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  • The Freemason's Chronicle
  • March 19, 1881
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  • THE APPROACHING SCHOOL ELECTIONS.
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Freemasonry In China.

the Sun . It is ono of tho best of the scanty number of bond fide hieroglyphics that the Chinese have to show ; it is a positive picture of tho Sun , tho life-giver , as their forefathers saw it overhead , a dot within the circle of the sky . " Bro . Giles , however , while noting this and other

coincidences , lays great stress on the necessity there is for the exercise of that important Masonic virtue of caution , before accepting offhand such coincidences as they might light upon as evidences of Freemasonry in China ; and

he cites two cases in which , in his opinion , Bro . Alabaster has beon misled owing to the difference in character in the language as now written , and as it was written centuries since . Says he , " characters are now written with straight lines , whereas before the Christian era almost every other stroke was a curve . " Thus he notes that the character

cliewj— " upright "—is Masonic both in shape and meaning and bears " a singular resemblance to the triple tau monogram of the Royal Arch degree , " but "in ancient days , it was formed with curved strokes , in which its identity with

the Masonic monogram can be traced only by the enthusiast . " Yet the character . '_« _]_ which our readers will at once recognise , is " written now as it was later even two and three thousand years ago . "

Other coincidences next claim the writer ' s attention

Thus the place of honour in a Chinese family is in the East , and hence an employer is often spoken of by his employes as " the Eastern one . " Then , as regards the Apron , the Chinese recognise the Masonic division of the body by its means , and have done so for centuries , and , adds Bro .

Giles , " in their ancient ceremonial of several thousand years ago an apron of some kind undoubtedly played a part Such an article of dress is , in fact , mentioned in the Discourses of Confucius , and is depicted in the old illustrated dictionary of the classics as ornamented with a plant , seven

stars , an axe , and the character of a or ya . " Further , " the Chinese symbol for an axe , placed inside the symbol for the square" is "the identical character by which the term ' Master Mason ' is expressed in the written language of China . " As to the a or ya Bro . Giles feels unprepared to

fix its sigmfic mee , but , he remarks suggestively , " Some assert that its meaning has reference to the disappearance of the sun ; and , if so , why not to the darkness visible of a Master Mason ' s Lodge P " Finally , " the great Tii , who is said to have drained off the waters of the Chinese

Deluge , girt himself with a lambskin apron when , bareheaded and barefooted , ho offered himself as a sacrifice for the people ; besides which wo have the apron distinctly mentioned in the Book of History as part of the sacrificial costume of old . "

Bro . Giles concludes his paper with somo remarks on the Secret Societies of China , which , unfortunately , it appears , are " strictly forbidden hy the Government , as hotbeds of sedition and political intrigue . " The best known of them , we are told , is " the Triad Society , " which has its

headquarters in the Straits' Settlements , and had its origin curiously enough about a hundred and fifty years ago , or not so very far from the date of the establishment of

Speculative Masonry in this country . The word " Triad " alludes to a conjunction of the three great powers in nature , to wit , Heaven , Earth , and Man . The Society admits members with a ceremonial resemblinsr our own .

Its working tools comprise " a 12-inch gauge , called ' the jade-foot rule , ' a balance , a steelyard , an abacus or counting-board , and a pencil . " They have " a W . M ., a 'great brother ' and ' a second brother , ' corresponding to our Senior Warden and Junior Warden ; a ' first point '

and a ' second point , corresponding to our Senior Deacon and Junior Deacon , and an inner and outer guard , both of whom wear wave-shaped swords , supposed to represent a dragon swimming iu a pool . They havo a Treasurer , and recogni . se the threo degrees of E . A ., P . O ., aud M . M ., which

they speak of as ' affiliated younger brother , ' ' obligated elder brother , ' and ' obligated uncle , ' respectively . " Bro . Giles points out other points of resemblance , and gives a description of the ceremony of initiation , but at too great length for us to repeat in detail . It seems , however , that

brethren discover themselves to each other by putting the question , " Whence do you come ? " the answer to which is , "I come from the East . " Then , "Whither are you directing your steps ? " to which tho reply

is , "I wish to go where I can join tho myriad brethren . " With a few further particulars the lecture closes . Wo have gone thus minutely into it , because , as wc said at starting , it cannot fail to be otherwise than most instruct ! 'e to onr readers . We think Bro . Giles has done his work

Freemasonry In China.

extremely well , and that it was a politic as well as complimentary act on the part of the Lodgo to havo it printed and published in its present form . Bro . Giles ' s points are undoubtedly the result of most careful study , and we thank

him most heartily for having afforded us an insight into a field of comparative literature with which it is well ni gh impossible or , at all events , in the highest degree improbable , we should have any acquaintance .

The Approaching School Elections.

THE APPROACHING SCHOOL ELECTIONS .

FOLLOWING very closely on the announcement of the result of the first of the annual Festivals held in connection with our Masonic Institutions come most practical evidences—in the form of " lists of candidates "—of the great need there is for the maintenance and even

enlargement of our charity funds . We no not approve of the cry " give , give , " being made a continuous one , but so long as Freemasonry rests on its present basis it will be incumbent on its members to do their utmost to uphold its distinguishing characteristic , and to provide as far as lies in their

power for the widows and children of the deceased or less fortunate members . How best to accomplish this end is , and we imagine ever will be , a question on which great difference of opinion exists , but there are some points on which we think it will be as well to give a passing thought

ere we proceed to our usual review of the several candidates . The election for the Girls' School takes place on Saturday , the 9 th April , while that for the Boys' is fixed for the following Monday ; we shall therefore , as usual , confine our present remarks to the particulars of the

former . The list gives the names of twenty-eight candidates , of whom seventeen appear now for the first time ; while of the whole number , fourteen—or exactly one-half —bear record of their father ' s death having taken place during the year just closed . Now , considering that by the

rules governing onr Schools , the petitions in each of these cases must have been drawn up some time before the end of 1880 , we think this bears unmistakable evidence of a great neglect of duty on the part of the brethren whose families are compelled to appeal to the charity of the

Craft , and it induces us to ask , what Freemasonry as practised in this country really is ? Is it a luxury or a necessity ? We answer most decisively , the latter ; and we greatly blame the man who takes from his family the money for the purpose of paying his initiation fees or his Lodge

subscriptions . We are frequently told that Freemasonry is not a benefit society , but we are beginning to think it would be much better if it were , for then every member would be compelled to do some little for the benefit of his family in case of need , whereas now it is -well-known that some make

a boast of what the Craft would do for their children if anything was to happen to necessitate an appeal to it , and in that way excuse themselves from personally making provision for misfortune . We are aware that it may be considered bad taste thus to speak of brethren who are dead ,

at the same time some action must be taken in order to check these serious and growing evils . It would appear that no sooner is a brother dead , than his family look around to see what advantages they can secure from his connection with Freemasonry . Now we are of opinion that if a

family is so destitute as to necessitate this , then the father had no right to join Freemasonry . If , on the other hand , Freemasonry be defined as a necessity , then some rule should be adopted whereby provision would be secured to a member's family , at least for a short

timo after his death . We consider that the Masonic Schools should be for the reception of the children of Masons , who having themselves done their best , and having exhibited some amount of consideration for the future could , with good grace , appeal to their fellows

in case of unforeseen calamity overtaking them or those dependent on them , and not for those who never exhibited the smallest amount of care , or showed they had the least regard for the future . If we take the same fourteen cases , we find that only four can boast of more

than ten years membership of the Craft , while seven of them average but four years membership each . Still wo hardly think that should be urged against the children , except as convincing us that in many cases the father acted unwisely in joining the Order , as the events of a few years

“The Freemason's Chronicle: 1881-03-19, Page 2” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 23 May 2025, django:8000/periodicals/fcn/issues/fcn_19031881/page/2/.
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Title Category Page
FREEMASONRY IN CHINA. Article 1
THE APPROACHING SCHOOL ELECTIONS. Article 2
A RECORD OF FOUR DAYS' MASONIC WORK AT YORK. Article 4
ST. JOHN'S, No. 1343. Article 6
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CONSECRATION OF THE WALLINGTON LODGE, No. 1892. Article 9
CORRESPONDENCE. Article 10
THE BENEVOLENT FESTIVAL. Article 10
CHAPTER OF ELIAS ASHMOLE, No. 148. Article 11
CHAPTER OF HARMONY, No. 178, WIGAN. Article 11
REVIEWS. Article 11
DIARY FOR THE WEEK. Article 12
NOTICES OF MEETINGS. Article 12
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Freemasonry In China.

the Sun . It is ono of tho best of the scanty number of bond fide hieroglyphics that the Chinese have to show ; it is a positive picture of tho Sun , tho life-giver , as their forefathers saw it overhead , a dot within the circle of the sky . " Bro . Giles , however , while noting this and other

coincidences , lays great stress on the necessity there is for the exercise of that important Masonic virtue of caution , before accepting offhand such coincidences as they might light upon as evidences of Freemasonry in China ; and

he cites two cases in which , in his opinion , Bro . Alabaster has beon misled owing to the difference in character in the language as now written , and as it was written centuries since . Says he , " characters are now written with straight lines , whereas before the Christian era almost every other stroke was a curve . " Thus he notes that the character

cliewj— " upright "—is Masonic both in shape and meaning and bears " a singular resemblance to the triple tau monogram of the Royal Arch degree , " but "in ancient days , it was formed with curved strokes , in which its identity with

the Masonic monogram can be traced only by the enthusiast . " Yet the character . '_« _]_ which our readers will at once recognise , is " written now as it was later even two and three thousand years ago . "

Other coincidences next claim the writer ' s attention

Thus the place of honour in a Chinese family is in the East , and hence an employer is often spoken of by his employes as " the Eastern one . " Then , as regards the Apron , the Chinese recognise the Masonic division of the body by its means , and have done so for centuries , and , adds Bro .

Giles , " in their ancient ceremonial of several thousand years ago an apron of some kind undoubtedly played a part Such an article of dress is , in fact , mentioned in the Discourses of Confucius , and is depicted in the old illustrated dictionary of the classics as ornamented with a plant , seven

stars , an axe , and the character of a or ya . " Further , " the Chinese symbol for an axe , placed inside the symbol for the square" is "the identical character by which the term ' Master Mason ' is expressed in the written language of China . " As to the a or ya Bro . Giles feels unprepared to

fix its sigmfic mee , but , he remarks suggestively , " Some assert that its meaning has reference to the disappearance of the sun ; and , if so , why not to the darkness visible of a Master Mason ' s Lodge P " Finally , " the great Tii , who is said to have drained off the waters of the Chinese

Deluge , girt himself with a lambskin apron when , bareheaded and barefooted , ho offered himself as a sacrifice for the people ; besides which wo have the apron distinctly mentioned in the Book of History as part of the sacrificial costume of old . "

Bro . Giles concludes his paper with somo remarks on the Secret Societies of China , which , unfortunately , it appears , are " strictly forbidden hy the Government , as hotbeds of sedition and political intrigue . " The best known of them , we are told , is " the Triad Society , " which has its

headquarters in the Straits' Settlements , and had its origin curiously enough about a hundred and fifty years ago , or not so very far from the date of the establishment of

Speculative Masonry in this country . The word " Triad " alludes to a conjunction of the three great powers in nature , to wit , Heaven , Earth , and Man . The Society admits members with a ceremonial resemblinsr our own .

Its working tools comprise " a 12-inch gauge , called ' the jade-foot rule , ' a balance , a steelyard , an abacus or counting-board , and a pencil . " They have " a W . M ., a 'great brother ' and ' a second brother , ' corresponding to our Senior Warden and Junior Warden ; a ' first point '

and a ' second point , corresponding to our Senior Deacon and Junior Deacon , and an inner and outer guard , both of whom wear wave-shaped swords , supposed to represent a dragon swimming iu a pool . They havo a Treasurer , and recogni . se the threo degrees of E . A ., P . O ., aud M . M ., which

they speak of as ' affiliated younger brother , ' ' obligated elder brother , ' and ' obligated uncle , ' respectively . " Bro . Giles points out other points of resemblance , and gives a description of the ceremony of initiation , but at too great length for us to repeat in detail . It seems , however , that

brethren discover themselves to each other by putting the question , " Whence do you come ? " the answer to which is , "I come from the East . " Then , "Whither are you directing your steps ? " to which tho reply

is , "I wish to go where I can join tho myriad brethren . " With a few further particulars the lecture closes . Wo have gone thus minutely into it , because , as wc said at starting , it cannot fail to be otherwise than most instruct ! 'e to onr readers . We think Bro . Giles has done his work

Freemasonry In China.

extremely well , and that it was a politic as well as complimentary act on the part of the Lodgo to havo it printed and published in its present form . Bro . Giles ' s points are undoubtedly the result of most careful study , and we thank

him most heartily for having afforded us an insight into a field of comparative literature with which it is well ni gh impossible or , at all events , in the highest degree improbable , we should have any acquaintance .

The Approaching School Elections.

THE APPROACHING SCHOOL ELECTIONS .

FOLLOWING very closely on the announcement of the result of the first of the annual Festivals held in connection with our Masonic Institutions come most practical evidences—in the form of " lists of candidates "—of the great need there is for the maintenance and even

enlargement of our charity funds . We no not approve of the cry " give , give , " being made a continuous one , but so long as Freemasonry rests on its present basis it will be incumbent on its members to do their utmost to uphold its distinguishing characteristic , and to provide as far as lies in their

power for the widows and children of the deceased or less fortunate members . How best to accomplish this end is , and we imagine ever will be , a question on which great difference of opinion exists , but there are some points on which we think it will be as well to give a passing thought

ere we proceed to our usual review of the several candidates . The election for the Girls' School takes place on Saturday , the 9 th April , while that for the Boys' is fixed for the following Monday ; we shall therefore , as usual , confine our present remarks to the particulars of the

former . The list gives the names of twenty-eight candidates , of whom seventeen appear now for the first time ; while of the whole number , fourteen—or exactly one-half —bear record of their father ' s death having taken place during the year just closed . Now , considering that by the

rules governing onr Schools , the petitions in each of these cases must have been drawn up some time before the end of 1880 , we think this bears unmistakable evidence of a great neglect of duty on the part of the brethren whose families are compelled to appeal to the charity of the

Craft , and it induces us to ask , what Freemasonry as practised in this country really is ? Is it a luxury or a necessity ? We answer most decisively , the latter ; and we greatly blame the man who takes from his family the money for the purpose of paying his initiation fees or his Lodge

subscriptions . We are frequently told that Freemasonry is not a benefit society , but we are beginning to think it would be much better if it were , for then every member would be compelled to do some little for the benefit of his family in case of need , whereas now it is -well-known that some make

a boast of what the Craft would do for their children if anything was to happen to necessitate an appeal to it , and in that way excuse themselves from personally making provision for misfortune . We are aware that it may be considered bad taste thus to speak of brethren who are dead ,

at the same time some action must be taken in order to check these serious and growing evils . It would appear that no sooner is a brother dead , than his family look around to see what advantages they can secure from his connection with Freemasonry . Now we are of opinion that if a

family is so destitute as to necessitate this , then the father had no right to join Freemasonry . If , on the other hand , Freemasonry be defined as a necessity , then some rule should be adopted whereby provision would be secured to a member's family , at least for a short

timo after his death . We consider that the Masonic Schools should be for the reception of the children of Masons , who having themselves done their best , and having exhibited some amount of consideration for the future could , with good grace , appeal to their fellows

in case of unforeseen calamity overtaking them or those dependent on them , and not for those who never exhibited the smallest amount of care , or showed they had the least regard for the future . If we take the same fourteen cases , we find that only four can boast of more

than ten years membership of the Craft , while seven of them average but four years membership each . Still wo hardly think that should be urged against the children , except as convincing us that in many cases the father acted unwisely in joining the Order , as the events of a few years

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