LEO TAXIL: A TWICE-TWISTED TALE

DR. LAWRENCE C. HELMS, 32d

THE NEW AGE March 1982

Of all the hoaxes perpetrated in the world's history, none surely is more
amazing than the one concerning Leo Taxil." Thus writes Albert G. Mackey
when discussing a Jesuit educated adventurer of the late 19th century who
first appeared to write of damning anti-religious Masonic rituals, but who
later proved to be a profound embarrassment to the Roman Catholic Church
and the anti- Masonic movement. 

Leo Taxil was the pen name of Gabriel Antoine Jogand-Pages, a roguish
freethinker who lived in Paris during the last quarter of the 19th
century. Freethinker was a term applied to individuals of that era who
rejected authority and dogma, especially in religious thinking, in favor
of rational inquiry and speculation. W.G. Sibley, in The Story of
Freemasonry, a 1913 book published only six years after Taxil's death,
describes him as being "talented, audacious, and holding both religion and
decency in contempt." Mackey is equally unflattering in his description.
He says Taxil was "careless about the truth, gifted with a lively
imagination and an outstanding audacity." 

But, who was Leo Taxil and what relation did he have to Freemasonry and to
the anti-Masonic movement? 

Leo Taxil first appeared on the international scene in Paris and was
immediately known for his acid anti-Catholic publications. This is not
unusual given his affiliation with the so-called freethinker groups of
that period. He first authored a work entitled The Private Loves of Pope
Pius IX, and then established an anti- Catholic journal, the
Anti-Clerical. He was one of several freethinkers who gained a reputation
for being a dangerous enemy of the Catholic Church. He was roundly
denounced by the church and excommunicated. 

Just as Taxil's early life is unknown and somewhat of a mystery, why he
decided to petition the Masonic Order for admission is unclear, especially
in view of his freethinking rejection of organized authority and dogma. It
may be hypothesized that his personal anti-Catholic feelings led him to
believe he would find allies in Masonic Lodges. Perhaps his plan for later
Masonic exposes was already developed. No one will ever know for sure, but
in 1881 he petitioned the French Lodge, Le Temple de L'Honneur, to receive
the Masonic degrees. 

It is reported that there was some hesitancy among the members of the
Lodge toward accepting Taxil's Petition. Objections were raised concerning
his conflicts with the civil authorities as well as with the grossness of
his anti-Catholic publications. His espoused views on freethinking also
presented doubts as to the seriousness of his desire to affiliate with the
Craft. Nonetheless, after assurances from his sponsors, the objections
were set aside, and Taxil was allowed to take the First Degree. That is as
far as Taxil progressed, however, and after being accused of some
undisclosed Masonic transgression, he was expelled from the Fraternity and
prohibited from taking additional degrees. Unfortunately, as Freemasons
were to learn, the damage had been done. 

After being expelled from the Masonic Order, Taxil immediately sought
rapprochement with the Catholic Church. Surprisingly, after spending a few
months in a monastery and after a public confession of past sins, Taxil
was accepted back into the church. He immediately commenced a vicious and
unchecked attack against Freemasonry with the same vigor and energy he had
previously reserved for attacking the Catholic Church. Taxil simply
switched sides and targets; former ally became enemy, and enemy became
friend. 

From 1885 to 1886, Taxil published a series of anti-Masonic exposes under
the general title of The Complete Revelations Upon Freemasonry. The series
was very popular and Taxil enjoyed new fiscal prosperity and became a
minor celebrity. It is at this point that the tale takes yet another
strange twist. Taxil's wife, Madame Jogand, continued to publish and sell
his earlier anti-Catholic Church books while Taxil was using his new-found
political base with the church to publish and sell his anti-Masonic
publications. With the luxury afforded by historical hindsight, it is
plain to see that the couple was exploiting the fears, hatreds, and myopic
visions of all factions involved. Taxil cleverly played his role and
profited from being all things to all people: he was pro-Catholic, anti-
Catholic, pro-Mason and anti-Mason, depending on his own self-interest at
the time. 

Taxil's anti-Masonic writings were the product of a fertile imagination,
encouraged by the church and fueled with financial successes. His
anti-Masonic themes were filled with devil worship, murder, torture, and
other luridly described obscene behavior. Translated into German and other
foreign languages, Taxil became immensely popular and came to the
favorable attention of the Catholic Church's ruling hierarchy in Rome.
Incredibly, his wildly imaginative and purely fictitious ramblings were
accepted by a gullible public. 

Taxil's anti-Masonic tales gained him high visibility, financial success,
and a great deal of personal popularity. In 1896 Taxil helped orchestrate
a large anti- Masonic congress and actually constituted an anti-Masonic
central committee. He had risen to new heights of popularity and power in
the anti-Masonic movement, and his previous transgressions against the
Catholic Church seemed ancient history. He was feted for his ardent
service to the church in revealing the true devil worshipping nature of
Freemasonry. On occasion a voice was raised asking for proof or
clarification, but Taxil's typical response was, ''What you are doing [by
asking such questions] turns to the benefit of the Freemasons." Such
explanations appeared satisfactory. 

Finally, on April 17, 1897, the fabric of deceit so cleverly woven by Leo
Taxil came apart. As with other major twists in this tale, why it occurred
only Taxil knows, for it was of his own volition, not through outside
force or independent investigation, that the truth finally came to the
surface. 

On that day in April, Taxil addressed a sizable crowd gathered in the
large Geographic Society Hall in Paris, presumably to hear yet another
anti-Masonic diatribe. Without warning or foreshadowing of any type, Taxil
admitted that the previous 12 years of anti-Masonic writings and stories
were complete fabrications and a gigantic hoax. He blithely stated: 

My Reverend Fathers, I sincerely thank my colleagues, the Roman Catholic
Press, and our Lords, the Bishops, of having so excellently assisted me to
construct a work, the finest and greatest of all my trickeries. 

The anti-Masonic crowd, divested of umbrellas and other potential
offensive weapons upon their entrance into the hall that night, after
hearing Taxil's admission and realizing their own dupery, grew angry, and
Taxil was forced to beat a hasty retreat through a prearranged backdoor
escape. 

Shocked incredulity gave way to extreme anger. One church official damned
Taxil to hell, but in deference to the other denizens of that locale,
allowed how other condemned souls would turn away from Taxil in
embarrassment. Fearing for his safety, or perhaps because of his now
favorable financial position, Taxil and his wife immediately disappeared
from public view. Taxil was well aware of his vulnerability from that
point forward and of Shakespeare's observation that "Men shut their doors
against a setting sun." 

Aftermath
----------
In retrospect, Taxil proved to be an embarrassment to all parties
concerned. His fatuous duplicity harmed the Freemasons, but also the
anti-Masonic elements that so eagerly swallowed his vivid fictions. Much
like a screaming headline that chronicles a lurid murder that later proves
to be incorrect, Taxil's unfounded accusations generated considerable
anti-Masonic sentiments. The fact that he later recanted and admitted his
hoax never erased the stain of the original fabrications. Following the
old bromide concerning "where there is smoke there must be fire," to this
day some individuals, ignorant of the facts, tell and retell Taxil's
stories as the truth. Even after he admitted his hoax, some individuals
wanted to believe they were true stories. Conversely, those responsible
elements in the Catholic Church were profoundly embarrassed by Taxil's
admissions, for they sought only the truth, and their own unwitting
assistance aided his trickery immensely. 

Taxil managed to embarrass all parties concerned, and his admission of
guilt only revealed the gullibility of the public to seize upon the
sensational. There are those who undoubtedly applaud Taxil's duplicity and
affirm that the forces and counterforces involved got only what they
deserved. But, more than the actual deeds or events, one underlying lesson
to be learned from this hoax focuses on the essential element of that
seemingly nebulous concept known as "truth. " Both parties in this hoax
were so anxious to find an ally for their respective positions that they
were willing to accept the outlandish as fact and the improbable as
possible, rather than take the harder, but more satisfying, route to find
the truth. Damning those who held a view dissimilar to their own became an
end in itself. Deception, hypocrisy, and fraud became acceptable
bedfellows. 

In the end, no one emerged victorious, although self-styled freethinkers
of that era and today must feel their repudiation of authority and dogma
is well justified after witnessing the results of Taxil's deception. In
reality, Taxil only proved how elusive the search for truth is.