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rendered invaluable services to them. He was one of the staunchest supporters of the idea to organize a new Lodge under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of New York for all brethren from Vienna. In 1940 he led a delegation consisting of our Deputy Grand Master of Vienna, the late R. W. Ludwig Altman, W. Siegfried Geyerhahn, W. Ralph Grove, Siegfried Kelbl, Ernest Hochmuth, Michael Munkacsy and Paul Rafford, the then Grand Master of New York, the M. W. Henry C. Turner. The conference ended without any positive results. But our Viennese brethren were not ready to give up, and they did not. In 1943 they tried it again. [...] In this important brief they tried to prove that all arguments against a lodge of Viennese brethren were practically not valid. They told and proved to Grand Lodge that almost all Viennese brethren were about to become American citizens, or in possession of their First Papers and that none of them had the desire to return to Austria after the war; that the brethren were in most instances settled and, therefore, would not be a charge of others, but would therefore be able to sustain their own Lodge with all obligations; that the membership of a newly constituted Lodge would not decline but, on the contrary, many young men were knocking on the door asking to be accepted, and not only sons and other relatives of brethren; that, finally, the brethren who had stood together in their good days in Vienna, and the bad ones in prisons and concentration camps, wanted now to stand together in their new country. Therefore they did not seek affiliation to other American Lodges but wished to build one of their own, to live up to their past and to combine the tradition of the Grand Lodge of Vienna with the high spirit of American Free Masonry. [...] The expectation that the Grand Lodge, as its grand conviction which took place in May, 1944, would grant the Charter of the Lodge, was not fulfilled. Because of technical formalities the charter was not granted at that time. In December of 1944, however, the Grand Master, M. W. Charles W. Froessel, reissued the dispensation of the Lodge. It was under his administration, at the next convention of the Grand Lodge in May, 1945, that the Charter of the HUMANITAS LODGE No. 1123 was granted. On December 15, 1945, the constitution night was celebrated. [...] There is one fact that must be remembered: the great efforts for the foundation of the HUMANITAS LODGE would have been in vain, and the Lodge would not have developed to its present standing, had not each and every brother contributed his best. This is the true secret of the success of HUMANITAS LODGE No.1123."° Es war in jedem Fall ein langer Weg, die New Yorker Großbehörden von der Hilfsbedürftigkeit der österreichischen Brüder zu überzeugen, dies erschließt sich auch aus den Briefen von Abraham Felt an Ludwig Altmann. Der Anwalt Dr. Abraham Felt war vor 1938 der offizielle Großrepräsentant der GLvW bei der Grand Lodge of New York (GLNY), zudem verfasste er maurerische Gebrauchslyrik und historische Beiträge.'? Sein Briefpapier trägt ebenfalls ein Emblem der GLvW. Ab Jänner 1940 bis Febraur 1941 lässt sich eine intensive Korrespondenz mit Ludwig Altmann nachweisen. Hieraus ist zu erfahren, das Altmann einen eindringlichen Vortrag über die Situation der Freimaurerei in Österreich gehalten hatte, der auch in die Bibliothek der Großloge eingehen oder dass das Flüchtlingshilfskomitee der GLNY weiter bestehen werde und dass auch einzelne amerikanische Logen dafür spendeten.'* Im Mai 1940 wurde um die Erstellung einer unbesimmten Summe für den tschechischen Freimaurer Dr. Leopold Berg, um einige seiner Familienangehörigen die Schiffpassage zu bezahlen." Durch Felts Tätigkeit spendeten bald auch amerikanische Logen direkt 58 _ ZWISCHENWELT an den HSC.'° Diesen dürfte sich der HSC im Juli 1940 erstmals präsentiert haben.’ Erhalten geblieben ist ein Brief Felts an Großsekretär Charles H. Johnson: Regarding our talk today I your office with respect to as dispensation Jor a proposed lodge to be known either as Richard Schlesinger or Humanitas Lodge, it is probably best to fit this lodge into the Sixth District. The brethren, formerly Vienna masons, numbering approximately 180 are men of good repute, I having had occasions to address them several times, and many of them having been in to see me on one mission or another, where I had the opportunity to personally form my opinion concerning their respective characters. Lam willing to help the formation of this lodge in a small measure financially, and am also willing to do what some may regard as a sacrifice, to act as Master for the first year. While the brethren generally speak English quite well, it is proboably best to have four or five Past Masters who are willing to serve as wardens and deacons to officiate Jor the first year, and help instruct the brethren in the work. You probably have an idea how much this means to these Viennese Brethren who are really anxious to form themselves into a New York, Manhatten, Masonic Lodge.'* In Vorbereitung des Treffens mit dem Großmeister am 28. September 1940 meinte Felt, der Delegation sollten neben Altmann die Brüder Geyerhahn, Grove, Kelbl und Rafalowicz angehören." Zwar hatte dieses nicht den gewünschten Erfolg gebracht, doch bereist im Dezember verwies Felt darauf, das der HSC im lokalen Freimaurer-Gebäude wegen Räumlichkeiten vorsprechen solle.” In einem der letzten Schreiben dieser Serie legte Felt einen Brief von Wladimir Misaf bei, der für sich selber spreche, doch nicht erhalten geblieben ist.” In einem weiteren Schreiben Felts an Großsekretär Johnson vom Febraur 1943 finden sich Rückschlüsse darauf, warum der erste Anlauf zu einer Logengründung 1940 noch abgeblockt wurde: You will recall that some time ago, a delegation of Humanitas appeared before you and Most Worshipful Brother Turner. Since then, of my knowledge, I know that the great majority of the brethren constituting Humanitas are much better off economically and are more deeply rooted here now and their petition should be given favourable consideration if to does not conflict with the resent ideas and regulations of Grand Lodge. [...] It is quite natural for me to heartily endorse the plan because of my close contact with some brethren since their arrival here and I know that many of the men in this group are cultured to a high degree, they are sober, industrious and are possessed if ideals which are highly symbolic of our Masonic Tradition.” Es war also die Sorge um die mangelnde finanzielle Basis und um die innere Ausrichtung der Loge. In jedem Fall arbeitete sie unter ihrem Stuhlmeister Sidney S. Sachs nach einem englischen Emulation-Ritual und nicht mehr wie in Osterreich mit einem Schroeder-Ritual. Dennoch wurde retrospektiv die Eigenständigkeit betont: Obzwar die Loge „Humanitas“ eine amerikanische FreimaurerLoge ist, die unter der Charter der Großloge von New York steht, haben wir stets versucht, eine Synthese zwischen der österreichischen Kultur, wie wir sie verstehen und den hiesigen Gebräuchen und Sitten zu schaffen.” Das war im europäisch geprägten New York sicher noch einfacher, als in entlegenen Teilen des Landes. So schrieb Frank E. Orne (eig. Franz Ornstein) über Boston:
