Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-01-04

IN CAPE TOWN WITH suBTEnRANEAN CHA3DxRe
LODGE ROOMS IN INDIA AND cHIEA
Next year shall have been Q Master Mason
for fifteen years. and during that time have
travelled every continent on the globe and !
have visited Masonic lodges in nearly every civ
iiized country. As to whether Freemasonry
may or may not be benefit to a member will
not express an opinion. will leave that matter
to each of my readers to decide for himself.
My province 10 simply to record facts, and
those facts relate to Masonry in foreign lands
as have seen it, and to certain incidents con-
nected with this topic that may throw some
light upon the workings Of this great brother
hood on the other side of the world.
was made Mason in MAY. 1875 in Pelotas,
Brazil. took my first three degrees in a lodge
room that had frequently been honored by the
presence of the deposed Emperor Dom Pedro,
who was ut one time an active member OF the
Scottish Kite body. The Masonic temple was a
plain. substantial building, erected solely for
the purposes that it Was used for, and stood in
the very center of the town. 1t was plainly
arranged and economically furnished. 1t not
only served as the meeting place OF the blue
lodge, but 1t likewise sheltered the Scottish
Rite bodies. which are much stronger in Brazil
tlan any other of the higher Masonic bodies.
Although for many years the Catholic church
IN Brazil has been bitterly opposed to Masonry
] think that in proportion to the number of her
inhabitants Brazil has more Masons than any
other country in the world.
ORIENTAL. MASONRY.
After leaving Brazil and South America I
turned my face toward the east, and for
several years after that time l lived in the
Orient, studying Masonry and practicing con-
!uring. both to my entire personal and
financial satisfaction. While 1 in Port
Lonis, on the Island of Mauritius, off she
South African coast L felt the need of more
light and accordingly I received the degree
of Mark and Most Excellent Master and the
Royal Arch in Friendship lodge. l COM
pieted my chapter degrees by taking the
Past Masters in Keystone lodge. Shanghai,
China. This lodge is under obedience to
the Grand Orient of the United States. and it
Is composed of some of the brightest men in
China. While was in Shanghai / frequently
attended a native lodge with an unpronouncea-
BILE name, the translation of which was THE
Rising SUM-" This presided over by a
Mandarin of one OF the highest ranks. The
senior deacon was prince and the way the
work was done would be revelation to q
western Mason. OF course the Chinese lam
guage spoken, but the work is almost
identical the world over and ! had no diff
Guilty in following it, have seldom seen work
that was any smoother or more impressive. 1t
was in this lodge that / met kwong Ii Mel the
spendthrift son VI a rich banker, OF whom !
shall have more to say before l have finished
this article.
In 1880 1 took my Scottish Rite degree in the
Triple Esperance lodge, in Port Louis, Mauri-
thus. This is one OF the largest and oldest
lodges in the world. It celebrated its centen-
NAL while was there. Its building is one of
the finest temples in the fraternity. 1t is con-
structed of white marble only one story high
and stands in the center Of block. Its roof
covers four acres Of land and it contains rooms |
enough to allow every degree in Masonry to be |
conferred the same night and in different
room. The banquetng ball is as large a. the |
dining room Of the Fifth Avenue hotel The |
grounds surrounding the temple are beautifully |
by stone wall 10 feet high. The lodge con- |
tains $40 active members and quite as many en- |
congo.
ALMoND-EYED BRETHREN.
In China the Masonic temples are particu- |
larly imposing structures. The one at Tientsin |
was erected solely for Masonic uses. The tenn
Piles in Hong Kong and Shanghai will COM !
pare favorabiy with the fremont street Ma |
sonic hall in Boston.
Masonry is prohibited in the Philippine
Islands and therefore all lodge meetings are |
held in secret. / once attended meeting of |
the blue lodge in the dining room of MIR. Bar |
nard. a wealthy carriage manufacturer, whose !
house is directly opposite the Hotel Bala. In |
Manila. as we'll as in China, there are many |
native lodges, but the ones 1 have especially |
alluded to are English, although many natives |
are enrolled as members. |
On one of my visits to South Africa a party |
of English officers intended starting back to- |
ward the mountains from Grahamstown, Cape |
Colony, on hunting expedition and was |
asked to join. Tapt. Thompson was in COM
mand and it was he who collected the natives |
and saw that our horses and wagons were |
ready for our use. We started out early in the |
morning before the sun had risen and by noon
we were miles away from the beaten road and |
civilization had been left leagues behind u.s. |
Recollect this was nearly ten years ago and in
those days the means OF reaching the interior |
were not as perfect as they are now. The Kim |
6erly diamond mining industry was in its in
fancy then. |
We were on the plains at the base of the hills |
and were having great sport. We had about |
dozen white men in the party and not less than !
thirty natives to drive the wagons, take care OF
the horses and beat up the game. We had |
passed a number of springboks and antelopes |
and Lieut.. Miles, who was my hunting mate, |
and had bagged our share.
HIS LIFE WAS SAVED.
Among the natives noticed one man whom
thought recognized. He had charge of the
teamsters and appeared to be q fellow OF more
than ordinary intelligence. When we broke
camp the next morning had little diff Guilty |
with one of the men whose duty it was to look
after my horse. But when we had mounted
and started out for the days sport forgot all
about the occurrence. 1t appears, however,
that the native had better memory think
1t was the third or fourth night after this that
! started out on a little tour of exploration. 1t
was glorious night and the moon made the
landscape almost as light as day. had hardly
gone quarter Of a mile when felt a sharp
blow on the head The next moment was un-
conscious. When l recovered my senses found
the foreman kneeling over me rubbing my
hands.
What is the NATTER" gasped- "what has
happened?"
1T is lucky for you was near you," mys-
teriousiy replied the negro, in excellent En-
glish.
A few minutes later he explained to me that
he had heard the hostler had quarreled with
make threats against my life and he had con-
sequentiy kept close watch upon him. He
saw HIM follow me this night and therefore
joined In the chase. Before he could reach
me, though, he saw the fellow hit me on the
back of the head with club. He fired shot
from his revolver and hurried to my side, but
the would-be assassin had escaped.
On our way back to camp asked him why
he had taken such an interest in me. In reply
he held out his hand, and, to my amazement.
gave me the grip Of Master Mason. He was
member Of the native lodge in Grahamstown
and knew me to be member Of the craft by
the gold watch charm always wear.
LODGES IN INDIA.
The lodges in Singapore and Rangoon are
regular English organizations, as are most of
those in the Indian empire. The temple in
Calcutta, where True Friendship lodge, No.
2iS, Of which am a member at the present