The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-06-20
Washington at the Laying Of the Corner
Stone Of the National Capitol.
T6 The FREE Lance

/ T6 THE FREE LANCE:
Grand Secretary Ehlers, of the New
/ York Masons, seems still To insist that
George Washington acted for the Master
of Alexandria Washington Lodge, No.
-, in laying the cornerstone OF the Ma
tons Capitol. IL will take more than
the stretch of the Grand Secretarys
imagination to convert a fact into a
| beautiful dream. The contentious Of
Grand Secretary Ehlers are negatived. |
never wrote that Clark laid the corner
stone. said Washington laid for and
! under Clark: Grand Secretary Ehlers that
Washington acted for Master OF Lodge
No. - in laying the cornerstone.
First, by the fact that Washington city
being then under the jurisdiction OF the
Grand Lodge of Maryland, every Masonic
act done within that grand jurisdiction,
such az the laying of II cornerstone, could
only have been MasOnically legally done
by that Grand Lodge in the person OF lts
chief officer. or one acting for him, or by
some subordinate lodge acting under the
permission of the Grand Lodge of Mary
land, or its Grand Master. In this IN
stance the cOntempOraneOus history OF
the cornerstone laying OF the National
Capitol shows the presence of the urand
Master. p. t., of Maryland; that whilst
Washington was the central hgure oil the
procession, and descended first into the
trench. he was followed first by Grand
Master Clark. p. t., OF Maryland, who
was on the right of Washington In the
procession Three WOrshipful Masters,
names not given, accompanied Washing
ton into the trench to lay the corner
stone, but it is not stated that the Master
of Alexandria Washington Lodge was
even one of these, although he was
present, though he probably was one OF
them.
II. Alexandria Lodge. No. -, in its his
tory makes no such claim as that Wash
ingtOn, in laying the cornerstone OF the
Capitol, acted for Dr. Dick, its then WOr-
shipful Master. The only way that Grand
Secretary Ehlers' contention can he main
tanned is to suppose that the Grand Mas
ter. D. {. first designated the Master OF Alex
andria Lodge, No. -. To lay the corner
stone and that he in turn designated
Washington. This is not borne out by
the facts, for the Grand Master, p. t., by
being on the right of Washington IN the
procession. clearly was in charge and
designated Washington directly to act
for him. The Grand Master, p. t., OF
Maryland confirmed this by going with
Washington into the trench, and then.
rising on the triple rOstrum, showed and
confirmed his authority 10y addressing
the assembled MasOns, Washington in
cluded as " Brethren" Alexandria ASH
ington Lodge in it's history says: The
inscription on the plate Il. G., in the cor
ner-stone) stated that Alexandria Wash
ingtOn Lodge was present and particl-
pated in the ceremonies, not that II con
trolled them.
Grand Secretary Ehlers in his letter
saws: There il no record anywhere
showing that Washington appeared IN
public in the garb of Mason prior To
the having of the corner stone OF the Cap
itol." Let us see how the Grand Score
tary again misapprehends the facts. Hay.
den, in Washington and his Compeers,
SAYS (page 40: ." lin the latter part OF
December O17S) Washington visited
Philadelphia when Congress was IN SEES
sion. and while there the Grand Lodge
celebrated the festival of st. John, the
Evangelist. Washington was present on
the occasion and was hOnOred with the
chief place in the procession, being sup
ported ON his right by the Grand Master
and on his left by the Deputy Grand Mac
ter. More than 300 brethren joined IN
the procession. They met at nine o'clock
at the college, and being properly clothed,
the officers in the jewels OF their Office
and other badges of their dignity, the
procession moved at eleven O'Clock and
proceeded to Christ church, where Ma
sonic sermon for the benefit OF the poor
was preached by Rev. Bro. VIM. Smith,
Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge OF
Pennsylvania. In il he beautifully al
luded to Washington, who was present,
az the Cincinnatus of America. Grand
Secretary Smith also said on this occa-
sion: Honored with his presence as
Brother, you will seek to derive virtue
from his example" Philadelphia was
then the seat of the Continental Congress.
This was II years before the laying OF
the cornerstone Of the Capitol, Septem-
Der IS, ! 1913, and thisextract shows that
l. years before the laying of the corner
stone of the Capitol, which Grand Secre-
tery Ehlers says was WashingtOn's first
appearing clothed as q Mason, Washing
ton appeared at Philadelphia clothed as
a Mason, the central figure in public
Masonic procession and in public church,
and addressed as a Mason by the Grand
Secretary of MasOns Of Pennsylvania.
NIRGINIAN.