Delving
into Secret Societies |
①History is replete with stories of secret societies, and both Hollywood and publishers love it. Several recent blockbusters and bestsellers have followed the same recipe for success: a storyline fashioned out of conspiracies, skulduggery, and secret codes, all based on flimsy historical evidence. The movie National Treasure and Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code both rely on sensationalist conspiracy theories to pique the interest of the public. ②You can see just how fascinated the public is with secret societies by checking one of the many websites devoted to them, most of which claim that such societies harbor conspirators with more than questionable goals. The Freemasons seem to be the most frequent target, with the paranoiacs and wild theorists seeing a Masonic conspiracy behind every conflict, election, or major international event. The first Masonic lodge started in early eighteenth-century England and became a powerful fraternity that included politicians, scientists, artists, and businessmen. Their charitable work has helped many underprivileged people, but that hasn’t stopped others from claiming that they are a refuge for Satanists and the like. More than a few critics assert that Freemasonry had a major hand in the founding of the United States, and that the same hidden hand continues to pull the strings of government today. ③Jim Marr, in Rule by Secrecy, claims that 53 of the 56 signers of the U.S. Declaration of Independence were Freemasons. That’s an exaggeration by any stretch of the imagination, although at least nine are believed to have belonged to the society. George Washington was also a member. Ralph Epperson in The Unseen Hand claims that “all the staff officers Washington trusted [during the American Revolution] were Masons, and all the leading generals of the Army were Masons.” While it is true that many of Washington’s generals were Masons, the reason had more to do with practicality than it did with conspiracies and secrets. Says Jim Kouf, who co- wrote the screenplay for National Treasure and whose grandfather was a Freemason, '”When Washington had trouble raising his army, he called upon his Masonic brothers, because he knew he could trust them.” ④There is no doubt that the principles behind the Freemasons did help shape the values incorporated in the Declaration of Independence and the American idea of democracy. “The Masons were founded on pretty solid principles,” says Kouf, “and a lot of those held for the Founding Fathers and probably influenced them a great deal toward democracy at the time.” Others, though, believe that democracy and such secret societies are inherently opposed to each other, since democracy is dependent on openness and equality. Those who take the most ominous perspective describe a hidden power struggle taking place between these sinister secret societies and democracy. These theorists even claim that the very lack of attention these societies receive in the media is evidence of their ability to suppress the truth. ⑤While much of the furor is downright laughable, it does add to the mystery of secret societies and make the storytelling all the more attractive and lucrative. But let’s remember that that’s usually all it is－storytelling. （521語） |
| （35) | Which of the following
would most likely represent the author’s view about the history
of
Freemasonry in the United States? 1. Freemasonry began as a political society that had an unusually large influence on government, business, science, and art. 2. Though Freemasonry started out as rather well intentioned, it gradually evolved into a major political organization bent on affecting change. 3.Freemasonry never set out to steer the course of U.S. development, but its underlying values influenced the political climate. 4. Freemasons have had a stabilizing influence during times of social unrest. |
| （36) | Regarding the claim that many of George Washington’s staff officers
were Masons, 1. the author of the passage points to the source of the claim as evidence that it is yet another fabrication. 2. the author of the passage presents evidence that Washington had legitimate reasons for appointing his Masonic brothers. 3. Jim Kouf disagrees on the grounds that Washington would not have entrusted leadership to Masons alone. 4. Jim Kouf sides with Ralph Epperson in believing that Washington merely took advantage of the Masons. |
| （37) | What does the author believe about secret societies? 1. They are products of an earlier time and no longer significant
in the public eye. |
(語句)
| delve into | (策略を詳細に調べる) |
| paranoiac | (パラノイア患者、妄想症患者) |
| History is replete with stories of secret societies | (歴史は秘密組織の話で持ちきりである) |
| a storyline fashioned out of conspiracies, skullduggery, and secret codes, all based on flimsy historical evidence | (陰謀、不正行為、や暗号から作り出される話の展開で、全て信じがたい史実に基づいている) |
| pique the interest of public | (一般大衆の興味をかき立てる) |
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