# why did Freemasons become the most successful 19th century secret/fraternal society?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-freemasons-become-the-most-successful-19th-century-secret-fraternal-society/533345>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 22, 2010, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-freemasons-become-the-most-successful-19th-century-secret-fraternal-society/533345 "2010-03-22T15:44:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-freemasons-become-the-most-successful-19th-century-secret-fraternal-society/533345/21 "2010-03-23T16:50:46Z")

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> [@Didactylos](#):
>
> Can american dopers clue me in on this:  
> Why is there both an Elks lodge and a Moose lodge?  
> Two orders named after two names for the same animal.  
> Is one of them a split off branch of the other?

As **yabob** said, they’re two very different critters over here. Elk roam in herds, mostly in higher altitudes. There are tens of thousands of them in this area (Montana, near Yellowstone Park). Moose are bigger, and generally either solitary or in small family groups.

Here are pictures of male [moose](http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/03_03/mooseDM2003_468x440.jpg) and [elk](http://www.smouse.force9.co.uk/fa_elk.jpg).

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**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-freemasons-become-the-most-successful-19th-century-secret-fraternal-society/533345/22 "2010-03-23T18:55:16Z")

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All the social service organizations are on life support, and the good works they have chosen to perform is suffering. The high-achievers who were the life blood of these groups are now expected to work so much overtime they don’t have the time to devote to the Shriners, Elks, Rotary and others. [Read Robert D. Putnam’s _Bowling Alone_](http://books.simonandschuster.com/Bowling-Alone/Robert-D-Putnam/9780743203043).

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