Ritual , Secrecy , and Civil Society
ently appealing to those with a more intellectual approach to Masonry .
We really don ’ t know what happened during early American Masonic meetings , but the exposures of the American Anti-Masonic Period ( ca . 1826 – 42 ) let us make tenuous inferences about that earlier era . David Bernard ’ s Light on Masonry ( 1829 ) was the major exposure of the time , going through five increasingly detailed editions between April and December 1829 , and Avery Allyn ’ s A Ritual of Freemasonry ( 1831 ) was its chief competitor . 10 Both books sought to destroy the fraternity by exposing its rituals and portraying it in the worst possible light . Thus any negative depiction must be considered in light of the authors ’ ultimate goal . Their descriptions reflected local ritual variants that may or may not have been more widely popular . Arturo de Hoyos points out that such variants are an expected consequence of the York Rite ’ s tradition of mouth-to-ear ritual . The written tradition of the Ineffable and Sublime Degrees allows much less variation .
Our best understanding is that Henry Andrew Francken made copies of his rituals and sold them to interested military Masons in the Caribbean . 11 Itinerant lecturer Abraham Jacobs recorded in his Register how he conferred the thirteen degrees of Secret Master through Prince of Jerusalem on sixteen brothers in Augusta , Georgia , on nineteen days from June 10 to July 3 , 1792 .
His register entry for June 14 was typical of how the degrees were conferred .
June 14th . This day conferred the degrees of Provost and Judge on Brother Zimmerman and Prescott , also the degrees of Intendant of the Building , or Grand Master in Israel . Brother James Gardner attended and received the degrees of Secret Master and Perfect Master , with every requisite instruction . 12
Usually one or two degrees were conferred each evening , but since not everyone could be present , degrees were repeated , as on June 14 . Jacobs had no assistance in conferring the degrees , and so the ceremonies were anything but “ full form .” It is reasonable to ask : Why did it take so many evenings to confer the degrees ? The explanation may be in the phrase from June 14 in Jacobs ’ register , “ with every requisite instruction .”
We can now assemble a model of how the Inspectors spread the high degrees . Armed with their patents , they gathered from one to several candidates , summarized the degree ceremonies , and taught the words and grips . After each abbreviated ceremony the Inspectors dictated the rituals to the new members who transcribed them for their personal use . Some Inspectors , like Abraham Jacobs , encouraged their candidates to apply for warrants from
10 Arturo de Hoyos , “ David Bernard ’ s Light on Masonry : An ‘ Anti-Masonic Bible ,’” Heredom , vol . 12 ( 2004 ), p . 71 .
11 S . Brent Morris , “ Henry Andrew Francken and His Masonic Manuscripts ,” Heredom , 23 ( 2015 ): 107 – 14 .
12 Jacobs , Register , Folger reprint , p . 85 .
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