years ago the writer of this volume entered the temple of
Freemasonry, and that date stands out in memory as one of the most
significant days in his life. There was a little spread on the night
of his raising, and, as is the custom, the candidate was asked to give
his impressions of the Order. Among other things, he made request to
know if there was any little book which would tell a young man the
things he would most like to know about Masonry--what it was, whence
it came, what it teaches, and what it is trying to do in the world? No
one knew of such a book at that time, nor has any been found to meet a
need which many must have felt before and since. By an odd
coincidence, it has fallen to the lot of the author to write the
little book for which he made request fourteen years ago.

This bit of reminiscence explains the purpose of the present volume,
and every book must be judged by its spirit and purpose, not less than
by its style and contents. Written as a commission from the Grand
Lodge of Iowa, and approved by that Grand body, a copy of this book is
to be presented to every man upon whom the degree of Master Mason is
conferred within this Grand Jurisdiction. Naturally this intention has
determined the method and arrangement of the book, as well as the
matter it contains; its aim being to tell a young man entering the
order the antecedents of Masonry, its development, its philosophy, its
mission, and its ideal. Keeping this purpose always in mind, the
effort has been to prepare a brief, simple, and vivid account of the
origin, growth, and teaching of the Order, so written as to provoke a
deeper interest in and a more earnest study of its story and its
service to mankind.

No work of this kind has been undertaken, so far as is known, by any
Grand Lodge in this country or abroad--at least, not since the old
_Pocket Companion_, and other such works in the earlier times; and
this is the more strange from the fact that the need of it is so
obvious, and its possibilities so fruitful and important. Every one
who has looked into the vast literature of Masonry must often have
felt the need of a concise, compact, yet comprehensive survey to clear
the path and light the way. Especially must those feel such a need who
are not accustomed to traverse long and involved periods of history,
and more especially those who have neither the time nor the
opportunity to sift ponderous volumes to find out the facts. Much of
our literat