Order of the Pug

by **Ria** Mon Jul 24, 2017 2:02 pm

The Order of the Pug
The Mops-Orden, or Order of the Pug was a para-Masonic society founded by Roman Catholics. It is believed that it was founded in 1740 by Klemens August of Bavaria to bypass the papal bull In eminenti apostolatus of 1738. The constitution of the Order of the Pug allowed women to become members, as long as they were Catholic. The Pug was chosen as a symbol of loyalty, trustworthiness and steadiness.^[1]
Members called themselves Mops (the German for Pug), novices were initiated wearing a dog collar and had to scratch at the door to get in. The novices were blindfolded and led around a carpet with symbols on it nine times while the Pugs of the Order barked loudly to test the steadiness of the newcomers. During the initiation, the novices also had to kiss a Pug's (porcelain) backside under its tail as an expression of total devotion. Members of the Order carried a Pug medallion made of silver. In 1745, the secrets of the order were "exposed" in a book published in Amsterdam with the title L'ordre des Franc-Maçons trahi et le Secret des Mopses révélé which included the ritual and two engravings illustrating their rite.^[2]
The Order was banned by Göttingen University in 1748. Loge Louise des ehrwürdigen Mopsordens or Lodge Louise of the Venerable Order of the Pug had been formed the previous year as a student society, mainly drawn from the Hanoverian nobility. The lodge fees and their control over their members formed the excuse for the closure, and after a government investigation, the lodge documents were passed to the University authorities.^[3]
While German sources state that the order was short-lived,^[4] they were reportedly active in Lyon as late as 1902.^[5]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Pug#

Someone has made this connection........I think it's a stretch but !?!?