Masonry is often called a secret society. This, of course, implies that Masons conceal the fact of their membership, that they meet in secret, that their purposes are secret. Nothing could be more remote from the truth. Masonry is certainly not a secret society. Its members make no attempt to conceal their Masonic affiliation, often proudly wearing rings or other jewelry marking them as Masons. Meeting places are prominently located and clearly marked. Dates and times of meetings are often advertised in newspapers or posted on bulletin boards. The history, the teachings, and many records of the order are available in any good public library. The rules and regulations of Masonry are in print and no effort is made to lock them away from interested persons. Minutes are made of its meetings and are often studied by those who are not members. These practices are clearly not those of a secret society.

Someone many years ago made the following statement: "Masonry is not a secret society, it is a society with secrets." Freemasonry does have some secrets it attempts to preserve. It has secret modes of recognition, which enable its members to quickly recognize each other as Masons upon their first meeting. The value of these secrets to members away from home is fairly obvious and it does not seem unnatural that the fraternity should wish to preserve them. And Masonry has its secret ritual, its mode of instructing new members in the three symbolic degrees. This ritual originated, in large part, with the old cathedral builders earlier mentioned and has been handed down over the centuries. Most of the secret rituals are based upon writings in the Holy Bible and the writings of other great philosophers, so they are secret only in their unique adaptation and presentation. This ritualistic mode of instruction has proven remarkably effective over the centuries and its use, being peculiar to Freemasonry, has kept the fraternity apart from those that would imitate it The lessons taught in the Masonic ritual are in no way secret, they may be obtained from many and various Masonic writings, available to all.