Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-06-15
CHINAMEN AS MAsONS.
Hut Not Allowed 20 Enter Lodge
Rooms Here Ceremonies Some
what Similar.
Neso York Sun.

Neso York Sun.
Although ii may not be generally
known, the Cinnamon of this city have
| instituted a Masonic lodge. On several
| occasions members of the Chinese lodge
have sought to fraternize with members
of other Masonic lodges, but on every
occasion have been repulsed. The China
men were considered members of a clan
destine lodge. and as such not worthy of
notice. The Chinese lodge is less than
two years old, but it now has three
| hundred and eight members. It's for
nation was due largely to the efforts of
Deputy Sheriff Tom Lee and the Chinese
interpreter, Jean Baptista, aided by eight
other Cinnamon less publicly known
| than they.
1t is fairly well understood now, how
ever, by students of Masonic ritualism.
| that there is a Grand Lodge of MasOns
in the Celestial Empire, and that the
Emperor, as well as his Grand Secretary,
who did the honors to General Grant,
| and lately introduced the first telegraph
line into China, with many others about
the court, are MasOns As to Just how
near the ritual adopted by the Grand
| Lodge comes to the ritual in vogue
among the MasOns in the United States,
and how and when Masonry was intro.
duced into China, there is great diversity
| Of opinion. Some authorities incline to
the belief that the ritual adopted by the
Chinese was one used by Eastern Masons
at the beginning of the present century
| Another authority says that Freemasonry
has become so widespread, and publica-
tons of Masonic character are banded
| about so loosely that it is not dif1cnlt
for any one to become familiar with
the secrets, and his inference is
based on that. Other authorities say
that Cinnamon have been initiated into
| Masonic lodges in the East, and in the
course of time have fallen out of them,
| and thus used their experiences and
knowledge to good account in forming
lodges in their own country Those who
have this opinion count a great deal on
the imitatiYe faculty of the Celestial,
rather than on a we'll balanced, retentive
memory. If such be the case, Freema.
sons would expect to find a similarity of
signs, symbols and forms in tie lodges
of the Chinese, rather than in the words
or names of officers. The lodge in this
city was instituted by request from the
Grand Lodge of California, which got
its charter from the Grand Lodge in
China. Lodges are established in towns
wherever there is a considerable gather.
ing of Cinnamon. In Havana they are
numerous. In Chicago and st. Louis it
is thought that there is one each, if not
more. In the principal cities of Califor-
MIA there are many.
The Master who organized the lodge
in this city, under authority from the
Grand Lodge, is Yong Hin iii. He is
now absent from the city, having been
in the Western States on business for
over three months. In the meantime
the Deputy Master acts. Yong Hin Til
was chosen Master for a second term, it
is said, because no member had yet be-
come so familiar as he with the mysteries
of Masonry. The lodge has now arrived
at that period when the members believe
that they can do better by charging their
accommodations. There is not room
enough, the officers say, for the large
number that come TO the lodge room,
and there is a desire to secure some large
house in Mott street, but there is none to
be had. Property in that neighbOrhood
is leased to Cinnamon, but no part of it
is large enough to accommodate the
lodge. Jean Baptista, the Interpreter,
says that the ceremonies in the lodge are
almost similar to those in lodges of other
Masons in this city. He does not know
wherein they differ except possibly in
the naming of the officers.
1t is in the bylaws of the Chinese
lodge that curiosity is aroused. There
was time in this country when it was
supposed by non Masons that one Mason
was supposed to do almost anything that
another asked him to do. A considera-
ton of the bylaws of the Chinese will go
a great way to make that supposition
good. A Chinese Mason must do all in
his power to help brother Mason. He
must not establish laundry within two
blocks of brother, and must dissuade
every other Chinaman from doing so. If
he should be so unfortunate as to fail in
business, he must be helped and put on
his feet. If non Masons crowd him,
they must be talked to and requested to
wait the coming of better times for
the payment of their claims Should.
they still persist, payment is made by a
wealthy member, or out of the lodge
funds. No one has been known to be
recreant in this trust. If Chinan.an
who is a Mason should stab or otherwise
ASSAULT dnOLnCl Onluduidu WHO Is dlSO Il
Mason, everything in their power should
be done by the members of the lodge to
tide over the difficulty and secure the
release of the Chinaman. The large
force of Cinnamon that asked permission
of Justice Kilbreth to speak with the
assailant of Gam Wah and his wife, some
time ago, had 70 other motive than to
know his standing in China, and whether
he was M son.
Should a Chinese Mason owe a brother
Mason any sum, he must not sue in the
courts for the recovery of that sum, but
he must put the matter in the hands of
the Arbitration Committee of the lodge.
If the creditor insists on prompt pay
ment, and the debtor has it not, then he
is to receive it from the lodge The lat
ter course has seldom been resorted to.
Chinese Masonry inculcates among its
members feelings of kindness, goodness
and fraternity. 1t is not alone a Masonic
by law, but it is a general consideration
with Cinnamon, that they help one
another. The Chinese Mason must be.
lieve in God, the same as a Christian.
All of the three hundred and eight are
members of some church. Most of them
are Methodists, but there are Presbyte-
rians, Episcopalians and Baptists among
them.
Baptista did not know it for a fact
that the highest court officials of China
are Masons. lie had only heard of it,
but to his mind it was one indication of
the progress made by Christianity. A
favor might have been extended to the |
Emperor's court officials. The lodge |
has lost only two members by death. |
Wong Gong was buried from 60 Oliver |
street with great funeral pomp on Au-
gust 10, 1881. Like honors were ex-
tended to Dek FoOk, of Division street,
in the latter part of April last. With |
the burial rites of their country have |
been embodied some rites instituted |
by Masonry. A feature of the !
Chinese Masons funeral is brass |
band and band of tom
toms. Another is the cooked |
meats. Another is the strewing of bits |
of white paper over the ground to ward |
off evil spirits, who are supposed to be |
very curious, and will pick up the papers
and thus be kept from following the |
dead. There are other ceremonies at the |
funerals, but they have not attracted |
more than passing notice. The bodies |
of Cinnamon not Masons are simply |
buried. Besides paying funeral ex-
penses, the lodge puts aside a certain
amount for the support of a widow, |
children, or relatives relying for main
tenance upon the deceased Mason. They |
also send word to the friends in China
of the disposition of the remains, and |