| The bottom line is, (apparently), at some point during the late nineteenth-early twentieth centuries, hazing was a lamentable part of at least some lodges among the fraternity. The origins of these ribald rites can be traced back to eighteenth century France and England, (cf., Albert Pike's "Porch & Middle Chamber" or any old French ritual for details). Apparently, riding the goat as well as other, similarly strange methods of hazing were indulged in, not only to ensure the candidate's willingess to trust his prospective brothers, but to amuse them somewhat as well. Documentation of this practice, as with any Masonic endeavor, is indeed scanty, but you can click HERE for a look at a page from an old masonic catalogue that should illustrate just how widespread the practice was. Click HERE for an animated "goatrider" slide-show. |
