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DELIVERED
BY ALBERT G. MACKEY, M. D., GRAND SECRETARY AND GRAND LECTURER
OF THE GRAND LODGE OF SOUTH CAROLINA; GENERAL OF THE
SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE 33D DEGREE, FOR THE SOUTHERN JURISDICTION
OF THE UNITED STATES, ETC., ETC., BEFORE THE GRAND AND
SUBORDINATE LODGES OF ANCIENT FREEMASONS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, AT
CHARLESTON, S. C., ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH, 1852, BEING THE
CENTENNIAL
CELEBRATION OF THE INITIATION OF GEORGE WASHINGTON
One hundred years ago -
the day which we are now celebrating with all these public
demonstrations of joy and pride - and which tens of thousands of
our brethren are commemorating with us, in every city and town
and village throughout the length and breadth of this vast
empire - was hallowed in the history of the Masonic institution,
by theinitiation into its sublime mysteries of the Father of his
Country.
The scenes enacted on that day in a small and obscure lodge of
the Old Dominion were then, while the dark veil of the futurity
was still undrawn, supposed to be of an ordinary character. The
minute book of the Lodge at Fredericksburg presents no more than
the usual record, that on the 4th of November, 1752, George
Washington was initiated as an Entered Apprentice. The youth,
who, though even then he had been honored by a distinguished
appointment in the military service of his native State, had not
yet developed the germ of his future greatness, passed
undoubtedly through the solemn ceremonies of initiation into our
mystic rites, without any suspicion on the part of those who
assisted in bestowing on him the light of Masonry, that the
transaction then occurring was to become an era in the annals of
our institution, and that a century afterwards their descendants
would ordain a jubilee, to hail its memory with shouts of joy
and to celebrate its anniversary with loud peans of praise. But
time, whose lessons are always progressive and often unexpected,
has since taught us that the event of that evening was among the
most important in the history of American Masonry. It has
furnished a topic of angry discussion to the enemies, and of
grateful exultation
to the friends, of our institution. It has given an abiding
testimony of the virtuous principles of that society, among
whose disciples "the patriot, the hero and the sage"
did not disdain to be numbered. And while time shall last and
Masonry shall endure, that old but distinctly legible page in
the record book of Fredericksburg Lodge will be pointed to with
proud satisfaction by every Mason, as indisputable
evidence that the wisest of statesmen, the purest of patriots,
the most virtuous of men, was indeed his brother and bound with
him in one common but mystic tie of fraternity and love.
In the ancient record book of the Lodge at Fredericksburg in
Virginia - a book venerable for its age as a relic of the past
-but still more venerable for the pages on which the record is
made, will be found the following entries.
The first entry is thus:
No. 4th, 1752. This evening Mr. George Washington was initiated
as an Entered Apprentice," and the receipt of the entrance
fee, amounting to 2 pounds 3s is acknowledged.
On the 3rd of March in the following year, "Mr. George
Washington" is recorded as having been passed a Fellow
Craft; and on the 4th of the succeeding August the transactions
of the evening are that "Mr. George Washington," and
others whose names are mentioned, are stated to have been raised
to the sublime degree of Master Mason.
These records of the early Masonic career of Washington are
inestimable to the Mason as memorials of the first connection of
the Father of his Country with our institution. But if the
history of that connection had there ceased; if admitted to our
temple, he had but glanced with cold and indifferent eye upon
its mysteries; and if then, unaffected by their beauty -
untouched by their sublimity, and unwakened by their truth, lie
had departed from our portals - the pride with which we hail him
as a brother would have been a vain presumption, and the
celebration of this day, a senseless mockery. But the seed of
Masonry which was sown on the evening of that November fell not
on a barren soil. It grew with his growth and strengthened with
his strength, and bloomed and ripened into an abiding love and
glowing zeal for our order, nor ever withered or decayed amid
all the trials and struggles, the perils and excitement of a
long life spent, first in battling to gain the liberties of his
country, and then in counseling to preserve them.
The evidence of all this is on record, and the genuineness of
the record cannot be disputed. Whatever the enemies of Masonry
may say to the contrary - however they may have attempted in the
virulence of their persecution, to insinuate that his connection
with our order was but accidental and temporary - first formed
in the thoughtlessness of youth and then at once and forever
dissolved - there is abundant testimony to show that he never
for a moment disowned his allegiance to the mystic art - and
never omitted, on every appropriate occasion, by active
participation in our rites, to
vindicate the purity of the institution and to demonstrate in
the most public manner, his respect for its principles.
Years after his initiation, when he held the exalted rank of
leader of our armies in those deeply perilous days, which have
been so well defined as "the times that tried men's
souls," notwithstanding his responsible duties, his arduous
labors, his mental disquietudes, he would often lay aside the
ensigns of his supreme authority, and forgetting for a time
"the pomp and circumstance of glorious war," would
enter the secluded tent and mingle on a level with his brave
companions, in the solemn devotions and mystic rites of some
military lodge, where, under the sacred influence of Masonry,
the god of carnage found no libations poured upon his altar, but
where the heartfelt prayer for the prevalence of harmony and
brotherly love was offered to the Grand Architect of the
Universe. We have the authority of a distinguished Mason of
Virginia, who has elaborately investigated the Masonic life of
Washington, for saying that "frequently, when surrounded by
a brilliant staff, he would part from the gay assemblage and
seek the instruction of the Lodge." And there was actually
living in Ohio a few years ago a revolutionary veteran, Captain
Hugh Maloy, who on one of these occasions was initiated in the
marquee of Washington, the Commander in Chief himself presiding
at the ceremony.
In scenes like these the great Napoleon has been known to
appear, and the lodges of Paris have more than once beheld the
ruler of the empire mingling in their labors, a willing witness
of the great doctrine of Masonic equality. But in the founder of
a new dynasty, such condescension might - and possibly with some
truth - be attributed to the policy of winning popular applause.
In our true-hearted, single- minded Washington, no such
subservience to man-worship could be suspected. His only motives
were deep love for the institution, and profound admiration of
its principles.
Permit me, before we proceed to a review of the later portions
of Washington's Masonic life, to invite your attention to one,
other revolutionary incident, reflecting equal honor upon the
subject of our address, and on the order of which he was so
illustrious a member.
A distinguished brother who faithfully and valiantly served his
country, in the last contest in which it has been engaged, once
remarked, in an address delivered by him before the Grand Lodge
of this State, that much as he admired Masonry it was only on
the field of battle that he had really learned to love it.
Wisely and truthfully were those words uttered. For it is there,
amid loud hosannas to the god of slaughter, when "Men with
rage and hate Make war upon their kind, And the land is fed by
the blood they shed, In their lust for carnage blind," that
the voice of Masonry speaks in tones that are heard above the
dull booming of artillery, and the shrill blast of the bugle. It
is there, when the utterance of humanity is hushed - when
language, created by its beneficent author, to express man's
wants and man's affections, is exchanged for the clashing of
steel - when the plunge of the bayonet or the thrust of the
saber is too often the only reply to the cry for mercy - and
when human sympathy has been driven from its throne in the human
heart - it is there that the whispered word may make its strong
appeal, and the mute yet eloquent sign, will paralyze the
uplifted arm, converting by its hidden necromancy, hate into
love, and binding in a moment the conqueror and the conquered
with these strong cords of fraternal affection which will
withstand the utmost strain of national enmity to snap asunder.
Scenes and events of this kind were of course occurring in our
revolutionary war - for there is no contest among civilized
nations in which they are not present. But one in which
Washington was more particularly and immediately engaged may
serve to show how perfectly he understood and appreciated this
beautiful feature in the Masonic system.
In the 46th regiment of the British army there was a traveling
Lodge, holding its Warrant of Constitution under the
jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Ireland. After an engagement
between the American and British forces, in which the latter
were defeated, the private chest of the Lodge, containing its
jewels, furniture and implements, fell into the hands of the
Americans. The captors reported the circumstances to General
Washington, who at once ordered the chest to be returned to the
Lodge and the regiment, under a guard of honor. "The
surprise," says the historian of the event, himself an
Englishman and a Mason, "the feeling of both officers and
men may be imagined, when they perceived the flag of truce that
announced this elegant compliment from their noble opponent, but
still more noble brother. The guard of honor, with their music
playing a sacred march - the chest containing the Constitution
and implements of the Craft borne aloft, like another ark of the
covenant, equally by Englishmen and Americans, who lately
engaged in the strife of war, now marched through the enfiladed
ranks of the gallant regiment that, with presented arms and
colors, hailed the glorious act by cheers, which the sentiment
rendered sacred as the hallelujahs of an angel's song."
When the contest which secured the independence and freedom of
his country was terminated, Washington, covered with the
admiration and gratitude of his fellow-citizens, retired like
another Cincinnatus to the shades of private life. But he did
not abandon then his interest in the institution of which he was
an honored member.
In 1788 he united with others in presenting a petition for the
formation of a new Lodge at Alexandria, and the Warrant of
Constitution, as the instrument authorizing the organization is
technically called, is still in existence, preserved in the
archives of that Lodge, and has been seen by thousands.
That Warrant commences with these words - words which now cannot
be altogether heard with cold indifference:
"I, Edmund
Randolph, Governor of the State, and Grand Master of the Grand
Lodge of Virginia, do hereby constitute and appoint our
illustrious and well-beloved Brother George Washington, late
General and Commander-in-Chief of the forces of the United
States of America, and our worthy Brothers Robert McCrea,
William Hunter Jr., and Joseph Allison, Esq., together
with all such other brethren as may be admitted to associate
with them, to be a just, true and regular Lodge of Freemasons,
by the name, title and designation of Alexandria Lodge, No.
22."
The Lodge is still in
existence and in active operation, but in 1805 it changed its
name in honor of its first Master to that of "Washington
Alexandria."
No one acquainted with
the character of Washington - with his indomitable energy, his
scrupulous punctuality, and his rigid adherence to method in
business, will for a moment suppose that he would ever have
engaged in a labor which he did not ardently strive to
accomplish, or have accepted an office whose duties he did not
conscientiously discharge. But his general and well known
reputation for these virtues is not all that we possess as a
testimony of the mode in which he met the responsible cares of
presiding over the Craft.
The Hon. Timothy Bigelow, in an eulogy delivered before the
Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, two months after Washington's
death, when there were still living witnesses of his Masonic
life, with whom the speaker had conversed, supplies us on this
point with the following evidence:
"The information received from our brethren who had the
happiness to be members of the Lodge over which he presided for
many years, and of which he died the Master, furnishes abundant
proof of his persevering zeal for the prosperity of the
institution. Constant and punctual in his attendance, scrupulous
in his observance of the regulations of the Lodge, and
solicitous at all times to communicate light and instruction, he
discharged the duties of the chair with uncommon dignity and
intelligence in all the mysteries of our art." Incidents
like these, interesting as they may be, are not all that is left
to us to exhibit the attachment of Washington to Masonry. On
repeated occasions lie has announced, in his letters and
addresses to various Masonic bodies, his profound esteem for the
character and his just appreciation of the principles of that
institution into which, at so early an age, he had been
admitted. And during his long and laborious life, no opportunity
was presented of which he did not gladly avail himself to evince
that he was a Mason in heart as well as in name.
Thus, in the year 1797, in reply to an affectionate address from
the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, he says: "My attachment
to the Society of which we are members will dispose me always to
contribute my best endeavors to promote the honor and prosperity
of the Craft."
Five years before this letter was written, he had, in a
communication to the same body, expressed his opinion of the
Masonic institution as one whose liberal principles are founded
on the immutable laws of "truth and justice," and
whose "grand object is to promote the happiness of the
human race."
In answer to an address from the Grand Lodge of South Carolina
in 1791, he says: "I recognize, with pleasure, my relation
to the brethren of your Society," and "I shall be
happy, on every occasion, to evince my regard for the
fraternity." And in the same letter he takes occasion to
allude to the Masonic institution as "an association
whose principles lead to purity of morals and are beneficial of
action."
In writing to the
officers and members of St. David's Lodge, at Newport, R. I., in
the same year, he uses this language: "Being persuaded that
a just application of the principles on which the Masonic
fraternity is founded must be promotive of private virtue and
public prosperity, I shall always be happy to advance the
interests of the Society, and to be considered by them as a
deserving brother."
And lastly, for we will not further extend these quotations, in
a letter addressed in November, 1798, only thirteen months
before his death, to the Grand Lodge of Maryland, he has made
this explicit declaration of his opinion of the Institution:
"So far as I am
acquainted with the doctrines and principles of Freemasonry, I
conceive them to be founded in benevolence, and to be exercised
only for the good of mankind. I cannot, therefore, upon this
ground, withdraw my approbation from it."
If I have paused thus long upon these memorials of the past, and
if I have borrowed thus largely from these evidences of
Washington's opinions, it is that, so far as this audience at
least is affected, the question of his attachment to our Order
may be forever put to rest, and that the falsehoods and
forgeries of our enemies may be detected by a reference to the
authentic expressions in our favor of the very man whom they
have published to the world as the enemy of Freemasonry.
Henceforth the words which have been uttered here to-day - to
some of you undoubtedly familiar, but by many now heard for the
first time - will stand as incontrovertible evidence that
Washington was, in very truth, a Mason - in heart, in affection
and in allegiance. Not merely in name and in outward bearing,
but one who wrought with us in our hours of labor, and whose
visits to our temple were prompted by no idle curiosity, but by
a warm devotion to the interests of the Craft, and a
philosophical admiration of our mystic system.
And is it not a noble eulogy of our institution that it should
have numbered among its faithful disciples one so stainless in
morals, so devout in religion, a patriot so pure, a statesman so
virtuous, that his life was the admiration of the world - his
death, the desolation of his country?
There is, indeed, in the whole pervading spirit of Freemasonry
something of that "beauty of holiness" which must have
been congenial to the character of such a man as he. His heart
was irresistibly drawn to it by the purity of its principles,
and the sublime beneficence of its design. He could not but
love, because it was holy, and he could not but admire it,
because it was intellectual.
Though I will not undertake to say that Washington was indebted
for any of those beautiful traits which adorned his character,
to the influence of Masonic teaching (because I know that he
derived them from a diviner school), yet there was undoubtedly
such a similarity in the most prominent virtues that illustrated
his life to those which constitute the very ground work of the
Masonic system, as must have
readily won from him respect and esteem for our institution.
Unfaltering Trust in God - an humble dependence on the wisdom
and power of the Supreme Controller of the Universe - is the
first as well as the most indispensable moral qualification of
every candidate for our mystic rites. And this virtue, the
foundation and suggester of every other, was a distinguishing
feature in the religious constitution of Washington. In all his
private and public letters, in his official correspondence with
the government, and in his orders to the army, this firm
reliance-this trustful dependence on Divine Providence is
prominently and frequently referred to as though it were a topic
on which he could not too often dilate.
Of Charity, which has been aptly called the cap-stone of the
Masonic edifice, and which, like the virtue already spoken of,
is taught in the most important ceremonies of initiation,
Washington was an illustrious example. Throughout his life he
sought rather for opportunities of discharging the claims of his
virtue than for apologies for its neglect, and he uniformly
acted whenever the poor and the deserving were presented to his
notice under the influence of that great doctrine of our Order,
which teaches us "to soothe the unhappy; to sympathize with
their misfortunes; to compassionate their miseries, and to
restore peace to their troubled minds."
And again, Brotherly Love, that sublime principle of
philanthropy, by which, as it is defined in our ritual, "we
are taught to regard the whole human species as one family; the
high and low, the rich and poor; who, as created by one Almighty
Parent, are to aid, support and protect each other" - was
admirably exemplified in his humanity to the prisoner, his
condescension to his inferiors, his warm friendship, his general
benevolence, and his uniform urbanity and gentleness of manner
to all who approached him. His was indeed the character to win
kindness from an enemy, or to secure fidelity in a friend.
The Cardinal Virtues, too, so beautifully inculcated in the
lectures of our system, were eminently prominent in the
character of our beloved brother. And when the neophyte of our
order, standing before the Pedestal of the East, is receiving
from the Master of the Lodge those deeply significant symbols by
which these virtues are to be impressed upon his mind and heart,
I know not where better the teacher could seek for a bright
example of Temperance than in him who ever placed a due
restraint upon the passions of his humanity, and whose mind was
thus proverbially freed from the allurements of vice - or of
Fortitude, than in him whose noble purposes of soul enabled him
to undergo for the good of his country every peril, pain and
danger that beset his path - or of Prudence, than in him whose
whole life was regulated by the dictates of reason and who was
not more a Fabius in the field than he was a Solon in the
cabinet - or of justice, than in him who, in the administration
of both private and public affairs, always accorded to every man
his just due, without
And lastly, as to that other great Masonic virtue, Truth, the
"divine attribute," which, as Masons, we are taught
constantly to contemplate, and by which we are directed to
regulate our conduct - where or when lived the man who, from his
very infancy, was more influenced than he by this holy
principle; or of whom we might more truthfully say that his soul
was its throne - his whole life its active embodiment?
But why extend the
catalogue, or why protract this eulogium of him whom now to
praise were indeed "to paint the lily or to gild refined
gold." If on the tomb of the great architect of St. Paul's,
lying beneath the magnificent dome of that proud temple which
his own genius had created, it was thought all sufficient to
inscribe this epitaph: "If you would seek his monument,
look around!" - may we not, viewing this goodly audience
and this large assemblage of the members of a mystic fraternity,
offering up the holocaust of their whole heart's veneration -
and that, too, not here alone, but in all the widely separated
segments of this vast empire - in the North, in the South, in
the East, and the West - all animated by one common feeling of
joyous exultation that the most loved and honored of our might
dead - was with us and of us - bound willingly and cheerfully to
himself in our bond of fraternity - looking thus at all that is
around us, in this public display, and all that is in us and
about us, in the sentiment of honest pride, that as Masons warms
and animates us - may we not point to this day and to these
services as a "monument more perennial than brass" of
our own - our venerated brother.
The fact that Washington was an active and devoted member of our
fraternity is in itself a source to us of gratulation, because
it furnishes unanswerable testimony (as one of the ablest of our
opponents has candidly admitted) that "there is nothing in
the institution at war with
our duties as patriots, men and Christians." But, while we
thus peculiarly honor the greatest man of his age, and assert
that in uniting with us he vindicated by his own virtue the
purity of his principles, we may be permitted to indulge in the
consoling consciousness that such a vindication was not
altogether wanting; but that both before and since the
connection of Washington with the Craft the history of
Freemasonry has presented a catalogue of glorious names
inscribed upon its proud escutcheon. It is indeed with truth
that the ritual of our Order declares to each initiate that
"the greatest and best of men in all ages have been
encouragers and promoters of the art, and have never deemed it
derogatory to their dignity to level themselves with the
fraternity, to extend their privileges and to patronize their
assemblies." Without directing our researches into that
remote antiquity whose consideration would involve us in too
elaborate an inquiry, I may be permitted to remind the scholar
and the antiquary that during the medieval ages the art of
ecclesiastical architecture was carried by the Freemasons to
that state of classic beauty and scientific perfection that has
never since been equaled by the builders of succeeding times -
that the invention and the most gorgeous examples of the pointed
gothic are attributable to our Masonic ancestors - and that
throughout the whole of Europe, from the south of Italy to the
north of Scotland, cathedrals, abbeys and churches lift their
tall and graceful spires as monuments of the skill and ingenuity
of the fraternity - or in their magnificent ruins, still
"beautiful in death," continue to extort the
admiration of modern taste or to defy the rivalry of the modern
art.
It was then that Popes and Bishops, Kings and Nobles, lavished
their patronage on our Order, and vied with each other in the
protection and encouragement of the institution. And although at
a subsequent period the church, from motives into whose
character I will not now stop to inquire, withdrew its friendly
countenance, and in still later years commenced a series of
unsuccessful persecutions, many nothwithstanding, of the good
and wise, the great and the powerful in every age and country,
have been found among the
disciples of our mystic school.
It is indeed with somewhat more than ordinary pride and
gratulation that we claim as our brethren, among a host of
others, such men as Sir Christopher Wren, the builder of St.
Paul's - and Sir Thomas Gresham, the founder of the Royal
Exchange, the princely gift to London of one of London's
merchant princes - and Elias Ashmole, one of the most learned of
English antiquarians - and Helvetius, the
profound philosopher and mighty thinker - and Lalande, the
celebrated astronomer of France - and Goethe and Schiller, the
immortal masters of German poesy - and Sir Walter Scott, the
great magician of the North - and Horsely, the distinguished
Bishop of Rochester, who boldly stood up in the British
Parliament to defend, when assailed, that fraternity of which he
proudly announced himself to be a member - and Sir William
Follet, the learned and exemplary
lawyer and the late Attorney General of England, who did not
hesitate to declare his attachment to our institution, and to
assign, as a reason for that attachment, "the kindly
sympathy and widespread benevolence and cordial love" its
system created.
And the potentates of earth have knelt at our altar and breathed
forth our vows. Frederick the Great of Prussia, and George IV of
England, with all his uncles and brothers, and Oscar of Sweden,
and Christian of Denmark, and Ernest of Hanover, may be named
among the many kings and princes who have not only been the
patrons, but the disciples of our art.
And Napoleon, with every marshal and general of Napoleon's camp;
and Nelson and Wellington, whose ashes are not yet inured, and
Collingwood and Napier, and every distinguished leader of
England's army and navy, have worn the Mason's badge, and
learned the Mason's sign.
In our own country the roll of distinguished Masons is not less
honorable to the fraternity. In the revolutionary war all the
generals of the American army, both the children of our own soil
and those noble and kindred spirits who came from France and
Germany and Poland to assist us, were bound together, not only
by the glorious bond of common struggle, but by the additional
cords of Masonic fraternity. And when in after days, La Fayette,
that patriot of two hemispheres, had returned to the home from
which for our cause, he had so long been an exile, he could find
no more appropriate token of his grateful recollection to convey
to Washington, his venerated father in arms, than a Mason's
scarf and a Mason's apron, and which, wrought by Madam La
Fayette, a Mason's wife, were long treasured and worn by him to
whom they were presented, and are now preserved as sacred relics
by the Lodge at Alexandria.
In civil life we claim an equally noble catalogue. More than
fifty of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, several
of our Presidents and judges, and many of our most distinguished
statesmen, have been initiated into the rites of Masonry.
Franklin, the chief of our philosophers, and Griswold, one of
the most pious of our prelates, and Clinton, the purest of our
patriots, showed by their steadfast attachment to our
institution their just appreciation of its principles; and Henry
Clay, that man of immoral mind, whose death his country is still
lamenting, is recorded in our annals as a Mason of unfaltering
devotion, who, years ago, sacrificed the aspirations of ambition
to his love of the Craft and refused a nomination for the
Presidency by what was then supposed to be a powerful party,
when the price of his support was to be a renunciation of
Freemasonry.
To men, to minds, to hearts, like these coming up in their
devotions to our altars from all times and from all countries,
Masonry may proudly point, as Cornelia did of old to her
children and say, indeed with truth, "These - these are my
jewels."
One hundred years have elapsed since George Washington knelt at
the sacred altar of Masonry, as an humble thirster after
knowledge, and then and there imposed upon himself those solemn
vows of obedience, and fidelity, and fraternity, which entitled
him to the reception of our mystic light. A century has, since
then, been irrevocably absorbed in the measureless abyss of time
- and a century, how full of wonderful events. How many old
empires have passed away, and how many new ones have been
ushered into existence - how many dynasties of kings and Kaisers
have been blotted from the herald book of history, and how many
others have been inscribed upon its pages of mundane glory! How
many of the wise and the good, the noble and the great, have
drifted in the shattered bark of life to the "shores where
all is dumb!" How in that great century, now forever gone,
has "Man put forth His pomp, his pride, his skill, And arts
that made fire, flood and earth, The vassals of his will."
How many hearts that then beat with all the hopes of youth, or
with all the ambition of age, have ceased to pulsate - and all
their throbs of love and joy, or hate and grief, been stilled in
the silence of the tomb! What millions of that busy throng who
then peopled the earth's surface have buried all their struggles
and found a certain rest for all their varied labors in
the grave! What revolutions have there not been in nations; what
changes in art and science; how many old theories have been
proved to be fallacious; how many new ones invested with truth,
since that memorable evening, when George Washington was
initiated into our sacred rites! And he, too, with all his
energy and endurance; with all his wisdom and purity; with all
his power and popularity - even he has passed away - has gone
from us forever, leaving his glory and his virtues as a legacy
to his country.
But time, which has thus drawn into the vortex of its mighty
gulf, the perishable fabrics of man's device, and buried in one
common wreck - the inventors and their inventions - the players
and the stage on which they strutted their "brief
hour," has beaten in vain, with all its rolling billows
against the impregnable rock of Masonry.
Though other things have passed away, that still remains; now as
it has ever been indissoluble immutable - no landmark
subverted-no fragment dissevered from its perfect mass; its
columns still standing in strong support; its lights still
burning with undiminished splendor; its altars still blazing
with their sacred fires; its truth still pure as in the day of
its birthhood; and when the cycle of another century shall have
revolved, and you and I, and all that are elsewhere meeting on
this festival day, shall have gone down to the dust from whence
we sprung - another generation will be here - again to meet upon
a second jubilee, and with like hopes and joys, and with like
words of granulation and songs of triumph, to celebrate the two
hundredth anniversary of that day which gave to Masonry the
noblest of her sons, in him who was "First in war, first in
peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."
1. RED
symbolizes courage, zeal, the blood of life, and fire. It
is the color of Royal Arch Masonry.
2. WHITE has
throughout the ages represented purity and innocence.
3. BLUE has
been esteemed since antiquity as a beneficent color, denoting
immortality, eternity, chastity and fidelity. It is the
color of Symbolic Masonry, "the Blue Lodge."
4. ALL-SEEING EYE,
a symbol of watchfulness and the Supreme Being.
5. RAYS or
Glory, symbolic of the power of the Supreme Being to penetrate
the innermost reaches Of the human heart.
6. RAINBOW is
sometimes associated with the Royal Arch. It is also part
of the architectural arch, being the 9th arch under Solomon's
Temple. It is supported by two Pillars (see No.8).
7. MOON, one
of the Lesser Lights in Freemasonry. The Moon governs and
rules the night.
8. PILLARS OF ENOCH,
Enoch, fearing that the principles of the arts and
sciences might be lost, erected two pillars, the one of marble
to withstand fire, the other of brass to resist water. On
each he engraved that which he feared would be lost. The
Gloves are
symbols of Unity and Peace and Plenty. (See also No 37)
9. PILLARS B. and J.
were within the porch of King Solomon's Temple. Boaz the
name
of the left pillar means "in strength"; the right
pillar, Jachin, means "God will establish"
(see also No.38). The globe on the left pillar represents
earth; that on the right, heaven.
These brazen pillars with their globes are today the
columns of the Senior and Junior Wardens.
10. DOVE in early
Masonry is a symbol of Noah's messenger. In ancient
symbolism, the
dove represented purity and innocence.
11. FORTY-SEVENTH PROBLEM OF
EUCLID'S first book of geometry. It is said
that when Pythagoras solved the problem he exclaimed.
"Eureka!," which signifies "I have found
it." It is, however, not a problem, but a
theorem. It has been adopted as the symbol on the Past
Master Mason's Jewel in Pennsylvania (The Ahiman Rezon,
Art XVI, Sec. 3 & 4).
12. HOPE is
sometimes shown as a female with an anchor, also as an anchor
near the ark.
ANCHOR, an emblem of a well-grounded hope and a well-spent
life. With hope, an Anchor holds the soul both sure
and steadfast.
13. PLUMB, the
proper Masonic Jewel of the Junior Warden, admonishes us to walk
uprightly before God and man. It is one of the
working tools of operative Masons, used to try perpendiculars.
14. JACOB'S LADDER
without a clouded canopy or star-decked heaven, which he saw in
a vision ascending from earth to heaven. The three
principal rounds are denominated FAITH, HOPE, and CHARITY.
15. SQUARE WITHIN BOUNDS
is a symbol formed by four stonemason's squares of equal arms
superimposed one on the other to form a central square.
This symbol has not been found in American or English books of
Masonic symbolism and therefore may well be of French origin.
There has been no interpretation found for it to date.
16. LIGHTS or BURNING TAPERS,
like the three principal Lodge officers, refer undoubtedly to
the three stations of the sun, its rising in the East
(Worshipful Master), its meridian in the South (Junior
Warden), and its setting in the West (Senior Warden). (See also
Nos. 30 & 31)
17. TROWEL, a
working tool of the operative mason, is used symbolically for
spreading the cement of Brotherly love and affection.
18. FIVE-POINTED STAR
represents the five points of fellowship. Within the star is the
letter "G," a well-known symbol of Freemasonry
representing both God and geometry.
19. MOSAIC PAVEMENT, a
representation of the ground floor of King Solomon's Temple. The
Masonic Pavement is emblematical of human life, checked with
good and evil.
20. STEPS are usually three
in number. The six steps are said to represent degrees
Washington received.
21. HOLY BIBLE, the great
light of Freemasonry.
22. COFFIN has always
symbolized death. It is found on tracing boards of the 18th
century and, in that time, constituted a part of the esoteric
symbolism.
23. SKULL AND CROSS-BONES
are symbols of mortality and death and are so used in French
degrees.
24. SPRIG OF ACACIA. The
acacia tree is supposedly the shittah wood of the Old Testament.
The name is sometimes spelled Cassia. It has long been used as a
symbol of immortality.
25. SQUARE is the proper
Masonic Jewel of the Master of the Lodge. It is one of the Great
Lights in Freemasonry. It is the stonemason's square of two
equal arms.
26. COMPASSES, the proper
Masonic emblem of the Craft, and one of the Great Lights in
Freemasonry.
27. BRICK WALL appears to
represent the place in the Lodge occupied by the Altar. The Holy
Bible, Square, and Compasses rest upon it, as do the three
Lesser Lights. It composes nine rows of bricks, one upon the
other. To give the symbolic meaning of the wall would be mere
speculation.
28. ARK is emblematical of
that Divine Ark which safely carries us over this tempest-tossed
life. It is often shown with the Anchor.
29. SETTING MAUL, in
operative Masonry, is used for setting stones, that is, tapping
them to a firm seat in the mortar or urging them sidewise into
place. It is considered by some to be a symbol of untimely
death.
30. (See No.16)
31. (See No.16)
32. TREASURER of the lodge
wearing the Apron of his office and holding the emblem of his
office, Crossed Keys.
33. TWENTY-FOUR INCH GAUGE
symbolizes the twenty-four hours of day divided into three equal
parts devoted to God, usual vocations, and rest.
34. SWORD POINTING TO A NAKED HEART
demonstrated that justice will sooner or later overtake us; and
that although our thoughts, words and actions may be hidden from
the eyes of man, they are not hidden from the All-Seeing Eye.
35. TASSEL consists of a
cord with tassels on the ends. It alludes to the Care of
Providence which surrounds and deeps us within its protection
while we govern our lives by the four cardinal virtues:
temperance, fortitude, prudence and justice. The tassel may also
represent the Mystic Tie, that sacred bond which unites men of
diverse opinions into one band of Brother.
36. LEVEL, the proper
Masonic Jewel of the Senior Warden, symbolizes equality and
reminds us that we are traveling upon the level of time. It is
one of the working tools of an operative mason.
37. (See No 8)
38. (See No 9)
39. SUN, one of the Lesser
Lights. As a source of light, it reminds the Mason of that
intellectual light of which he is in constant search.
40. SEVEN SIX-POINTED STARS.
The number SEVEN represents the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences:
Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Arithmetic, Geometry, Music and
Astronomy. The SIX-POINTED STAR symbolizes Divine Providence,
the star of David or Shield of David. It comprises tow
interlaced triangles, which have a number of Masonic
interpretations.
41. LETTERS used
symbolically in the Mark Master Mason's degree, Chapter of Royal
Arch Masons.
42. BEEHIVE is the emblem of
industry. It teaches us that as we came into this world rational
and intelligent beings, so we should ever be industrious ones.
43. APRON. The Masonic
Apron, which derives from the working apron of the stonemason,
is in itself a symbol. It is an emblem of innocence, and the
badge of a Freemason.
When the young Marquis de Lafayette came to America at the
age of 20 and joined George Washington's army for the Battle of
Brandywine in 1777, the American cause had become his cause. The
affection each man held for the other is legend. So too is the
legacy of Masonic history developed through that affection.
The Lafayette Apron, of white satin and embroidered by Madame
Lafayette, was presented to Bro. Washington by Bro. Lafayette in
August of 1784.The apron was presented to the Grand Lodge of
Pennsylvania by the Washington Benevolent Society on July 3,
1829 and is now on display in the Grand Lodge Museum at the
Masonic Temple in Philadelphia.
It is a study in symbolism. For example, the apron border colors
of red, white and blue are the national colors of both the
United States and France. Symbols are silent emblems
having meaning only when interpreted. Given the unique character
of the interpretation process, it can be understood that no
symbol has absolute meaning. In preparing the following, Bro
Frank W. Bobb, Grand Lodge librarian and curator, has used those
meanings most widely accepted my Masonic scholars in
interpreting the symbolism of the Washington Apron.
The name of George Washington claims a place in our American
Masonic history. As the "Father of our Country"
he is a source of pride to every American Freemason and we are
honored to call him a "Brother" in our time-honored
Fraternity. He was "raised" to the sublime
degree of a Master Mason in Lodge #4 of Fredericksburg, Virginia
on August 4th, 1753. On December 20th, 1788 Brother
Washington was elected the first Worshipful Master of Alexandria
Lodge #22.
It was during the Revolutionary War
that the young Marquis de Lafayette came to America from France
and joined General George Washington's army for the Battle of
Brandywine in 1777. The affection each man held for each
other as Friends and Brothers was legend. The American
cause had become Lafayette's cause. The legacy that
developed through this affection led to the presentation of a
special Masonic
Apron at Mt. Vernon in August of 1784. It was made of white
satin and hand-embroidered by Madame Lafayette.
This apron has become a study in
symbolism. Symbols are silent emblems having meaning only
when interpreted and given the unique character of the
interpretation process, it is also understood that no symbol has
an absolute meaning. For example, the apron border colors
of red, white and blue are the National Colors of both the
United States and France, and the colors of our National Flag.
In Masonry the color red is a symbol of courage, white for
innocence, and blue for fidelity. The "Lambskin"
or white leather apron is itself an emblem of innocence and the
badge of a Mason, more ancient than the Golden Fleece or Roman
Eagle, more honorable than the Star and Garter, or any other
order that could be conferred upon me, at this or any future
period by king, prince, potentate, or any other person, except
he be a Mason. It was hoped that I would wear it with
pleasure to myself and honor to the Fraternity.
The "All-Seeing Eye" is a
symbol of watchfulness and the eye of the Grand Architect.
It is the symbol of his Divine watchfulness and care of the
Universe. The All-Seeing Eye, whom the Sun, Moon, and
Stars obey, and under whose watchful care even comets perform
their stupendous revolutions, pervades the inmost recesses of
the human heart, and will reward us according to our merits. The
"Rays" represent "Light". Freemasons
are emphatically called "The Sons of Light" because
they are entitled to be in possession of the true meaning and
knowledge of this symbol. It is in fact the first of all
symbols presented to the initiate, and continues to be presented
to him in various forms throughout his Masonic career. But
as Light not only came from God, it also makes mans way clear
before him, so it is employed to signify moral truth. The
"Dove" in early Masonry is a symbol of Noah's
messenger. In ancient symbolism, the Dove represented
purity and innocence and was often seen bearing an olive branch.
The constellation of "Seven
Six-pointed Stars" in Masonry represents the Seven Liberal
Arts and Sciences: They are Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic,
Arithmetic, Geometry, Music and Astronomy. The Six-pointed
Star symbolizes Divine Providence and is the Star of David or
Shield of David. This starry-decked heaven is where all
good Masons hope at last to arrive by aid of that
"Theological Ladder" which Jacob in his vision saw
extending from Earth to Heaven, the principal rounds of which
are denominated Faith, Hope and Charity, which admonish us to
have Faith in God, Hope in Immortality, and Charity toward all
Mankind. The greatest of these is Charity; for our faith
may be lost in sight, hope ends in fruition, but Charity extends
beyond the grave, through the boundless realms of eternity!
The "Sun" as the source of
material light reminds the Mason of that intellectual light of
which he is in constant search. The Worshipful Master who
rules and governs his Lodge is said to be the symbol of the
rising sun in the east. The sun, therefore is the symbol
of sovereignty, the hieroglyphic of royalty; and signifies
absolute authority. As the sun rules the day, so does the
moon govern the night; as the sun regulates our years, so does
the moon mark the passing months. These symbols in Masonry
are known as the "Lesser Lights".
The "Three Great Lights"
in Masonry are the Holy Bible, Square and Compasses. The
Holy Bible is dedicated to the service of God because it is the
inestimable gift of God to man, and on it we obligate our
Brethren. The "Square" to the Worshipful Master
because it is the proper Masonic emblem of his office, and the
"Compasses" to the Craft because by a due attention to
their use we are taught to circumscribe our desires and keep our
passions within due bounds toward all mankind, especially a
Brother Mason.
Here are the "Pillars of the
Porch" of King Solomon's Temple... King Solomon did not
simply erect them as ornaments to the temple, but memorials of
God's repeated promises of support to His people of Israel.
Boaz, the name of the left pillar means "in strength",
the right pillar Jachin means "God will establish",
which signifies when combined, the message "In strength,
God will establish His house in Israel". And thus
were the Jews, in passing through the porch to the temple, daily
reminded of the abundant promises of God, and inspired with
confidence in His protection and gratitude for His many acts of
kindness to His chosen people. The globe on the left
pillar represents "Earth", that on the right,
"Heaven".
The outer pillars of the temple are
called the "Pillars of Enoch". Enoch, fearing
that the principles of the Arts and Sciences might be lost,
erected two pillars, the one of marble to withstand fire, the
other of brass to resist water. On each he engraved all
the knowledge which he feared would be lost. The globes
are symbols of unity, peace and plenty. These pillars also
support the "Rainbow" which is sometimes associated
with the Holy Royal Arch. It is also called the "Arch
of Heaven", symbolic of the architectural arch.
The "Mosaic Pavement" is a
representation of the ground floor of King Solomon's Temple.
The Mosaic Pavement is emblematical of human life checked with
good and evil. The "Blazing Star" reminds us of
that awe inspiring period when the Almighty delivered the
two tablets on stone, containing the Ten Commandments, to His
faithful servant Moses on Mt. Sinai; when the rays of His divine
glory shone so bright that none could behold it without fear and
trembling. It also represents the sacred name of God, as a
universal spirit who enlivens our hearts, who purifies our
reason, who increases our knowledge, and who makes us wiser and
better men.
The "Ark" is emblematical of
the Divine Ark which carries us over this tempest-tossed life.
It is sometimes shown with the "Anchor", an emblem of
a well-grounded hope and a well-spent life. With hope, the
anchor holds the soul sure and steadfast.
The "Square within Bounds"
is a symbol formed by four stonemason's squares of equal arms
superimposed one on the other to form a central cube. The
square and cube are both significant symbols. The square
is an emblem of morality, or the strict performance of every
duty. The square teaches us to regulate our conduct before
God and man. The cube is a symbol of truth, wisdom, and
moral perfection.
The "Forty-Seventh Problem of
Euclid's" first book of Geometry contained a mathematical
theorem so complex that when Pythagoras solved the problem he
exclaimed; "Eureka" which signifies "I have found
it"! It has been adopted as a symbol of a Past
Master. It teaches Masons to be general lovers of the arts
and sciences.
The "Working Tools" of an
Entered Apprentice Mason are the twenty-four inch gauge and
common gavel. The "Twenty-four Inch Gauge" is an
instrument made use of by Operative Masons to measure and
lay-out their work, but we, as Free and Accepted Masons, are
taught to use it for the more noble and glorious purpose of
dividing our time. It being divided into twenty-four equal
parts, is emblematical of the twenty-four hours of the day,
which we are taught to divide into three equal parts, whereby
are found eight hours for the service of God and a distressed
worthy Brother, eight for our usual vocations, and eight for
refreshment and sleep.
The "Common Gavel" is an
instrument made use of by operative Masons to break off the
corners of rough stones, the better to fit them for the
builder's use, but we as Free and Accepted Masons, are taught to
use it for the more noble and glorious purpose of divesting our
hearts and consciences of the vices and superfluities of life,
thereby fitting our minds as living stones for that spiritual
building - that house not made with hands - eternal in the
heavens.
The "Plumb" is an
instrument made use of by operative Masons to try
perpendiculars, the "Square" to square their work, and
the "Level" to prove horizontals, but we, as Free and
Accepted Masons are taught to use them for more noble and
glorious purposes. The "Plumb" admonishes us to
walk uprightly in our several stations before God and man,
squaring our actions by the Square of Virtue, ever remembering
that we are traveling upon the Level of Time, toward "that
undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler
returns."
The "Trowel" is an
instrument made use of by operative Masons to spread the cement
which unites the building into one common mass; but we as Free
and Accepted Masons, are taught to use it for the more noble and
glorious purpose of spreading the cement of brotherly love and
affection; that cement which unites us into one sacred band, or
society of friends and brothers, among whom no contention should
ever exist, but that noble contention, or rather emulation, of
who best can work and best agree.
The "Setting Maul", in
operative Masonry is used for setting stones, that is, tapping
them to a firm seat in the mortar by urging them sideways into
place. It is considered by some to be a symbol of untimely
death.
The "Coffin" containing
the remains of a deceased friend and Brother reminds Masons that
we are the custodians of a great heritage passed along to us in
the story of the "Hiramic
Legend".
The "Sprig of Acacia" is
the symbol of the immortality of the soul; as the flower, which
"cometh forth and is cut down", reminds us of the
transitory nature of human life.
The "Beehive" is an emblem
of industry. It teaches us that we came into this world
rational and intelligent beings, so should we be industrious
ones.
The "Sword Pointing to a Naked
Heart" demonstrates that Justice will sooner or later
overtake us, and that although our thoughts, words and actions
may be hidden from the eyes of man, they are not hidden to the
All-Seeing Eye.
The "Tassel" consists of a
cord with tassels on the end. It represents the
"Mystic Tie"; that bond which unites men of diverse
opinions into one sacred band of Friends and Brothers. In
closing, the ceremonies and lectures in Symbolic Masonry
beautifully illustrate this all-engrossing subject; and the
conclusion we arrive at is... that youth, properly directed,
leads us to honorable and virtuous maturity, and that the life
of man, regulated by morality, faith and justice, will be
rewarded at its final hour by the prospect of eternal bliss, and
he who has received from his Master this approving language...
"Well done, good and faithful servant;
thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler
over many things; enter thou into the joys of thy Lord".
Bibliography
"Encyclopedia of Freemasonry" by Albert G. Mackey,
MD, 33 Degree. Revised Edition under William J.
Hughan, 32 Degree and Edward L. Hawkins, MA, 30 Degree.
Volumes
No. 1 & 2 Published by The Masonic History Company, New York
& London, 1917.
"The Florida Masonic Monitor", Twenty-third
Edition, Prepared by the Committee on Work,
GL #214, 1992. James W. Creecy, Chairman.
"The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania Poster" reprinted
January 1985 by Museum Curator and Librarian Bro. Frank W. Bobb
titled "Bro. George Washington's Apron" as presented
by the Marquis de Lafayette at Mt. Vernon in August of 1784.
Acknowledgements
Hon. Elmer G. Coffman,
Chairman, Committee on Work, Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of F.
& A.M. of Florida.
Hon. M. W. David
Eschrich, Chairman, Jurisprudence, Most Worshipful Grand Lodge
of
F. & A.M. of Florida.
Hon. M. W. J. Roy
Crowther, Grand Treasurer & Historian, Most Worshipful Grand
Lodge of F. & A.M. of Florida.
Hon. R. W. Hubert Maston,
Chairman, History & Museum Committee, Most Worshipful
Grand Lodge of F. & A. M. of Florida.
Hon. Anthony E. Rhoades,
Webmaster, Florida Masonic Museum, www.tntpc.com
Webmaster E-mail: tony@tntpc.com
Hon. Frank W. Bobb, Jr.,
Curator, Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania, One
North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19107-2520
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