Magic Organizations

Magic Organizations, Fraternities and Societies.

This is currently a work in progress

Prior to 1900

There were not any organized fraternities of magic in the world in prior to the 1900s outside of local social clubs.

The Conjurers' Club in Florence, Italy was in existence in 1887.

In the United States, there were small groups like those that assembled in the "Martinka's Little Back Shop." Known among themselves as "SATURDAY KNIGHTS," because of the fact that it was mostly a Saturday night event. These Saturday night gatherings resulted in a series of social entertainments. This was possibly the first entertainments for magicians by magicians, which were initially held in a little private theater of Martinka & Co.' in New York.

The first real impetus of creating a club for magicians most likely came as a direct result of Mahatma, the first periodical published in United State devoted to the interests of magic, which began publishing in 1895. This periodical introduced magicians to each other, fostering a fraternal feeling.

That same year, W. D. LeRoy was one of the first to attempt in bringing those interested in the art together in an organized body when he proposed the "Grand Lodge of The Magic Mystic Fraternity" in Boston, Mass.

On January 14, 1896, there was issued by the Secretary of the Commonwealth of the State of Massachusetts a charter for a corporation to be known as "The Magic Mystic Fraternity." Its object being to unite fraternally, acceptable men who are recognized performers of ability in the art of magic or sleight-of-hand, or who possess some skill in legerdemain, and the establishment and maintenance of a place for social meetings. This is the first society of its kind ever chartered anywhere with an aim of better fraternal feeling, the protection of each other, and the advancement of its members into the deeper mysteries of the magic realm

However, the Magic Mystic Fraternity did not seem to have gotten any further than to "incorporate," and nothing more was heard of it.

He later organized and became the first President of The Conjurers' Club in Boston. The slogan for the club was "Work-Eat-Play", which was still going strong in 1918.

1900s

In, March, 1902, the Sphinx periodical began publishing and by the May issue that year an editorial stated: "Last November I devised a scheme for creating a friendship among all magicians and lovers of magic. I called my society "The Order of The Sphinx." W. D. LeRoy,the Boston agent for the Sphinx, was one of the first to send in his application for membership.

However, after learning about the existence of the newly formed Society of American Magicians in New York in May, 1902 in Martinka's magic shop, "The Order of The Sphinx" was abandoned and they all put their efforts into the helping the SAM, in which LeRoy became member 33 when he was admitted during the first regular monthly meeting of the SAM on June 7, 1902.

In 1922, The International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.) was founded.

References

• THE ADVENT AND BRIEF HISTORY OF MAGIC FRATERNAL SOCIETIES IN THE UNITED STATES

OF AMERICA By Oscar S. Teale, Sphinx, January, 1928