The Saint Paul globe., 1896-12-14
STRANGE ORIENTAL RITES
EXCITE THE CURIOSITY OF HIN
DREDS OF AMERICANS WHO
ATTENDED THEM.
MASONIC ORDER OF mosGoLs
Buries Its Dead Brother With Rites
as Impressive as Those of
SOl0m0n's Temple.


! ficer of the Chinese Free Masons and
started on his journey to the eternal
Flowery kingdom with all of the cere-
monious ostentation of the Orient. Ev-
| cry feature characterized the obsequies
which would have obtained in far-off
/ China, and the incongruous surround
lnSs OF American civilization only
served to heighten the spectacular eff
feet OF the unusual proceedings The
fumes of burning incense and the
/ chanted prayers of the suicides yellow
skinned countrymen rose heavenward
! together amid the din of a huge brass
| gong, while gorgeously colored flags,
| bearing strange characters wholly un-
intelligible to the wondering spectators.
! unfurled themselves over the bier of
| the dead Celestial His history in this
life and his accomplishments were told
| in chant and song. and the evil spirit.
| of whom the Chinaman has a whole
some fear, was baffled and driven
back to his dark abode with flames of
fire and unearthly noises, in the face of
/ which hurried departure even on the
part of his satanic majesty might be
| easily understood and pardoned. In
fact, watching the strange and weird
ceremonies and listening to the utter
| ances OF the participants the spectator
| was prone to wonder that the Evil One
! ever possessed sufficient temerity to at
tempt the possession of a Celestial soul
When such means of circumyention
/ were employed. To cap the climax of
the extraordinary rites, Kleists band
was in attendance and discoursed it's
| ilVellest airs while the ceremonies were
| IN progress, though not once discon-
certing the almond-eyed individual who
furnished the bass drum accompani-
ment upon the dolorous gong. 1t was
an occasion not without its element of
the iudicrous to the onlookers. and
many merry jest was passed anent
the queer doings, but to the Orientals
gathered about the casket it was the
observance of the traditions of thou
| sands OF years and the only appropriate
manner IN which to consign the dead
TO the last earthly resting place
The strange funeral began in the
| open air in front of Dohm's undertak-
| ing rooms at Seven Corners and was
witnessed by fully 800 people. Through
| out the entire day the morbidly curl
Gus had thronged the establishment
! where Lu Quong's body lay in state in
neat black easket bearing the sinpIe
inscription in English, 'At Rest" and
| when the delegation of Chinese Free
Masons, accompanied by every celestial
In the Twin Cities and some from other
] parts OF the state, arrived to lake
! charge of the remains. they could
/ scarcely reach the door through the ex-
/ pectant crowd At 2 o'clock six car
! riages brought the Cinnamon from the
far af-o1 Of 4Iao;c
/ murdered week ago at New Rich
! mond, which had just been concluded
at Godbout's undertaking establish
| ment at 489S Wabasha street. Little
/ ceremony attached to the first funeral
/ as the dead man was not a Free Mason
/ He was buried by relatives, and the
/ other representatives of the F1oWery
! kingdom n9erely attended out of re-
spct and coincidence. There are but six
! Chinese Free MaSons in ST Paul and
! as each Of these left the carriages he
carried under his arm a mysterious
looking package with which he HURT
] into the undertaking rooms Hum
Bang. acting IN the capacity of grand
master OF the order, carried a large
triangular pink silk flag, ornamented
with the donbly mysterious characters
/ OF Chinese Masonry. A dead black bor-
der fringed the emblem, while gaily
| colored peacock feathers set off the tip
of the staff which was wound in colors
of red and white Another Ci1inaman
1 bore aloft vivid green pennant, bear
! ing the inscription in English, Chinese
Free Masons" Peacock feathers like
4 wise ornamented this flag. whose bor-
! der was of blue, set off by streamers
/ OF orange and dark blue.
By the time the color bearers had
| entered the room where the corpse lay
I the other members Of the Masons had
opened the packages which had aroused
| the curiosity of the crowd outside and
/ disclosed a most varied assortment of
! edibles and luxuries, including a large
! duck, roasted to a delicious brown, q
! cock, also cooked, but sitting upright
! in the dish with head erect and sur
mounted with comb as brilliantly red
l as in life. Cakes, fruits and sweet
/ meats of every description. We're in pro-
fusion, while delicate china bowls con-
/ tained queer looking nuts and a queer
1 er, though appetiZing appearing native
Hlacaroni. Dried lily stems, designated
/ by a small boy as .'cigar clippings"
/ constituted another epicurean relish. In
addition to the edibles there was a bot
4 tie of wine beside which closely nestled
a package of Sweet Caporal' cigar
cites. A feast for a king 1T was, and
such 1t was in a measure intended to be
by those arranging the ceremonies, for
| to the Chinese mind death is not the
| grim specter OF sorrow and mourning
/ as conceived by other nations, but is
literally held to be the key to king
/ dom whose flowers never fade and
| whose sweet odOrs are eternal 1t is OF
Tnomentous Importance then that de-
ceased Celestial take his departure for
this beautiful and coveted land under
/ the most suspicious circumstances, and,
though the feast is spread In obSerY-
| ance Of the funeral rites, the signifi-
/ canoe is that of a farewell banquet at
! which the dead is the guest of honor,
about to depart from his friends on a
/ long journey. Prayers are said, charms
| worked to ward off evil adventures,
! and the body finally consigned to the
tomb with the full consciousness that
! all mortal hands can do to insure a
safe arrival at the mystic destination
| of beauty and joy has been accom-
| plished.
! When all was In readiness the
earthly remains of Lu Quong were
borne to the street just outside the
| undertaking rooms and placed upon
rests prepared for the caSket. The
Masons carried their former fellow
member forth, each with sash of red
! and white silk ribbon wound about his
body, the red being enblematic of the
| order and the white being the Chinese
color of mourning, not mourning to
the inhabitants of the Celestial king
| dom, but a sign of life worn at all
funerals. In the rear of the little pro-
cession came several other Cinnamon
i bearing the table containing the VI
ands for the feast. Placing the table
at the foot of the corpse, the MaSons
| took positions beside the casket. and
with the two gorgeous banners way-
ing the ceremonies were commenced.
| Hum Bang, clad in rich Oriental
costume of violet silk, waved the pink
flag over the head of the dead man,