Book Review

Parade to Glory: The Shriners and Their Caravan to Destiny

by Fred Van Deventer

     There was a time in the 20^th century when the Ancient Arabic Order Of the Of the Nobles Of the Mystic Shrine, otherwise known as The Shriners, were the premier fraternal order of America. In Parade to Glory Fred Van Deventer chronicles the founding and rise of the order. As a book it does have its shortcomings but it is probably the most comprehensive and detailed account of their history that is available to the general public.

     Van Deventer begins with an account of the origins of The Shriners. The founding member, physician William Florence, was inspired to found a new fraternity based on a secret ritual he wrote himself. After the Civil War, he held a meeting in New York City with thirteen other men to draw up plans to get started. It was to be a club open only to the elitist of the most elite Freemasons in the country. After gathering enough support, the Mecca Temple was consecrated in New York with the Damascus Temple being the second to open in Rochester. Their popularity blossomed rapidly from there.

     The author of Parade to Glory is obviously an advocate of The Shriners. That does not stop him from giving a down to Earth account of their founding myth which involves secret books, lost manuscripts, and damaged documents that all serve the purpose of shrouding it in mystery. Supposedly the actor and comedian Walter Fleming went on a pilgrimage throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East where he discovered a network of secret societies derived from an order put together by Mohammad the prophet of Islam himself. It contains all the usual secret society lore involving Sufis, Rosicrucians, the Illuminati, the Knights Templar, and, of course, the Freemasons. In reality though, the founding myth is all fiction. Walter Fleming had never been outside of America, the jargon of The Shriners is more Hebrew than Arabic, and few, if any, Shriners actually knew anything about Islamic culture or history. Van Deventer claims the fantastic story of the order’s origins does not matter since their activities are what really counts.

     From there we get a detailed history of the growth of The Shriners. Far from being a smooth process, there were a lot of controversies along the way. Power struggles and financial mismanagement have been problems from the start. Conflicts with the mainstream Freemasons and some negative perceptions held by the general public have also followed them throughout their existence; their hard drinking, pranks, and loud parties earned them a reputation for being a bunch of rowdy drunks. There were also times, especially after World War II, when the organization grew so rapidly that they were unable to accommodate all their intiates.

     The Shriners thrived though and had more successes than failures. Parade to Glory provides plenty of accounts involving parades, circuses, conventions, and philanthropic activities. Some of the most interesting parts of the book tell the story of how the Shriners free children’s hospitals were established to help the physically disabled and victims of burns without regard to race or religion. Some of the less interesting parts of the book describe the internal politics of their organization. There are some long and dry accounts of meetings, committees, debates, and policy discussions. Interestingly, The Shriners are almost like a nation unto themselves with charters, legal codes, and bylaws that they manage quite effectively. Van Deventer’s detailed passages about their political and financial structures take up most of the book and are not especially fun to read, Do not bother reading Parade to Glory if you are looking for detailed descriptions of Shriner pageants and rituals. Those are secrets revealed only to initiated members. Conspiracy theorists will not find anything here either.

     While the AAONMS once held a prominent position in American society, their membership has been steadily declining in recent years and they seem to be an anachronism now. In our age of political correctness, the idea of successful businessmen play acting at being Muslims does not sit well with many people. Their gaudy Middle Eastern costumes and décor get vilified as examples of cultural appropriation. Using the Waters of Zemzem as a code word for alcohol is patently offensive to most Muslims since alcohol is forbidden in Islam and the Well of Zamzam is a stop on the hajj pilgrimage in Mecca. Blackface performers are called out and condemned in public as they should be (but to be fair there are a sizable number of African-American Shriners and some all-black splinter groups like the Moorish Science Temple and the Black Hebrew Israelites grew out of the AAONMS). Animal rights activists have decimated circuses with lawsuits. Exclusive clubs open only to men are roundly condemned by feminists. Clowns have become associated with horror movies and serial killers thanks to the likes of John Wayne Gacy. Most Shriners are now elderly men in an ageist society that does not believe in degrading anyone unless, of course, they are over the age of 50 in which case they receive an extreme amount of scorn from younger people. But the Shriner’s children’s hospitals are still thriving; this is ironic considering that these hospitals were possibly the most politically correct and non-discriminatory institution of the 20^th century. When it came to philanthropy, they really did practice what they preached unlike today’s social constructionist theorists who do not appear to do much to help anybody but themselves.

     There are not many books about The Shriners, or most of the other old time fraternal orders either. These clubs and philanthropic associations are a fading relic from the past. We live in an age of mass shootings and epidemic levels of depression, suicide, and loneliness; people spend most of their time staring at cell phones or playing video games or bickering on social media, overly-sensitive Americans take themselves too seriously and appear to have lost their ability to have fun. Even sports have become more about winning than enjoying the competition of the game. Maybe a little brotherhood, charity, and fun are what is missing in our times. Parade to Glory is not an especially well-written book but it does open a window on a sector of 20^th century society that is vanishing. Reading it may make you realize just how much our country has changed and not always for the better. 

Van Deventer, Fred. Parade to Glory: The Shriners and Their Caravan to Destiny. Pyramid Books, New York: 1964.