~ The Masonic Writings of Illustrious Brother Frederick Dalchco, 33º ~
By: McDonald Lawrence Burbidge
In addition to helping found the Supreme Council, 33°, Brother Dalcho made
many literary contributions to Freemasonry.
Brother Frederick Dalcho is well known as a founder on May 31, 1801, of the
Supreme Council, 33°, in Charleston, South Carolina, a bicentennial the
Scottish Rite will be celebrating by holding its Biennial Session in Charleston
in October 2001. Few, however, are familiar with the literary contributions he
made to Freemasonry throughout his life, contributions that helped foster the
growth and development of both the Craft and the Rite in America.
The impetus for Brother Dalcho's first literary contribution to Masonry came
on May 31, 1801, when he and Colonel John Mitchell, founding Sovereign Grand
Commander of our Order, organized the first meeting of the Supreme Council of
the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry at Shepheard's Tavern in
Charleston, South Carolina. During this session, a resolution was adopted
stating that Brothers Frederick Dalcho, Isaac Auld, and Emanuel De La Motta,
Esq., would draft and submit a report to the Supreme Council for the next
meeting. This report was to cover the subject of Free and Accepted Masons of all
Degrees, Ancient and Modern. At the next meeting, they submitted the report,
"Circular throughout the Two Hemispheres," agreeing to have it
published and sent to all corners of the world. It announced the establishment
of the Supreme Council in Charleston, South Carolina, and included a history of
Freemasonry.
In the "Circular," Brother Dalcho suggested an origin for the term
Freemason, saying the word Mason derives from Greek and literally means a member
of group professedly devoted to the worship of the Deity. According to his
suggestion, the use of the prefix free may have come from the time of the
Crusades, when every man engaged in the expedition was required to have been
born free and under no vassalage or subjection. The term accepted, Dalcho
asserted, derived from indulgences the Pope granted to all those who would
confess their sins and join in the enterprise for the recovery of the Holy Land.
Then, on September 23, 1801, Brother Dalcho delivered his first
"Oration" to the "Sublime Grand Lodge" located in
Charleston, South Carolina. In his opening statement, he stated, "The duty
of this evening, to which I am called by the honor of your appointment, is a
task infinitely more important, and arduous, than my feeble abilities are equal
to: And nothing but the high respect I have for the Society, which have [sic]
honored me with the appointment [as Chaplain], could have induced me to have
accepted it."
In 1806, members of the "Illustrious College of Knights of K. H. and of
the Original Chapter of Prince Masons of Ireland" took notice of the
orations delivered by Dr. Dalcho in 1801 and 1803. It directed John Fowler to
contact Bro. Dalcho, and on October 17, 1806, Bro. Fowler wrote for permission
to reprint Dalcho's orations. Dalcho replied four months later expressing his
gratification at the request and readily acceding to it.
Illustrious Dalcho began his early career as an army doctor, receiving his
medical degree in 1790, but toward the end of the first decade of the nineteenth
century, he showed an increasing interest in the affairs of the church and
devoted himself to theological studies. During this period, his religious
involvement manifested itself in his Masonic service.
In 1807, the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons and that of Ancient York
Masons of South Carolina united under the name of "The Grand Lodge of
Ancient Freemasons of South Carolina." At the first Annual Communication,
Brother Dalcho was elected Grand Chaplin. After the installation of Grand Lodge
officers, a procession was formed and paraded to St. Michael's church where Rev.
Brother Dalcho delivered the service.
He based his sermon on the text John 12:36, "While ye have light,
believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light," and remarked
that Freemasonry, like the "Religion of the Redeemer," is eminently
calculated to dispense "peace on earth, and good will towards men." If
the moral and religious state of the community in which it flourishes is not
increased and refined by its influence, the failing must be charged to
individuals and not to the principles of the institution. The general
application of Masonry's principles and practice to the spiritual and temporal
welfare of men cannot be doubted. It binds its members by the strongest
sanctions "to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly before God" and
to "love the Brotherhood." During his tenure as Grand Chaplain,
Brother Dalcho faithfully performed his duties and, for many years, delivered a
public address or sermon on the Festival of St. John the Evangelist.
Aside from being honored as an outstanding clergyman, Brother Dalcho was also
regarded as a lawgiver and peacemaker. In 1807, for instance, Dr. Frederick
Dalcho published his first Ahiman Rezon under the sanction of the Grand Lodge of
Ancient
York Masons of South Carolina. Much ink has been spilled regarding the
meaning of this title, though the nature of the book is clear. Masonic scholar
A. G. Mackey, who traced the words to Hebrew origins, said they meant "Will
of Selected Brethren."
The Grand Lodge of Virginia interpreted the words as meaning "Law of
Prepared Brothers." Brother Dalcho, however, interpreted the words as
"Secrets of a Prepared Brother." Later writers, such as W. S.
Rockwell, used the terms "Royal Builder," meaning
"Freemason." In any case, it is a Book of Constitutions stating the
statutes and customs of the Order. It is not "secret," but published
and available to all interested parties. Some American Grand Lodges to this day
still apply this term to their Constitutions.
On December 27, 1817, Dalcho, as Grand Chaplain, delivered a sermon before
the Grand Lodge of Ancient Freemasons of South Carolina at St. Michael's Church
in Charleston. Again, as in 1807 a decade earlier his sermon's text was John
12:36. Dalcho remarked: May "the light of the everlasting Gospel burn in
your hearts with a pure and steady flame, guiding your footsteps unto all
righteousness, and directing your conduct in every scene and condition of
life."
Then in 1821, he was requested to prepare a second edition of the Ahiman
Rezon, which was published the following year and included many useful notes.
This work was at once adopted by the Grand Lodge of South Carolina as its Book
of Constitutions. In the book's opening pages, Dalcho provided the reader with
his personal beliefs regarding Masonry:
"Freemasonry comprehends within its circle every branch of useful
knowledge and learning, and stamps an indelible mark of pre-eminence on its
genuine professors, which neither chance, power, nor fortune can bestow. When
its rules are strictly observed, it is a sure foundation of tranquility amidst
the various disappointments of life. It is a friend that will not deceive, but
will comfort and assist us in prosperity and adversity."
In 1823, after many years of faithful service, Brother Dalcho wrote a letter
of resignation to the Grand Lodge of South Carolina. It is perhaps his
best-known document and explains how Freemasonry influenced his life:
"Freemasons are under stronger sanctions than other men are; and,
therefore, that more is required of Freemasons than of others. His heart tells
him that man lives not for himself alone; that he is surrounded by human beings
who, perhaps, his opinions and example may, in some wise, injure or improve. He
feels an accountability resting upon him, which controls his passions and
regulates his conduct. He considers himself as a light to the world, to guide
the wayfaring man through the journey of life; and to lead him to the temple,
'not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.'... Then ought they not to show,
in their lives and actions, the happy influence of Masonic principles over
worldly feelings and personal considerations, and be an example for the
imitation of others? Unquestionably, my Brethren, they ought. And, to the honor
of the Craft be it recorded, that they are many, and, I trust, very many, who
are strictly governed by the principles they profess."
In the latter part of his life, Brother Dalcho dedicated himself to religious
writing, helping to establish a monthly journal, The Charleston Gospel Messenger
and Protestant Episcopal Register. Although Brother Frederick Dalcho passed away
on November 24, 1836, the lives he touched through his addresses, sermons, and
the other writings he left behind will continue to inspire others for
generations to come. A Founder Of The Supreme Council, 33°A Founder Of The
Supreme Council, 33°.
“Reprinted with permission of the Scottish Rite Journal, October, 2002”
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