The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-01
WAsHINGToN's MA
 SONIC RECORD.
He Was Initiated Before He Was 21
 Years of Age.

AAO oS AaAbAatC0 1CAOAO &@O W wv W
 Years of Age.
 By R. T. Spencer. Past Grand Master of
 New South Wales, A. F. and A. M .,
 now of Chicago, in Chicago Chronicle.
 On November (, 1752, George Washington was initiated into the Masonic fraternity In Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4, located at fredericksburg. Va, not far from the lacked several months of being M years of age. but the lodge decided to waive the strict letter of the law and make him a Mason before his Fist birthday. A lodge could do this. at that time 1t was not under the Jurisdiction of any grand lodge. and was not violating the requirements of the ''ancient charges" which do not spec ify the age of noviates. but says:
 ''The person admitted member of a lodge must be good and true men, free- born and of mature and discreet age, no bondmen. no women, no immoral or scan dalous men, but of good report"
 The fact that Washington had held commtssions in Inc army and was intrust- parently sufficient to convince the mem- bers that he was 'of mature and discreet age" Accordingly he became an "entered apprentice Mason" and the following year received two more degrees, being made a fellow craft" on March 3, 175S, and a Master Mason on August (, 175s. in Fred ericksburg Lodge No. 4. which received a charter from the Grand Lodge of Scot land July 21, 175S, and retained its alle- glance to 1t until the Grand Lodge of Virginia was organized in 1T7S, when it received a charter from the latter.
 The Lodge still possesses the Bible upon which Washington took his obligations as a Mason. The book is small with the following imprint: l66S. Printed at University" In December, 1882. the lodgeroom was pillaged by stragglers from the Union army and the records from 1771 to 1860 carried away and probably destroyed. as no trace has been found of them since. Edward H. NJ. Ehlers, Grand Secretary of New York, states that he and the Colonel of his regiment reach ed the lodgeroom just after the work of destruction had been finished. and that the latter drove the remaining stragglers from the place, using the fot of his sword to enforce his orders. Tl~ records from 1752 to 1771, together with the Bible, were at that time in the vault Of bank be- longing to an officer of the lodge and were thus preserved from destruction.
 When Washington was engaged in the British military service previous to 1758. he was made a mark Master Mason in an army lodge attached to the 18th Regi- ment of Infantry, which was chartered by the Grand Lodge of Ireland in 1752, as No. 227. This Lodge continued in ex- istence for ninety years. and was dis solved in 1S42 while the regiment was at Halifax, Nova Scotia. It's record and the Bible upon which Washington was ob- ligated as a Mark Master are still ex- tant.
 Borrowed a Jewel.
 During the revolutionary war Washing ton attended various military lodges at- tached to the American Army. and at one of these during the memorable winter at Valley Forge in 1777-S. GeneraK Lafayette was made a Master Mason. Bystrzanowf- ski, Polish soldier of the patriot army, who came over with General Kosciusko, had a Mark Masters jewel and this he loaned to Washington. who used 1t while presiding over a Mark Masters lodge and returned 1t to him at the close of the war.
 During the war the regalia and para phernalia of a military Masonic Lodge were captured by Washinston's troops from the British He immediately re- turned them under flag of truce, stat ing in a letter to the English commander that his countryInen waged no war against philanthrophy and benevolence.
 On January 31, 17S0. the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania passed resolution to the effect that a General Grand Master of Masons of the United States ought to be elected and unanimously nominated George Washington for that office. Cir cular letters were sent to all the other grand lodges Cf the country, but nothing further was done about the matter. Dur ing the war a mercantile house was es- tablishedi at the suggestion of Benjamin Franklin at Nantes, France. to receive the consignments of the American vessels that were fortunate enough to escape the British cruisers and dispose of their car- goes, at the same time shipping to this country French goods and munitions of war.
 Washington's Reply.
 The firm was known at Watson & Cous- sol. The proprletors. who were Masons. sent Washington a Masonic aQro9. laaxAA