Chapter 7 No.7

Correspondence with Grand Lodge of South Carolina, May, 1791.

President Washington left Georgetown at six o'clock in the evening, May 1, 1791, reaching Charleston, South Carolina, Monday, May 2, in a twelve-oared barge rowed by twelve American captains of ships accompanied by a great number of boats with gentlemen and ladies in them, and two boats with music.[40] Brother Washington remained in Charleston until May 9.

Wednesday, May 4, 1791, General Mordecai Gist, an old companion in arms of Washington, and formerly Master of the Military Lodge in the Maryland line (No. 27 upon the register of Pennsylvania),[41] but now Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ancient York Masons of South Carolina, attended by the other present and past grand officers,[42] waited on their beloved brother, the president of the United States, and presented the following address:[43]

"Sir-Induced by a respect for your public and private character, as well as the relation in which you stand with the brethren of this society, we the Grand Lodge of the State of South Carolina, Ancient York Masons, beg leave to offer our sincere congratulations on your arrival in this state.

"We felicitate you on the establishment and exercise of a permanent government, whose foundation was laid under your auspices by military achievements, upon which have been progressively reared the pillars of the free republic over which you preside, supported by wisdom, strength, and beauty unrivalled among the nations of the world.

"The fabric thus raised and committed to your superintendence, we earnestly wish may continue to produce order and harmony to succeeding ages, and be the asylum of virtue to the oppressed of all parts of the universe.

"When we contemplate the distresses of war, the instances of humanity displayed by the Craft afford some relief to the feeling mind; and it gives us the most pleasing sensation to recollect, that amidst the difficulties attendant on your late military stations, you still associated with, and patronized the Ancient Fraternity.

"Distinguished always by your virtues, more than the exalted stations in which you have moved, we exult in the opportunity you now give us of hailing you brother of our Order, and trust from your knowledge of our institution, to merit your countenance and support.

"With fervent zeal for your happiness, we pray that a life so dear to the bosom of this society, and to society in general, may be long, very long preserved; and when you leave the temporal symbolic lodges of this world, may you be received into the celestial lodge of light and perfection, where the Grand Master Architect of the Universe presides.

"Done in behalf of the Grand Lodge.

"M. Gist, G. M."[44]

"Charleston, 2d May, 1791."

To this address Washington returned the following reply.[45]

"Gentlemen:-I am much obliged by the respect which you are so good as to declare for my public and private character. I recognize with pleasure my relation to the brethren of your Society, and I accept with gratitude your congratulations on my arrival in South Carolina.

"Your sentiments, on the establishment and exercise of our equal government, are worthy of an association, whose principles lead to purity of morals, and are beneficial of action.

"The fabric of our freedom is placed on the enduring basis of public virtue, and will, I fondly hope, long continue to protect the prosperity of the architects who raised it. I shall be happy, on every occasion, to evince my regard for the Fraternity. For your prosperity individually, I offer my best wishes."

This letter was probably destroyed with other Grand Lodge property when Columbia, South Carolina, was burned by Sherman's Army during the war between the States.[46]

Fortunately, the original draft of Washington's reply, was found among the Washington papers now in the Library of Congress. This is written upon two pages of a letter sheet: the first page shows a paragraph which was suppressed and did not appear upon the clear copy sent to the Grand Lodge of Ancient York Masons of South Carolina.

A photostat of this draft is in the collection of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, viz.:

"To the Grand Lodge of the State of South

"Carolina Ancient York Masons.

"Gentlemen,

"I am much obliged by the respect

"which you are so good as to declare for my

"public and private character. I recognise

"with pleasure my relation to the Brethren

"of your Society-and I accept with gratitude

"your congratulations on my arrival in

"South Carolina.

"Your felicitations It is peculiarly

general

"pleasing to observe the ^ satisfaction expressed

"on the establishment and exercise of the

"federal government-

"Your sentiments on the establishment

"and exercise of our equal government are

"worthy of an association, whose principles

"lead to purity of morals, and beneficence

"of action-The fabric of our freedom

"is placed on the enduring basis of

"public virtue, and will long continue

"to protect the Posterity of the architects

"who raised it.

"I shall be happy on every

regard

"occasion to evince my respect for the

"Fraternity, for whose happiness individually

"I offer my best wishes.

Fac-simile of Draft of Washington's Reply to Address from Grand Lodge of South Carolina, May, 1791.

Handwriting of Mayor William Jackson.

Upon the first page the four lines commencing with "Your felicitations" and ending with "federal government" were crossed out, and as above stated, were not in the reply sent to R. W. Grand Master Gist and his officers.

In the third line from the bottom the word "regard" is substituted for "respect."

Brother Gist was the original Warrant Master of the Regimental Lodge in the Maryland line, No. 27, on the Roster of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. After the war, Brother Gist settled in Charleston, South Carolina, retaining his old Military Warrant, and, in 1786, applied to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, to renew this warrant, for a Lodge to be located at Charleston under the same number. This request was granted, and Brother Gist was again named as Warrant Master.

At the formation of the Grand Lodge of South Carolina Ancient York Masons in 1787, Brother Gist was elected Deputy Grand Master and served as such during the years 1787-88-89, and as Grand Master, 1790-1791.

Footnotes:

[40] Washington's Diary.

[41] Cf. "Old Masonic Lodges in Pennsylvania," Philadelphia, 1913, Vol. 2, p. 53 et seq.

[42] Brother William Drayton, Past Grand Master; Brother Mordecai Gist, Grand Master; Brother Thomas B. Bowen, Deputy Grand Master; Brother George Miller, Senior Grand Warden; Brother John Mitchell, Junior Grand Warden; Brother Thomas Gates, Grand Chaplain; Brother Robert Knox, Grand Treasurer; Brother Alexandrer Alexander, Grand Secretary; Brother Israel Meyers, Grand Tiler.

[43] City Gazette, Friday, May 6, 1791, p. 2, column 4.

[44] For full account of Lodge 27 and Brother Gist, vide "Old Masonic Lodges of Pennsylvania," before quoted, Vol. II, pp. 53-63.

[45] Cf. Hayden, "Washington and his Masonic Compeers," p. 135.

[46] William C. Mazyck, Right Worshipful Grand Secretary, G. L. of South Carolina.

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