This interesting compilation of lectures was delivered to a Unitarian and Masonic congregation by the well known Charles Vail; a political, social, and religious figure, also a Mason, among other things.The topics vary from lecture to lecture; the brief history of Freemasonry, the symbols it employs, their meaning, and the older, sometimes pre-Christian traditions intertwined with the same. With plenty of remarks on the Knights Templar and other intriguing topics, Vails' work is one of the best of its kind.