Ritual , Secrecy , and Civil Society
Belgium , one in Spain , two in Canada , three in the Netherlands , twenty in Germany , twenty-seven in France , and thirty-seven in Romandy ( French-speaking Switzerland ).
1913 : Structuring the ULF
1913 saw a significant change in the history of the ULF with a meeting held in Bern : Esperanto Framasona wanted to exist outside the Esperantist congresses , even though it long continued to meet in parallel to these gatherings . At the initiative of Fritz Uhlmann , 2 its members decided to establish a league open to all brothers initiated regularly , 3 without distinction in terms of obedience or rite , and they called it Universala Framasona Ligo in Esperanto , which in English translates as Universal League of Freemasons . The name is important , since it indicates that the aim was to create the best possible conditions for brothers to become better acquainted and come together on an individual level . From that point , Esperanto became a secondary goal . There were , however , no changes to the recruiting : The League was only open to men !
The First World War disrupted masonic activities in several countries and interrupted international relations between masons . After 1918 , the return of this activity was very slow , as the conflict had left too much bitterness on both sides . Once again , the World Esperanto Congresses made it possible for brothers of the ULF to meet : in London in 1920 ( where Uhlmann was elected president ); in the Hague , in Prague , and in Nuremberg ( 1921 – 1923 ); in Vienna and in Geneva ( 1924 – 1925 ).
The true return of the League came with the congress in Vienna in 1926 . It reasserted its political and denominational neutrality and more importantly made a series of decisions such as :
• The creation of national groups to facilitate dues collection and to organize fraternal meetings in each country between the annual congresses .
• The organization of future congresses separately from Esperantist congresses .
• The launch of a review to replace the modest pamphlets published until then irregularly and in Esperanto .
• The establishment of an office to centralize masonic documentation . This office was set up in Vienna and entrusted to Brother Eugen Lennhoff , at the time editor of the Wiener Freimaurer Zeitung and Grand Commander of the Supreme Council of Austria .
2 Fritz Uhlmann ( 1881 – 1938 ), a Swiss doctor and dedicated Esperantist , was the first to translate the masonic rites into Esperanto .
3 A few words on this point : The League acted in a clear relationship with the masonic “ tradition .” It never wavered on this point , as shown in this passage from a presentation brochure published in 1930 : “ Each mason must prove his regularity before admission . The essential condition for this status is recognition of the ‘ ancient duties ’ of Freemasonry .”
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