The right to the exclusive use of Rosicrucian names.pdf

7/27/2019 The right to the exclusive use of Rosicrucian names.pdf

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The right to the exclusive use

of

ROSICRUCIAN NAMESDe term ined in fa vo r of

T h e . R a n d o l p h F o u n d a t i o n o f

A U T H E N T I C O R D E R I N A M E R I C A

All claims an dpro tes ts of

H . S P E N C E R L E W I S

and a. m. o. r. c. overruled

The first legal determination in America of the

exclusive right to use all Rosicrucian

names, titles, terms, designa-tions and appellations

Of interest to all Rosicruciansy seekers of Rose Cross wisdomy

students o f the occult and honest men who believe in honorableand upright dealing between men and organizations of men


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' i - x c l i i s k ' : V fc

R O S I G R I G 1A N N A \ I E S

legally determined fo r lJu fir t time in hr dca

in a proceedint \ Pevn sylvcru.

before thJSecretary of the

C/m mo nzveahli

TL

I'hc Randolph FoutuUftion of-'tln A utiieutie O rdi rV j tin* < v.'n>

Am ; rica filed its auplic.ition" with the S.. i! r!' : w

Pennsylvania u^der the law for the re. isi ration ot^\- . < ! :V .

jfA Fabr icator of the spurious A. M O. ! . C., e l /

the righ t to use all such Ro sie rue ian names and pro-

tested against the gramim cof nidapj iicatior. .

V

Af t e r h ea r ings ex t end ing a l tno . .; a

y ea r, th e a p p li c a ti o n s o f th e

Rando lph Founda t ion we re

granted and the claims and

protests o f M r . L e w i s

and his A . AL O .R .C .

w e r e o v e r r u l e d .

7

// \

Published h\

The Rosicrucian FoundationREOISTEREO)

Q u a k e r t o w n , P e n v s y i a a n i a

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W

v


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The exclusive right to use

Ro s i c r u c i a n N a m e s

legally determined for the first time in America

in a proceedinfg t\ Pennsylvania

before thy Secretary of the

Clmmonweahli

Th e Ra nd olp h F o u n y ti o n o f the Au th en tic O rd e rV f the Ro sy Cro ss in

Am erica filed its applications with the Secretary of th


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N o t C o p y r i g h t e d

A ll or any part may be republished

without permission . Only the cour-

tesy of giving due credit is requested.

Art work and design for Frontispiece

by Eugenie Victor Baronne Fegue de

Lauren berg and protected by United

States and International Copyrights.


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FRATERNITAS ROSAE CRUC1S

Order and Brotherhood

t\0 T I C E

This Monog raph is autho rized and issued by the

R o s i c r u c i a n F o u n d a t i o n , f ounded fo r the

p u r p o s e o f t h e s t u d y a nd d i s s e m i n a t i o n o f

Rosicrucian History , Phi losophy, Exoter ic and

Esoteric Teachings and Sources of Authority .

This Founda tion w as registered as such and for said

purposes O cto ber 29, 1934, and Janu ary 16, 1935.

HOUSE OF S . ' .S . ' .

R . \ C . \

Th e Insignia of the Found ation w as filed in the

United States Pate nt Office, M a y 11, 1934, by

the Ros icru cian Fou nda tion for its protection

and to avoid infringement of name and insignia

and there Registered, August 28, 1934.


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Th e G R A N D F R A T E R N I T Y T h e T r i p l e O r d e r

Fraterni tat is Rosae Crucis (Or ig in al )

Fraternity, Order, Brotherhood and Temple of Rosicrucians (M od ern )

First Order, Temple or DegreeT h e Ro sic rucia n Fr at er ni ty (R eg is te re d )

Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis (Registered)

T h e Ro sic rucia n O rd er (R eg is te re d)

T h e Ro sic ru cia n Brothe rhoo d (R eg is te re d )

T em p le o f the Ro sy Cross (R eg is te re d )

Th e Brothe rhoo d o f the Rosy Cro ss (R eg is te re d )

T h e O rd e r of the Rose Cro ss (R eg is te re d)

T h e Golde n and Ro sy Cross

T h e Ros e Cros s

T h e Ros icru cians

Second Order, Temple or DegreeT h e T em p le of Eu lis (R eg is te re d )

T h e O rd er of Eu lis (R eg is te re d )

v The Brotherhood of Eulis (Registered)

T h e Im pe ria l O rd er

Imperial Eulis

T h e H ie ra rc hy o f Eu lis

Third Order, Temple or DegreeT h e /Eth Pri es thoo d (R eg is te re d )

T h e Pri es th oo d of /EthT h e Br oth erh oo d of /Eth

T h e O rd er o f /Eth

T h e Fr at er ni ty o f /Eth

Subordinate, Auxiliary, Ritualistic, PreparatoryOrders or Degrees

M ilitia C rucifera Evangelica ( Registered)

T h e O rd er of the M a g i Co un cil o f the M a g i (R eg is te re d )

T h e Ill um in ati Tem pl e, O rd er and Churc h (R eg is te re d )

T h e Osir ians Sons of Isis and Os iris (R eg is te re d )

Knights of C h i v a l r y Order of the Holy Grai l (Reg is tered )

T h e Fr at ern it y o f Os irisKnights of the Rose and Cross

Illuminatae Americanae

Priests and Princes of Melchizedek

Esoteric OrganizationAmerican Organization Regis tered

T H E C O N F E D E R A T I O N O F IN I TI A T ES

International Section International Copyright Registration

L A F E D E R A T I O N U N I V E R S E L L E D E S

O R D R E S , S O C I E T E S E T F R A T E R

N I T E S D E S I N I T I E S

T h e Con fede ra tio n o f In iti at es is the Supreme Co un cil and Source o f A u

thority of the Grand Fraternity, Tr iple Ord er and all other Rosicrucianbodies, established in Am eric a since 1773, inclu ding the variou s

grades and degrees of the M iliti a Cru cifera Evangelica, M agi,

Eulis, /Eth Priesthood, Osirians, Rose Cross and Rosi

crucians, Illuminati and other associations and so

cieties of like nature.

T H E S E C R E T S C H O O L S ( R egistered )

1he Set iet Schools aie the Grand Sanctuary and Repository of the Ancient

Philosophy, Greater Mysteries and Rituals authorized by and exempli

fied by the Allied Fraternities, the Triple Order and Grand

fraternity in their various grades and degrees.

T H E R O S IC R U C IA N F O U N D A T I O N( Regis te red )

The Ro sic ruc ian Fo un da tio n wa s foun ded fo r the purp ose of the stu dy and

dissemination of Rosicrucian history, philosophy, exoteric and

esoteric teachings and sources of authority.

T H E C O U N C I L S O F T H R E E , S E V EN

A N D N I N E( I n ter nat ional Copy right )

T he Co un cil s of Th re e, Sev en and N in e have alw ay s been and con tin ue to

be the governing bodies of the various American and International

Lodges, Temples and Orders of the Grand Fraternity

and the Confederation of Initiates.


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F O R E W O R D

The recent receipt of many letters from students of various se

cret schools of the divine sciences, evidencing a deep interest in theoccult, the mystic and the higher aspect of the L A W , is, indeed, most

gratifying. These letter s show, unmistakably, an awakeni ng among

those interested in things spiritual. The y indicate a wholesome

disposition toward independent investigation to T R Y to te st all

thingsto take nothing for granted and to know the truth. If all

those who are inter ested in the occult and mystic if all sincere

seekers for truth and those endeavoring to find the schools, orders,

organizations and societies that point the W A Y , that deal only with

pure whi te magic and guide their students or neophytes upwardalong the p a t h wo ul d onl y in vest ig at e si ncerel y an d in te ll i

gently investigate the unprete ntious claims of the true and con

trast them with the bold, seductive and fabulous claims of falseteachers and spurious organi zati ons if they would only learn the

simple basic distinctions between them-then, indeed, will thedeath knell have been finally sounded for those false teachers and

master s who have- beguiled and misled so many sincere but uninformed seekers of the ancient wisdom. The n the heyday of the

black magi ci an s an d the i r sp ur io us or de rs an d co un te rfe it societ ie s

will end.

Among the letters received, a large number are from sincereseekers of the truth who have been or who are now members of

A. M. O. R. C., raising questions bearing directly on the subjectmat ter covered by this and othe r companion booklets. Ther efo re,we deem this a fitting time and opportunity to answer the questions-

so raised.For the sake of brevity, these questions may be covered under

two general headings:

1. Wh y shoul d th ere be so much cont rove rsy as to who wTas

first or last in the realm of spiritual science and truth for which

the Rose Cross stands?

2. Are not all under the L A W and do we not all use the samelawr? Ther efor e, does it mat ter so much who teaches the law?

Yes, indeed, it does matter who teaches the law and hozv it is

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taught. The re are two opposite aspects of the law. The law may

be us ed for go od or fo r evil , an d in th e use an d intended use of the

law is the distinction between white and black magi c betweenreal schools of higher spiritual training and spurious organizations

using and teaching the lower aspects of the same law.The question is not who was the first to teach the spiritual sci

ences there are no first and no last in the Kingdom of Truth. The

real question is: Which teachers and which schools actually teach

the spiritual sciences and guide their students or neophytes along

the upwardpa th and narrow way toward the Higher Kingdom of

Truth, in accordance with the highest and noblest aspects of the

law, and which leaders and which organizations actually teach thebla ck ar t and gu id e th ei r fo l lo we rs or me mb pr s a lo ng the dow n

ward path and broad way to perdition and destruction, in accord

ance with the lowest and most ignoble aspects of the same law?

In short, the real question is: Which are true schools of pure whitemagic leading the way to life, and which are spurious, posing as

spiritual schools, but nevertheless teaching and practicing the foulblack ar ts lea di ng th e way to de st ru ct ion ?

Truly, this is a serious and fundamental question of profoundinterest to all masters, teachers and leaders, as well as all follow

ers, students and neophytes of all schools, orders and societies ofthe Gre at Whi te Bro ther hood. It is a call to all of these to bandand stand and fight together in a common cause for the protection

and in the interest of all uninformed yet sincere seekers of the

upwardpath and the narrow way to l ight lest th ey be al lu re d,begui led an d le d as tr ay an d di rec ted in the do wm wa rd pa th an d

taught the lower aspects of the law by pseudo-masters and designing teachers who seek them for mercenary reasons or for otherviie purposes as members of their dangerous and spurious organizations.

We need not fight for our own organizati ons. Being true, theyare secure against all the furies of hell and all powers of the black

magicians, but when we do fight in the name of and for the rights

of our own true school, order or society against spurious and clan

destine organizations, using its name and purporting to give its

teachings, we fight truly in the interests of and for the protection

of all sincere seekers of the upward pa th and narrow' way that

leadeth to the light and the wisdom.So must every school, order and society working under the sanc

tion of and in accordance with the teachings of the Great White

HA S E X C L U S I V E R I G H T T O U SE OF N A M E S

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RANDOLPH FOUNDATION THE AUTHEN TIC BODY

Brotherhood fight for i ts own rights and against the plagiarizing

of its name, literature and teachings by pseudo-masters and false

leaders of spurious schools, orde rs and societies. So, also, must all

f ight for the r ights and protection for al l other organizations un

der the guidance of the Elder Brothers of the Great White Brotherhood, to the end that no true seeker for the light may be misled

however uninformed and gullible or susceptible to alluring pleas,

siren calls and beguiling solicitations of pseudo-masters and fabri

cators of spurious organizations.Let no one misconstrue our statements or place the Rose Cross

in a false light. We have no quarr el with those who teach divine

science and the right aspect of the law, and it matters not in what

manner they teach or the method or training used, so long as they

po in t th e wa y to li fe. Th e y ar e of th e W h i te B ro th er ho od an d ar e

enti t led to our support and encouragement; veri ly, they have i t

without reservations or l imitat ions.Fundamentally we are not concerned as to who or which or

ganizat ions were first in the .field of Rosicrucianism, but we a re

greatly and essentially concerned in knowing that they are truly

Rosicrucian and came by way of the Rosy Cross. If those who

claim to propound the philosophy of the Order were qualified and

those who pretend to guide the neophytes into and through themysteries of the Rose Cross, and to teach its esoteric lessons, wer^

really capable of doing what they profess to do, then we would

have no quarrel with them.Our quarrel is with those who claim to be Rosicrucians when

they are not; who claim to expound the philosophy of the Frater-

nity wdien they do not understand or comprehend it; who pretendto guide and carry neophytes through Rosicrucian training to mas

tership who have never been enrolled as neophytes and are not

initiates; who know nothing of the sublime esoteric teachings of

the Order and who have no r ight or authori ty to teach or guide

others because they have not come by way of the Rosy Cross. I t

is against this that we protest vigorously protest : I t is also

against the improper use of the name of the Fraternity and thedeceptive use of Rosicrucian appellations that we fight, because

the august Fraterni ty is thus brought into disrepute and discredited,and thousands of honest seekers for the authentic Temple of theRosy Cross have been and will be deceived, betrayed and led astray.

The Rosy Cross is an institution teaching the higher aspects of

the law'. Its esoteric traini ng leads its neophytes alon g the upwa rd

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pa th of lo ve to li gh t and li fe. It s ph il os op hy ha s s too d the te st

of ages; it has been weighed in the balance of time and found not

wanting; it deals only with pure white magic and is a part of and

is under the protection and guidance of the Hierarchies of the great

White Brotherh ood. I ts neophytes enter under the most solemnobligation to which the soul can subscribe, which prescribes the

pr in ci pl es an d in cu lc at es th e do ct ri ne tha t on ly he, wh o th ro ug h

obedience to instructions, who has actually lived the life, who has

traveled the whole path and who has thereby gained the goal of

I l lumination or Init iat ion is worthy of leadership and is capable of teaching or leading others.

When its neophytes have become initiates, they know the lawand understand exoteric manifestat ions as well as i ts inner work

ings. Ther efor e, none of i ts ini t iates have ever violated or cast

aside their obligations and established or at tempted to establish a

schism, a separate activity or a clandestine body of the GrandFraternity.

Therefore, clandestine Rosicrucian Temples and spurious Rose

Cross Orders have never been established by Rosicrucians who

pos se ss the kn ow led ge to te ac h re al Ro si cr uc ia n phi lo sop hy an d

esotericism, but by simon pure impostors who cannot and who do

not teach Rosicrucian phi losophy or poi nt the wray to Rosicrucianillumination or initiation, who willfully deceive and grossly mis

lead their adherents both as to what they are and as to what they

teach. It is against this dang erou s practice and its far-r eachi ng

evil consequences that wre protes t. The se pret ender s and impo stor s

must be exposed. Ther efo re, it is our duty to continue the fight

until they are banished and are made incapable of deceiving andmisleading seekers on the way to the door into the Temple of theRosy Cross.

These same questioners ask, in substance: Will not truth itselfadjust the mat ter ? Will not the r ight organizatio n prevail andthe pretenders be el iminated by the law?

Undoubtedly, in time and ultimately all that is evil will be de

stroyed by the reaction of the law. Thi s w'e know because it is th e

law. But if man, being a free agent, were to depend entirely upon

the law and failed to make the effort to F R E E H I M S E L F from evil ,

then, to be logical, we should eliminate all human agencies which

have for their purpose the welfare and protection of mankind of

man, woman and child. We should destroy our courts of just ice,

our welfare boards, our organizations that feed and clothe the

H AS E X C L U S I V E R I G H T T O U S E O F N A M E S

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RANDOLPH FOUNDATION THE AUTHENTIC BODY

needy and hungry, our police force that protects the weak against

the vicious. In fact, we should destroy every man-made agency

now active in protecting the interests of those N O T Y E T C A P A B L E

O F L O O K I N G A F T E R T H E I R O W N I N T E R E S T S A N D N E E D S . We should

merely fold our hands and say: Under the law, truth and justicewill prevail . So it will, but what will happen in the meantime to

the many deceived and led astray by false prophets and vicious

and unscrupulous pr etender s?While no man may tell another Here is truth" or There is

truth, yet every man should be assured that he is receiving that

whicl} bears the label of the thing he seeks and believes he is re

ceiving. We are not fighting pret ender s so much because of the

things they teach, but because they mislabel their wares with hon

ored names and thereby mislead and defraud thousands of trusting

men and women.

Perhaps, as suggested by some and urged by others, it wouldbe by fa r th e easi es t an d mo st pl ea san t pr oc ed ur e to st an d id ly by

and let the divine law take its course. Howev er, since I am the

Supreme Grand Master of the august Fraternity and its chiefspokesman, I cannot cast aside my responsibility under any pre

tense whatever . I am duly bound to protec t it and all those whomay seek it or desire to enter into its temple against the deception

of all impostors who have plagiarized its holy name and thosepr ete nd er s wh o fa ls ely cl aim to te ac h its doct ri nes. There fo re , wemust We will continue the fight by all honorable and effective

means against all pretenders and especially against the arch impos

tor of them all IT Spencer Lewis, the fabrica tor of the spuri

ous A. M. O. R. C, using withou t right or author ity the name andappellations of the authentic Fraternity, until he shall haul down

his false colors and stand before the world for what he really is,

without deception and false pretense.We have no malice, we hold no personal grudge against him,

notwithstanding his numerous vicious, unjustified personal attacks

upon us. We do not atta ck him personally even if our vigorous

attacks may seem to be personal. We ar e fighting his shameful

methods, his false pretensions and the infamous things for which

he stands. We are fighting for principle for right for justice

and for honorable dealings and fair play among men. We are

not fighting men, but the evil that men do.

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I N T R O D U C T O R Y

T h e work of Rosicruciae in all its phases, whether it be the Or

der, I emple, Bro therhood or Fra ternity , is more concerned with

the spiritual kingdom and its laws as they affect man than withmundane and temporal affairs, though it has in mind and as its

object the betterment and advancement of man in every depart

ment of his nature physical, mental and spiritual more especially the soul.

I his being so, its work has alwa ys been secret, havi ng in mind

the several admonitions of the great Master: Let not thy left

hand know what thy right doeth, and again: When ye pray

enter into thy secret closet and close the door, etc., comprehend

ing that it is not to the best interest of man or the work itself that

good works and spiritual services should be advertised, to be seen

or praised of men, and that the services themselves will bring theirown reward.*

For three hundred years this ancient landmark of the GrandFraternity has been adhered to, and it has been rare and seldomthat a living man was known as a Rosicrucian or as having any

connection with the Order. Only its member s knew where a T em

ple was si tu at ed or a Lo dg e he ld it s meet in gs , an d th es e me mb er s,bein g Ros ic ru ci an s, di d no t ta lk , no r did th ey seek th e ap pl au se of

men because of their connection with an ancient fraternal andspiritual institution.

The n there came a change. We enter ed the ultra-business age,the age of exploitation; an age in which there is nothing too sacred

to be exploited, whether it be the virtue of woman, the bodies ofmen or even the Kingdom of Heaven, so long as any of these

could be made to yield a profit in the current coin of the realm.

The Rose Cross, always shrouded in mystery, of which littlewas generally known except the mere fragments of more or less

reliable information which appeared in books dealing with thesubject in a self-selfish age, aroused the avarice of those who sought

only to better themselves materially and who had no conception of* See First W or ld Pa r l iament o f the Rosy Cross and Consecrat ion of Washington

as the Deliverer.

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RANDOLPH FO UNDATION THE AUTHEN TIC BODY

things spiritual. It was, therefore , pounced upon by pseud o

occultists and charlatans as a fertile field for profit, and within a

few years we have seen the organization of numerous activities

calling themselves by various Rosicrucian appellations, all of them

self-organized, without legitimate authority, and all catering tothe most selfish instincts in man, instead of to the deepest and most

spir i tual emotions of the soul the true spir i t of the authentic

Fraternity.During the last few years promoters of various types have or

ganized spurious bodies representing them to be genuine bodies of

highly reputed, established Societ ies, Orders, Brotherhoods, Fra

ternities and Associations, plagiarizing and using their names, or

names so similar, as to give them the appearance of being genuine.

Therefore, to protect the public against such deception and fraud,

the legislatures of many of the states have passed laws for the reg

istration of names, titles and appellations of genuine and authenticbod ie s. T h e Co mmo nwea lt h of Pe nn sy lv an ia ha s suc h a st at ut e

for the preservation of the r ights of authentic bodies and the pro

tection of the public against such frauds.In the momentous year of 1773 the first great Council of the

Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross in the new world was convened in

the City of Broth erly Love. It is not our purpose to deal withthis meeting of the Council or its history or activities, which have

bee n given co ns id er at io n in anot her of ou r pu bl ic at io ns .* T h e fa ct

is here noted only to show the existence and continuation of the

Council of the authentic Order in America since said time.While the Council has been in continuous existence since said

t ime, the f irst Supreme Grand Lodge, Temple or Order of theBrotherhood or Frat ernit y was not established and did not functionas such until about the year 1856-58,1 when it was established by

Dr. P. B. Randolph after he had returned from Germany and

France, where he received his final initiation and had been ordained

Supreme Grand Mas te r o f the Supreme Mothe r Lodge .

The first American Supreme Grand Body continued to function

under Dr. P. B. Randolph until he was regularly succeeded by

Freeman B. Dowd as the second Grand Master in the year 1875.

In 1882 Grand Master Dowd, upon the solici tat ion and with the

* Th e Rosicrucians on the Wissahickon a monograph.

f Th e date is give n as 1856-58. Wh ile the formation of the Americ an SupremeGr and L odg e was commenced in 1856, it was not complet ed until 1858. Due to this

the dates have been variously given as 1856-57-58.

18

aid of the Supreme Council , established a Supreme Grand Temple

of the Rosy Cross in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the Su

pr eme Cou nci l o f th e O r d e r fi rst fu nc ti on ed an d in whi ch s ta te th e

Supreme Grand Lodge and Council have continued to function

since the year 1882.The Supreme Grand Lodge of al l Rosicrucian bodies in America

and the isles of the sea is still located in the State of Pennsylvania.

It is the direct and lineal descendant of the first supreme grand

bo dy es ta bl is he d in 1856 -5 8 an d is th e sup re me au thor i ty of th eauthentic and legit imate Order in America.

Notwi ths tandi ng t ha t th e au th en ti c Or de r, Tem ple , B ro th e r

hood and Fraternity of the Rose Cross has been continuously func

tioning in America through i ts Grand Councils or Lodges or both

since the year 1773,* and its various names, -titles and designa

tions have been long and firmly established and pre-empted by

pri or use, yet , ne ve rt he le ss , be gi nn in g less th an a qu ar te r o f a ce ntury ago, and since then, spurious and clandestine Rosicrucian bod

ies, self-organized and without authority, have appeared, using

various Rosicrucian terminology and appellat ions. One in pa r

ticular , the Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (A. M. O.

R. C.), of which we will treat herein, which in its beginning in 1915

took notice of the authentic Order and i ts names and various desig

nations and apparently endeavored to f ind a name for i tself that

wou Id gi ve it the appea rance of being Rosic rucian with out technically violat ing our r ights. How ever , of recent years i t has grown

bo ld er an d ha s a tt em pt ed, wi th ou t succ ess , to appr opr ia te un to it self all things Rosicrucian.

Because of the aggressive activities of said spurious and clandestine Rosicrucian organization, the Supreme Council of Threedeemed it wise to act contrary to the ancient landmarks of the

Fraternity and to take legal action under the laws of Pennsylvania,

to publicly register its name as translated into English with the

Secretary of the Commonwealth, to protect i ts interests and the

uninformed seekers of Rosicrucian wisdom and the authentic Ord eragainst the deception and fr aud of the spurious body the A. M.

O. R. C. Accordingly, at the suggestion and on the advice of the

* T o avoid futu re confusion, it should be clearly understood that while a Supreme

Council, with all the powers of a Supreme Grand Lodge, has functioned in America

since 1773, the first Supreme Grand Lodge was not established until 1856-58, the

Supreme Grand Council at that time fusing with and b ecoming a part of the Supreme

Grand Lodge.

HAS E X C L U S I V E R I G H T T O U SE OF N A M E S

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12/47


Council on May 16, 1927, we registered the names or titles: F r a -

ternity of the Rosicrucians Ord er of the Rose Cross. As a mat

ter of fact and in law the registration of these names long estab

lished by pr io r use included the exclusive right to use all synony

mous terms, descriptive titles and Rosicrucian appellations. Ho w

ever, notwithstanding such registration and the exclusive right touse all such names acquired by long, continuous prior use, our legal

counsel advised that it would be best and perhaps wise for the

further and better protection of all in terested but uninformed seek

ers of authentic Rosicrucianism and the authentic Fraternity to

register specific and various Rose Cross names, titles and designa

tions,-in which advice the Supreme Council concurred. Ther efo re,

in the early part of the year 1934 we filed applications for the

registration of several different variations of and synonymous terms

of the name of the authentic Fraternity, including its original name

in Latin.

As soon as these applications were filed H. Spencer Lewis, theBaron Munchausen of the Occult, employed legal counsel, among

the best in Pennsylvania, to file protest in the name of and on be

half of his spurious organization, A. M. O. R. C., supported byhis affidavits, against the gran ting of our applications. Upon his

pr ot es t th e Se cr et ar y held ma ny he ar in gs an d ga ve ful l co ns id er a

tion to the question of prior use of such names.We took advantage of the opportunity and gladly assumed the

burd en of pr ov ing th e exc lus ive ri gh t to th e use of all Rosicrucian

names and appellations by reason of their long, continuous prioruse. Much evidence to establish the same was produced, and the

controversy was decided upon its merits after full hearing and due

consideration.Throughout the hearings our attorneys often requested and per

sistently demanded that Mr. Lewis appear and defend his claims,submit to questioning and present his credentials of authority, but

he came not. His at torne y suggested that he would mail to thempr oo f of his Rosi cr uc ia n au tho ri ty , wh er eu po n th e Se cr et ar y co n

tinued the hearings and waited for some time, but vainly and to no

purp ose. T he mu ch -b oa st ed an d of te n- cl ai med Ros ic ru ci an au

thority was not produced because, in truth and fact, it does not

exist. It is only a fiction and romanc e of the Baro n Munch aus en

of the Occult.

Finally, after the contest had lasted almost one year, the Secretary of the Commonwealth, on the second of January, 1935, over

2 0

*

ruled all Mr. Lewis1 objections against the applications for regis

trat ion of the n ames as filed by us, and these name s were duly

registered and official receipts issued to theauthentic Fraternity ,

bein g th e fi rst legal de termi na ti on of th e exc lusi ve ri gh t to th e use

of all Rosicrucian names in America.The names registered are:

T h e F r a t e r n i t y o f R o s i c r u c i a n s .

T h e O r d e r o f t h e R o s e C r o s s .

T h e R o s i c r u c i a n B r o t h e r h o o d .

T h e R o s i c r u c i a n O r d e r .

T h e B r o t h e r h o o d o f t h e R o s y C r o s s .

T h e T e m p e e o f t h e R o s y C r o s s .

T h e F r a t e r n i t a t i s R o s a e C r u c i s .

In August, 1934, while the hearings were pending before the

Secretary and before action had been taken on the applications

pendi ng, M r . Le wi s ma de a mali ci ous pe rso na l at ta ck up on th eSupreme Grand Master, the writer, which he published in the pri

vate publication of the A. M. O. R. C. the Rosicrucian Forum,

Vol 5, No. 1, August issue, 1934 to which he append ed the following statement or editor 's note:

As this matter was being prepared for printing,

we have received word that the Commonwealth of

Pennsylvania, through its secretary, has denied to

Any form of the Rev. Dr. Clvm er any form of registrat ion fo r

registration. his so-called Ros icrucian Ord er, Brotherhood ,

Italics ours. Fra ternit y,* etc. Th is speaks for itself very elo

quently.Ed i t o r .

This information, absolutely false and, of course, misleading,

was circulated privately among A. M. O. R. C. members. Wh y?The answer is obvious. In ord er to hold his membership in line

and keep them from doubting the regularity of A. M. O. R. C., he

attacks the Grand Master of the authentic Order and disseminates

false information to lull them to sleep and to keep them deceived.

In this connection let the reader consider what we have said in

our forewor d herein, as well as the full contents of t his booklet.

Then let him answerfor himself. Should we not expose and fight

such met hod s? Verily, we will mercile ssly expose and fight with

unabated ardor and vigor methods obnoxious to all right-minded

* Note careful ly the statement any form of registrat ion for h is so-cal led Rosicru

cian O r d e r , Brotherhood, Fratern i ty , and then re fer to Appendix, Exhibit A.

H AS E X C L U S I V E R I G H T T O U S E OF N A M E S

21


13/47


pe op le . Bu t ho w shal l we li ght such desp ic ab le meth od s an d pr ac

tices? Hon ora bly il possible, but in all events the truth must be

known and zvill be known to all.

Reference was made by Mr. Lewis in his formal protest filed by

his attorneys and in his affidavits to the Royal Fraternity Associa

tion. This organization, an adjunct to the Grand Fratern ity, was

incorporated in Delaware in 1909 and its charter amended in 1928,

to better carry out i ts original purpose and object . I t was or

ganized for the express purpose of holding t i t le to the property of

the Fraternity, the transaction of its business in the various states

of the Union, also in foreign countries, and the protection of its

various names, titles and appellations. Th e applications for regis

tration of names and titles, so vigorously protested by Mr. Lewis,

were originally filed by the Royal Fraternity Association in behalf

of the various Orders, Brotherhoods or Degrees of the Fraternity.

For legal as well as practical reasons, those applications were with

drawn and refi led by the various Orders, Brotherhoods or Degreesof the Fraternity directly in their own behalf . This explanation

will account for the reference to the Royal Fraternity Association,

which was not, in fact, involved in the proceedings for the regis

trat ion of names.

The Royal Fraternity Associat ion was registered in Pennsyl

vania in 1916 and so continued until the new corporation law' re

quired re-regi strati on of all foreign corpor ation s in 1934. Appl ication wras made for the re- registra tion of said forei gn corpora tion ,

which was promptly protested by Mr. Lewis through his at torneysand members of his organization. Th e application for re-registra

tion was not pressed, but was finally' abando ned, n ot because of

Mr . Lewis protest, ' but because our legal counsel advised us thatsince the Beverly Hall Corporation,- a domestic corporation of the

first class, had been f unctioning for, a number of year s in Pennsyl

vania and possessed al l the corporate powers of the Royal Frater

nity Association, there wras no practical reason or legal necessity

to re-register said corporation in the Commonwealth of Pennsyl

vania. Th at the best course to follow^ for the protection o f

the Fraternity was to register its names, titles and appellations

under the laws of the state, which course was followed. The Bev

erly Hall Corporation will continue, as heretofore, to be the exo-

teric\ legal enti ty of the great work and of the Grand Fraternity

for the transaction of its business and its material activities, becausethe Rose Cross, in its esoteric sense and activities is a spiritual

2 2

entity, and under i ts ancient laws and landmarks may not solici t

members, advertise, seek publicity, sue or be sued, or otherwiseengage in material activities.

The Royal Fraternity Associat ion wil l continue to hold and pro

tect certain property r ights and the Beverly Hall Corporation is

still, the outer doo r thro ugh which ear nest seekers and t hose qualified may enter the august Fraternity.

Fraternally given,

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

In the Appendix and as a part of this booklet we print in full

verbatim the protest of A. M. O. R. C. , the supporting aff idavits

of H. Spencer Lewis and the formal reply f i led by our at torneys,

which we trust the interested readers and seekers after truth wil lcarefully read in connection with the text.



14/47

T H E R O S I C R U C IA N S IN T H E N E W W O R L D(A B r i e f S k e t c h )

The first Council of the Rose Cross in America was held in theCity of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the year

1773.* Since that time the Fra ter nity of the Rosicrucians has been

active, and its Council has heen in continuous existence in America.

The first Supreme Grand Lodge of the Fraternity was establishedwith the aid and sanction of the Council about the year 1856-58

by Dr . P. B. Ra nd ol ph , since whi ch ti me it has been in ac ti ve co n

tinuous existence and so continues to exist and function today.

Dr. Randolph was succeeded by Free man B. Dowd. In the year

1882 Supreme Grand Master Dowd completed the establishment

of the Supreme Grand Temple of the Rosy Cross in Philadelphia.

On April 15, 1907, Dowd was succeeded by Dr. Edward H.

Brown, and on May 10, 1922, the present Supreme Grand Master

succeeded Dr. Brow n.t The Gran d Temple of the Rosy Cross has

continued in existence in the State of Pennsylvania since 18824

The present supreme grand body of the august Fraternity , sti l llocated in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is the direct lineal

descendant of all Rosicrucian bodies in America and is the supremeauthority. This descension of authority has been regula r and without interruption either of time or activity.

* Thi s Supreme Council continued to function until the Supreme Gr and L odg e was

formed in 1856-58,.and ihis Supreme Grand Lodge of 1856-58 in turn was fused with

and became a part of the Supreme Gra nd T emp le, instituted in 1878 and completed

in 1882.

t Dr. Edward H. Brown was Supreme Grand Master of the Grand Te mpl e and

Hierarchy of Eulis and of the Tem ple of the Rosy Cross. The present Grand M as

ter, who succeeded Dr. Br own, has been Supreme Grand Mast er of the Orde r of the

Rosy Cross and the /th Priesthood, as well as allied bodies other than Eulis and

the Temple of the Rosy Cross, since 1905.

+ Date of the completion o f the Supreme Gran d B ody in Pennsy lvania and for the

North American continent.

2 4

C L A N D E S T I N E A N D S PU R IO U S

A C T I V I T I E S

No twi ths t an d ing tha t th e au the nt ic Or de r, Te mp le , Bro therhood and Fraternity of the Rosicrucians has been continuously ex

isting and functioning in America through its Grand Councils or

Grand Lodges since 1773 and through both Grand Councils and

Lodges since 1856-58 alt hough its official name and all var ia

tions thereof and its various names, titles and designations of its

degrees, orders, and temples have long been established and pre

empted by prior use yet, nevertheless, on April 1, 1915, All

Fools Day, H. Spencer Lewis organized a spurious and clandestine

Rosicrucian body, which he called the Ancient and Mystical Order

Rosae Crucis. T o be sure, he knew full well of the existence of the

authentic Order and, as we shall presently see, in selecting its name,

chose one, as he thought and argued, that would not seriouslyviolate the rights of the authentic Order and at the same time give

his spurious organization the appearance of being Rosicrucian and

authentic.

However, of recent years he has gradually grown bolder and

has attempted to usurp all authority and appropriate all th ings

Rosicrucian unto himself. It was, ther efor e, decided to register

all variations of names now and heretofore used by the real Fra

ternity which have not heretofore been registered or otherwiselega'ly protect ed. Accordingly, durin g the early par t of 1934 the

regular Fraternity, through its attorneys, filed applications for the

registration and legal protection of certain of its names and thenames or titles of its several Degrees or Orders under the civil law

with the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Mr .

Lewis immediately employed attorneys, filed protests in the name

of his spurious and clandestine order and thereby instituted thefirst leg al contest for the determination of which organiz ation the

authentic or his spurious fabri cati on has the legal right to the

use of Rosicrucian names, titles and official terminology.

The Legal Determination of the Right to Use Rosicruc ian Names and Titles

The contest thus waged by Mr. Lewis was long, bitter and hardfought. He employed the best of legal counsel. Th rou gh his at

torney he presented all manner of claims and used every conceiv-

2 5


15/47

R A N D O L P H F O U N D A T I O N T H E A U T H E N T I C B OD Y

able method, fair, wise or otherwise, to defeat the just claims of

the authentic Fraternity, even going to the extent of making or

having made a vile, vicious personal attack on its present Supreme

Grand Maste r . Durin g the long-drawn-out hearings our at to r

neys repeatedly demanded that Mr. Lewis appear personally be

fore the Secretary for examination and present the proof of his

alleged Rosicrucian authority and right to use such names and

t i tles. Every opportu nity was given him to appear and present his

pr oo f , but he ca me not, ne it he r di d he pr es en t an y p ro o f of his

alleged Rosicrucian authority or the right to use such names and

titles, for the very simple reason that there is no such proof except

his own statement under oath, which the Secretary evidently re

garded as of little value.

Finally, after the contest had lasted almost a year, numerous

hearings were held and much evidence received, the Secretary of

the Commonwealth, on January 2, 1935, overruled al l of Mr.

Lewis objections, made in his own behalf and fo r A. M . O. R. C.,

and granted the applications of the authentic Fraternity for the

registration of the following names, for which official receipts lyereissued, vi z. : -A*

' Vy.-V,

The Frate rnity of Rosicrucians, .4The Order of the Rose Cross,

The Rosicrucian Brotherhood,

The Rosicrucian Order,

The Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross,The Temple of the Rosy Cross

an d

The Fraternitat is Rosae Crucis.

The last registered name is the original and official name us


16/47


Italics ours. Ti m e made in the Un ited States only after January 1,

specific; 1915, not 1915; fo r the yea r 1915 was the one designed cen

1909. Born, N O T turles before as the proper time for the Or de r to be

reinstituted. born in America. . . .

W ith the necessary papers and assistance from

the Supreme Council of France, the Order was es-Febru ary, 1915, tablished in Am erica in February, 1915, and a Su-

no t 1909. preme Am erican Coun cil appointed Ap ril 1, 1915.

Surely the dates stated by him in 1915 in his own official publica

tion are specific enough, and the natural presumption and only con

clusion is that the dates then and there stated are true and correct,

beca use pu bl ic at io n wa s mad e di re ct ly a f te r th e ac t wa s co mm it te d.

It is, therefore, merely a question of which is the falsehood: that

made in 1915 by him in his official publication or his statement

under oath in 1934.If the foregoing were the only statements relat ive to the date,

it might raise a slight presumption that an error had occurred, buthe has made so many statements to the same effect that it is not

pos si ble to exc use hi m on th e gr oun d of a mi st ak e. W e ne xt refe tf

to his statement in Tlic American Rosae Crucis, February issue.,

1916, page 18:

In 1909 not even . . . in 1909 our Ma ster journ eyed to France

fully prepared. and Englan d to complete his preparation for the

Note spelling. Rosnecrucian work which always seemed to be his

N o t Rosicrucian. goal and he was given several honors and titles by

the French R. C. Order and one by the English

Ord er.* By agreement with the Supreme Council

in France and Egypt, the permission long sought

by scientists and earnest philosop hical students -was^given unto our M aste r to establish the R. C. O rder

Again 1915, in Am erica in the year 1915. Six years of prepara-

no t 1909. tion and study were necessary, and in the month of

December, 1914, the Council in France delivered to

him, through many sources and many persons, vari

ous articles, papers and jewels with which to estab

lish the Order which is now growing so rapidly

here under the direct supervision and ruling of our

Master .

Special attention is here called to the fact that Aleister Crowley started his activi

ties in Engla nd in this year. In 1912 Mr. Cro wle y started the O. O T. (O rde r Ori

ental Tem plars ) , and Mr . Lewis c la ims honorary cert i f icate from the Odro Temple

Orientis, or Order Oriental Templars.

28

We are not here and now primarily concerned with the absolute

falsity of these statements, nor with the fact that no such authority,

degrees, jewels or papers were ever issued or delivered to Mr.

Lewis by the R. C. in France, but with completely refuting his late

sworn claims that the A. M. O. R. C. was established in1909.

Strange, unaccountably strange, that he should now (1934)state under solemn oath that the A. M. O. R. C. was organized in

1909, whereas, according to his own statements made in his own

official magazine, he was not even prepared for such work in 1909 ,

and six m o r e v e a r s were required for his preparation before he

was permitted to start his American monstrosi ty. If his state

ments as to authori ty were actually true which is not the case

then it was not until 1914 that he received papers, etc., giving him

pe rmis si on to pr oc ee d in 1915 wi th th e wor k of or gani zat ion .

We again refer to the same publication, The American Rosae

Crucis, May issue, 1916, page 29, under the heading of Answers

by th e I m p er a to r , " wher e we find th e fo ll ow ing s tat em en t:

Paragraph No. 5. W ha t of all these terms

student, Probationer, Disciple ? W he re did thrv

originate? t hey do not occur anywh ere in the Se

cret Mandamuses of the A. M . O . R. C., nor are

they ever heard in the Rosaecru cian Temples of

Egypt, France, Spain, Th ibet or Australia. They

could have no place in the work of Rosaecrucianism.

As to the war wel l , ou r w ork considers the wa r

as the great crucible. It was in anticip ation of this

that 1 was given instructions in 1909 to proceed

wi th the Ord er in the U . S. in 1915. . . .

We make further reference to The American Rosae Cnicis, July

issue, 1916, page 11, for further information regarding his strange

instructions and his explanation of why he did not organize hisspurious order until 1915:

But my instructions in weird, symbolical lan

guage required careful translation also stated that

1914-15, no t 1909. during the win ter of 1914-15, between Decem ber

Announ cement not to 15th of 1914 and Easter of 1915, I should make

be made until 1914-15. such prelim inar y announ cement as wo uld ena ble me

to have my American Supreme Council selected by

A pr il 1st and my officers installed by not late r than

M ay of 1915. The se instructions I had read mamtimes durin g 1910, 1911 and 1912. D ur in g 1913


Rosaecrucian,

not Rosicrucian.

1915, not 1909

29


17/47


I was devoted to the preparation of the necessary

Ch arter prepared by first papers, by the large, illumin ated charter to be

himself andsigned by signed by the select Coun cilors, and the first 'Blackhis own selected Book, ' which I had to design, letter and bind my-

Couneilors. Th ere- self, not being permitted to have any matter pass

fore, self-constituted. from my hands before the O rd er was established.

The reader should note and keep in mind that during 1913 Mr.

Lewis was devoted to the preparation of the necessary first pape rs, by th e la rg e il lu mi na te d ch ar te r to be si gned by th e (h is )

selected Councilors and the first Black Book, also that, in 1913,

nothing was permitted to pass from his hands B E F O R E ihe order

zvas established. We will later comment on the illuminated char

ter and Black Book . Fo r the present let us proceed with hisstory of A. M. O. R. C. :

Thus it was that as December of 1913 ap

proached, the figures 1914 of the coming year

seemed to stand forth boldly in my consciousness,

and my instructions 1 misinterpreted as being : be

tween December 15rh and Easter of 1913-14, in

stead of 1914-15.

A preliminary meeting was held during the win

ter of 1913-14, and I was surprised to find no en

thusiasm and little interest. Tho se whom I con

sidered interested displayed no interest, but rather

antipathy. I recall w ell the very rainy night when

I wended my way home from a ladys home on

Madison Avenue, near 34th Street, with my papers,

charter and 'Black Book under my arm, dejected

and puzzled. O f the twelve wh o had assembled(out of twenty invited), not even one signed the

preliminary organization papers. Pages 11-12.

Although we are here primarily concerned with the date on

which Mr. Lewis started the A. M. O. R. C., nevertheless, it is well

to note the fact that here we do not see a Rosicrucian initiate with

a charter of authority from an established, authentic order in

France, Germany, Egypt, Belgium or elsewhere, but a self-appointed promoter with charter and the Black Book of the

bla ck mag ic ia ns , a laCrowley, prepared by himself, to be signed by

those he hoped would join him in his spurious organizati on. Wecontinue from the same article:

No te date. On or about December 20th of 1914 1 made my

A self-made Grand

Master (? ) who could

not understand his( ow n) instructions (?)

Impossible to organize

before 1915.

30

In 1914 not even the

beginning of an

organization.

Italics ours.

Preliminary meeting

February, 1915.

Can be no mistake

in date.

Ta ken fro m reco rd.

preliminary announcement. Th is time 1 simply

placed a small notice in the Personal Column of the

Ne w York Sunday Hera ld . It said that the writer

wo uld he pleased to' hear from ladies and gentlemen

interested in the work o f the Orde r R. C.

M y next step was to plan a meeting of a few

fo r or ga ni za tio n purp oses. As I was preparing the

notices for the meeting, there came into my office a

man whose art not trade was printing. He saw

one of the notices, immediately explained his long

search for the Or de r in, this country an d his many

years o f study and pre parat ion fo r it. Pa ge 12.

T h e pr el im in ar y meeting was held on February

8th in my office, at 8.30 P. M . I find in my record>

the followin g entry regarding that meeting: M eet

ing was called to order at 8.32 at 80 Fifth Avenue.

Ther e we re 9 prese nt. T h e mo on wa s in Sa git

tarius. Adjou rned at 9.40.

A paper and some insignia and other interesting

exhibits, including the charter and Black Book.

was submitted to those present, and after a brief

description of the aims and purposes of the Order

the nine men and women were made a Committee

to organize a Supreme Council for America.

Furth er organization meetings were held at the

Hotel Empire on March 23rd, presided over by a

Dr . Julia Seton, and at our temporary library at

68 W . 71st Street. Finally, on April 1st, a Th urs

day, at 8.30 P.M ., about thirty of the most active

work ers met at the proposed Lod ge R oom s on Se\ -

enth Avenue, and there, with due form, constitutedthemselves the Supreme Council, signed an illum i

nated charter declaring the authoritat ive,pr op er and

legal establishment of the A . M . O . R. C . in Ame r-

ica and appointing the national executive officers

under sign and seal. Pages 12-13.

We shall have more to say on this subject. Fo r the present, will

the reader kindly note and remember that A. M. O. R. C., with its

pl ag ia ri ze d na me , was org aniz ed on Ap ri l I, 19 15 , by abo ut th ir ty

of the most active workers, not yet initiated, constituting them

selves the Supreme Council (a rather large council), by signing an

illuminated chart er illuminated by Mr . Le wis; by appointing offi

cers, under sign and seal, and by declaring th e authoritative,

HAS E X C L U S I V E R I G H T T O U S E O F N A M E S

31

A self-created Council.

Constituted them-selves, an all-illumi

nating phrase.


18/47

pr op er and legal establi shment of the A. M. O. R. C. No doubt

you are impressed with this remarkable council, the like and equalof which is not to be found elsewhere in all Rosicrucian lore, fan

tastic,iietitious orreal. Th e reade r will also please keep in mind

that theGra nd Mas ter Gen eral- to-be, the Im pera tor, was not

selected by a Supreme Grand Master and ordained by the SupremeGrand Lodge of Rosicrucians in France, Germany, Egypt, England, Belgium or elsewhere,* but:

Elected. Th at the present Grand Ma ster General and

N o t conferring Imperato r was then elected and unanimously ap-

of authority. pointed was a natural sequence of the events which

led to that meeting. But it w ill alw ays be a proud

moment a moment to remember with joy and

sacredness when the twenty-five Cou ncilors, after

weeks of deliberation, investigation and sincere ap

preciation of its import, arose as a body and re

jo ic in gl y sign ed the Am er ica n ch art er wh ich installed fourteen national officers in their very

respons ible positions. . . . Pa ge 14.

Ilcre we have no conferring of authority by the highest official

of an authorized and legitimate body, as required by the tenets and

landmarks of the august Fraternity, but a meeting of men and

women not yet even members of the Fraternity, who constitute

themselvesas Councilors, and then proceed to elect a Grand Mas

ter General and Imperator, something unheard of in the annals of

the Gra nd Frat ernit y. And tha t is how this spurious A. M. C).R. C. was born. Oth er proo f for the above statements follows:

RANDOLPH FOUNDATION THE AUT HEN TIC BODY

Rosaecrucian.1915, not 1909.

First convocation.

Italics ours.

Just ini tia ted .

Neither officers nor

Council had been

initiated prior to elec

tion. Th ey elected

themselves first and

On Th ursday the true Rosaecrucian daythroughout the wo rld M ay 13, 1915, the first true

Rosaecrucian convocation of the Order was held in

the temple amid beautiful and inspiring conditions,

and all the appointed national officers, the Coun-

cilors and a few others were duly initiated into the

Order , crossed the threshold and were raised to the

dignity of Knights, Sorores, Brothers and Sisters of

the Ord er Rosae Cru cis in accordance with the true

ancient rites and ceremonies.

* Thi s was confirmed duri ng the hearings on the Lew is protests held in Harrisbu rg.

Our attorneys made demand that Lewis himself appear, that he might be questioned

and that his attorneys produce his fore ign authority- Lew is never appeared, nor

were the documents forthcom ing these simply do not exist.

32


A R E P E T I T IO N O F D A T E

W ha t a glorious occasion! Sublime, perfect,

sacred, mystic day M ay 13, 1915! Lo n g wil l itbe remembered and honored by those who even now

remain enthralled by the splendor and significance

of the convocat ion. Lew is Histon of Order

American Rosae Crucis, July issue, 1916, page 14.

Here, in the foregoing quotations, we have an official histori

cal account by Air. Lewis of the organization of A. M. O. R. C.,

or shall we say his confession of the manner and method by which

he fabricated his dubious and entirely spurious Rosaecrucian Or

der? We say confession advisedly, lor such it is to all who really

know Rosicrucian history, practices, law, landmarks and the man

ner in which Rosicrucian authority is granted, Grand Lodges in

stal led, Grand Master s appointed and Councils inst i tuted. To a

Rosicrucian it is a silly farce, yet a diabolical tragedy, because by

methods as questionable as those he employed to organize this fake

enterprise lie has deceived and misled thousands of earnest but

uninformed men and women into believing that they could become

Rosicrucians by simply joining his organization, falsely and artfullyrepresented to be Rosicrucian.

For the benefi t of the uninformed yet earnest seeker for Rosicrucian wisdom we shall take the pains to analyze the organization

of A. M. O. R. C., as described by Mr. Lewis, and show why it isa miserable counterfeit and glaring fake by comparing it with the

real Order and genuine Fraternity.All his foolish gibber and prattle about the mysterious receipt

through many sources and many persons of various articles, papers,jewels, t ri nk e ts an d wh at -n ot s, an d in st ru ct io ns in we ir d sy mbol i

cal language with which to establish the Order in America, is just

so much ballyhoo and claptrap intended for the susceptible andgullible and, of course, to mislead the uninformed.

Aside from a warrant of authori ty from the authentic order

issued to a duly qualified and ordained Grand Master, no knick-knacks, jewels, physical properties or other articles are necessary

to institute and establish a Rosicrucian Or de r or Templ e. If an

authentic warrant o f authori ty had been issued to Mr. Lewis

which was not the case it would n ot have been writ ten in weird,

then initiated them

selves.

M ay 13, 1915,

not 1909.

33


19/47


symbolical language, and he would not have made the terrible mis

take of starting in the winter of 1913-14, instead of the spring of

1915. Fur the rmo re, he would not have found it necessary to re

read his instruction many times during the years of 1910-11 and

1912, nor to devote the year of 1913 to the pr ep ar at ion o f the

necessary first papers. He would have possessed an authentic war-

rant of authority, and there would have been no necessity for hispr epar in g fa ke do cu me nt s an d co un ter fe it ch ar ter s.

However, assuming for the purpose of argument and clari ty of

statement but not as a matt er of fact that an authentic Rosi

crucian Grand Body or Grand Master had issued to Mr. Lewis a

genuine warrant of authori ty to inst i tute and establish the Order

in America in 1915, he could not have legally done so or exercised

such authority, because at that time an authentic Supreme Grand

Lodge of the Rosicrucian Brotherhood, Order and Fraternity, hav

ing exclusive jurisdiction over all of North America, was in exist

ence and had been active for almost sixty years prior thereto, using

all Rosicrucian names and titles. Mr . Lewis admits, as we shallsee later, that the pr io r use of such names and titles would have

pr ec lu de d his le gal use the re of .

In the regular and authentic Order men and women are not made

Rosicrucians and initiated into the Order in a single day by rites

and ceremonies; they do not cross the threshold and are not raisedto the dignity of Brothers and Sisters of the Order Rosae Crucis.

Its neophytes become Rosicrucians through their own efforts byfaithfully following the instructions, living the life and doing th ework, thus achieving certain progressive degrees of inner development. As the great work progresses and the inner and higher fac

ulties are developed the neophytes become, are not made, initiatesof the Order or Degree which corresponds to their stage of devel

opment. Hence i t will be apparent to any thoughtful persons who

will take the pains to make even a slight investigation of the truthof the matter , that Mr . Lew is description of the ini t iat ion of him

self, the appointed national officers, the Councilors and a few

others into the Order on May 13, 1915, is a confession which re

veals that his A. M. O. R. C. is a simon-pure fake, a crude fabri

cation and foul counterfeit easily detected by those who dare to

think or care to investigate.

In the regular Order the authori ty of a Grand Master is alwravs

conferredby a duly constituted Grand Master only upon an initiate

34


of the Order who has achieved the inner development, who has

earned the r ight to be a Grand Master by having accomplished thegreat work, and who is able to instruct, assist and guide the neo

ph yt es al on g the path and across the th reshold . The Grand M aster appoints the Councils of Three, Seven and Nine the only

Councils known in genuine Rosicrucianism. Th ere for e, the or ganization of A. M. O. R. C. in 1915 by twenty-five or thirty

uninitiated members,* including Mr. Lewis, who simply constituted

themselves the Supreme Council, who signed an illuminated charter

(Mr. Lewis illuminated it when he made it in 1913, although it

does not appe ar how he accomplished the i l lumination a mere

trifle, so let it pass), who declared jus t si mp ly declared th e au

thori tat ive, proper and legal establishment of the A. M. O. R. C.

in America (the source of the authority is not altogether clear, but

that is another mere trifle; decreeing it so made it so), and ap

poin te d or el ec te d th e na t io na l execut iv e offi cers und er si gn an d sea 1

(whatever that is) , including the present Grand Master General

and Imperator (Mr. Lewis) , is a proceeding so foreign to the regular procedure of the genuine Order, so utterly un-Rosicrucian, ir

regular and ridiculous, that it is crystal clear and self-evident be

yond all doubt that A. M. O. R. C. is spurious and clandestine and

that i ts pseudo-master and creator is the Baron Munchausen of the

Occult.

The authentic Fraternity is a spir i tual enti ty of the highest or

der; it deals only with the pure white magic of the Great WhiteBrotherhood. To the Grand Fraternity and i ts members and ad

herents the Black Book is unknown and entirely useless. Intruth and in fact, no true, real Rosicrucian ever si gned the Black

Book or ever will.Did we not say that when Mr. Lewis wrote his f irst history of

A. M. O. R. C. that he also wrote his confession, placing on it the

bad ge of sh am e th e mar k of Cai n that re ve al ed its re al pu rpo se

and spurious nature ? So, also, when he designed, lette red and

bound th e fir st Bl ack Book an d ad opted fo r its si gn the inv er te d

V triangle,* he placed upon himself the marks, the symbols a n d

* The initiation o f ihe members, counri] and officers, including M r. Le wis, did not

take place until M ay 13, 191S, and not until af ter the council h ad constitute d itself

and the officers had been elected. See Lew is account of the first convocati on.

* Those who know and understand the true and full significance of Black Books"

and inverted triangles will make no mistake. Let the uninfor med the trusting, sin

3 5


20/47

the unmistakable s ignatures of the black ar t symbols and tokens

fully understood and utterly despised by all true Rosicrucians and

true followers of the occult. Th e black art is employed only byps eu do , se lf -c on st it ut ed mas ter s of sp ur io us bo di es and fa ke occ ultenterprises.

x Tak e nothing for granted, prove a ll th ings , then you shal l know

the truth that will set you free and protect you from the alluring,

be wi tc hi ng , en cha nt in g an d my st er io us ly ent re a ti ng ad ve rt is eme nt s

of the black magicians constantly presented to you with their promises of health, wealth, happiness and power.

Mr. L eivisAdm it s OurCase Effectively PutsA . M . 0 . R . C. Out of Cou rt

Attention is particularly directed to the following statement of

Mr. Lewis; it is very interesting and will become more so when

read with ot her sta teme nts ma de by him, which we shall quote :Th ere are bu t t w o T h a t the ter ms R os icr uc ian Br othe rh oo d,

terms: T h e R o s i c r u - Rosicrucian Order and The Brotherhood of the

cia ns or T h e Ros y Rosy Cross are all similar names and terms that

C r o s s . A ll other terms describe the Rosicrucian O rde r:

are merely variations. T he term Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross is

merely the explanation of the Latin and is the Eng

lish equivalent of the Latin term . (L ew is affi

davit, Exhibit B. )

Exactly so! In maki ng that statem ent in his own beha lf and forhis own purpose, in the name of A. M. O. R. C., M r. Lewis uses a

double-edged sword which in its backward lash cuts his feet from

under him and completely concedes the position, long maintainedby us, whi ch is the fu nd a men ta l bas is an d sol id fo un da ti on of ou r

right to use all variations and synonyms of the original name ofthe Grand Fraterni ty .

We now maintain and have long contended that the names, titles

or terms Order , Brotherhood or Fra terni ty of the Rosicrucian, of the Rose Cross 01*of the Rosy Cross , or of the terms rearranged

or reversed, and the descr ipt ive terms Rosicrucians ," Rose

Cross ," Golden and Rosy Cross" and Rosy Cross are var ia

tions, translations and synonyms of or descriptive of the name

cere seekers of truthb eware. Investigate. Tr y. Test all claims by the rule of

reason.


36

Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis th e or igi na l na me .of the au the nt ic

Rosicrucian Order , Temple , Brotherhood and Fraterni ty , so of ten

referred to in Rosicrucian literature and by Rosicrucians as the

August Fra te rni ty or the Grand Frat erni ty . Th at the use of any of

such names, titles or terms or ot any descriptive words by a clan

dest ine organizat ion that deceive or that may tend to mislead any

pe rs on in to th e be li ef t ha t suc h or ga ni za ti on is an au th ent ic or

genuine Rosicrucian body is wron gful and unlawful. W e are

ple ased to ha ve M r . Le wi s ma ke th is concessi on an d ad mi ss io n.

Perhaps he will discontinue the use of all Rosicrucian names, titlesand terminology. And then, perhaps he will not certainl y he

should do so. Indeed, no othe r person would have the effrontery

or the unmitigated gall to continue to use names, titles or terms

after having made such an admission, especially when viewed in

the light of the proof ofp ri o r use by the authent ic Orde r submit ted

in the hearing before the Secretary, in which it was found that the

right to the use of such names belongs exclusively to the authenticOrder and not to the clandestine A. M. O. R. C.

The Spurious A. M . O. R. C. No w L ays Claims toGenuine Names of the Auth entic Order. The

Claim Is Proven to Be IVithout Merit

On April 14, 1934, 11. Spencer Lewis, being first duly sworn,

deposes and says:

Th at the name Tem ple of the Rosy Cross is a

name long connected with Rosicrucian history, dat

ing back to ancient times; that the term has been

used by the Supreme Grand Lod ge of A. M . O.R. C., the Rosicrucian Order and the organization

that imm ediately preceded it in North Am erica, the

Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis, con

tinuously in Nor th A me rica and in the State ofPennsylvania since 1909. (Le w is af fidavit, Ex

hibit C.) Th at since the year 1909, in Am erica, the or

ganization, of wffiich affiant is the head, has con

tinuously and repeatedly in all its voluminous lit

erature, writings and teachings used the names and

terms of Rosicrucian Brotherhood, Rosicrucian

Order and The Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross .

(Le wis af fidavit, Exhibit B . )


37


21/47

RANDOLPH FO UNDATION THE AUTHEN TIC BODY

Again we ask, are the fads true as stated by Mr. Lewis in the

foregoing quotations from his sworn statements? Again we will

ask Mr. Lewis and let him answer, by quoting his own previously

pu bl is he d st at em en ts , ma de an d pu bl is he d by hi m at , ne ar an d fo r

some t ime after he organized A. M. O. R. C. ( in 1915), from

which it will clearly appear that in the years 1915-16 and 1917 andfor some t ime thereafter his organization did not use the names or

terms Temple of the Rosy Cross, Rosicrucian Brotherhood,

Rosicrucian Order or ' I 'he Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross.

Furthermore, i t wil l conclusively appear therefrom that his or

ganization not only did not use said names and terms, but, also,

that he was extremely careful not to use them. On the other hand,

he used what he claimed to be a restricted name or term, which

he laboriously and painstakingly undertook to explain was not usedby th e au th en ti c Ro si cr uc ia n or ga ni za ti on in Am er ic a.

The positive proof that A. M. O. R. C. has not used said namesor terms continuously since 1909 will appear from the following

quotations from Mr. Lewis own published statements. We trust

that the reader will keep this in mind and not lose sight of it as he

becomes in te re st ed in ot her ma ter ia l co mm en t whi ch we sha ll ma ke

with reference to other material and interest ing features of the quotations.

Prior to and at the time of the fabrication and organization of his

clandestine body, Mr. Lewis knew and was well informed of the existence and activities in America of the authentic Rosicrucian organi

zation. Thi s is clearly shown by his own published stat ements quotedbel ow. It is al so in te re st in g to no te his la bo re d at t em pt to re as onhimself into a secure position, to satisfy his conscience, or rather,

pe rh ap s, to ju st if y hi ms el f in th e eyes of his fo ll ow er s an d th os ewhom he hoped would join his organization in selecting or plagiarizing a name for it that would give it the appearance of authen

ticity and lead to the belief that it was and is a genuine RosicrucianOrder, and at the same time not involve him or make him legally

accountable for his wrongdoing.

He begins his hair-splitting argument and shows his transcenden

tal ability to employ technicalities to make distinctions where nodifference exists in his introduction to the first volume of Th e

American Rosae Crucis, which he published in New York City in

January, 1916, from which we quote the following:

Th e word Rosaecrucian is grammatically

38

HAS E X C L U S I V E R I G H T T O U S E OF N A M E S

Admits knowledge of

other Rosicrucians.Italics ours.

wron g, being An glicized La tin. It is used in tlfe

English language as a common adjective, and wje

will use it as such, to avoid misunderstanding, with

the exception that we retain the original Latin

diphthong a f instead of the 4i (R osic ruc ian ), as

used by some of our contemporaries/ Amer icanRosae Crucis, V ol . 1, page 1, Jan uar y number, 1916.

There is no doubt that his reference above to the use of the gen

erally descriptive term Rosicrucian, as used by some of our con

temporaries, was a reference to the Randolph Foundation , the

authentic Or de r in America . At least it aptly applies because the

authentic order then, prior thereto and ever since has continuously

used the descriptive term Rosicrucian in its many variations andgeneral descriptive application.

I'he business of fabricating and launching a spurious and clan

destine organization is not without its difficulties, nor free from

doubt, so we find the pseudo-master of A. M. O. R. C. quieting hisfears and lulling his doubt to sleep as follows:

Aside from the Masonic Rosaecrucian Societies

in America, there are a number of other bodies

which glory in the reflected light of Rosdrcrucian-

ism. The se neo-Rosaecrucian societies, under the

names of temples, centers and Brotherhoods, have

naught to do with the genuine doctrines, principles,

philosophies or w o r k of the A. M . O . R. C., and

their members or students, as w ell as their M asters ,

Dictators or teachers, are uninitiated into the truths

of real Rosaecrucianism . . . The Amer ican

Rosae Crucis, V o l. 1, page 4, January number,

1916.

And how does he do i t? To Mr . Lewis i t is very simple ex

tremely easy! He simply brushes aside the authentic Order op er

ating under the names of Temples, Centers and Brotherhoods"1and declares simply declares his spurious Ord er to be genuineand that is that.

Other bodies known

to him. He re he

condemns templesand

Brotherhoods, which

he later claims.

Italics ours. Ca refully

note this, then refer

to wording of sworn

protest and note

recent claims.

Th e real name of the genuine body is the An

cient and Mystical Order of Rosae Crucis (or Rose

Cross, Rosy Cro ss). Non e but a genuine, legiti

mate Lodge of the Order can use the term Rosr/e-

crucian Order, Rosaecrucian Lodge or the complete

name .as given abo ve; and it is only fa ir to state that

39


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none of the unauthorized bodies referred to above

On ly used have ever publicly used these restricted terms or the

restricted terms. genuin e symbols. The American Rosae Crucis,

V ol . I, page 5, January number, 1916.

No w to ma ke su re ab so lu te ly su re th at A. M . O. R. C. did

not continuously use the names or terms Temple of the RosyCross, Rosicrucian Brotherhood, Rosicrucian Order or The

Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross since 1909 or even in 1915, we

turn to the April number, 1916, of The American Rosae Crucis,on page 14, where we find that:

. . . the true O rder the original and perfect

Lewis organization Rosaecrucian Ord er is known bv only onenamehas one specific name. 'fli c Ancien t and Mystica l O rder Rosae Crucis.

Th at stat ement is clear, unequivocal and positive. He leaves no

doubt that his organization, which he claims and alleges to be the

true Order the original and perfect Rosaecrucian Or de r is to

be kn own by only one name. Th at should settle the matter. Atleast it does conclusively settle M r. Le wis sworn state ment as to

the use of the several names above enumerated continuously since1909 and relieves it of all probative force.

But the matter was not settled. Plagiarizing the name or names

of an honorable, established and active Fraternity is so unethicaland such a flagrant wrong that it is never settled until it is settledright and full retr ibut ion is made. Such is the civil law, such is the

moral law' and such is the absolute law from which no guilty manmay escape. It is like Ban quo s ghos t it will not down. So wefind the ma tt er comi ng up again in Octob,ei% 1917. Evi den tl y his

right to use the name or te rm Rosae Crucis had been seriouslyquestioned, and wre find him writing at length on the subject in hisofficial magazine, American Rosae Crucis, explaining still attempting to explain; attem pting to justify that which he can neverexp lain o r jus t i fy . - .

Let us follow his frantic efforts:

Founded, not W hen our Order was fo un de d here in America

established. by twe nty- two men and women of N ew Yo rk, as-

No te date carefully. semblcd on A pril 1, 1915, the question of the name

Name not even of the Order was seriously discussed. Th e Ame r i

certain. can Rosae Crucis, October, 1917, page 195.

Wh y such serious consideration of the name? If the Order had

RANDOLPH FOUNDATION TH E AUTH ENTIC BODY

4 0

H AS E X C L U S I VE R I G H T T O US E O F N A M E S

bee n an au the nt ic Rosi cr uc ia n or ga ni za t ion or fo un da t ion dul y au-''

thorized and one that could have been rightfully and lawfully,

founded in Americ a in 1915, it wrould not need twenty- two men a ndwomen to name it or to seriously consider its name. It would have

been na me d because th e na me Ro sa e Crucis (R os e Cr oss ) is in

herent to and inseparable from all genuine and authentic Rosicru-cian bodies just as the child bears the family name of its parent s

or the wife takes the name of her husband.

But, of course, l ike a bastard of irregul ar birth , Mr . Lewis' f ab

ricated spurious organization, born of his own crafty scheming andhis designing mind, did need a name, and the plagiarizing or the

deliberate wrongful taking of the honorable name of the august

Fraternity was a matter for serious consideration.

Facts and the tell-tale circumstances surrounding and accom

pa ny in g the m do no t lie; th ey alwrays re veal th e t rut h to co nf ou nd

those whoatte mpt to use them to deceive and wron g others. Fals e

hood alwaysreveals i tself. So here in Mr . Lewis attempt ed expl an at io n we find his co nf es si on his pa ten t , re ve al in g, un mi sta k

able confession of or ganizing a spurious Orde r and plagiari zing its

name.

Let us follow his confession:

T H E N A M E W E I N T E N D E D T O U SE

Na tur ally the name, or phrase, Rosae Crucis,

formed the essential part of the name ice intended

to use. I 'he full title, Ancient and M ystical O rder

Rosae Crucis, was practically imperative, though I

distinc tly stated that, should wre choose, it was per

missible to use any veiled name or term which mightseem advisable. . . . The Amer ican Rosae Cru-

cis, October, 1917, page 195.

Here wc have a birds-eye view of the fabrication of the name

for the likewise fabri cated spurious A. M. O. R. C. Since Mr.

Lewis hadfounded and launched a spurious and clandestine Rosi

crucian Order, naturally the name he intended to use must contain

the phrase Rosae Crucis: It was essential to give the question

able undertaking the deceptive appearance of being Rosicrucian.

Mr. Lewis, who was well versed in the known and published

history and fabulous and alluring tales, both true and doubtful,

told of the Fraternit atis Rosae Crucis Ord er of the Rose Cross

Not its inherent name,

but the name he

intended to use.

Italics ours.

4 1


23/47

he knew and fully realized how very essentialit was for the successof his unholy undertaking to make the phrase Iiosae Crucis or

some other term descriptive of the authentic F ratern ity of t he Rosi-j

crucians the essentialpart of the name he intendedto use, otherwise!

it would not he regar ded as Rosicrucian. Th e name would not

hav>e the bewitching, enthralling, drawing, hypnotizing and desired

effect, and the enterprise would be a commercial failure. Its commercial and monetar y success being of utmost im portan ce the

very heart of his scheme the phrase Rosae Crucis naturally

formed the essential part of the name we (he) intended to use.

That Mr. Lewis appreciated the great possibil i t ies and high commercial value of a Rosicrucian label or name is clearly demon

strated by the next quotation we make from his article of 1917, in

which he betrays the thought uppermost in his mind, as follows:

Adm its the examina- . . an examina tion of the bibliograp hy of oc-

tion of bibliogra phy of cult books published in Am erica and Englan d, and

occult books and then [1 91 5] on sale in Am erica under the name of

know ledge of terms Rosicrucia n, plain ly indicated that when an authorused in Am erica. or firm desired to create a quick and sure sale for

a book it was labeled Rosicrucian. . . The

American Rosae Crucis. October, 1917, page 195.

And so Mr. Lewis knew naturall y knew that i t was essential to the success of the spurious order, which he fabricated purely

and solely for commercial purposes, tha t it should be labeled Rosi

crucian." And to make it more alluring, to give it a more potentappeal to the curious, credulous and gullible and, therefore, more

prof it ab le , he al so de em ed it adv an ta ge ou s, if no t es se nt ia l, to giveit the appearance of being very old as coming out of the night of

time and, of course, pro foun dly mysterious. Hen ce the fabricatedname: Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis th e t ru e Or

der the or iginal and per fec t Ros ic ruc i an Order , known by onlyone name.

That Mr. Lewis was uninitiated into the sublime mysteries of

the Rose Cross tha t he knew nothing of the truly worth y and

ennobling principle of the real Order and cared less, and that his

sole purpose and only object in organizing A. M. O. R. C. was to

make money, to make it a profitable enterprise for himself, to pil

fer from the many uninformed and credulous people curiously or

sincerely attracted to the occult (small monthly payments aggre

gating into the thousands of dollars ) is clearly demonstrated b y


42

H AS E X C L U S I V E R I G H T T O U S E OF N A ME S

everything he has written and is conclusively proved by every act

of his consistent course of commercialism.

By his wideflung, deceptive and alluring propaganda, in which

he has appealed only to the material, selfish and baser instincts and

impulses of man, he has pursued a course that offends, shames, mis

represents and sheds a false light on the worthy principles andnoble precepts of genuine Rosicrucianism. By his const ant univer

sal advertising for members, by the use of all the alluring, craftily

worded and cleverly constructed display advert ising known to the

modern art of high-pressure salesmanship, he has run counter to

the most basic precept and ancient landmark of the Grand Frater

nity, and in so doing he has clearly demonstrated to all who areinformed even unto those who have made the sl ightest investiga

tion, that he is not a Rosicrucian; that he cares nothing about the

noble principles, the sublime philosophy, the great work, the holy

mission of the august Fraternity and, furthermore, that his fabri

cated spurious A. M. O. R. C. is not a Rosicrucian body at all, but

a simon-pure commercial enterprise, founded and operated by 11.Spencer Lewis f or gain sordid, unholy gain.

And the sorrow and the shame of it is that he has succeeded to

the extent of deceiving thousands and extracting from them tens

of thousands of dollars, to say nothing of the other wrongs and

injuries he has done unto them.

Such wrongs and deception cannot go on forever the law of

reaction does work, and those who sow to the wind must reap thewhirlwind. And so Mr . Lewis house of cards is fal l ing. I t is

be co ming in cr ea si ng ly mor e dif ficu lt to dec ei ve . In ter es te d st ud en tsare i

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