A trip into the past

Title

Creator

Hatten. Leo M.

Language

English

Source

The Cabletow Volume II (New Series No. 3) January 1960

Year

1960

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

into t&e “ PaAt By BRO. LEO M. HATTEN Member, Okinawa Lodge No. 118 1 here is probably no Masonic histo ric site in the United States that has had more words written about it than thc George Washington Masonic Na tional Memorial, just outside Wash ington, D.C. in picturesque old Alex andria, Virginia. Each year thousands of persons from Masonic and allied or ganizations, as well as persons who have no Masonic affiliation, visit this beautiful shrine to see and enjoy Ma sonic relics from thc American past. This article is not intended to be a history of the creation of that very im pressive Monument, nor even a con densation of thc same. It is merely the writer's impressions of thc Shrine as seen by a visiting Mason, an attempt to highlight certain very interesting parts of it. (A complete history titled I reeuiasonry’s Great Monument writ ten bv Brother Frederic F. Schondau, published by Thc Masonic Service As sociation, 700 Tenth Street, N.W., Washington 1, D.C., January 20, 1952.) The most notable sight recommend ed by the guide for viewing is thc Re plica Room. Here the original selling of the Alexandria Lodge No. 22 f known as Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22 since 1805), over which General George Washington presided as its first Worshipful Master in 178889. i< reproduced in its original, au thentic form. Thy original furniture used in Wor shipful Brother Washington’s Lodge is arranged just as it was when that no tabic early American presided over the Lodge, including the stations of the principal officers, thc Altar, witli thc same 1 lolv Bible on which Washing ton as Master initiated candidates. 1 he Altar Lights are the originals from the early Lodge, used at the laving of the cornerstone of the LInited Slates Capi tol on September 18, 1793, anti at Gen eral Washington’s Masonic luneral on December 18, 1799. In thc East is the United States Flag used bv the Lodge. It was thc flag with thirteen stars on a field 'if blue carried bv General Washington s bodyguard during the American Revo lution. The Master's chair, a large Chip pendale used bv Washington in his li brary was presented bv him to the Lodge while he presided as Master in 1788. The chair was in constant use for 118 years, but at present is used only on special occasions, and at thc annual installation of officers in Alex andria-Washington Lodge No. 22. On each side in the North and South of thc Replica Room the original desks ol the Secretary and Treasurer arc in place, as well as the same straighthacked hardwood chairs and benches that accommodated the Brethren !”i In thc South on the vail hang- the silver trowel with ivory handle which 105 President Washington used to lay the Cornerstone of the National Capitol on September 13, 1793. The ceremonies were conducted under the auspices of the Grand Lodge of Maryland, with Washington acting as Grand Master pro tern on that occasion. This trowel has been used subsequently bv Maso nic Presidents, as well as by the Mas ters of Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22 for cornerstone laying at im portant functions. Perhaps the most impressive relic in the Lodge is the hand-painted picture of General Washington in uniform with his Masonic regalia, which hangs in the East directly above the General’s chair where he sat as Worshipful Master. This is a very life-like por trait of the gentleman painted in 1794 by William J. Williams of Philadelphia, while Washington was President and living in that citv (before the United States Capitol was moved to its pre sent location). This is the only picture in existence which shows the General in extreme old age, wearing both the uniform and Masonic attire. It is de void of the usual touch-up, for the ar tist was instructed to “paint him as he is.” This is the artist did, for he brought out a blemish on the face and a mole under the ear which other ar tists have chosen to ignore or modify. Thc contract price for the picture was $50.00. At the stated meeting in which the motion was presented to pay for the picture, the Lodge could not agree on the price so that the mo tion was tabled for further discussion at the subsequent stated meeting. In the interim, individual donations and collections netted the sum of $300.00 which was paid the artist, and the pic ture was hung in the Lodge in late 1794. This same picture was recent106 THE CABLE TOW ly assessed in value at $150,000.00. As one stands to the West of the Altar and looks toward the East where the celebrated portrait hangs, he meets the gaze of the steady, clear eyes of this grand old Mason, which with the hint of a smile, seem to say, “'Welcome, Brother.” One of the interesting additions to the exact replica of George Washing ton’s Lodge is the mantle clock on a shelf in the north that has originally in General Washington’s bedchamber. The clock is stopped, just as it has re mained for 160 years, since the cord attached to the weight which operat ed the clock was severed by Doctor Elisha C. Dick, Master of the Lodge, and one of the attending physicians, at the exact moment of Washington’s death at 10:20 PM, Saturday, Decem ber 14, 1799. The clock was present ed by Mrs. Martha Washington in re verent appreciation to the Lodge on the day the General was buried at Mount Vernon, Virginia. In the hall leading to the Replica Room is a large piece of Parian marble taken from the quarries of King Solo mon, which was presented to the Me morial Association in 1927 by Con gressman Allen Treadway, from Mas sachusetts. Congressman Treadway had visited the Holy Land in the early 1920’s, and it was about this time that the quanies had been rediscovered. There he conceived the idea of having the stone sent to Alexandria for the Memorial. The stone is Very soft, with deterioration showing in places. As one inspects this stone, it is more easily comprehensible how the ancient tem ples were demolished bv pagan con querors. It has been stated that Ma sonic meetings have been held in the old quarry since it rediscovery. January, 1960 Many other relics are available for viewing in the Memorial such as the George Washington Memorial Hall at the front entrance, several priceless paintings, the Amphitheater, and the Shrine Room. Certainly the most in teresting place for the Master Mason, however, is thc Replica Room described above. Every Mason who has the op portunity to visit in the Washington, D.C. area should make every effort to visit this verv beautiful Temple. & Our country, our civilization, our race, is based on the belief that for all its weaknesses, there is still in man that divine spark that will make him reach upward for something higher and better than anything he has ever known. Clarence Darrow Beautiful young people are ac cidents of nature; beautiful old people create themselves. F. Scott Fitzgerald Rizal the Mason By MWB MACARIO M. OFILADA Grand Master Here is a voice you will recognize al though it comes from very long ago and very far away. The words stand out for their vigor, and the idea thev convey is verv familiar to vou, for he was a mason, same as each of vou, Bro. Jose Rizal. I quote: “....dear brethren: The modern mason works, and should keep on working. That masons of the free world engage in business and do charitable works, well and good! But they should not rest while the earth feeds a tyrant, while the night ga thers in its echoes thc plaints of the oppressed, while there arc slaves, while there are oppressors! And this work is perhaps the greatest that Masonry has ever imposed and thc only one worthy of its universal name." My brethren, I have been quoting from the speech of our illustrious bro ther. Jose Rizal. delivered in Spanish at a meeting of ‘Solidaridad" Lodge No. 3 in Madrid 76 years ago. That was 13 years before he was murdered by the Spaniards through the machina tions of Spanish priests. That vear was 1883. I want you to remember this because it has a most important bear ing on the forgery which his murder ers cooked up in their effort to destroy his character after they had destroyed his body. The vear was 1883, in Spain, that he pronounced those words—4 years be fore he finished the Noli in Berlin on February 22, 1887. That outburst at tlvit time and in that place was not an isolated act ol our Brother Rizal. but one expression of an ideal to which he dedicated and gave his life. That decision to dedicate his life to thc righting of wrong, thc correction of injustice and the freedom of his people from oppression, began in his tender years, when his voung mind was shocked bv the priests’ inhuman ity to mankind, crystallized bv the in 107

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