Had not an extended trial demonstrated most clearly that in no way can the arguments against a secret order be put before the public so effectively as in close connection with the ritual thereof, I should not have ventured the great expense of publishing this Illustrated Ritual of the Scottish Rite. Rituals sell readily to both lodge members and outsiders, while the most eloquent address on the subject, however replete with important facts and arguments, seldom secures many readers. Publisher.