It has been suggested that an ancient treasure was brought to this country and guarded by the freemasons. Recently while preparing for our Installation of Officers I realized this was true.

The treasure did not originate with us, nor are we its sole guardians. Over the years many have risked their lives to protect it, but more especially our brethren, such as Andrew Jackson, John Pershing, and Audie Murphy.

When it was young Brother Benjamin Franklin served as one of its architects, Brother Gilbert Lafayette served as one of its protectors, and Brother George Washington was its Father.

It is taken for granted and often criticized, but the fact remains that the government of our country is one of the greatest the world has ever known.

There are many similarities between it, and the older government, of our fraternity. It cannot be mere coincidence, that they share the same three-fold structure, the same values, and the same goals.

As Freemasons we realize that our greatest national treasure does not lie concealed on the back of the Declaration of Independence, but it is clearly proclaimed in those words on the front, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”.

"Lafayette, nous voici."

Brother John J. Pershing at the beginning of World War I
honoring a fraternal debt at the grave of Brother Gilbert Lafayette