Their heads nodded in unison.
«Okay. Now, what if I told you that Washington, D.C., has
The creaking diminished.
«My friends,» Langdon said, lowering his voice and moving to the front of the stage, «in the next hour, you will discover that our nation is overflowing with secrets and hidden history. And exactly as in Europe, all of the best secrets are hidden in plain view.»
The wooden pews fell dead silent.
Langdon dimmed the lights and called up his second slide. «Who can tell me what George Washington is doing here?»
The slide was a famous mural depicting George Washington dressed in full Masonic regalia standing before an odd-looking contraption — a giant wooden tripod that supported a rope-and-pulley system from which was suspended a massive block of stone. A group of well-dressed onlookers stood around him.
«Lifting that big block of stone?» someone ventured.
Langdon said nothing, preferring that a student make the correction if possible.
«Actually,» another student offered, «I think Washington is
«Excellent,» Langdon said. «The mural portrays the Father of Our Country using a tripod and pulley to lay the cornerstone of our Capitol Building on September 18, 1793, between the hours of eleven fifteen and twelve thirty.» Langdon paused, scanning the class. «Can anyone tell me the significance of that date and time?»
Silence.
«What if I told you that precise moment was chosen by three famous masons — george washington, benjamin franklin, and pierre l’enfant, the primary architect for d.c.?»
More silence.
«Quite simply, the cornerstone was set at that date and time because, among other things, the auspicious Caput Draconis was in Virgo.»
Everyone exchanged odd looks.
«Hold on,» someone said. «You mean. . like
«Exactly. Although a different astrology than we know today.»
A hand went up. «You mean our Founding Fathers believed in astrology?»
Langdon grinned. «Big-time. What would you say if I told you the city of Washington, D.C., has more astrological signs in its architecture than
«But that whole thing about the Capitol cornerstone being laid while Caput Draconis was in Virgo — who cares? Can’t that just be coincidence?»
«An impressive coincidence considering that the cornerstones of the three structures that make up Federal Triangle — the Capitol, the White House, the Washington Monument — were all laid in different years but were carefully timed to occur under this
Langdon’s gaze was met by a room full of wide eyes. A number of heads dipped down as students began taking notes.
A hand in back went up. «Why did they do that?»
Langdon chuckled. «The answer to that is an entire semester’s worth of material. If you’re curious, you should take my mysticism course. Frankly, I don’t think you guys are emotionally prepared to hear the answer.»
«What?» the person shouted. «Try us!»
Langdon made a show of considering it and then shook his head, toying with them. «Sorry, I can’t do that. Some of you are only freshmen. I’m afraid it might blow your minds.»
«Tell us!» everyone shouted.
Langdon shrugged. «Perhaps you should join the Masons or Eastern Star and learn about it from the source.»
«We can’t get in,» a young man argued. «The Masons are like a supersecret society!»
«Supersecret? Really?» Langdon remembered the large Masonic ring that his friend peter solomon wore proudly on his right hand. «then why do masons wear obvious masonic rings, tie clips, or pins? why are masonic buildings clearly marked? why are their meeting times in the newspaper?» langdon smiled at all the puzzled faces. «my friends, the masons are not a secret society. . they are a society with secrets.»
«Same thing,» someone muttered.
«Is it?» Langdon challenged. «Would you consider Coca-Cola a secret society?»
«Of course not,» the student said.
«Well, what if you knocked on the door of corporate headquarters and asked for the recipe for Classic Coke?»
«They’d never tell you.»
«Exactly. In order to learn Coca-Cola’s deepest secret, you would need to join the company, work for many years, prove you were trustworthy, and eventually rise to the upper echelons of the company, where that information might be shared with you. Then you would be sworn to secrecy.»
«So you’re saying Freemasonry is like a corporation?» «Only insofar as they have a strict hierarchy and they take secrecy very seriously.»
«My uncle is a Mason,» a young woman piped up. «And my aunt hates it because he won’t talk about it with her. She says Masonry is some kind of strange religion.»
«A common misperception.»
«It’s not a religion?»
«Give it the litmus test,» Langdon said. «Who here has taken Professor Witherspoon’s comparative religion course?»
Several hands went up.
«Good. So tell me, what are the three prerequisites for an ideology to be considered a religion?»
«ABC,» one woman offered. «Assure, Believe, Convert.»
«Correct,» Langdon said. «Religions
«So. . Masonry is
«On the contrary. One of the prerequisites for becoming a Mason is that you
«Sounds a little far-out,» someone said.
«Or, perhaps, refreshingly open-minded?» Langdon offered. «In this age when different cultures are killing each other over whose definition of God is better, one could say the Masonic tradition of tolerance and open- mindedness is commendable.» Langdon paced the stage. Moreover, Masonry is open to men of all races, colors, and creeds, and provides a spiritual fraternity that does not discriminate in any way.»
«Doesn’t discriminate?» A member of the university’s Women’s Center stood up. «How many
Langdon showed his palms in surrender. «A fair point. Freemasonry had its roots, traditionally, in the stone masons’ guilds of Europe and was therefore a man’s organization. Several hundred years ago, some say as early
