Secret Societies PART 4 OF 5

Duration: 10:41 minutes Upload Time: 2007-11-01 03:25:18 User: TheHistoryChannelTv :::: Favorites :::: Top Videos of Day

Description: Historically, secret societies have been the subject of suspicion and speculation from non-members since the time of the ancient Greeks, when meetings were held "sub rosa" (Latin, "under the rose"). This phrase arises from the fact that the rose was the emblem of the god Horus in ancient Egypt[citation needed]. Later the Greeks and Romans regarded Horus as god of silence. This originates from a Greek/Roman misinterpretation of an Egyptian hieroglyphic adopting Horus along with Isis and Osiris as a god. The Greeks translated his Egyptian name Har-pa-khered to Harpocrates. The rose's connotation for secrecy also dates back to Greek mythology. Aphrodite gave a rose to her son Eros, the god of love; he, in turn, gave it to Harpocrates, the god of silence, to ensure that his mother's indiscretions (or those of the gods in general, in other accounts) were kept under wraps. In the Middle Ages a rose suspended from the ceiling of a council chamber pledged all present (those under the rose) to secrecy.[1] Today the phrases "Sub Rosa" and "under the rose" are commonly used to indicate secrecy. Since some secret societies have political aims, they are illegal in several countries. Poland has made the ban of secret political parties and political organizations a part of its constitution. Many student societies established on university campuses have been considered secret societies. These such collegiate secret societies are like the Flat Hat Club (1750) and Phi Beta Kappa (1776), both founded at William & Mary. The most famous member of the FHC was Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States. In correspondence, Jefferson noted that the Flat Hat Club served "no useful object." The nation's prestigious universities and liberal arts colleges are home to secret societies today. See List of collegiate secret societies. Perhaps one of the most famous secret college societies is the Skull and Bones club, of which both president George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry are members from their college years. The Skull and Bones Club is rumored to be a secret white supremist organization. However, if this once was true, it clearly no longer is, as there have been minority and homosexual members in recent years. It is rumored that some members of the Skull and Bones Club receive membership because of family connections. Many former members of it have gone on to have wealthy and powerful careers. The United States National Security Agency has been described as a secret society, since for many years, its very existence was a secret, as was its budget. People (such as James Bamford, in The Puzzle Palace, 1982) used to say that the letters NSA stood for "No Such Agency" or "Never Say Anything"; and, in the early 1990's, the CIA had a Website but the NSA did not. This has changed: The NSA has had a Website for several years, and its activities are debated in Congress and the press. Its budget is still classified, but it officilly exists. Its activities are authoized and are paid for, although the detailes of those activities are closely-held secrets.