THE BUILDER MAGAZINE
february 1916
volume 2 - number 2
ALEXANDRIA-WASHINGTON LODGE
NO. 22
BY BRO. CHARLES H. CALLAHAN, VIRGINIA
GENERAL Washington, having resigned his commission as
Commander-in-Chief of the American army, arrived at his home, after an absence
of several years, on Christmas eve, 1783, and two days later received a letter
from the Master, Wardens and members of a Lodge of Free Masons, which had just
been organized in the little city of Alexandria, Virginia, under a warrant from
the Provincial Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, felicitating him upon his safe
return to private life. In reply to this fraternal communication Washington
wrote on December 28th, as follows:--
"GENTLEMEN: With a pleasing sensibility I received your
favor of the 26th and beg leave to offer you my sincere thanks for the favorable
sentiments with which it abounds. I shall always feel pleasure when it may be in
my power to render service to Lodge No. 39 and in every act of Brotherly
kindness to the members of it. Being with great truth, your affectionate Brother
and obliged humble servant, GEORGE WASHINGTON."
In the following June the General visited his Masonic
Brethren in Alexandria and, according to the minutes, still extant, "was
unanimously elected an honorary member of the Lodge."
In 1788 the Lodge surrendered its Pennsylvania charter,
under which it had been known as No. 39, and applied to the Grand Lodge of
Virginia for a new warrant. General Washington became the first Master of
Alexandria Lodge No. 22, under the Virginia Charter, which quaint and historic
instrument still constitutes its badge of authority. Not only does this
venerated parchment contain the name of Washington as Master, but also the
autograph of Edmund Randolph, who was then both Grand Master and governor of the
Commonwealth, and who subsequently served in the Cabinets of our first President
as Attorney General and Secretary of State respectively. In 1805, by permission
of the Grand Lodge, the name or title of the Lodge was again changed by adding
the sir-name of its first Master, making it Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22.
It has been claimed by some writers that General Washington lacked zeal in the
cause and work of our institution, and a few skeptically inclined have contended
that he was not even a member of the Masonic Fraternity. The fallacy of this
contention is positively proven by the records of and personal letters from
Washington to this Lodge. Indeed, the Charter itself is an eloquent and emphatic
denial of the claim. Mr. Randolph, in wording the instrument, leaves no doubt as
to the identity of its first Worshipful Master. After the usual preamble, it
sets forth, "Know ye, that we, Edmund Randolph, Esq., Governor of the
Commonwealth aforesaid and Grand Master of the Most ancient and honorable
society of Free Masons, within the same by and with the consent of the Grand
Lodge of Virginia, do hereby constitute and appoint our illustrious and
well-beloved Brother George Washington, Esq., late General and
Commander-in-Chief of the forces in the United States, etc." This settles beyond
a doubt any question as to whether or not it was the renowned leader of the
American Revolution, and the appointment also marks the beginning of the great
patriot's official association with the Masonic Fraternity of his home town; an
association which has made a little obscure organization, situated in what was
then an old fashioned colonial hamlet, the most famous subordinate Masonic Lodge
in America--a veritable shrine to which thousands of patriotic members of the
Fraternity from all parts of the country annually wend their way and reverently
view the cherished mementos of their illustrious Brother Washington, which hang
upon its walls and rest in the alcoves of its sanctum.
The General's official connection with the Lodge raised it
to a conspicuous place in the order from the very beginning of its existence,
and, as a consequence, few noteworthy events have occurred in that vicinity in
which it has not taken a prominent part. We shall, however, only refer to those
that have in some way a direct association with the sage of Mount Vernon. On
Friday the 15th of April, 1791, by invitation of President Washington and in the
presence of his special commissioners Hon. Daniel Carroll and David Stuart and a
large concourse of citizens, it laid the first cornerstone of the District of
Columbia; and on the 18th of September, 1793, it acted as escort of honor to the
President and assisted in laying the corner-stone of the Capitol of the United
States. But the most important ceremony in which the Lodge has ever
participated, and which is undoubtedly the most important of its character in
the history of the American Fraternity, was the funeral of General Washington on
December 18th, 1799. Few people realize how extremely simple and how truly
Masonic were the obsequies of this great man. Washington's last illness was
sudden and severe, lasting only twenty-four hours. There were four men at his
bedside when he died, viz: Drs. Dick, Craik and Brown and Washington's
Secretary, Tobias Lear. Three of these were members of the Craft; Drs. Dick and
Craik were members of his own Lodge, Dick being the Master; and Dr. Brown was
the fifth Grand Master of Maryland, while Tobias Lear joined the Lodge in 1803.
The funeral ceremonies were arranged by a committee from the Lodge, consisting
of Dr. Dick, W. M., Colonel George Deneal, J. W., and Colonels Simms and Little,
members. The body was borne from the death chamber at "low twelve" and deposited
in the main room on the first floor, and the funeral appointed for "high twelve"
on the 18th. Five of the six pall bearers, Colonels Little, Payne, Gilpin,
Ramsay an Simms, were members of No. 22, as were three of the four ministers
present, one of them being the Chaplain Colonel George Deneal, J.W., commanded
the military organizations in attendance while several of his subordinate
officers were members of the Lodge. Owing to the late arrival at Mount Vernon of
the Alexandric contingent, which was composed of the Masons, militic and a large
concourse of citizens, the funeral cortege did not start until three o'clock;
but the body was borne from its resting place in the State Dining-room to the
front veranda at meridian, and there the assembled throng took a last view of
the remains.
The procession moved first north to the "Ha-ha Wall,"
which borders the lawn (and which has been recently restored), then east to the
walk in front of the mansion, then, by this walk, in a southerly direction, to
the old tomb; the militia leading the way, followed by the Masons, the family
and other mourners bringing up the rear. On arriving at the tomb, the procession
divided column, facing inward; reversing the order of march, the family and
relatives passed through the separated lines, forming an inner circle around the
tomb; next came the Masons who arranged themselves in an outer circle around the
family, while the militia filed back to the crest of the hill, forming a column
facing east toward the river. "The ministers performed their divine services,
the Masons their mystic rites and the militia closed the ceremonies with
resounding volleys over the bier of the fallen chieftain."
The evening was far advanced and deep shadows fell upon the
familiar landscape around the beloved home of Washington, before the Lodge, with
its military and civic escort, took up its lonely march over the snow-clad hills
of Virginia back to the little town of Alexandria, nine miles away. How distant
these scenes now appear under the later splendor of man's achievement. Several
hours were consumed by these devoted Craftsmen in their solemn march through the
gathering twilight from Mount Vernon to Alexandria, while in this day of rapid
transit tourists board a trolley car at Mount Vernon gates, and, almost
paralleling the road over which the funeral cortege wound its way, make the trip
in thirty minutes.
On the 12th of January, 1785, the General wrote in his
diary: "Went up to Alexandria, attended the funeral of William Ramsay, ye oldest
inhabitant of the city. Walked in the procession with the Free Masons; he, being
a member of that order, was buried with their ceremonies." It was this William
Ramsay who set apart in his will an half-square of ground for municipal
buildings in Alexandria, reserving thereon a site for a Masonic Temple. Facing
this plot on the west stands the old city hotel, Washington's headquarters while
waiting for Braddock in 1755; from its steps in 1799-he held his last military
review and gave his last military order, thirty days before he died. Facing it
on the east is the equally historic Carlysle House, Braddock's headquarters in
1755, where Washington received his commission as Major on that ill-fated
General's Staff, and in which also, during the conference of the five governors,
holding at that time, was made the first suggestion of colonial taxation by the
British Parliament; and in the old Court House, which stood on this square,
Washington cast his last vote, in 1799- -in it also his will was recorded,
January 20th, 1800. In 1802 the Lodge erected its first Temple on the site
provided by Ramsay. It was but-a small structure, flanked then on either side,
as the more modern and commodious one is today, by diverging wings of the City
Hall.
Immediately after Washington's funeral his friends and
relatives began to send, as presents to the Lodge, valuable mementos which had
been among the cherished possessions of the General or in some way closely
associated with him in life. So numerous were these gifts that in 1818 the City
Council of Alexandria, to relieve the congested condition of the Lodge, set
apart a room in the City Hall adjoining the Temple for the specific purpose of
exhibiting the relics, and the Lodge appointed a custodian of this museum. In
1870 the old frame temple, erected in 1802 with the entire city hall, containing
the museum, was burned to the ground. Fortunately, through the heroic efforts of
the fire department and a number of Masons who were present and assisted in the
rescue, most of the treasures were saved but some of the most valuable were
either stolen or destroyed. Among those lost was the bier on which Washington
was borne to the tomb, the crepe which hung on the door at Mount Vernon at the
time of his death, a portrait of Martha Washington in her youth, Washington's
military saddle, a settee, which stood in the hall of Mount Vernon, Washington's
card table, numerous original letters of the General, the flag of Washington's
life-guard; a bust of the celebrated Paul Jones, presented to Washington by
LaFayette, the flag which flew over the "Bon Homme Richard" in her death grapple
with the "Seraphis," presented by Paul Jones; and numerous other historic and
highly prized acquisitions went down before the fire king.
Notwithstanding this serious loss, there is- still
remaining in the present Lodge room, which was erected in 1872 on the site of
the old Temple, the most valuable collection of genuine Washington relics and
heirlooms in existence, with the possible exception of the collection at Mount
Vernon. There we see the Master's Chair, presented by Washington, in use for one
hundred and seventeen years, now preserved in a glass case. In a niche in the
wall, and occupying a space of about 2x3 feet, you are shown Washington's
wedding gloves; farm spurs, pruning knife, a glove he wore when in mourning for
his Mother, his pocket compasses, his cupping and bleeding instruments, a little
pen-knife his mother gave him when twelve years of age, in his possession
fiftysix years; a button cut from his coat at his first inauguration, a legging
strap worn by Washington in the Battle of Fort Duquesne, (these were presented
in 1803 by Captain George Steptoe Washington, a nephew the General and one of
the executors of his will); Washington's Masonic Apron, embroidered by Madame
LaFayette, with silk sash and inlaid box, presented to Lodge in 1812 by Lawrence
Lewis, the General's nephew, who married his adopted daughter, Nellie Curtis. In
the same case you see also a picture of Dr. Dick; Dick's medicine scales, and by
their side Washington's medicine scales; a piece of Braddock's coat worn in the
battle of Fort Duquesne, and other articles of great interest.
In another case is shown the little trowel w which
Washington laid the corner-stone of the National Capitol, the representatives of
the lesser lights used on that occasion and at Washington's funeral;
Washington's bed-chamber clock, stopped by Dr. Dick at the moment of his death
and presented to the Lodge by Mrs. Washington, its hands still pointing to the
exact minute of his dissolution, ten-twenty, P.M. It is said to be the only
piece of furniture in the room when the General died which has not been
returned.
Hanging around the walls are numerous aprons of the
General's contemporaries, some of them of elaborate design with the emblems of
Masonry worked in silk, among them are Dick's and Craik's. Autographic letters
of Washington, and rare old engravings of the Father of his Country and other
important personages also adorn the side hall, while paintings of historic
characters, from the hands of celebrated artists, embellish the Lodge room
proper. Among these we shall only name a few. Probably the most interesting of
all is the picture of the General himself, painted from life by Williams of
Philadelphia, in 1794, for the Lodge. It is a gem of art. Notwithstanding it has
hung in a glaring light for over a hundred years, its bold lines and rich colors
are as striking and as fresh to-day, apparently, as they were when it received
the last touch of the Master's brush 120 years ago. Unfortunately, being a
pastelle, and, as we have stated, highly colored, this work cannot be
satisfactorily reproduced in a halftone, and to be fully appreciated the
original must be inspected at close range. The Lodge has a standing offer for
this picture of $100,000.
Avoiding publicity, the Lodge has refused all applications
to reproduce the picture until a few years ago. Permission was given to have it
copied in oil for the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. Brother Julius Sachse, in
making the request for a copy, stated that his investigations of about fifty
paintings of General Washington, many of them made from life, convinced him that
the Williams was the most authentic likeness in existence. Not a blemish on the
face of the subject has been concealed or omitted. The scar on the left cheek,
shown as a dimple by others, the black mole under the right ear and the pock
marks on the nose are clearly visible on the original of the Williams painting
in the Lodge, and to a less extent in the reproduction in colors given in The
Builder, which is made from the same plate as the frontispiece in Charles H.
Callahan's book, "Washington, the Man and Mason," which is the first and only
photographic reproduction in colors ever made.
The history of this great work is brief. The Lodge desiring
a correct likeness of their illustrious First Master passed a resolution
requesting General Washington to sit for the painting, obtained his consent and
employed Williams, an artist of Philadelphia, to execute the work. At the time
the painting was made, General Henry (Light Horse Harry) Lee, representing the
Eighth Congressional District, in which Alexandria is situated, in the National
Congress, being not only the official representative of their section but a
member of the Fraternity, arranged for the sitting and introduced the artist to
President Washington. After the work was completed and General Washington had
approved it, Williams personally delivered the picture to the Lodge, who
officially approved it and paid the artist for his service.
The next important canvas is a life-size painting in oil of
Thomas, Sixth Lord Fairfax, Baron in Cameron, for whom Washington surveyed when
a boy, from the famous brush of Sir Joshua Reynolds. Being the only picture of
the old Lord extant, it has a two fold value, and has been estimated by art
critics to be worth $150,000. Besides these we see La Fayette in Colonial
uniform, by Charles Wilson Peele, the Pope Peele picture of Washington, a rich
engraving of the Washington family by Savage (1798), a life size canvas of
LaFayette in Masonic regalia, showing him in his old age, and many, many other
unusual works of art, souvenirs and treasures that cannot be either properly
described or even scheduled in an article of this kind. It is, indeed, a
priceless collection, around which the fondest memories cling and in their
association form an enduring fraternal link between the material present and
that romantic past.
Upon the erection of the new Temple and City Hall no
provision was made to restore the museum and these valuable heirlooms are now
kept in a non-fire proof structure erected over a public market and heated by
large cast iron stoves. Access to the Lodge itself is through another building
by a winding stair and by no conceivable means could all of these treasures be
saved from destruction if the combustible temple should fall a prey to a
disastrous fire as the original did in 1870.
UNIVERSAL ELEMENTS IN MASONRY
True Masonry is universal. It knows no race but the human
race. It recognizes no distinctions of class or divisions of society but the
ability to serve mankind. It places humanity above nations and the ranks of
royalty. It lifts all men to the high level of the sons of God, the brothers of
men.
Masonry by lecture, symbol and drama represents truth, and
truth is truth the world around, be it in the great universities of America or
on the blooddrenched fields of Europe or in the darkest isle of the sea. Masonry
is religious since it readily lends itself to the inculcation of those truths
which bring satisfaction to the universal longing in the hearts of men.
Recognizing the Supreme Architect of the Universe as Father and all mankind as
one great brotherhood, Masonry places upon every man the sacred obligation of
reverencing the Great Deity and of rendering service to his fellows. Thus in its
ideals and purposes Masonry is universal and it is all but universal in its
marvelous and benign influence.
Scottish Rite Masonry is the highest and best expression of
the universal elements of Masonry. About its altar come men of every nation, of
every rank, of every belief, to bow in reverence before the Great Spirit whom we
have learned to know as "Our Father in Heaven" and to whom "alone we bow the
knee." Here kindred spirits blend as we break bread together in token of our
friendship, pledging ourselves anew to the common brotherhood. We drink the
common cup symbolical of our mutual needs, binding ourselves again to charity
and patience, to selfdenial and virtue, to truth and honor. In this fellowship
liberty is queen and with her scepter, jeweled with toleration and appreciation,
she holds loving sway in every heart. --Charles Henry Stauffacher, Iowa.
TRUE KNOWLEDGE
When you know, to know that you know; and when you do not
know, to know that you do not know--that is true knowledge. --Confucius.
WASHINGTON, THE MAN AND MASON
BY BRO.GEO. H. SAWYER, IOWA
"Native goodness is unconscious; asks not to be
recognized, But its baser affectation is a thing to be despised. Only when the
man is loyal to himself shall he be prized."
Here and there on the world's calendar of time the finger
of the Almighty has during its progress over the pages rested with peculiar
significance and left its imprint indelible and unmistakable. These imprints
mark the red letter days of history and of progress. Sometimes the day thus set
apart by the Master Builder commemorates some deed or battle which he would have
us recognize as a milestone of advancement on the highway which leads to that
last great day when God shall be acknowledged in deed as well as word the Father
of us all and when all men shall be as brothers.
But again this finger print is occasioned by the dedicating
of a date as the birthday of some man or woman destined to perform a mighty
service for God, humanity and the world. Strange it seems that the little month
of February should commemorate the births of the two greatest men whose names
adorn the pages of American history. Should any one presume to doubt that an All
Wise God has from the very beginning guided this nation of ours, let him study
with care the biography of Washington and of Lincoln and learn there the lessons
that He would teach. Never should honor be paid the memory of one of these
noblemen on his natal day without mention being made of the services of the
other.
Washington and Lincoln --what names with which to conjure.
God intended the latter to supplement the work of the former and that their
memories might be preserved in common, he caused their natal days to be in close
proximity on February's meagre page. Washington born in honor and in plenty, and
Lincoln in humility and poverty, teach us the lesson sorely needed in these
latter days that patrician and plebeian, rich and poor, high and low, are
distinctions not to be reckoned with in anything that pertains to things
American. Then, too, how similar and yet how vastly different were these great
Americans. Here again can God's plan be read. At a period in the world's unrest
a man was needed whose heart beat in close accord with manhood's struggle for
equality, and yet a man withal whose dignity, seclusion and apparent sternness
of character forbade at all times a familiarity which meant anarchism and
destructic. In witness of this note well the horrors of the French Revolution.
But in Lincoln's time a purely local measure in a certain sense demanded a man
who training, manner and method made him familiar almost to contempt. Austere
dignity and seclusion wou have made a Washington in Lincoln's time a farce and
Lincoln in Washington time a national tragedy. To Washington the Father and
Lincoln the Savior of our country we bow in humb reverence.
While as a nation we this day pay homage to the memory of
Washington, is peculiarly fitting that Masons we meet in our various Masonic
homes and in solemn quietude around our several altars contemplate the virtues
of this man and Mason; this great character who exemplified every virtue which
Masonry inculcates. So intimately are the history of Masonry and the life of
Washington interwoven that th seem but the web and woof of the same fabric. The
year 1732 marks the birth year of Washington, and about that date for the first
time recognized Masonry makes its formal appearance on American soil in the form
of established lodges. From that date until the present time Masons and Masonry
have played important parts in the wonderful history of our republic. This is
not the occasion for the lauding of this order nor does the institution need or
demand public commendation. As we review the history of the past, however, we
cannot but be grateful that Masons have been permitted under the providence of
God to contribute as they have to liberty and progress as exemplified in the
development of the United States. Let us be thankful that not one word in the
obligation that we take nor one act in the mystic rites which we indulge
conflicts in the slightest degree with our duty to God, our country, our
neighbor, or ourselves, but rather fosters and impels the noblest and the best
in the way of social, civic, and religious advancement.
Briefly let us call to mind a few of the events in the
history of our country in which Masons and Masonry have played important roles.
The Boston Tea Party of 1773 perhaps will for all time be shrouded in mystery
and yet it is scarcely to be doubted that Masonic brothers wont to meet in the
rooms above the Old Green Dragon Tavern of Boston could have lifted the veil of
mystery had they been so disposed. It was a Masonic messenger in the person of
Paul Revere who on the "18th of April in '75" carried the message flashed from
the tower of the Old North Church on that historic night so many years ago.
Bunker Hill was forever consecrated by the shedding of precious blood. Masonry
here offered as its sacrifice the Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts in the
person of Gen. Warren, whose name is ever mentioned in every account of that
memorable engagement. By a strange coincidence it happened that on the very day
that Warren fell, another brother in the person of Washington received his
commission as Commander in Chief of the American forces. The Declaration of
Independence is acknowledged the world over to be the most profound exposition
of civic and religious liberty that was ever penned by man. History and
tradition inform us that among the signers of that era-forming document were
several leaders of public thought to whom Masonic teachings were a constant
source of inspiration.
On the roll of Masonic honor in connection with the
Revolutionary War besides the aforementioned are to be found the names of the
following whom we delight to designate as brothers: Benjamin Franklin, the
astute diplomat and statesman; Baron Steuben, the Prussian drill master; Gen.
Israel Putnam, the two Randolphs, Edward and Robert Livingston, Gen. Knox, and
last but not least the great LaFayette, the companion and confidant of
Washington who in the dark days of intrigue vindicated the character of his
brother when wrongfully traduced. To him America owes a debt of gratitude beyond
measure. To what extent the fraternal bonds buoyed up and encouraged these men
during those long eight years can be understood somewhat by a review of the
correspondence of the times.
On the 30th of April, 1789, Washington took the oath of
office as the first president of these United States. The ceremony was a most
impressive one. The oath was administered by Robt. E. Livingston, the Chancellor
of the State of New York and the Grand Master of Masons in that state. The Bible
on which rested the hand of Washington as he entered into that solemn engagement
had been taken from the altar of St. John's Lodge No. 1 of New York City. Having
taken the oath, Washington in reverence kissed the page of the sacred volume.
The leaf whereon his lips had rested was then folded and after the ceremony the
honored volume was returned to its cushion of crimson velvet on the altar where
it remains until this day.
On two other memorable occasions in the career of
Washington as President did Masonry play an historic part. On the 15th of April,
1791, with Masonic ceremonies was laid the southeast cornerstone of the District
of Columbia from which point was surveyed the area comprising the federal
grounds, the location of which had with deference been left to Washington; and
again on the 18th of September, 1793, with the most elaborate and impressive of
Masonic ceremonies Washington as Grand Master protem. laid the cornerstone of
the Capitol building itself in the city which bears his name. At least eight
brother Masons since the days of Washington have occupied the president's chair.
From first to last the history of Masonry in America has been an honorable one.
But it is to Washington, the man, that we wish this day to
pay our homage. Someone has said that the perpetuity of this nation depends upon
the spirit and the manner in which the American people observe their patriotic
days. If this be true it behooves us to look well to the charge that the rising
generation lacks in these three essentials--restraint, respect and reverence.
Lord Brougham has said that "The veneration paid to the immortal name of
Washington will ever be a test of the progress which our race makes in wisdom
and in virtue."
We have stated that Washington exemplified every virtue
which Masonry inculcates. At the age of 20 he sought admission into the mystic
order and soon after the attainment of his majority he was made a Master Mason.
The teachings of the order impressed him deeply and his connection with it was
intimate and constant. The story of his life is too well known to justify
repeating. We can profit most perhaps by causing to pass before our eyes some
scenes which tend to show the man and the virtues which were his.
The home life of Washington affords a beautiful picture of
devotion to wife and mother. He was an ideal son and husband. What tribute could
be greater ? He was a man passionately fond of his home and nothing on earth
would have been so in harmony with his conception of a happy and contented life
as to have been permitted to have spent his days in the supervision of his
beautiful Mt. Vernon estate. But during the forty seven years from the time of
his majority until his death at sixty eight, public duties of the most exacting
nature forced themselves upon him, and hardly did he retire to peace and
quietude at any period but that some new duty confronted him, and when duty
called, personal comfort and preference were laid aside. Extracts from letters
written by him to personal friends at the close of the war breathe the
satisfaction he felt at being able once more to live the private life. One of
these extracts reads as follows: "The scene has changed. On the eve of Christmas
I entered these doors an older man by nine years than when I left them. I am
just beginning to experience the ease and freedom from public care which however
desirable take some time to realize. I hope to spend the remainder of my days in
cultivating the affections of good men and in the practice of domestic virtues.
I have not only retired from all public employments but I am retiring within
myself and shall be able to view the solitary walk and tread the paths of
private life with a heartfelt satisfaction. Envious of none, I am determined to
be pleased with all, and this, my dear friend, being the order of my march I
will move gently down the stream of life until I sleep with my fathers."
But how soon this dream was shattered. There followed the
stirring days of the Constitutional Convention and the eight years of the
presidency. Again he retired voluntarily to private life, but once more came
duty's call. Scarcely had Adams been seated in the president's chair when France
assumed such a belligerent attitude that war clouds hung thick and heavy.
Washington received and reluctantly accepted the command of the provisional army
against France and repaired at once to Philadelphia to perfect plans for a
military campaign. This was at the age of sixty five. Fortunately the sentiment
of France changed and Washington was spared. But all this teaches well the
lesson to man and Mason that when public responsibility seeks the man he has but
little right to resist the call.
Two of many beautiful pictures tell the story of
Washington's devotion to his mother. The fall of Yorktown had been accomplished.
The war was over. His journey from New York to Virginia had been a continual
ovation. At Fredericksburg he stopped to visit his aged mother. He allowed no
pageantry or pomp to mar the scene. She was alone. Her aged hands were busy with
household duties as he crossed the threshold. She smiled as she turned to greet
him. A mother's embrace and kiss were more to him than the flying of banners and
the blare of trumpets. Not a word was said of the mighty conflicts. To her he
was not the humbler of Great Britain's power. He was the son for whom she had
sacrificed and who in manhood's years had crowned her life with glory, not as
commander-in-chief of the American army but by virtue of a pure and upright
life. With a mother's solicitude and only as a mother can, she noted the furrows
which seven years of the nation's sorrows had plowed deep upon his brow.
That evening a gala event was planned in the city in honor
of Washington's presence. The distinguished men of this and other nations who
had accompanied Washington to the city, together with the brilliant company of
Virginia's best, were in the receation hall. Mother Washington consented to be
present although she said demurely that her dancing days were over. Leaning on
the arm of her son she emerged among the happy group. A beautiful picture she
made dressed in the plain but becoming gown of the Virginia lady of olden times.
With quiet reserve and dignity she met the flower of Virginia society and the
polished attentions of gallant French officers present. Courteous she was but
with naught of haughtiness as their compliments fell upon her. At an early hour
she retired saying simply that she wished the company much joy in their
entertainment but it was time for old folks like her to be in bed. Again on the
arm of Washington she left the room. To the army officers present who were
familiar with the artificial distinctions of society life in the old world this
scene was a revelation. With wonder unrepressed they said among themselves that
any country which produced mothers such as that would never lack for illustrious
sons.
In the spring of 1789 on his way to New York, the Federal
Capital, where as President-elect he was to take the oath of office, Washington
once more, ever mindful of filial duty, stopped at Fredericksburg to see his
mother. He came to explain to her that again his country demanded his services
but that he would soon return. With prophetic vision she interrupted: "You will
never see my face again; my great age warns me that I shall not be long for this
world. But go, George, fulfil the high duties which Heaven appears to assign
you, and may Heaven's and a mother's blessings attend you." Washington hid his
face on her shoulder and wept. Her prophecy was all too true. In a place of her
own choosing near a ledge of rocks where she was wont to go for prayer, her body
rests- -a spot made sacred to American liberty by a mother's prayers for her son
as he bore the nation's burdens.
Washington is said by some critics to have been stern, cold
and unresponsive. Perhaps in a measure the charge is true so far as outward
manifestation is concerned. But we must remember that this was a transition
period from the artificial dignity and pomp surrounding power as manifested in
office, and that growing desire to break from all such artificiality and to
reduce all to the level of absolute equality in form and effect. Neither extreme
is safe nor can long exist. One of the greatest secrets of Washington's power
lies in this very element. But that underneath a stern exterior there beat a
brother's heart let no one doubt. If doubt there be, read again the story of
Valley Forge. During that awful winter Washington's headquarters were at the
home of a Quaker minister. One day, 'tis said, this good old Quaker, while
wandering in the woods, accidentally came upon the person of Washington absorbed
in audible prayer. The minister is reported to have remarked after this
experience that he never from that moment doubted for an instant the outcome of
the struggle for such prayers must needs be answered.
"Oh, who shall know the might
Of the words he uttered there ?
The fate of nations then was turned
By the fervor of that prayer."
Perhaps the scene which tells most of his inner heart life
is that enacted at Fraunces' Tavern in New York City December 4, 1783. The
occasion was the gathering of the principal officers of the war to take final
leave of their commander. "As Washington entered the room and stood before them
for the last time he could not conceal his emotions. Filling a glass he raised
it and said: 'With a heart full of love and gratitude I now take leave of you;
and most devoutly do I wish that your latter days may be as prosperous and happy
as your former ones have been glorious and honorable.' And then, his voice
trembling with emotion, he added, 'I cannot come to each of you, to take my
leave; but shall be obliged to you if you will come and take my hand.' Gen. Knox
stood nearest him. Washington grasped his proflered hand, and, incapable of
utterance, drew him to his bosom with a tender embrace. Each officer in turn
received the same silent, affectionate farewell. Every eye was filled with
tears, every heart throbbed with emotion, but no tongue interrupted the
tenderness of the scene. To those who had known him only as a stern commander,
it was like Joseph's making himself known to his brethren; but to those who had
met him as a brother in the lodge room it was but the renewal of the mystic
grasp, and the well known silent embrace they had known before."
"Weeping through that sad group he passed,
Turned once and gazed, and then was gone--
It was his tenderest and his last."
Another virtue taught by Masonry is that of benevolence. To
what extent this was exemplified in Washington's career let the following
excerpt from a letter by him at the beginning of the war give testimony. This
letter was written to the one in charge of his estate at Mt. Vernon and at a
time when the demoralized condition of his army might well have demanded his
whole time and thought. "Let," he said, "the hospitality of the house be kept
with regard to the poor. Let no one go away hungry. If any of this kind of
people should be in want of corn, supply their necessity, providing it does not
encourage them in idleness. I have no objection to your giving my money in
charity when you think it will be well disposed. I mean that it is my desire
that it should be so." This together with the fact that for all his sacrificing
service during the war he would accept nothing but his expenses puts to shame
the graft and greed of public life today.
His eight years of the presidency having passed, how
eagerly he sought the quietude of Mt. Vernon and the happy private companionship
of his wife. In a letter he expressed it thus: "To the wearied traveler who sees
a resting place and is bending his body to lean thereon I now compare myself."
But political enemies forgetful of his services and sacrifices were seeking to
malign him. To his everlasting credit and greatly to his comfort he was able to
say that "conscious rectitude and the approving voice of his country" removed
the sting of criticism.
Less than three years were allotted to Washington's life in
private. His fatal illness began on the evening of December 12, 1799. The
physician gave no hope. " 'Tis well," said Washington, "I am not afraid to die."
At the foot of the bed, her face buried in the curtains, the faithful wife
prayed in silence that the end might be a peaceful one. Her prayer was answered.
"It is well, all is now over. I shall soon follow him. I have no more trials to
pass through." Thus went out the life of Washington.
And his soul, naked and alone
Appeared before the Great White Throne
As pure and spotless, we believe
As the leathern apron he'd received
So many years before.
With full Masonic ceremonials, together with the burial
service of the Episcopal church conducted by his pastor and Masonic brother, his
body was laid to rest in a tomb near which it now reposes. The Bible on which he
had taken the oath of office as president was brought from the lodge room in New
York and played a conspicuous part in the ceremonies of the day. Washington's
war horse, riderless that day but carrying saddle, holsters and pistols, took
its place in the procession.
What wondrous changes in these more than a hundred years
since that far off funeral day. From a struggling nation among the humblest in
history to a world power whose influence is second to none is the record of our
rise. But in this very thing lies lurking our greatest peril. That the virtues
of Washington and the ideals for which he and his compatriots fought may be
preserved unsullied, let us here and now as citizens and as Masons rededicate
ourselves to the service of God and humanity and thus in the truest nse do honor
to his memory.
"God of our fathers, known of old
Lord of our far flung battle line--
Beneath whose awful hand we hold
Dominion over palm and pine--
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget--lest we forget."
----o----
HOMER'S WAR-FILM
Each host now joins and each a god inspires,
These Mars incites and those Minerva fires,
Pale flight around, and dreadful terror reign;
And discord raging bathes the purple plain.
Discord ! dire sister of the slaughtering power,
Small at her birth but rising every hour,
While scarce the skies her horrid head can bound
She stalks on earth, and shakes the world around.
The nations bleed where'er her steps she turns
The groan still deepens and the combat burns.
--The Iliad, Book IV, Pope's Translation.
----o----
HEAR OUR PRAYER
From prejudice, bitterness, unkindliness, deliver me. Make
me charitable in thought, slow to condemn, and may my heart and soul be free of
the poison of malice, intolerance, bigotry and hate.
Amen.
--John T. McCutcheon.
THE CHARACTER OF WASHINGTON
BY HON. W.E.H. LECKEY
On the appointment of Washington, far more than to any
other single circumstance, is due the ultimate success of the American
Revolution. Punctual, methodical, and exact in the highest degree, he excelled
in managing those minute details which are so essential to the efficiency of an
army, and he possessed to an eminent degree not only the common courage of a
soldier, but also that much rarer form of courage which can endure
long-continued suspense, bear the weight of great responsibility, and encounter
the risks of misrepresentation and unpopularity. For several years, and usually
in the neighborhood of superior forces, he commanded a perpetually fluctuating
army, almost wholly destitute of discipline and respect for authority, torn by
the most violent personal and provincial jealousies, wretchedly armed,
wretchedly clothed, and sometimes in imminent danger of starvation. Unsupported
for the most part by the population among whom he was quartered, and incessantly
thwarted by the jealousy of Congress, he kept his army together by a combination
of skill, firmness, patience, and judgment which has rarely been surpassed, and
he led it at last to a signal triumph. In civil as in military life he was
preeminent among his contemporaries for the clearness and soundness of his
judgment, for his perfect moderation and self-control, for the quiet dignity and
the indomitable firmness with which he pursued every path which he had
deliberately chosen. Of all the great men in history he was the most invariably
judicious, and there is scarcely a rash word or action or judgment recorded of
him. Those who knew him well noticed that he had keen sensibilities and strong
passions; but his power of self-command never failed him, and no act of his
public life can be traced to personal caprice, ambition, or resentment.
In the despondency of long-continued failure, in the
elation of sudden success, at times when his soldiers were deserting by hundreds
and when malignant plots were formed against his reputation, amid the constant
quarrels, rivalries, and jealousies of his subordinates, in the dark hour of
national ingratitude, and in the midst of the most universal and intoxicating
flattery, he was always the same calm, wise, just, and singleminded man,
pursuing the course which he believed to be right without fear or favor or
fanaticism; equally free from the passions that spring from interest and from
the passions that spring from imagination. He never acted on the impulse of an
absorbing or uncalculating enthusiasm, and he valued very highly fortune,
position, and reputation; but at the command of duty he was ready to risk and
sacrifice them all. He was, in the highest sense of the words, a gentleman and a
man of honor, and he carried into public life the severest standard of private
morals. It was at first the constant dread of large sections of the American
people that if the old Government were overthrown they would fall into the hands
of military adventurers and undergo the yoke of military despotism. It was
mainly the transparent integrity of the character of Washington that dispelled
the fear. It was always known by his friends, and it was soon acknowledged by
the whole nation, and by the English themselves, that in Washington America had
found a leader who could be induced by no earthly motive to tell a falsehood or
to break an engagement or to commit any dishonorable act. Men of this moral type
are happily not rare, and we have all met them in our experience; but there is
scarcely another instance in history of such a man having reached and maintained
the highest position in the convulsions of civil war and of a great popular
agitation.
----o----
TO LESSING
You do not know it--nay--for if you knew,
Your soul would burst the bounds of time and space To stand
here
crying in the market-place,
Crying to those who know not what they do.
Of all your country's loving children, you
The best could serve her in her desperate case--
You whom no power could force to aught of base,
Whose life was but the passion to be true.
Ah, to what end your spirit's high emprise,
Schiller's white flame, Goethe's Olympic calm,
If after you come men of low surmise,
Men who belie your truth without a qualm,
Who think to enjoy--God's love!--a place in the sun,
With all around black Hell and faith fordone !
--R. R. Morgan.
----o----
IN PROPORTION
If there's only one thing that I can say
That you might be likely to carry away;
It is, that your Masonry of worth will be
In proportion as you take it seriously.
-L.B.M.
----o----
MASONRY
It's no "market cart" with the physical fare
That alike by us all must be won;
But a vehicle laden with mysteries rare,--
A "chariot of the sun."
-L.B.M.
MEMORIALS TO GREAT MEN WHO WERE MASONS
BY BRO. GEO. W. BAIRD, P. G. M., DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
JOHN MARSHALL
THE fourth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United
States and Grand Master of Free Masons of the State of Virginia. The splendid
bronze statue shown in the cut was presented to the Nation by the Bar
Association: It is the only statue in the parking of the Capitol Grounds in
Washington. It rests on a cubical marble pedestal, on the west side of the
building, at the foot of the terrace.
It shows the great
Jurist sitting in his chair, clothed in his Judicial robes. The marble base has
basso-relieves, in the white stone, one of which shows young America being led
by Victory to swear fidelity at the Altar of the Union: another shows Minerva
dictating the Constitution to young America.
It is a beautiful work
of art, executed in Rome by the famous sculptor, Mr. W. W. Story. No one has
ever uttered a word of adverse criticism on this sculpture.
What Blackstone was to
law givers of England, and what Moses was to the Children of Israel, John
Marshall was to the legal fraternity of the Republic of the United States. He
was the fourth Chief Justice, chronologically, but the first in ability. The
example he set, the logical rulings he made and the words he used to express his
decisions will ever be held as models for future generations.
In the day of John
Marshall the people were guided by the law: they possessed intelligence and
altruism, and the law was executed with the assistance of the people, and with
promptness.
John Marshall was born
in Virginia in 1755 and died in Philadelphia in 1835. He was the eldest of 15
children of Colonel Thomas Marshall, the distinguished commander in the battle
of the Brandywine. His ancestry, on both sides, was English. John Marshall was
an unusually bright student, possessed with a wonderfully retentive memory: at
the age of 12 he could recite the whole of Pope's writings, and he was familiar
with Shakespeare, Milton and Dryden. He was a fellow student of Monroe, in
Westmoreland. He began the study of Law at the age of 18 years.
In 1775 he joined a
Military company, and was soon in the field. He took part in the battle at
Dunmore and Great Bridge with his company of Culpeper Minute men. He became a
lieutenant in the Eleventh Virginia regiment in 1776, and marched north, taking
part in the battle at Iron Hill, whe he was promoted to be a captain. He was in
the engagement at Germantown and Monmouth and went through the hardships at
Valley Forge. In the darkest hour he was bright and cheerful, being able to see
the funny side of everything, and earned the reputation of a humorist. He was
frequently detailed as Judge Advocate, and secured the warm attachment of
Washington.
He attended the
lectures at William and Mary College and was admitted to practice law in 1780.
Possessed with a warm, genial nature, but with determination, he made hosts of
friends, which lasted through life. In 1783 he married Mary Ambler; and in 1788
he was chosen a member of the Virginia convention to act on the constitution
drawn up by the Philadelphia convention assembled, and took a conspicuous stand,
by the side of James Madison, Edmund Pendleton and other advocates, making a
masterly defense of the constitution against all its assailants. In three famous
debates on the subjects of taxation, the Judiciary and power over the militia,
John Marshall showed powerful logic and massive faculty of reasoning, which led
to the adoption of the federal plan Government.
John Marshall was
reselected and continued to sit in the assembly during the sessions of
1789-90-91. Virginia was the headquarters of the States Rights party whose views
were represented in the National Cabinet by Thomas Jefferson. The question
whether the U.S. Constitution should be strictly or liberally construed was the
point at issue: Marshall supported the Federal view with the calmness and
moderation of tone which ever characterized him, but with all the vigor his
friends had expected.
In 1792, his
biographers say, "he retired from the body, without leaving an enemy behind, and
devoted himself to his law practice until 1795."
But, for a fact,
during that time John Marshall was particularly active in Freemasonry, being
Deputy Grand Master in 1792, and Grand Master in 1793 and 1794.
If another object
lesson is needed to prove the wisdom of selecting a Grand Master for his worth
and usefulness to the Craft, rather than promoting vigorously by seniority, as
is becoming the practice, we have it here. John Marshall was elected from the
floor of the Grand Lodge to be Deputy, and at the next election was made Grand
Master. So great a man brought us great credit and honor.
But during all that
time he was frequently at the side of Washington, and his constant supporter.
During the period of his Grand Mastership he defended the proclamation of
neutrality occasioned by the conduct of the French Minister, Mr. Genet; he also
advocated the administration of Washington with his pen and secured the passage,
by a meeting of the citizens, of a set of resolutions approving it, which he had
drafted. When he had retired from office in the Grand Lodge he sat again in the
House of Delegates, taking part in the violent discussions on Jay's treaty.
Washington offered
John Marshall the position of Attorney General, which he declined. Marshall
later declined the office of Minister to France: When the French Government
refused to receive Mr. Pinkney, the President prevailed on Marshall to accept
the Ministry, when he successfully negotiated with the Directory in relation to
the obstruction thrown in the way of the commerce of the United States.
Pages could be filled
with glowing accounts of the public services rendered by Past Grand Master John
Marshall, but space does not admit. He afterwards-served in Congress; was
appointed Secretary of War, and then Secretary of State and in 1799, the year
Washington died, President Adams offered him a seat in the Supreme Court which
he declined. In Congress he became the administration's principal reliance
though he did not approve of the alien or the sedition laws. In 1801 he was
appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, where his record was brilliant. He
published a "Life of Washington," five volumes; a History of the American
Colonies, and other valuable books.
Personally John
Marshall was ungraceful in appearance, "tall, meagre and emaciated; his muscles
relaxed and his joints so loosely connected as to destroy harmony in his
movements." But he was, socially, a great favorite, and the centre of attraction
in polite society. He was an unaffected Christian, and liberal in his views. He
possessed great wit, and was fond of a joke.
In looking over the
biographies of great men we find little or no mention of their Masonic ties:
ties which, we think, have had so much to do with their ability to adapt
themselves to their surroundings; to recognize the inherent rights of their
fellow man and to set an example in altruism. Whether these biographers have
made this omission intentionally or not it is hard to say. But of all the
memorials to great men, in the Capitol of the Nation, there is but one that
intimates the hero was a brother and that one was erected by the Fraternity.
----o----
"ONCE IN A WHILE"
There's a nice little isle
Called "Once in a while,"
Where most of us will go
When our work is done,
And our race is run,
And our lamp is burning low.
We don't write home
Only "Once in a while,"
For there's nothing much to say,
We've lost the touch
That means so much
To the old folks far awaar.
We go to church
Perhaps "Once in a while"
Because it's our duty to.
We like the choir,
But of the sermons we tire
So we don't always sit it through.
We're on time at the office,
Well, "Once in a while,"
It's awfully hard, you know,
The train is late
As sure as fate,
Or old Big Ben is slow.
We keep a date
Not even "Once in a while,"
What's a half an hour or more?
We jog along
As if nothing was wrong
And wonder why they're sore.
We go to lodge,
Yes, "Once in a while,"
When there's nothing else to do.
The work is the same
So we're hardly to blame
If we leave before they're through.
- J.T.Wray,W.M.
MAKING A MASON AT SIGHT
BY BRO. WILDEY E. ATCHISON, COLORADO
The prerogative of the Grand Master to make Masons at sight
is described by Dr. Albert Mackey as the eighth of the Twenty-Five Landmarks of
Free Masonry. To quote Dr. Mackey:
"It is a technical term, which may be defined to be the
power to initiate, pass and raise candidates, by the Grand Master, in a Lodge of
Emergency, or as it is called in the Book of Constitutions, 'an Occasional
Lodge,' specially convened by him, and consisting of such Master Masons as he
may call together for that purpose only; the Lodge ceasing to exist as soon as
the initiation, passing, or raising has been accomplished, and the Brethren have
been dismissed by the Grand Master
"In 1731, Lord Lovell, being Grand Master, he 'formed an
Occasional Lodge at Houghton Hall, Sir Robert Walpole's House in Norfolk,' and
there made the Duke of Lorraine, afterwards Emperor of Germany, and the Duke of
Newcastle, Master Masons.
"The initiation, passing and raising of Frederick, Prince
of Wales, in 1737, was done in an 'Occasional Lodge,' over which Dr. Desaguliers
presided, but this cannot properly be called a 'making at sight,' because Dr.
Desaguilers at the time was a Past Grand Master, and not the actual Grand Master
at the time. He most probably acted under the dispensation of the Grand Master,
who at that time was the Earl of Darnley.
"In 1766, Lord Blaney, who was then Grand Master, convened
an 'Occasional Lodge,' and initiated, passed and raised the Duke of Gloucester.
"Again in 1767, John Salter, the Deputy then acting as
Grand Master, convened an 'Occasional Lodge,' and conferred the three degrees on
the Duke of Cumberland.
"In 1787 the Prince of Wales was made a Mason 'at an
Occasional Lodge, convened,' says Preston, 'for the purpose at the Star and
Garter, at Pall Mall, over which the Duke of Cumberland (Grand Master) presided
in person.'
"It has been said, however, by those who deny the existence
of this prerogative, that these 'Occasional Lodges' were only Special
Communications of the Grand Lodge, and the 'makings' are thus supposed to have
taken place under the authority of that body, and not of the Grand Master. The
facts, however, do not sustain this position. Throughout the Book of
Constitutions, other Communications, whether Stated or Special, are distinctly
recorded as Communications of the Grand Lodge; while these 'Occasional Lodges'
appear only to have been convened by the Grand Master for the purpose of making
Masons. Besides, in many instances, the Lodge was held at a different place from
that of the Grand Lodge, and the officers were not, with the exception of the
Grand Master, the officers of the Grand Lodge. Thus the 'Occasional Lodge' which
initiated the Duke of Lorraine was held at the residence of Sir Robert Walpole,
in Norfolk, while the Grand Lodge always met in London. In 1766 the Grand Lodge
held its Communication at the Crown and Anchor, but the 'Occasional Lodge' which
in the same year conferred the degrees on the Duke of Gloucester, was convened
at the Horn tavern. In the following year, the Lodge which initiated the Duke of
Cumberland was convened at the 'Thatched House' tavern, the Grand Lodge
continuing to meet at the Crown and Anchor.
"But, without doubt, a conclusive argument may be drawn
from the dispensing powers of the Grand Master, which has never been denied. No
one has doubted, or can doubt, the inherent right of the Grand Master to
constitute Lodges by Dispensation, and in these Lodges so constituted, Masons
may be legally entered, passed and raised. This is done every day. A
constitutional number of Master Masons applying to the Grand Master, he grants
them a Dispensation, under authority of which they proceed to open and hold a
Lodge, and to make Masons. This Lodge is, however, admitted to be the mere
creature of the Grand Master, for it is in his power at any time to revoke the
Dispensation he had granted, and thus to dissolve the Lodge.
"But if the Grand Master has the power thus to enable
others to confer the degrees and make Masons, by his individual authority out of
his presence, are we not permitted to argue that he has also the right of
congregating a proper number of Brethren and cause a Mason to be made in his
sight? Can he delegate a power to others which he does not himself possess ? And
is his calling together an 'Occasional Lodge' and making, with the assistance of
the Brethren thus assembled, a Mason 'at sight; that is to say, in his presence,
anything more or less than the exercise of his dispensing power, for a temporary
period, and for a special purpose? The purpose having been effected, and the
Mason having been made, he revokes his dispensation and the Lodge is dismissed.
If we assumed any other ground than this, we should be compelled to say that
though the Grand Master might authorize others to make Masons when he was
absent, he could not do it himself when present. The form of the expression
'making Masons at sight' is borrowed from Lawrence Dermott, the Grand Secretary
of the Athol or Schismatic Grand Lodge; 'making Masons in an Occasional Lodge,'
is a phrase used by Anderson and his subsequent editors. Dermott, commenting on
the Thirteenth of the Old Regulations, which prescribes that Fellow Crafts and
Master Masons cannot be made in a private Lodge, except by the Dispensation of
the Grand Master, says:
"'This is a very ancient regulation, but seldom put in
practice, new Masons being generally made at private Lodges; however, the Right
Worshipful Grand Master has full power and authority to make, or cause to be
made, in his Worship's presence, Free and Accepted Masons at sight, and such
making is good. But they cannot be made out of his Worship's presence without a
written Dispensation for that purpose. Nor can his Worship oblige any warranted
Lodge to receive the person so made, if the members should declare against him
or them; but in such case the Right Worshipful Grand Master may grant them a
warrant and form them into a new Lodge.'
"But the fact that Dermott uses the phrase does not
militate against the existence of the prerogative, nor weaken the argument in
its favor. For, in the first place, he is not quoted as authority, and secondly,
it is very possible that he did not invent the expression, but found it already
existing as a technical phrase generally used by the Craft, although not to be
found in the old Book of Constitutions. The form there used is 'Making Masons in
an Occasional Lodge,' which is of the same signification.
"The mode of exercising the prerogative is this: The Grand
Master summons to his assistance not less than six other Masons, convenes a
Lodge, and without any previous probation, but 'on Light' of the Candidate,
confers the degrees upon him, after which he dissolves the Lodge and dismisses
the Brethren."
I have discovered several instances of the prerogative
having been exercised by the Grand Master in Pennsylvania.
Brother Joseph Eichbaum, Grand Master of that state in
1887, initiated, passed and raised a Candidate at an Emergent Communication on
April 23rd of that year, in Philadelphia. He said the initiate was a young man
with whom he had been in almost daily intercourse and closely associated with
for some fourteen years and whose moral character he was fully prepared to vouch
for. He claimed the right to be unquestioned, although the exercise of it
possibly injudicious.
Brother Michael, Grand Master of Pennsylvania in 1893,
called a Special Communication of the Grand Lodge on May 3rd of that year for
the purpose of making a Mason at sight, and on June 13th, five weeks later, he
visited Lodge No. 59 for the same purpose. His principal reason for exercising
the prerogative was "in order that it might not be said that it has become
obsolete by non-use."
In 1894, Brother Richard C. McCallister, Grand Master of
Masons of South Dakota, granted Coteau Lodge No. 54 at Webster, a Dispensation
to confer the three degrees upon Governor Sheldon, waiving the usual time. The
Grand Master states that he was present and witnessed the conferring of the
three degrees, which was done in a very satisfactory manner. "Although I am very
well aware that Masonry regards no man for his worldly wealth or honors," he
states, "in this case I fully believe the Candidate possessed both the internal
and the external qualifications, and accordingly granted the Dispensation."
But the Committee on Jurisprudence did not approve of this
action and made the following reference to it in their report, which was adopted
by the Grand Lodge:
"In reference to the Dispensation granted for conferring
the degrees out of time upon Governor Sheldon, the committee is of the opinion
that this prerogative of the Grand Master should only be exercised in case of
the greatest emergency, and only when the Candidate shows himself by
examination, to be fully proficient as required by our by-laws and usages. The
facts in he case reported did not, in our judgment, justify the exercise of such
power."
Brother J.L. Spinks, Grand Master of Mississippi n 1895,
gives the following account of having been made a Mason "at sight:"
"On June 1st, at sea, in Ship Island Harbor, and within the
tate of Mississippi, by virtue of the high power in me vested as Grand Master of
Masons, in and for the state of Mississippi, organized and opened a Lodge of
Free and Accepted Masons, and with the consent and assistance of the Brethren
present erect, conferred the degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and
Master Mason, upon Captain George Maddrell, master of the British Steamship
County of York, giving him in full the lectures of each degree, after which the
Lodge was dissolved."
He says further:
"That anyone can or will question the right, or rather the
prerogative of a Grand Master to do this, I do not for a moment suppose. That
many do question the propriety, I am fully aware, as I have had many requests
from many Brethren for full particulars, and from the tone of some of their
letters, one would infer that I had committed the 'unpardonable sin.'
The Committee on Masonic Law and Jurisprudence, to whom the
matter was referred, reported as follows:
"We have given such consideration to so much of the Most
Worshipful Grand Master's address, as was possible under the circumstances. It
is a question which must be considered as one of law and expediency. Under the
first branch, we find that as late as 1875 the Grand Lodge adopted the 'Blue
Lodge Text-Book,' containing Brother Mackey's Twenty-Five Landmarks, one of
which is declaratory of such a prerogative residing in the Grand Master. In the
present edition of the Text-Book there is a declaration of the 'Fundamental
Principles of Masonry,' in which the Grand Master is declared to have certain
prerogatives among which we find enumerated this:
"'To make Masons at sight, with the consent and assistance
of the Masons he assembles into a Lodge.'
"As a question of expediency, your committee is unanimous
in the opinion that if the prerogative exists, it ought not to be exercised
under any circumstances whatever. And in expressing this opinion we do not wish
to be misunderstood as criticizing the act of the Grand Master, for if he has
the prerogative, it certainly is discretionary with him whether he will exercise
it or not. We concede this right to the Grand Master, and while not approving
the act, we cannot deny to him the right and if he has the right it surely is
discretionary with him whether he will exercise it or not."
The matter was on motion recommitted to the same committee,
with directions to further examine the question, and report at the next Annual
Communication, at which time they reported, in part as follows:
"We are not insensible to the fact that in this Grand Lodge
and in a number of others, the doctrine that the Grand Master possesses powers
and prerogatives which are not subject to the control of the Grand Lodge, has
been maintained, and we give due weight to the learning, zeal, and Masonic
character of the large number of eminent Masons who have sustained the claim but
notwithstanding the great array of names which may be cited against us, we fail
to find in the arguments presented, a single reference to any Ancient Law, which
gives, as we conceive, even by implication, to the Grand Master the right to set
aside a law of the Grand Lodge, and without so doing he cannot make a Mason at
sight. But, granting, for the sake of the argument, that he formerly possessed
such a prerogative, we are confronted by the fact that every Grand Master, in
modern times, is obligated at least thrice, to support and maintain the
Constitution and Regulations of the Grand Lodge, and we think, therefore, that
if they do not confer upon him the power of setting aside their provisions
regarding the initiation of Candidates that he must be deemed to have waived
whatever prerogatives he may have anciently possessed, by assuming the
obligation of office. He is not above the law, but, if possible, more than any
other Mason, bound to support and maintain it in all its integrity. Without
entering into argument to demonstrate that the Grand Master is a Constitutional
officer, it seems very clear to us that he is at least bound by the maxim in
Masonry that 'those things which are not permitted to a Mason are clearly
prohibited.' (Drummond, History of Masonry, page 552.) It is not permitted now,
nor has it been since 1717, to make a Mason except in a Regular Lodge, nor since
1753, until due inquiry has been made as to his character, nor without the
unanimous consent of the members of a Lodge, which qualification is not the
subject of a Dispensation.
"Our conclusion, therefore, is that the prerogative of
making a Mason at sight does not exist, and has not since 1717, or, if those who
contend for exploded Masonic History, prefer it, since 1663, and we recommend
the adoption of the following:
"Resolved, That it is the sense of this Grand Lodge that
the prerogative of making a Mason at sight does not exist by virtue of any
Landmark or Ancient Regulation, and is not conferred by the Constitution or Laws
of this Grand Lodge."
In commenting upon the above resolution of our Mississippi
Brethren, Brother Lawrence N. Greenleaf, Past Grand Master of Colorado, and
Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Correspondence, says:
"From 1862 to 1875, the Constitution of this Grand Lodge,
among other powers of the Grand Master enumerated in Article IX, contained the
following:
"'It is his prerogative to make Masons at sight, and for
this purpose may summon to his assistance such Brethren as he may deem
necessary.'
"'In 1875 the revised Constitution was adopted and the
above paragraph no longer appeared. Under 'Grand Master,' section twelve reads
as follows:
"'The Most Worshipful Grand Master shall have and enjoy all
the powers and prerogatives conferred by the Ancient Constitutions and Usages
and Landmarks of Freemasonry.'"
(In the Book of Constitutions as revised by the Grand Lodge
of Colorado in September, 1914, this section is now numbered 19.) Brother
Greenleaf says further:
"While the prerogative has never been exercised in this
district, it has nevertheless been deemed to exist. The report of the above
committee is a valuable contribution in support of the negative side of the
question, but we are not wholly convinced of its correctness.
"If it shall be shown that the prerogative referred to is
an inherent right of the Grand Master, neither the Grand Lodge of Mississippi
nor any other Grand Lodge can dispossess him of that right. 'Usage,' whether for
120 or 200 years, certainly must enter largely into the determination of the
question."
Brother Thomas J. Shryock, Grand Master of Masons in
Maryland in 1897, exercised this prerogative and says:
"By virtue of the authority in me vested as your Grand
Master, I convened an 'Emergency Lodge,' and made 'at sight,' His Excellency
Llovd Lowndes, Governor of Maryland, a Mason. An erroneous idea has arisen in
the minds of many of the Fraternity as to the ceremony of making a Mason 'at
sight,' and to erase this wrong, and perhaps damaging, impression, I deem it but
proper to say that in the making of a Mason 'at sight' by the Grand Master, the
Candidate is required to pass through all the forms and ceremonies incident to
the conferring of the three degrees, in the same manner that an applicant does
in applying to a Subordinate Lodge. The impression of some, that the Grand
Master, by virtue of his authority, touches a man on the shoulder and creates
him a Mason, is entirely erroneous, and as I know that this impression does
exist to a certain extent, I think it proper to here state, so the Craft may
understand it throughout our Jurisdiction, that such is not the case. The making
of a Mason 'at sight' is one of the Landmarks of the Fraternity, the prerogative
of the Grand Master, and I have on two occasions exercised that prerogative, as
much for the purpose of not allowing it to become dormant as for any other
reason.'"
William Howard Taft, Ex-President of the United States, was
made a Mason "at sight," shortly before his inauguration in 1909. The ceremony
took place at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Cincinnati, on February 18th of
that year, of which the following account appears in the review on Foreign
Correspondence in the Colorado Grand Lodge Proceedings of 1910:
"The ceremonies were simple and brief, the entire meeting,
from its opening to its close, taking only one hour.
"Promptly at the appointed hour the Most Worshipful Grand
Master of Ohio arose and made the announcement that by virtue of the power and
authority vested in him by the Grand Lodge of Ohio, he declared the present
Convocation of Master Masons to be an 'Occasional Lodge,' convened for the
purpose of conferring upon Mr. William Howard Taft the degrees of Entered
Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason, and he declared such Lodge open,
directed the Senior Deacon to perform his duty, and then called upon the Grand
Chaplain of the Grand Lodge, Rev. Paul R. Hickok, to invoke the blessing of
Almighty God.
"Brother William B. Melish, Past Grand Master, as Master of
Ceremonies, then escorted Mr. William Howard Taft into the room and presented
him at the altar, declaring him to be a legal resident of the jurisdiction of
the Grand Lodge of Ohio, and stated that he introduced him at his request, it
being his desire to receive the degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and
Master Mason.
"The Grand Master, after propounding the customary
questions and receiving the required answers, obligated the Candidate in the
Entered Apprentice obligation, and then instructed him fully in the unwritten
work of that degree.
"The same procedure followed with the Fellow Craft and
Master Mason degrees, the final statement being made that the details of the
Master's degree would be exemplified in full form in the evening by Kilwinning
Lodge, and that he would then have full opportunity to learn that part of the
work more fully.
"The charge appertaining to the Master's degree was then
read.
"The Grand Master then made proclamation that William
Howard Taft, having received the degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and
Master Mason, he declared him to be a Master Mason in good and regular standing.
"After congratulations and welcome to the recipient, he
delivered an address setting forth the appreciation of the honor conferred after
which the benediction was pronounced and the Grand Master then proclaimed the
purpose for which the 'occasional Lodge' was convened having been effected, he
declared the Lodge closed and dissolved."
Brother George Fleming Moore, Editor of the New Age, in the
March, 1909, issue of that magazine, says:
"Before he was nominated for the Presidency, Secretary Taft
expressed a desire to become a Mason and really made application 'of his own
free will and accord.' The proper initial steps were taken to make him a Mason
'at sight' and Brother William B. Melish, an eminent Mason of Ohio, and a Past
Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of that State; Levi C. Goodale, another Past
Grand Maste |
