hich
more than three hundred Brethren joined.[73]

He also occupied the same position when he laid the corner stone of the
present capitol at Washington, September 18, 1793, clothed with the
Masonic Apron presented by Lafayette, which is now in the Museum of the
Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. Upon both of these occasions, WASHINGTON
made a public profession of his membership in the Masonic Fraternity.

Records show that WASHINGTON was present at the meeting of American
Union Lodge (a Military Lodge), at Morristown, N. J., December 27,
1779;[74] at American Union Lodge at Nelson's point on the Hudson June
24, 1782;[75] at King Solomon's Lodge of Poughkeepsie, December 27,
1782, and occasionally at Alexandria Lodge, No. 39, in 1783-1784, and
the Virginia Lodge, No. 22, between the years 1788 and 1797.[76]

WASHINGTON in the next paragraph of his letter to Snyder makes his
meaning absolutely clear, that while he had not attended any Lodge
regularly during the past thirty years he plainly states: "I believe
notwithstanding, that none of the Lodges in this Country are
contaminated with the principles ascribed to the society of the
Illuminati."

This belief is further accentuated by the letter to the Grand Lodge of
Maryland a few weeks after the above letter was written to Snyder.

In addition to above records, there are numerous traditions of
WASHINGTON's occasional visits to Masonic Lodges and functions:[77] all
of which fall within the thirty years mentioned in the Snyder
Letter.[78]

Further, WASHINGTON's great interest in Freemasonry is shown by the
many addresses received from different Grand and Subordinate Lodges
throughout the Union, all of which he acknowledged in fraternal terms,
also by the various Masonic constitutions and sermons dedicated to him,
which he received with thanks and were preserved in his library.

It will be noted that in the fifth line from the bottom, "_Within the
last thirty years_," which in all Anti-Masonic publications is printed
in italics, the word "_thirty_" was not in the body of the letter as
originally written, but was an afterthought and interlined before the
press copy was taken.

In the press copy of this letter, it will be noted that the word written
over the words "_last years_," is almost indecipherable; in the
photostat it is completely so. This has led some investigators to
question whether the interlined word is really "_thirty_."

The surmise that the blur in the pre