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Prior to the early nineteenth century American Masonic lodges didn't have standard forms of initiation rituals. Although they were generally similar, there were occasionally tremendous variations. This began to change with the publication of Thomas Smith Webb's Freemason's Monitor (1797), the first American Masonic guidebook. It offered standardized language to teach some of the fraternity's lessons. The secret initiation ceremonies, however, were taught "mouth to ear" by Webb (for a fee) to his student "lecturers," who in turn taught their own students (also for a fee). Webb's ritual was transcribed in private books, in a one-to-three lettered cipher code. In 1822 the Rev. Daniel Parker printed his own clever cipher ritual, which by-passed the need for private tutors, as a supplement to Webb's Masonic monitor. His Masonic Tablet offered the earliest full description of American Craft and York Rite rituals.
The author's introduction gives a biography of Parker, and a history of his cipher. Also included are a complete facsimile of his work, and a full plaintext decryption of the earliest descriptions of the American versions of the degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, Master Mason, Past Master, Most Excellent Master and Royal Arch Mason. For comparative purposes, the appendices reproduce the original editions of William Morgan's Illustrations of Masonry by One of the Fraternity (1826), and A Revelation of Freemasonry (1827).
