, 1886-09-16
CHINESE MASONRY.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CHEZ KUre
TONG, a SECRET ORGANIZATION.

Revolutionary In Its Original and Prea-
ent Purposc-Thirty-three Cast Iron
Oaths in the Observation-Disclosures of q
TaithIess Member-His Disgrace.
@What, may | ask, was the subject of your
ponderingsf Had that roll OF papers anything
to do with themi'
ayes; they are notes gathered by an old
partner of mine, who devoted himself to a
study of the Chinese people and their Gus
tons. I've got a whole case full of then
there, and when | have nothing else to do
amusc myself by reading some of them.
have gained n great deal Of information from
them, which Is frequently of considerable
assistance to me in my practice"
"Tell me; what is the story contained II
those papers in your lapl' said the reporter
instinctivcly producing his note book and
pencil.
ats a brief history OF the Chinese order oil
Masoas. Now, | suppose you think theirs is
like all other Masonry, and n branch of the
great organization established by King Solo
mon. You must disabuse your mind on thai
score, If such is your opinion To he sure, il
is a society for mutual benefit and protection
but its original and present purpose as well
II tHiiItlO ItNDiuliOiiuI1. lnc DlTlu Oh TIT
order occurred soon after the Mongolians in
vaded China and established the present Ming
dynasty, which is noarly 400 years old. The
society was composed of the old Chimes
mobiles md their followers, who were oppose
to the new emperor. Their number wer,
naturally smah at first, but the years added
10 their strength. Each member educated hi,
children to n belief in the doctrines of the or
der, until now their numbers include nearly
one-third of the entire population Of the EN-.
pire. There nro also about 10000 in the
United States. Tue influence of the society Il
naturally very great, and its member have
much TO do with the formation of Chimes
affairs Of state.
oRIGINAroRs OF ~REBELLIoSs.
"From its inception, four centuries ago
the society has instigated innumerable rebel
lions, and ALL the members naturally imbibed
IA strong martial spirit. As q consequence,
the order has developed many famous sol,
diers, and amcng them the great Gen. 10y
zee, who, at the nge Of 80 years, WINS the
commandcr-in-chie Of all the forces of the
empire. His appointment TO this position
was, of course, n measure adopted by the en-
peror to conciliato the society to which he be
longed. Many of China's foreign ministers
nlso owe their positions to this policy. Being
statesmen of great ability, they naturally he
come u power 10 be feared by the govern,
ment, and are accordingly appointed as am.
bassadors to some foreign court in order tc
get them out of the way. Chin Lin Pan,
tho first minister to tho United states, was one
Of these, and, if the truth were known, /
would not he surprised II every minister since
was u Chinese Mason, or n member of tn.
Chee kuns Tong, as the society is called.
"You will gain some idea Of the strength Of
this organization when | inform you hat the
great Tai Ping rebellion of 81 wns brought
about by its leaders, and fought by its sol
ciers. The famous armies known as tn,
Black Flags and Yellow Flags, which per
formed su III bloody work in Tonquin during
the recent war with France, were also com
posed entirely of tho members OF the Chez
Kung Tong, and led by its officers. The
headquarters of the order are in the distric,
of Quong Ton, or Canton, as II is known tc
us. 1t l., from there the edicts arc sent which
so vitality affect the policy of the Chinese
government, and which in time may over.
turn the throne and establish u new dynasty.
The queue worn to-dny by the Chinese people
Is n symbol of their bondage to the Mongoliar
emperor, and Ia n constant reminder to then
of their subsection.
HIRTY-rHREE CAST Ron oATHs.
Tho rites Of the society," Yes, / know some
thing Of them, though there are so mnny and
in such iniinite variety that my knowledge OF
them Is necessarily limited. There are thirty.
three oaths to be taken, and regular cast iron
ones, too, before IN applicant can become @
fully constituted member OF the society. II,
can, however, withdraw before taking tn,
last cath, provided he promises eternal Sc
crecy about what ho had previously seen and
heard Of the ritual. II this agreement should
be violated, or n member of the order should
in any way disgrace himself In the eyes of his
brothers, punishment swift and terrible /.
melted ont To him. In China it is death, but
in this country that is impossible, though they
60 through all the formulte OF an execution
without the final elimination. The accused
Is always allowed a trial, but Is seldom ac.
quilted The wise men and patriarchs of the
order assemble together upon that occasion
in some one of their joss houses, and there
the accused and accusers are brought before
them The latter step forward first, and
prostrating themselves upon tho floor at the
feet OF the oldest of the wise men, they pre-
sent their charges.
The accused then prostrates himself and
places the foot of the wise men upon his neck
as a sign of submission After this he tells
his version OF the story, still fiat upon his
stomach on the floor. When this is over the
head man announce, his decision in a long
and impressive spe~,li, which is interru ted
at the end of every sentence by the Others
prostrating themsel, es and uttering words OF
assent. The judge next claps his hands and
In comes the cNecuiioler with a long sword
and n wooden bowl, the latter being for the
purpose Of catching the blood that is no;
spilled. Going up to the condemned man,
who is still lying face downward upon the
floor, the cNecutioner raises him to his knees
and bares his neck for the fatal blow. Three
times the sword is raised and brought dow
with terrific force until within half nm inch
of the knecling mans neck, where it stops
This concludes the cer> lony. but the victims
punishment is not yet over, II lie happens Ia
he so fortunate as to live in this country.
Great placnrds announcing his disgrace arr
posted on oil the dead walls throughout the
Chinese quarter, and ms 500 as tho news h.
comes known the guilty man is completely
ostrnciscd by his old associates, and In fact
by all the society San Francisco Alta.
Itussia's Infant Mortality.
Ignorance, violation OF all sanitary prin-
ciplos, miserable poverty. the extreme rigor