Right Worshipful Grand Officers were appointed a Committee to prepare an
address to our Illustrious Brother GEORGE WASHINGTON, President of the
United States; and this Lodge was adjourned to the second day of January
next to receive the report of said Committee.
"PHILADELPHIA, January 2d, 1792.
"_Grand Lodge, By Adjournment_,[50]
"A Grand Lodge was opened in ample form, and the Minutes of St.
John's Day being read as far as relates to the appointment of a
Committee to prepare an Address to our illustrious Brother George
Washington, The Revd. Bro. Dr. Wm. Smith, one of the said
Committee, presented the Draft of one which was read, Whereupon, on
Motion and Seconded, the same was unanimously approved of, and
Resolved, That the Rt. Wt. Grand Master, Depy. G. Master, and
Grand Officers, with the Revd Bro. Smith, be a Committee to
present the said Address in behalf of this Rt. Wt. Grand Lodge,
signed by the Right Worshipful Grand Master, and Countersigned by
the Grand Secretary.
"Lodge closed at half past 9 o'clock in Harmony."
Following is the address presented to Brother WASHINGTON. Both the
original draft in the handwriting of Brother William Smith, showing
minor alterations, as well as a fair copy, are in the archives of the
Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.[51]
"TO HIS EXCELLENCY GEORGE WASHINGTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
"_Sir and Brother_:
"The Ancient _York Masons_ of the Jurisdiction of Pennsylvania, for
the first time assembled in General _Communication_ to celebrate
the Feast of St. John the Evangelist, since your Election to the
_Chair_ of Government in the United States, beg leave to approach
you with Congratulations from the East, and in the pride of
Fraternal affection to hail you as the _Great Master Builder_
(under the Supreme Architect) by whose labours the _Temple of
Liberty_ hath been reared in the West, exhibiting to the Nations of
the Earth a _Model_ of _Beauty_, _Order_ and _Harmony_ worthy of
their Imitation and Praise.
"Your Knowledge of the Origin and Objects of our Institution; its
Tendency to promote the Social Affections and harmonize the Heart,
give us a sure pledge that this tribute of our Veneration, this
Effusion of our Love will not be ungrateful to you; nor will Heaven
reject our _Prayer_ that you may be long continued to adorn the
bright list of Master workmen which our Fraternity in the
_terrestrial Lodge_; and that you may be late removed to that
_Celestial Lodge_ where love and Harmony reign transcendent and
Divine; where the great Architect more immediately presides, and
where _Cherubim_ and _Seraphim_, wafting our Congratulations from
_Earth to Heaven_, shall hail you _Brother_.
(Seal) "By order and in behalf of the Grand
"Lodge of Pennsylvania in general Com-
"munication assembled in ample form.
"J B Smith
(Signed) G.M.
[Illegible Signature]
"Attest: Gd. Secry."
=FAC-SIMILE OF THE ORIGINAL ADDRESS READ BEFORE PRESIDENT WASHINGTON
BY REV. BRO. WILLIAM SMITH, D.D., JANUARY 3, 1792.
ORIGINAL IN ARCHIVES OF GRAND LODGE OF PENNSYLVANIA. MSS.--VOLUME
A.--FOLIO.--21.=
On January 3, 1792, Jonathan Bayard Smith, the Right Worshipful Grand
Master, together with the Grand Officers and Rev. Brother William Smith
called on the President and delivered the above address.
The deputation was received in the dining room of the presidential
mansion. This was a room about thirty feet long, and where WASHINGTON
was accustomed to receive delegations.
At the Quarterly Communication held March 5, 1792, the Right Worshipful
Grand Master Jonathan B. Smith informed the Brethren that, in conformity
to the resolve of this Grand Lodge, he had, in company with the Grand
Officers and the Rev. Brother Dr. Smith, presented the address to our
illustrious Brother GEORGE WASHINGTON and had received an answer, which
was read.
"TO THE ANCIENT YORK MASONS OF THE
"JURISDICTION OF PENNSYLVANIA.
"_Gentlemen and Brothers_,
"I receive your kind Congratulations
"with the purest sensations of fraternal affection:--and
"from a heart deeply impressed with your generous
"wishes for my present and future happiness, I beg
"you to accept my thanks.
"At the same time I request you will
"be assured of my best wishes and earnest prayers
"for your happiness while you remain in this terres-
"tial Mansion, and that we may thereafter meet
"as brethren in the Eternal Temple of the
"Supreme Architect.
"Go. Washington"
=FAC-SIMILE OF WASHINGTON'S REPLY TO GRAND LODGE OF PENNSYLVANIA,
JANUARY, 1792. ORIGINAL IN ARCHIVES OF THE GRAND LODGE.=
=WASHINGTON'S MASONIC APRON.
EMBROIDERED BY MADAM LAFAYETTE; PRESENTED AUGUST, 1784, BY BRO. GEN.
LAFAYETTE TO BRO. GEN. WASHINGTON; PRESENTED OCTOBER 26, 1816, BY THE
LEGATEES OF BRO. WASHINGTON TO THE WASHINGTON BENEVOLENT SOCIETY OF
PENNSYLVANIA; PRESENTED JULY 3, 1829, BY THE WASHINGTON BENEVOLENT
SOCIETY TO THE R. W. GRAND LODGE, F. &. A. M. OF PENNSYLVANIA.
ORIGINAL APRON IN MUSEUM OF THE GRAND LODGE.=
Whereupon, on motion and seconded, Resolved, unanimously, that the said
address and the answer thereto, shall be entered on the minutes.
This answer, in possession of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, is in the
handwriting of Tobias Lear, who was the private secretary of the
President, and for years attended to the details of WASHINGTON's
domestic affairs, and was liberally remembered by him in his will.
The letter was signed by WASHINGTON, who had both the address and answer
copied verbatim in one of his letter books[52] by Bartholomew Dandridge,
secretary to the President. A photostat copy of above, together with the
original answer by WASHINGTON is in the Archives of the Grand Lodge of
Pennsylvania.
This address was read by Rev. Brother William Smith, one of the most
noted Episcopal preachers in Philadelphia, and the first Provost of the
College of Philadelphia, now the University of Pennsylvania. Brother
William Smith, D.D., had been an active member of the Masonic
Fraternity in Pennsylvania for forty years; he was the Chaplain of the
Grand Lodge of Moderns for almost a quarter of a century. In winter of
1778 he joined the Grand Lodge of Ancient York Masons, and for some time
served as Grand Secretary.[53]
Jonathan Bayard Smith, the Grand Master of Pennsylvania, was one of
Philadelphia's prominent citizens. During the Revolutionary period he
was an ardent patriot; he was among the earliest of those who espoused
the cause of independence. In 1775 he was chosen secretary of the
Committee of Safety, and in February, 1777, he was elected by the
assembly a delegate to the Continental Congress. He was a second time
chosen to this post, serving in the congresses of 1777-8. From April 4,
1777, till Nov. 13, 1778, he was prothonotary of the court of Common
Pleas.
On December 1, 1777, he presided at the public meeting, in Philadelphia,
of "Real Whigs," by whom it was resolved "That it be recommended to the
council of safety that in this great emergency ... every person between
the age of sixteen and fifty years be ordered out under arms." During
this year he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of a battalion of
"Associators."
=J B SMITH
B. FEB. 21, 1742; D. JUNE 16, 1812.
GRAND MASTER OF MASONS IN PENNSYLVANIA, 1789-1794.=
In 1778 he was appointed a justice of the court of Common Pleas, Quarter
Sessions, and Orphans' Court, which post he held for many years. He
was appointed in 1781, one of the auditors of the accounts of
Pennsylvania troops in the service of the United States. In 1792, and
subsequently, he was chosen an alderman of the city, which was an office
of great dignity in his day, and in 1794 he was elected auditor-general
of Pennsylvania.
Brother Jonathan B. Smith was an active member of the Grand Lodge of
Pennsylvania. He was the Senior Grand Warden in 1786, at the time when
the Provincial Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania: "_Resolved_, that the Grand
Lodge is, and ought to be perfectly independent and free of any such
foreign jurisdiction."[54]
In the two following years he was appointed Deputy Grand Master by Right
Worshipful Grand Master William Adcock; he was elected Right Worshipful
Grand Master in 1789 and served in that capacity for six years
(1789-1794). In the year 1798 he was again elected to that honorable
office, serving five more consecutive years (1798 to 1802), when he
declined reelection. The following action was taken by the Grand
Lodge:[55]
"On Motion made and Seconded the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania
impressed with a grateful sense of the long assiduous and highly
useful labours of their late R. W. Grand Master, Bror Jonathan
Bayard Smith, Esqr, previous to and during his service in the
high Station which he has left, Resolved Unanimously, That the most
respectful Thanks of the said G. Lodge be presented to their said
Brother Jonathan Bayard Smith for the eminent services he has
rendered to the Craft generally and more especially for the able,
diligent and impartial manner in which he has discharged the Duties
of the Chair and while they deplore the necessity of his now
retiring from the Official Station amongst them which he has so
Honourably filled, they hope for a continuance of his Brotherly
Love, Aid and information and finally that he be requested to
receive the best wishes of the Grand Lodge for a prolongation of
his useful life, a commensurate enjoyment of his Health and his
final Happiness in the Mansion of Everlasting Rest."
Brother Joseph Few, Deputy Grand Master, was also a Revolutionary
Soldier, having served as Regimental Quarter Master with the 4th
Continental Artillery.
Brother Thomas Procter, Senior Grand Warden, formerly Colonel of the
Pennsylvania Artillery, and Warrant Master of the Military Lodge, No.
19, upon the Roster of Pennsylvania was prominent in both civil and
political affairs during WASHINGTON's administration. A full account of
Brother Thomas Procter and this Military Lodge will be found in the
History of the Old Masonic Lodges of Pennsylvania, published by the
Grand Lodge in 1913.[56]
For a sketch of Brother Peter Le Barbier Duplessis, the reader is
referred to the same volume.[57]
=WASHINGTON'S PAST MASTER'S JEWEL.
Replica in the Museum of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.=
Footnotes:
[49] Reprint of Minutes of Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, Vol. I, p. 178.
[50] _Ibid._, p. 180.
[51] MSS. Volume A, folio 17, 19, 21.
[52] Letter Book II, pp. 104-105.
[53] Cf. "Old Masonic Lodges of Pennsylvania," Vol. I, p. 201.
[54] Cf. Reprint of Minutes of Grand Lodge, Vol. I, p. 96 _et seq._
[55] _Ibid._, Vol. II, p. 68.
[56] Volume II, Chapter XXVI, pp. 1-36. Cf. also "Freemasonry in
Pennsylvania," Vol. I and II, for various references to Col. Procter.
[57] Cf. "Old Lodges," Vol. II, pp. 256 _et seq._
X
CORRESPONDENCE WITH GRAND LODGE OF MASSACHUSETTS, DECEMBER, 1792.
"At Grand Lodge held at Concert Hall, Boston, 10th of December, 5792,
being a Quarterly Communication it was
"_Resolved_, That the Grand Master, with the Grand Wardens, present
to our Most Beloved Brother
GEORGE WASHINGTON,
the new Book of Constitutions, with a suitable address."
At the next Quarterly Communication we find that,
"Agreeably to a resolve at the last Quarterly Communication, the
Grand Master, with his Wardens, reported:
"That they had written to our beloved President and Brother, George
Washington, and presented him with a Book of Constitutions, to
which letter he had been pleased to make answer. The letter and
answer were read, and Voted to be inserted in the records of the
Grand Lodge."
This address was evidently sent to President WASHINGTON at Philadelphia,
and was answered from the presidential office in that city. No date nor
place appears upon either the original so far as known, nor the copy in
the letter book, both address and reply therein being in the handwriting
of Bartholomew Dandridge, Secretary to the President.
The following copy of both address and reply are taken from Letter Book
II, folio 106-108.
"An Address of the Grand Lodge of Free &
"Accepted Masons for the Commonwealth
"of Massachusetts, To their honored and
"Illustrious Brother.
GEORGE WASHINGTON.
"Whilst the Historian is describing the
"career of your glory, and the inhabitants
"of an extensive Empire are made happy
"in your unexampled exertions:--whilst some
"celebrate the Hero so distinguished in li-
"berating United America; and others the Patriot
"who presides over her Councils, a Band of bro-
"thers, having always joined the acclamations
"of their countrymen, now testify their res-
"pect for those milder virtues which have
"ever graced the man.
"Taught by the precepts of our Society;
"that all its members _stand upon a level_, we
"venture to assume this station & to approach
"you with that freedom which diminishes
"our diffidence without lessening our respect.
"Desirous to enlarge the boundaries of
"social happiness, and to vindicate the cere-
"monies of their institution, this Grand Lodge
"have published a "Book of Constitutions," (and
"a copy for your acceptance accompanies
"this) which by discovering the principles that
"actuate will speak the Eulogy of the Society;
"though they fervently wish the conduct of its;
"Members may prove its higher commendation.
"Convinced of his attachment to its
"cause, and readiness to encourage its bene-
"volent designs; they have taken the liberty to
"dedicate this work to one, the qualities of
"whose heart and the actions of whose life
"have contributed to improve personal virtue,
"and extend throughout the world, the most endear-
"ing cordialities; and they humbly hope he will
"pardon this freedom, and accept the tribute of
"their esteem & homage.
"May the supreme architect of the uni-
"verse protect & bless you, give you length of
"days & increase of Felicity in this world, and then
"receive you to the harmonious & exalted So-
"ciety in Heaven.--
"JOHN CUTLER, _Grand Master_
"JOSIAH BARTLETT }
"MUNGO MACHEY } _Grd Wardens_.
"Boston
"Decem. 27, A.D. 1792."
The following reply was sent by President WASHINGTON from Philadelphia
to the Brethren of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. It will be noticed
that there was no date or place mentioned upon the copy in the Letter
Book, nor on the original letter, which at present is believed to be in
the Library of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts.
WASHINGTON'S REPLY
"TO THE GRAND LODGE OF FREE & ACCEPTED MA-
"SONS, FOR THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHU-
"SETTS.
"Flattering as it may be to the human
"mind, & truly honorable as it is to receive
"from our fellow citizens testimonies of appro-
"bation for exertions to promote the public wel-
"fare, it is not less pleasing to know, that the
"milder virtues of the heart are highly respected
"by a Society whose liberal principles must be
"founded in the immutable laws of truth and
"justice.--
"To enlarge the sphere of social happi-
"ness is worthy the benevolent design of a ma-
"sonic institution; and it is most fervently to
"be wished, that the conduct of every member
"of the fraternity, as well as those publications
"that discover the principles which actuate them;
"may tend to convince mankind that the grand
"object of Masonry is to promote the happiness
"of the human race.
"While I beg your acceptance of
"my thanks for the "Book of Constitutions" which
"you have sent me, & the honor you have done
"me in the dedication, permit me to assure you
"that I feel all those emotions of gratitude
"which your affectionate address & cordial
"wishes are calculated to inspire; and I
"sincerely pray that the Great Architect
"of the Universe may bless you here, and
"receive you hereafter into his immortal Temple.
"Go. Washington"
No fac-simile copy of the original letter was obtainable for the
Collection of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.
=WASHINGTON'S REPLY TO THE GRAND LODGE OF MASSACHUSETTS. LETTER BOOK II,
FOLIO 108.=
XI
CORRESPONDENCE WITH GRAND LODGE OF PENNSYLVANIA, DECEMBER, 1796.
September 18, 1796, President WASHINGTON issued his farewell address.
His second term was drawing to a close; the term had been a more or less
exciting one: The passing of the Neutrality Act; Genet's appeal from the
executive to the people; the Fugitive Slave Act; the whiskey
insurrection in western Pennsylvania; the adoption of the Eleventh
amendment; the purchase of peace from Algiers, Tripoli and Tunis; the
troubles with Great Britain about the non-delivery of the military posts
and later the Jay Treaty, all came within President WASHINGTON's second
and last term.[58]
During these troublous times WASHINGTON had no stauncher supporters than
his Masonic Brethren of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. Further, that
WASHINGTON kept more or less in touch with his Masonic Brethren of the
Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania is shown by the fact that he attended the
services at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, on Third Street below Walnut,
on St. John's Day, December 27, 1793, where a charity sermon was
preached by Rev. Brother Samuel Magaw, D.D., Vice-Provost of the
University of Pennsylvania, before the Grand and Subordinate Lodges for
the purpose of increasing the relief fund, for the widows and orphans of
the yellow fever epidemic which ravaged the capital city during the past
summer.[59]
When the Brethren found that WASHINGTON positively declined reelection
in 1796, and that John Adams was elected to succeed him on the fourth of
March following, the Brethren of the Grand Lodge at their Quarterly
Communication, December 5, 1796, determined that it would be right and
proper to present him with an address before his retirement from office,
whereupon, it was resolved: "On Motion and seconded, that a Committee be
appointed to frame an Address to be presented on the ensuing Feast of
St John, Decemr 27th, to the Great Master Workman, our Illustrious Br.
Washington, on the occasion of his intended retirement from Public
Labor, to be also laid before the said Grand Lodge on St John's Day, and
the Rt W. Grand Master, Deputy G. M. Brs Sadler, Milnor and Williams,
were accordingly appointed."
At a Grand Lodge held on St. John's Day, Philadelphia, December 27,
5796, "The Committee appointed to prepare an Address to our Brother
George Washington, President of the United States, presented an Address
by them drawn up, which was ordered to be read, and was in the words
following, to wit:
"To GEORGE WASHINGTON PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
"The Address of the Grand Lodge of Pennsyl-
"vania.
"_Most Respected Sir and Brother_,
"Having announced your intention to retire from
"_Public Labour_ to that _Refreshment_ to which your
"preeminent Services for near Half a Century have
"so justly entitled you. Permit the Grand Lodge
"of Pennsylvania at this last Feast of our Evangelic
"Master St. John, on which we can hope for an im-
"mediate Communication with you to join the grate-
"ful Voice of our Country in Acknowledging that
"you have carried forth the Principles of the Lodge
"into every Walk of your Life, by your constant
"Labours for the Prosperity of that Country, by
"your unremitting Endeavours to promote Order,
"Union and Brotherly Affection amongst us, and
"lastly by the Vows of your Farewell Address to
"your Brethren and Fellow Citizens. An Address
"which we trust Our Children and Our Childrens
"Children will ever look upon as a most invaluable
"Legacy from a _Friend_ a _Benefactor_ and a _Father_.
"To these our grateful Acknowledgments (leav-
"ing to the impartial Pen of History to record the
"important Events in which you have borne so illus-
"trious a part) permit us to add our most fervent
"prayers, that after enjoying to the utmost of
"Human Life, every Felicity which the Terrestial
"Lodge can afford, you may be received by the
"great Master Builder of this World and of Worlds
"unnumbered, into the Ample Felicity of that _Celes-
"tial Lodge_ in which alone distinguished Virtues and
"distinguished Labours can be eternally rewarded.
"By unanimous order of the Grand Lodge of
"Pennsylvania at their communication held the 27th
"Day of December Anno Domini 5796.
"Wm Moore Smith"
=REV. BRO. WILLIAM SMITH, D. D.
B. ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND, 1727. D. PHILADELPHIA, MAY 14, 1803.
GRAND CHAPLAIN "MODERNS," 1755. GRAND SECRETARY "ANCIENTS," 1779-1784.
WHO PRESENTED THE PENNSYLVANIA ADDRESSES TO BRO. WASHINGTON, 1792-1796.=
It was then moved and seconded that the same be adopted. Upon the
question being taken it appeared that it was approved of. On motion and
seconded, it was agreed that a committee be appointed to wait on Brother
WASHINGTON to acquaint him that it is the intention of this Grand Lodge
to present an address to him, and to know what time he shall be pleased
to appoint to receive it. The committee appointed to perform this duty
were Brothers William Smith, Peter Le Barbier Duplessis and Thomas
Procter, who, after having waited on him, reported that he had appointed
to-morrow, December 28, 1796, at twelve o'clock to receive it. Said
committee, to wit, Brothers W. Smith, Duplessis and Procter, together
with Right Worshipful Grand Master, Deputy Grand Master, and Junior
Wardens, Grand Secretary and the Masters of the different Lodges in the
City, were then appointed a Deputation to present the said Address.
This deputation consisted of Right Worshipful Grand Master William Moore
Smith, Gavin Hamilton, Deputy Grand Master, Thomas Town, Senior Grand
Warden, Thomas Armstrong, Esqr., Junior Grand Warden, George A.
Baker, Grand Secretary, John McElwee, Grand Treasurer, and the following
Masters of the Philadelphia Lodges, viz.: David Irwin, No. 2, Israel
Israel, No. 3, Andrew Nilson No. 9, Eleaser Oswald, No. 19, Cadawalder
Griffith, No. 52, Richard E. Cusack, No. 59, Thomas Bradley, No. 67,
William Nelson, No. 71; together with the appointed Committee, Brothers
William Smith D.D., Le Barbier Duplessis and Thomas Procter.
President WASHINGTON received the august deputation of the Brethren at
the appointed time; the address was read before him by the Rev. Brother
William Smith, D.D., whereupon he returned them a reply. This
document, still in the Library of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, is
entirely in the handwriting of WASHINGTON and signed by him, viz.:
"FELLOW-CITIZENS AND BROTHERS,
"OF THE GRAND LODGE OF PENNSYLVANIA.
"I have received your address
"with all the feelings of brotherly affection,
"mingled with those sentiments, for the
"Society, which it was calculated to excite.
"To have been, in any degree, an
"instrument in the hands of Providence,
"to promote order and union, and erect upon
"a solid foundation the true principles of
"government, is only to have shared with
"many others in a labour, the result of
"which let us hope, will prove through
"all ages, a sanctuary for brothers and
"a lodge for the virtues,--
"Permit me to reciprocate your
"prayers for my temporal happiness,
"and to supplicate that we may all
"meet thereafter in that eternal temple,
"whose builder is the great architect
"of the Universe.
"Go. Washington"
=FAC-SIMILE OF WASHINGTON'S REPLY TO GRAND LODGE OF PENNSYLVANIA, DECEMBER,
1796. ORIGINAL IN ARCHIVES OF THE GRAND LODGE OF PENNSYLVANIA.=
Brother William Moore Smith, Right Worshipful Grand Master of
Pennsylvania, whose first official act as Grand Master was to head the
committee to call on the President, was a son of the Rev. William Smith,
D.D., born in Philadelphia, June 1, 1759. He was a lawyer by profession
and served as Deputy Grand Master for the year 1795 under the Venerable
William Ball, and as Right Worshipful Grand Master for the years
1796-1797. He was appointed by the President as agent for the settlement
of claims that were provided for in the Sixth Article of John Jay's
Treaty, and visited England in 1803 to close the commission. He died at
the Smith Homestead at Falls of Schuylkill, March 12, 1821.
Both the address and reply were copied in WASHINGTON's Letter Book III,
pp. 244-245, in the handwriting of one of his secretaries, G. W. Craik,
a son of Dr. James Craik, WASHINGTON's "compatriot in arms, and old and
intimate friend," who attended him during his last illness.
Photostat copies of above are in the Library of the Grand Lodge of
Pennsylvania, also the original draft of the address, presented to the
President (Mss. Volume A, folio 23).