Robert L. Goldsmith, 33°
Grand Orator of the Supreme Council and S.G.I.G. in Florida
PO Box 361277, Melbourne, Florida 32936–1277

Let us also reflect on some of the events in the life of this great man whose place in history is so unique and important. The Order of the Purple Heart for Military Merit, an American honor commonly called the Purple Heart, is the oldest military decoration in the world in present use, and it was established by order of General George Washington from his headquarters in Newburgh, New York, August 27, 1782, during the Revolutionary War. The papers of General Washington quoted in part note: "The General ever desirous to cherish a virtuous ambition in his soldiers, as well as to foster and encourage every species of Military Merit, directs that whenever any singularly meritorious action is performed, the author of it shall be permitted to wear on his facings over the left breast, the figure of a heart in purple cloth or silk, edged with narrow lace or binding." Surviving records show the honor was granted to only three men during the Revolution, all of them noncommissioned officers. Appropriately, a bust of Washington forms the center of the Purple Heart and Washington's coat-of-arms is at the decoration's top.

On February 22, 1732, 267 years ago, George Washington entered this world, and on December 14, 1799, 68 years later, he entered the Grand Lodge above. He was born into a Virginia planter's family where he learned morals, manners, and the body of knowledge requisite for an 18th century Virginia gentleman. George was only a boy when his father died, but he grew up fast. When he was 14, against the wishes of his mother, he wanted to go to sea, but he soon found work and remained with his family.

In his early years, he pursued two intertwined interests, military arts and western expansion. At the age of 16, he helped survey Shenandoah lands. Washington never attended college, but he was one of the most prolific readers and accomplished writers of all American Presidents. He had excellent handwriting, and as a boy he practiced copying "the rules of civility and decent behavior in company and conversation." The rules, which numbered 110, were his model for good behavior and manners when he was growing up.

Commissioned a Lieutenant Colonel in 1754, he fought the first skirmishes of what later became the French and Indian Wars. The next year, as an aide to General Edward Braddock, he escaped injury although four bullets ripped his coat and two horses were shot from under him.

From 1759 to the outbreak of the American Revolution, Washington managed his lands around Mount Vernon and served in Virginia's House of Burgesses. Married to a widow, Martha Dandridge Custis, he devoted himself to a busy and happy life, but, like his fellow planters, Washington felt himself exploited by British merchants and hampered by British regulations. As the quarrel with the mother country grew acute, he moderately, but firmly, voiced his resistance to the restrictions.

When the second Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia in May 1775, Washington, a Virginia delegate, was elected Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. In July 1775, at Cambridge, Massachusetts, he took command of the poorly trained continental troops and embarked upon a war that was to last six grueling years. Finally in 1781, with the aid of French allies, he forced the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia.

Though Washington longed to retire to his beloved Mount Vernon, he soon realized that the nation under the Articles of Confederation was not functioning, so he became a prime mover in the steps leading to the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia in 1787. When the new Constitution was ratified, the Electoral College unanimously elected Washington as President in 1789. His presidency lasted for eight years, but his longed-for retirement at Mount Vernon lasted less than three years before he died in 1799.

Washington's life was the best example of unselfish leadership our nation has ever known. All of his qualities were founded on the basis of a pure morality. By his example, he taught us that men of integrity and sound moral principles make the best leaders of armies.

In Washington's famous farewell address on his retirement from public life, he emphasized that the responsibility for America's destiny rests upon its citizens. He urged Americans to forge a nation of high principles and to cultivate peace and harmony with all.

With the firmness of his convictions, Washington served both the Creator and his fellowmen. During the darkest days of the Revolution and the cruel winter at Valley Forge, it was Washington who stood firm in the face of adversity and knelt for prayer in the snow to reaffirm his faith in God and seek divine assistance in the justice of his cause.

As Washington's hope was in God, so must we, too, place our hope in the Creator. Washington carried in his heart the ideals of liberty, justice, and freedom. As Freemasons, we must likewise carry forward those same ideals.

Now more than ever, America needs men like George Washington, men with patriotism, honesty, courage and, most of all, character. Much more could be said of the legacy of this great man, Mason, and American to the 21st century. However, there could be no greater tribute than the words of Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee. In a resolution presented to the House of Representatives in December 1799 on the death of Washington, a tribute that appropriately has been paid to Washington time and time again over the last 200 years, Lee said: "To the memory of the Man, first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."

To order a 1999 Biennial Session print, "George Washington's Inauguration as the 1st President of the United States, Apr. 30, 1789" by Illustrious John D. Melius, 33°, please send a check for $100.00 payable to The Scottish Rite Foundation, S.J., USA, to: The Supreme Council, 1733 16th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20009–3103