when

defending himself in various actions. The proofs that

most of his statements are false are based on documents

11Also see T ho r K iima lehtos letter to the writer.


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AND THE PEOPLE 49

such a suit because it would quickly prove the falsity ofhis own claims.

Paragraph six of the letter: This is utterly false. At the

time Mr. Lewis wrote the letter, not a single library had

rejected these books. Since his letter, one, just one, library

has done so. On the other hand, we are receiving so many

requests from libraries since he mailed the letter that 500

more sets are at this time being bound for distribution to

libraries.Paragraph seven of the letter: Mr. Lewis failed to state

that he tried, with the help of the best legal talent pro

curable, to prevent us from filing and protecting the au

thentic body in this State, while at the same time trying to

get protection for his own. He failed miserably. Our Or

ganizations applications were filed and legalized, whereas

his applications were rejected. Seepages 191, 192, 193 and

194 of volume one, T h e R o s i c r u c i a n F r a t e r n i t y i n

A m e r i c a .

We regret taking so much of your time but we feel that

we should give you the facts of the matter.

Sincerely yours,

The Rosicrucian Foundation,

By R. S w i n b u r n e C l y m e r .

After receiving the aforesaid letter from the librarian in

Michigan, on June 18, 1940, we also received a letter from

one of the Trustees of a library in New Hampshire. This we

reproduce, only deleting the name and town, for reasons previ

ously stated. Immediately following the reproduction, we re

print our answer.


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so THE INITIATES

June 18, 1940.

Dr. R. S. Clymer,Quakertown, Pa.

Dear S i r :

I am one of the board of t r u s te es of th e Lacon iaP ub l i c L ib r a r y a nd a sho r t t im e a go the l i b r a r y r e c e ive dfrom you two n ice ly bound volumes r e la t in g t o th e Ro sJjK'ucianF r a t e r n i ty in Am e r ic a. Not l ong a f t e r t h e r e c e ip t^ ^ r f t h e seb o o k 3 o n e o f t h e t r u s t e e s o f t h e l i b r a r y r e c e i v p a a l o n gle t t e r f rom San Jose , Ca l . s l g 1.ed by th e RosleTucian Orjiey-^

AMORC, Ce cil A. Po ole , Supreme Sec r e t ar y . i>ur board a ra t h e r se r iou s m at te r ; th a t twcf volumes of yourbook-^iad been shipped by expressf t o t he La c on ia P ub l i c L ib r a r yf o r geft fcr ^l r e f e r e n c e , an d p o s s ib l y g e n e r a l c i r c u l a t i o n . 3The w r i t e r > t a t e d t h a t 3 a id book s a r e n e it h e r h i s t o r i c a l r e c o r d , / e d u c a t io n a l, i n s t r u c t i v e o r o f v a lu e t o t h e r e s e a r c h w o r k e r , ^ 3t he y c on s is t e d so l e l j' - ' o f ;a n a t t a c k upon the R o s ic r u c ia n Order ^vin America and in Europe?}. The w ri t er re qu ested th at th eLaconia Pu bl ic Libr a ry r e jec t your books and n ot a l low themto be amoiig th e volumes of th e l i b r a r y .

< Among o the r t h ings t h i s l e t t e r s t a t e s t h a t you ha ve beensued f o r i lB e TXby th e C a l i f o r n ia o r de r and a de c i s ion r e nde r e dby i t s Supreme Cour t aga in s t you; t h a t you have been pr oh ib i t e d S from u sin g th e U. S. m alls in car ry in g on your campaign/rfrnff' 't h a t t h e r e f o r e you a r e sh ipp ing the books by Exp r e s s . ^ Thele t t e r a l so c laim s tha t eve ry one of the f a lse ch arges whTcEyou make in th ese books have been reviewed by th e fol low in gdepar tmen ts of s t a t e and coun ty: The U. S . Post O ff iceDepartment ; th e Depar tment of Ju s t ic e ; th e In te rn a l RevenueDepar tment , th e Feder a l Trade Commission , the Fed er a l C o u r t ^o f C a l i f o r n i a an d v a r i o u s S u p e r i o r C o u r t s o f C a l i f o r n l a j ^ - - ^ / th at in every case th e dep artm en ts of th e Government ,y^Snd Ipresume i t i s c la im ed the cou r t s , - ilgve g iven de c is io n s aga in s tyou. yv" --------

Of course a gen era l sta tem ent l ik e t h is does not amount tovery much and some t ime ago I wrote to C al ifo r n ia to th e SupremeSecre ta r y o f the AMORC fo r sp e c i f ic da t a as to t h ese cou r t andf e d e r a l c a s e s 3 0 th a t I cou ld, from the C le rks o f th e p roperC ou r t s , and the p r ope r o f f i c i a l o f t he Gover nm en t de pa r tm e n t s ,v e r i f y t h e se s t at e m e n t s , J a i t a s y e t I h a ve n ot r e c e i v e d ar e p ly t o my l e t t e r . ^


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AND THE PEOPLE 51

'v r . 3 . c . #2.+/-> +v>p 1*68.1 r s& so n

B r i e f l y , w i l l / o u k i n d l y I n f o r m me a n d t h eu n d e r l y i n g t h i s a n a r e n t l o n g c o n t e s t b e . t g j h aveC a l i f o r n i a o r d e r , (tand a l s o w h e t h e r t h e a , n g t y0u in sor e f e r r e d t o r e g a r d i n g d e c i s i o n s r en d e r e d 0many c o u r t an d f e d e r a l c a s e s i s t r u e -

A r e t h e r e e n t i r e l y d i s t i n c t an d s e p a r a t e r g ^ nQge(j t 0o f t h e AMORC i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s , o r a r e t h yt ie u n d e r o n e s u p r e m e h e a d ? . ,

Y o ur s t r u l y ,

OUR REPLY

September 3, 1940

Dear Mr. . .

I sincerely regret that your most kind letter of the eight

eenth of June has so long remained unanswered. When

your letter reached me we were in the midst of the fourth

session of the weekly Convocations held at Headquarterseach year during the months of May, June and July. Im

mediately after the meetings closed here, a Convocation,

scheduled the previous March, was held in Newark, New

Jersey, and following this, a preliminary meeting of the

International Confederation of Initiatory Fraternities was

held in Montreal, Quebec. In addition to this, personal

correspondence had to have prompt attention and certain

hours given to my practice as a Specialist in Endocrinology.

Now, however, I will set aside all my other duties and an

swer you as fully as I possibly can.

(1) I regret, of course, that you did not send me a copy

of the letter received by you from Cecil A. Poole, Supreme

Secretary of A. M. O. R. C., San Jose, California. How

ever, I have a fair idea of its contents, as numerous libra

rians have either mailed us copies, or the original letters


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THE INITIATES

received by them and all of these are, I presume, similar in

content, if not actually alike.

(2) Mr. Poole lays considerable stress, as did H. Spen

cer and Ralph Lewis before him, on the fact that the sets

ofT h e R o s ic r u c i a n F r a t e r n i t y i n A m e r i c a are shipped

to libraries by express, and implies that this is done in

order to avoid suits for libel. All the statem ents that have

been made by these writers are wholly and deliberately

misleading. These are the actual facts readily verified.

When we first started to supply these books to libraries

throughout the world, the present exceedingly low postal

rates covering books were not in effect, and beyond a cer

tain zone it was much cheaper to send books by express.

Due entirely to this fact, books were shipped by mail to all

points within the first four zones, to Canada and points in

Europe, South and Central America; while beyond the first

four zones they were shipped by express. Since the reduction in rates on books, all sets, without exception, have

gone forward by mail. There is no exception to this rule

except when librarians request otherwise. There never was

a thought of avoiding libel suits. We should have wel

comed these because they would have permitted us to place

before the Courts all of the original records in our

possession.

(3) The writers have made it a point to state that

these books are neither historical records, educational, instructive or of value to research workers. What are the

facts?

To offer but a few pertinent illustrations, we refer you

to page 31, volume one, where you will find a report of the

first World Council of the Rosy Cross in America, held in

the year 1774. Those wholly ignorant of the true facts

made the statement that no such Council existed and that


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AND THE PEOPLES3

the report was a figment of the imagination; that A. M. O.

R. C. held the first actual authority, and, as claimed by

them , this work sta rted in 1909. They are wholly un

aware that George Lippard, who first published the repoit

of the Council, reorganized the Council in 1844 and that the

degree of the Rosy Cross has been conferred yearly, with

out intermission, up to the present day and was so con

ferred in May of this year, at a meeting I personally

attended.

Next refer to page 225, volume one, and beginning with

that page you will find a verbatim reprint of the first Rosi

crucian Manifesto issued in America. This is exceedingly

valuable, because it appeared in the first edition of the book

Ravale tte, by Paschal Beverly Randolph, the First Supreme

Grand M aster of the Fraternity. The book was first pub

lished in 1871 and is now exceedingly rare. I'or this leason

alone, these books are historical and of value to reseat chworkers.

Next, refer to pages 225 to 266, volume one. You will

here find a dastardly attempt to wrest from us rights and

privileges we had long established and which were nevei

before questioned.

As already indicated, the Rose Cross became active in

America prior to 1774. I t held its first Great Council in

Philadelphia in 1774. In 1844 the Supreme Council was

reconstituted and the ritual of the Rose Cross degree fullyexemplified. This has been continued ever since. In 1856 the

Order itself was foundedthe Council must always exist

before the Order may be instituted. In 1904 American

headquarters were moved to Pennsylvania. During all of

those years it was the only organization using the name

Rose Cross or Rosicrucians in any of its variations. Dur

ing these many years many books were published by the


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THE INITIATES

Fraternity, so that the names Rose Cross or Rosicrucianwere familiar to all Occult students. In 1915, under pre

tense of having received a Charter from Toulouse, France

proven utterly false by us when we made a special trip to

Europe, including FranceH. Spencer Lewis organized a

spurious body and called it A. M. O. R. C.

Time after time he tried to ignore both our existence

and authority by referring to us as the little order of the

farm. However, the question was not settled and became

so persistent that in 1934 he attempted to prevent us from

registering several Rosicrucian appellations in Pennsyl

vania as required by our State laws, and attempted to reg

ister his own instead by making the claim that A. M. O.

R. C. was the legitimate Order while we were spurious.

He employed the best legal talent to be obtained and dur

ing many hearings promised to appear or to send his

charters. He never did either and in January , 1935,

registration of all his names was refused, while all of ournames were hied by the Department.

Read especially pages 251 to 267 inclusive, volume one.

It was, as we stated, a dastardly attempt to wrest from us

tha t which was rightly ours and use it for himself. He

jailed utterly and for this reason he does not want, cannot

afford, to have these books, which do give history, in the

public libraries of the nation.

(4) These books are historical for two reasons: 1. They

give, verbatim, practically all of the Manifestoes issued by

ourThe Randolph Foundation of the Rose Crossmany

of which could not be procured irrespective of the sum

one might be willing to pay for them. 2. They include

all, in so far as we can learn, of the official publications

issued by A. M. O. R. C., and as these are most decidedly

contradictory, it is questionable whether the most per


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AND THE PEOPLE SS

sistent investigator could find all of these publications.

These books are therefore invaluable to the research

worker and should be in the library of every man inter

ested in the subject.

(5) I t is utterly untrue tha t these books are an attack

on the Rosicrucian Order in Europe and America. A study

will prove to anyone undertaking it that, in each instance,

I personally was first attacked by H. Spencer Lewis and

the material in the books is the answer. In many instancesit was necessary for us to call upon the legitimate Oideis

of Europe, many of them centuries old, for original docu

ments to refute the charges made. In some instances we

personally contacted these Orders and had interviews with

their Grand Masters. In not a single instance was such

assistance refused us. We did not attack any Order eithei

in Europe or America. We answered Mr. Lewis after he

attacked, defamed and tried to defraud us by attempting

to have our rights denied us.(6) We have never, to the best of our knowledge, been

sued for libel. We say advisedly to the best of 0111

knowledge, because we have never been cited, served 01

notified that any libel suit against us had been staited or

was then pending. I t is true tha t a suit for libel was

started against former members of A. M. O. R. C., but

when the case went to trial all names but one were

dropped from the indictment.

(7) I t is wholly untrue that we have been prohibitedfrom using the United States mails in carrying on our

campaign and are therefore shipping the books by ex

press. We have been doing business from our present ad

dress since early in 1908, or more than thirty years, and

there never has been any interference whatever with our


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THE INITIATES

mails. This is true not only in so far as these two volumes

are concerned, but in every other respect.

(8) The demand for these volumes by libraries in

America and other countries has increased within the last

year and all sets are mailed unless otherwise requested.

The Post Office Department has never in any way inter

fered nor has it suggested that we do not so forward them.

(9) We have absolutely no knowledge tha t the D epart

ment of Justice, the Internal Revenue Department, the

Federal Trade Commission or that any Court has either

investigated our work or rendered a decision against us.

It would appear to us that if any such investigations had

taken place we would know of it and if a decision had

been rendered against us our mails would have been in

terfered with. Surely, were this true, then the Postmaster

at the point where we do business would know of it and

any investigator could quickly learn the truth of thematter.

(10) No Court, in so far as we know, has ever ren

dered a decision against us. Had there been such a de

cision, surely our business would have been interfered

with in one way or another.

(11) The contest has been more or less one-sided.

Whenever we were approached for information as to the

legitimacy of A. M. 0. R. C., we have made the frank

statement that the organization is without legitimate

authority, therefore clandestine; that a legitimate organi

zation has long existed, issued many texts within a period

of one hundred years, become well known to students and

tha t H. Spencer Lewis traded on this fact. We have not at

any time attacked Mr. Lewis; all we have done is to an

swer the attacks made against us. A study of the books

will readily verify this.


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AND THE PEOPLE 57

(12) As already stated, there has been no interference

by any court, whether Federal or otherwise, with our busi

ness during the thirty-six years of continued activity.

(13) The Fraternity of Rosicrucians, Order of the

Rose Cross, has existed in America since 1774. No offi

cial belonging to it has ever been connected with A. M. O.

R. C. A. M. O. R. C. is an entirely separate organization

and, we claim, has no legitimate existence but trades onthe name long established by the authentic Brotherhood.

This Fraternity has no connection whatever with the

Masonic Fraternity though its ancient landmarks are in

many respects the same, as, for instance, it may not ad

vertise, nor may its members wear insignias or garb indi

cating membership. It is a thoroughly ethical body, is

philosophical, religious and fraternal.

I trust I have answered all of your questions and I

would be both happy and willing to answer any furtherquestions you may wish to ask.

Thanking you for your patience,

Sincerely yours,

R. S w i n b u r n e C l y m e r .

Supreme Grand Master


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T h e C o n s p i r a c y t o D e s t r o y

B o o k s i n P u b l i c L i b r a r i e s

Worthy Followers of the Iiitler Method

On or about March 2, 1938, a member of A. M. O.( R' C. who had also been a Commissioner of or for

A. M. O. R. C. received a communication which

first made him gasp and then begin an investigation

which ended by his severing all connections with the group.

This communication we herewith reproduce. It is a glaring

example of things that happen, not in Germany, Japan or Italy,

but right here in free America.

COMMENTS

The fact that this communication was multigraphed is a fair

indication of the copies mailed and the number of Commis

sioners instructed to deliberately, unjustly, and with destruc

tive intent, remove books from public libraries. In so far as we

can learn, n

Documents

The Confederation or Fraternity of Initiates (1941)