Outline of the Rise and Progress of Freemasonry in Louisiana

by James B. Scot
Introduction by Alain Bernheim
Afterword by Michael R. Poll
Edited by Robert L. Poll

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Retypeset in modern text!

Cornerstone Book Publishers first republished this very important 1873 book as a photographic reproduction in 1995 (and it is important for students of the Scottish Rite for reasons far greater than just being a Louisiana Masonic history book). The newly retypeset edition provides clarity not available in even the original printings in the late 1800's.

Scot’s book provides essential information for the student of Freemasonry found almost nowhere else. Reproducing the book was felt to be necessary for the whole of Masonry, but it needed a fair, scholarly balance to the original book. This need for balance resulted in the introduction by the late Alain Bernheim and afterword by Michael R. Poll.

The early to mid-1800s were very troubling times for Freemasonry in the United States. The 2024 Cornerstone edition of James Scot's "Outline of the Rise and Progress of Freemasonry in Louisiana" will prove to be a most valuable and needed addition to any Mason's library.

 +++++++

From Michael R. Poll:

Cornerstone Book Publishers first republished this historically significant book as a photographic reproduction in 1995. The newly re-typeset edition provides more clarity to Scot’s words then available in even the original printings in the late 1800s.

Originally, my findings and view of this book (and other works of that time) deeply troubled me. Rereading this book brings me back to a very sad time in Louisiana and US Freemasonry. I couldn't understand how Masons could act, write, and believe so harshly about fellow Masons. I couldn't understand how intelligent men could hold such opinions or write as they did. The late Masonic scholar WBro. Alain Bernheim was also stunned and disappointed with the tone, style, and message of Bro. Scot. In the early 1990s, Bro. Alain and I shared quite a few thoughts concerning the Louisiana Masonic situation of the mid-1800s. He was very agreeable and desirous of writing the ground-breaking introduction to the Cornerstone edition. He was clearly troubled with how parts of the book were written.

Bro. Bernheim says in the introduction:

"The original documents I have read, the records of the Consistory, those of the Supreme Council, and the letters exchanged during that period, did not ever convey the atmosphere of — I strongly dislike to use the word, but cannot find a more appropriate one — hate which transpires through Scot’s book. This is the atmosphere which Scot thought appropriate to call the prejudice of race, never finding a sentence to distance himself from that concept. As if people from the outside could not stand the idea that one can be different and, nevertheless, live in peace with one another. As if the very thought of difference was unbearable.”

Early discussions raised the question of whether the book should be republished at all. The problem was that so many of the original documents, records, and history of early Louisiana Freemasonry were lost or destroyed. Scot’s book did provide important information found almost nowhere else. But not all of it was correct. The discovery of an early Minutes book of the Grand Consistory of Louisiana in the late 1980s contradicted aspects of Scot’s historical account. On one hand, that needed to be corrected. On the other hand, much of his narrative was unfairly dismissive and caustic towards the early Grand Lodge of Louisiana and its officers.

It was recognized that the publishing of this book was important to the whole of US Masonry, but it required a fair balance to the original book. This need for balance resulted in the introduction and afterword.

Another problem was the production choices for the early editions of this book. Of this, Bro. Bernheim also writes in his introduction: “In all previous editions, the original one of 1873 and the 1911 & 1923 reprints, the book is not an easy one to read: its typography is small, and the footnotes set in an even smaller, barely readable type, which is why the present 1995 reprint has been computer-enlarged.”

But even with the 1995 edition’s enlarged type and 8 ½ by 11” format, many of the footnotes were still very difficult to read. One would have to truly want the information to struggle through the book. This is another reason why meticulously resetting the 2024 edition was so necessary. The book is now not only faithful to the original but clear and able to be read with ease.

The early to mid-1800s were very troubling times for Freemasonry in the United States. The 2024 Cornerstone edition of James Scot's "Outline of the Rise and Progress of Freemasonry in Louisiana" will prove to be a most valuable and needed addition to any Mason's library—inside or outside of Louisiana. This book will highlight and then dispel the smoke that deprived too many of Light.