Zalai történeti tanulmányok - Zalai gyűjtemény 42. (Zalaegerszeg, 1997)

Németh László: A nagykanizsai Munka Szabadkőműves-páholy története 1890-1920

kitchen, Prisoners’ Benevolent Society, children’s holiday camps, institute for gravid mothers and infants, midwives’ training institute) founded and supported by itself.

The literary and cultural openness of the ’Munka’ lodge contributed to the appearance of liberal views in Nagykanizsa’s public life. The lodge organised literary evenings and assisted the printing of the works which had been read, later it established a fund to support „the works and the cultural affairs.” They considered essential to support and to organise extra-curricular education. The grounding of a free library that contained modern scientific and sociological literature as well as books to educate semi-illiterates can be considered as a manifestation of this idea.

One of the essential peculiarities of freemasonic idealism was to keep themselves out of the political sphere. This way its influence on local political life can be traced within the lodge’s history only impliedly and indirect. Teachers, lawyers and journalists, who supported more radical ideals and who urged for more active presence, appeared among the lodge’ leaders at the turn of the century when the number of members increased. The composition of the members is very important from the point of view of the lodge’s activity and operation. The ’Munka’ lodge had 60-70 members. Self-employed intellectuals, as well as intellectuals of the proprietary and the employee-classes formed largely the membership. Besides them clerks, directors of companies and administrative leaders can be found among the members, too.

Hungary’s political leaders after World War I declared freemasonary harmful and dangerous. This lead to the dissolution of the whole movement and on 29 May 1920 of the ’Munka’ lodge.

266