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Article BENEFICIENTIA. ← Page 2 of 2 Article OUTLINE OF A MASONIC LECTURE ON MASONRY IN JAPAN IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. Page 1 of 2 →
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Beneficientia.
When but His fire Our souls inspire , His Holy Will exalts , Ancl human Wrongs—Vindictive thongs—Finds naught to scourge us for its fault .
Forth 1 then , fruit of the present hour , Like rays of living light , With all thou hast of living power , Pierce some dark place of night ! In kindly cheer , Afar or near
, Speak as thou , dost to me!—And , prayerful , plead That Heaven ' s meed May crown our life eternally . REV . HENRY G . PERRY , M . A .
Outline Of A Masonic Lecture On Masonry In Japan In The Seventeenth Century.
OUTLINE OF A MASONIC LECTURE ON MASONRY IN JAPAN IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY .
I ASPIRE only to introduce this subject as being one of some interest to the Craft in this country , and the following remarks are merel y intended to be suggestive to the more experienced brethren , who may have opportunities to investigate this matter . I'find nothing worthy of attention previous to the arrival of foreigners in Japanearly in the sixteenth century ; but in searching for material with which
, to elaborate some notes I have gathered during the decade that I have passed in Japan , I have met many peculiar facts upon which I have formed the following theory . Towards the latter end of the sixteenth century , the great power that the Jesuits wielded had drawn clown upon them the jealousy and illwill of other sects , which finally culminated in their expulsion from Japan .
About this period the foreigners who visited or resided in Japan had greatly increased , ancl consisted of men of various European nations , and what more likely that there were amongst these many Masons , and that they should not only establish lodges , but that many natives would be initiated into the mysteries of the Craft . The position of foreigners in this country three hundred years ago was not the same as that of to-day ; they were not there " on sufferance" despised
, and watched , but were treated as honoured guests , and associated with the highest in the land , on an equal footing , aye , and intermarried with daughters of the nobles of the land , who were not despised after b y their own countrymen for so doing , as is the case nowadays . The children of these marriages and the other native relatives would doubtless be the first to be initiated into the craft , ancl soon a large number of brethren would exist sufficiently numerous
to combine , if necessary , for mutual protection . It is my opinion that the Jesuits excited the powerful opposition of the Masonic body , and that the decline of the Ashikager line of Shoguns gave them
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Beneficientia.
When but His fire Our souls inspire , His Holy Will exalts , Ancl human Wrongs—Vindictive thongs—Finds naught to scourge us for its fault .
Forth 1 then , fruit of the present hour , Like rays of living light , With all thou hast of living power , Pierce some dark place of night ! In kindly cheer , Afar or near
, Speak as thou , dost to me!—And , prayerful , plead That Heaven ' s meed May crown our life eternally . REV . HENRY G . PERRY , M . A .
Outline Of A Masonic Lecture On Masonry In Japan In The Seventeenth Century.
OUTLINE OF A MASONIC LECTURE ON MASONRY IN JAPAN IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY .
I ASPIRE only to introduce this subject as being one of some interest to the Craft in this country , and the following remarks are merel y intended to be suggestive to the more experienced brethren , who may have opportunities to investigate this matter . I'find nothing worthy of attention previous to the arrival of foreigners in Japanearly in the sixteenth century ; but in searching for material with which
, to elaborate some notes I have gathered during the decade that I have passed in Japan , I have met many peculiar facts upon which I have formed the following theory . Towards the latter end of the sixteenth century , the great power that the Jesuits wielded had drawn clown upon them the jealousy and illwill of other sects , which finally culminated in their expulsion from Japan .
About this period the foreigners who visited or resided in Japan had greatly increased , ancl consisted of men of various European nations , and what more likely that there were amongst these many Masons , and that they should not only establish lodges , but that many natives would be initiated into the mysteries of the Craft . The position of foreigners in this country three hundred years ago was not the same as that of to-day ; they were not there " on sufferance" despised
, and watched , but were treated as honoured guests , and associated with the highest in the land , on an equal footing , aye , and intermarried with daughters of the nobles of the land , who were not despised after b y their own countrymen for so doing , as is the case nowadays . The children of these marriages and the other native relatives would doubtless be the first to be initiated into the craft , ancl soon a large number of brethren would exist sufficiently numerous
to combine , if necessary , for mutual protection . It is my opinion that the Jesuits excited the powerful opposition of the Masonic body , and that the decline of the Ashikager line of Shoguns gave them