Freemasonry bills itself, as Alan pointed out, not as a secret fraternity, but as a society whose secret handshakes and passwords are designed to symbolize the trustworthiness of each member of the lodge, or the gathering place. It is a fraternal organization that, although claiming descent from Ancient Greece and Egypt, most likely arose during the 16th and 17th centuries modeled on stonemasons who constructed the great cathedrals throughout Europe.

With lore about the Freemasons sensationalized in novelist Dan Brown’s latest book, “The Lost Symbol,” Washington University students may be surprised to learn that the University’s connections with Freemasonry run deep.