The Origin, History & Purport of Freemasonry (Annotated Edition)

Book excerpt: The intention of this work is to endeavor to unravel the intricate web in which the mystery (of freemasonry) is involved, by tracing the order back to its source, and, by showing its intimate connection and similitude to institutions more ancient, put it beyond a doubt, that it sprang from and is a continuation of the rites and ceremonies observed in those establishments. That the writer, as a freemason, is extremely liberal, may be judged from his own reprobation of the oaths imposed upon members. He considers a total abandonment of the oaths, at the present day, requisite. He says that the mysteries, from which the institution was derived, created, and that the custom of the times when it was established, sanctioned the most horrible oaths. The argument used, that these oaths are no longer necessary, is, we think, effectual against the existence of Masonry itself.