Exposes of
Freemasonry
by Christopher Kylin
This page is divided in two section: European Catechisms & Exposures, and
Partial List of Exposes of Freemasonry
European Catechisms & Exposures
Early Masonic printed catechisms and
"exposures" are frequently our only source of knowledge about the evolution and
variety of rituals used in different places as modern "Grand Lodge" Masonry
spread out from its origin in England (1717). This list was submitted by Bro.
Philippe R. Langlet.
Note to the general public: Some of these books may contain only those
parts of the Masonic lectures that are not secret -- the lessons and allegories
of Masonry are not considered as such, and books containing only the public or
"monitorial" sections of ritual have even been published by Grand Lodges.
While all Masons make a solemn promise not to reveal the Craft's "modes of
recognition," some members in every age have disregarded their word of honor and
produced or aided the production books that reveal these "signs and tokens".
Despite the myths and rumors, the only actual Masonic penalties for revealing
these secrets are reprimand, suspension, or expulsion.
1696-1730: Early masonic Catechisms (EMC).
1723: A Mason's Examination. 1rst English exposure.
1724: The Grand Mystery of Free-Masons Discovered.
1724: The Secret History of Freemasonry.
1724-5: The Whole institution of Masonry.
1725: Institution of Free Masons.
1725: The Whole institution of Free-Masons Opened.
1725: The Grand Mystery of the Free Masons Discover'd...
1726: The Grand Mystery Laid Open.
1727: A Mason's confession.
1730: Masonry dissected (by S. Pritchard) : 1rst text to give ceremonies for 3 degrees.
1730: The Mystery of Freemasonry.
1737: La reception d'un Frey-Macon, 1rst French exposure.
1735: Pocket companion (PCW by W. Smith) : first version in print of the EA's charge.
1737: The Secrets of Masonry Made Known to all Men. (Pritchard).
1737: The Mystery of Masonry.
1737: The Mysterious Receptions of the Celebrated Society of Freemasons.
1738: Masonry Further Dissected (Pritchard)
1740: Dialogue between Simon and Philip.
1742-4: Le secret des Francs-Macons (SF, Abbe Perau).
1744: Le catechisme des Francs-Macons (Louis Travenol).
1745: L'ordre des Francs-Macons trahi (Plagiarized the two precedent) OFT.
1747: La desolation des entrepreneurs modernes.
1751: Le macon demasque.
1754: Pocket companion (PCS by J. Scott).
1754: The Freemason Examin'd (Alex Slade)
1759: The Secrets of the Freemasons Recealed, by a disgusted brother.
1760: A Master Key to Free-Masonry (abriged translation of the above, MKF).
1760: TDK.
1762: J&B ( Reprints of the catechisms given in TDK; uses MKF).
1764: Hiram (recopies Constitutions of 1762 by Cole, a traditionnal history by PCS, ceremonies copied from TDK and J&B).
1765: Mystery of Free Masonry explained (MFE) , By Gordon.
1766: Solomon in All His Glory.
1769: The Free-Mason Stripped Naked (Charles Warren).
1781: Recueil precieux de la Maconnerie adonhiramite (L. Guillemin de Saint-Victors).
1788: Ritual der Verbresserten Freimaurerei, enthaltend dir Ceremonien bey der Aufnahme (Joachim Christoph Bode).
1794: The Master's Key (I. Brown).
1801: A Masonic Treatise, with an Elucidation on the Religious and Moral Beauties (W. Finch).
1824: The Cat out of the Bag .
1825: Manual of Freemasonry (Richard Carlisle).
1826: Illustrations of Masonry, by One of the Fraternity who has devoted... (W. Morgan).
1829: Light on Masonry.
A Partial List of the Exposes of Freemasonry
To compile this list the
following were consulted: "History of Freemasonry", by Robert F. Gould, Volume
III, page 475, ff., "Encyclopedia of Freemasonry", by Albert G. Mackey, et al.,
and "Those Terrible Exposures!", Short Talk Bulletin Series, Masonic Service
Association, Vol. XXX, No.7, July 1952, Washington, D.C.; also used personal
collections and the National Union Catalog.
(I can't necessarily vouch for the contents of everything on this list, (for
either accuracy or fullness); I would like to be able to say that I've
personally looked at all this, but I haven't. You're more than welcome to.)
"A Mason's Examination"
in the "The Flying Post or Post Master", April 11 & 13, 1723.
"The Grand Mystery of Freemasons Discovered"
London, 1724.
"The Secret History of Freemasonry"
London, 1724.
"The Whole Institution of Free-Masons Opened"
?, 1725.
"The Grand Mystery of the Free Masons Discover'd, Wherein are the Several Questions Put to Them at Their
Meetings and Installations, also Their Oath, Health, Signs, Points to Know Each Other by, etc."
London: (A. Moore?), 1725.
"The Grand Mystery Laid Open, or the Free Masons Signs and Words Discovered"
?, 1726.
"The Mystery of Freemasonry"
in the "Daily Journal of London", Aug. 15 & 18, 1730,
in the "Pennsylvania Gazette" Dec. 5 to 8, 1730.
"Masonry Dissected"
by Samuel Pritchard,
London, 1730,
several later editions,
German translation, 1736,
French translation, 1737.
"The Secrets of Masonry Made Known to all Men"
by Samuel Pritchard,
London 1737.
"The Mystery of Masonry"
London, 1737.
"The Mysterious Receptions of the Celebrated Society of Freemasons"
London, 1737.
"Masonry Further Dissected"
by Samuel Pritchard (?)
London, 1738.
"Le Secret des Franc-Macons"
par l'Abbe Perau,
Geneve, 1742.
"Catechisme des Franc-Macons"
par Leonard Gaganon (Louis Travenol)
Paris, 1745,
several editions, under different titles.
"L'ordre de Franc-Macons Trahi et le Secret des Mopses Revele"
Amsterdam, 1745,
German translation,
Dutch translation,
several subsequent editions.
"La Macon Demarque"
?, 1751.
"The Freemason Examin'd"
by Alex Slade,
London, 1754.
"The Secrets of the Free Masons Revealed"
by "a disgusted brother"
London, 1759.
"A Master Key to Freemasonry"
?, 1760.
"The Three Distinct Knocks"
?, 1760.
"Hiram, or the Grand Master Key"
London, 1764.
"Solomon in All His Glory"
?, 1766.
"The Freemason Stripped Naked"
by Charles Warren,
London, 1769.
"Receuil Precieux de la Maconnerie Adonhiramite"
by Louis Guillemain de Saint Victors,
Paris, 1781.
"Ritual der Verbesserten Freimaurerei, Enthaltend die Ceremonienbey der Aufnahme"
von Johann Joachim Christoph Bode,
Weimar, 1788,
expanded edition,
Weimar 1792.
"The Master Key"
by I. Brown,
London, 1794.
"A Masonic Treatise, with an Elucidation on the Religious and Moral Beauties of Freemasonry, etc."
by W. Finch,
London, 1801.
"The Cat Out of the Bag"
London, 1824, 1825.
"Manual of Freemasonry"
by Richard Carlisle,
?, 1825.
"Illustrations of Masonry, by One of the Fraternity Who Has Devoted Years to the Subject."
by William Morgan,
Le Roy, New York, 1826.
"Illustrations of Masonry, by One of the Fraternity Who Has Devoted Years to the Subject, with an
Account of the Kidnapping of the Author."
second edition,
Le Roy, New York, 1827.
Around this time, all degrees, up to the Knight Templar of the York rite,
and 33rd degree of the A.A.S.R. were performed publically by Freemasons holding
the respective degrees; see the note below.
"Light on Masonry"
by David Bernard,
Utica, New York, 1829.
"Ritual und Aufdecklung der Freimaurerei der Gesellschaften der Oranienmaurer und Seltsamen Gesellen, mit Vielen Bildern,...Aus Englischen Schriften Gezogen von einem Freunde des Lichts"
Leipzig: Leopold Michelsen, 1838.
"A Ritual of Freemasonry"
by Avery Allyn,
New York, New York, 1852.
"Richardson's Monitor of Freemasonry"
by Benjamin Henry Day,
Philadelphia: David McKay, 1861 (?).
"Duncan's Masonic Ritual and Monitor or Guide to the Three Symbolic Degrees of the Ancient York Rite, and the Degrees of Mark Master, Past Master, Most Excellent Master, and the Royal Arch"
by Malcolm C. Duncan,
third edition,
New York: Dick & Fitzgerald, 1866,
"Ecce Oriente; an Epitome of the History of the Ancient Essenes, Their Rites and Ceremonies of the Essenes; Followed by the Ritual of the Modern Order of the Essenes"
by M. Wolcott Redding,
New York: Redding & Co., 1870.
"Ecce Oriente; or Rites and Ceremonies of the Essenes"
by M. Wolcott Redding,
New York: Redding & Co., 1872,
National Series editions in 1872, 1876, 1877, 1878, 1881,
1883, 1885, 1887,.... 1949,
more than 29 editions overall,
the 28th edition mentions E.C. Cozzens.
"Duncan's Rituale der Freimaurerei, Oder Fuhrer Durch die Drei Symbolischen Grade des Alten Yourk Ritus; die Lehrlings, Gesellen, und Meister Maurer Grades"
von Malcolm C. Duncan,
New York: Dick & Fitzgerald, 1875.
"Light on Freemasonry: Revised Edition"
by David Bernard,
Dayton, Ohio: W. J. Shueys, 1874.
"The Ritual Containing the Work, Lectures, and Monotorial of the E.A., F.C., and M.M. Degrees. Arranged and Compiled from the Standard Lodge Work"
New York: Masonic Book Agency, 1877.
"The Ritual of the Chapter, Containing the Work, Lectures, and Monotorial of the M.M., P.M., M.E.M. and R.A. Degrees. Arranged and Compiled from the Standard R. A. Work"
by H. Wilkinson (?),
New York: Masonic Book Agency, 1878.
"Revised Knight Templarism Illustrated"
by Ezra A. Cook,
Chicago, 1879.
"Scotch Rite Masonry Illustrated"
by Jonathan Blanchard,
Chicago: Ezra A. Cook, 1882,
subsequent editions, 1890, 1930.
"Freemasonry Illustrated"
by Jacob O. Doesburg,
Chicago: Ezra A. Cook, 1886.
"King Solomon and His Followers, (N.Y.) a Valuable Aid to the Memory"
by James Alexander Gavitt, (and C. Gavitt?),
New York: Allen Publishing Company,
between 1896,
and 1949, more than 22 editions.
"More Light: A Ritual of the Three Symbolic Degrees"
New York, 1896.
"Revised Knight Templarism Illustrated"
by Ezra A. Cook,
Chicago, second edition, 1904.
"Duncan's Ancient, Free, and Accepted Masonic Ritual and Monitor"
by Malcolm C. Duncan,
New York: Fitzgerald Publishing Corp, 1922.
"Duncan's Royal Arch Ancient, Free, and Accepted Masonic Ritual and Monitor"
by Malcolm C. Duncan,
New York: Fitzgerald Publishing Corp, 1922.
"Darkness Visible; A Revelation and Interpretation of Freemasonry"
by Walter Hannah,
London, 1952
"Duncan's Masonic Ritual and Monitor or Guide to the Three Symbolic Degrees of the Ancient York Rite, and the Degrees of Mark Master, Past Master, Most Excellent Master, and the Royal Arch"
by Malcolm C. Duncan,
third edition,
New York: Mc Kay, 1976.
"The Freemasons, etc."
London and New York, 1978 (?)
"Emulation Ritual"
Revised, 1991
London: Lewis Masonic Co., 1991
Here a quotation from the M.S.A. booklet mentioned above...
"Some exposes were written out of revenge; Morgan's, for instance. Others may
have been composed from a real desire to serve Freemasons by making it easy to
learn ritual. Duncan boasts that nothing in his compilation will aid the
uninitiated to gain entrance to a lodge. All, however, have been too generally
regarded as harmful by those Masons to whom the secrecy of the institution is
the be-all and end-all, to whom ritual is sacrosanct, and who believe any
unobligated man who knows any of the ritualistic secrets is necessarily an enemy
of the Fraternity and able to destroy it.
"Far from the truth are such impressions. With dozens of exposes printed;
with hundreds to be bought for a few cents; with this cancer existing for more
than two hundred years, would not Freemasonry have been long ago been destroyed
if these books were actually as harmful as so many supposed? Actually
Freemasonry has grown from a handful of men in 1717 to five million in the
civilized world, neither because of, or in spite of exposes..."
The above books are not a threat, but many times are the only clues to
accurate research in Freemasonry.
Above it was mentioned that the degrees of American Freemasonry, to the top
of the York rite, and to the upper reaches of the A.A.S.R., (which degrees were
published as "Richardson's Monitor", around 1861), were all performed publically
in 1827-9. We'll quote from a document below, "The Report Respecting the
Authenticity of the Masonic Disclosures, Made to the New York State Convention,
February 21, 1839." (This report is found in a collection of 27 essays,
addresses, reports, entitled, "Opinions on Speculative Freemasonry,..." and
compiled by James C. Odiorne, 1830.
"In relation to the truth of the disclosures made at Le Roy, at the period
stated in your resolution, your committee have been enabled to recieve from
three persons of high reputation, who have taken all the degrees, such a
statement of attendant facts and circumstances as none can doubt the general
correctness and truth of the general disclosures... The Royal Arch degree as
published, was obtained through an authentic source, directly from Jeremy L.
Cross, Grand Lecturer of the United States... "
"That in addition to the three degrees of Masonry revealed by William Morgan,
and twelve degrees disclosed by the convention of seceeding Masons at Le Roy on
the 4th and 5th of July last, your committee would beg leave to state that the
Elder David Bernard, late Secretary of the Lodge of Perfection, and one of the
seceeding masons at Le Roy, is about to publish the "Eleven Ineffable Degrees"
conferred in the Lodge of Perfection, and also seven French of a still higher
order of Masonry; the authenticity cannot reasonably be doubted. ...one of the
degrees now revealed, namely, the "Knights Adepts of the Eagle, or Sun"..."
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