The Morning News

CHINESE MASONS

A Curious Lodge of Them in New York--Their Meeting Place.

From the New York World.

Old Masons were, until late, of the opinion that no such a thing as a Chinese Mason existed. One gentleman said he had seen Arabs and Turks who were good Masons, but to the best of his knowledge, no Chinaman was in the order. Nevertheless, there are not only Chinese Masons, but right here in New York there is a Chinese Masonic Lodge in full blast with a membership of over 500. It is a native organization, not allied directly to the Free and Accepted Masons, but said to be founded on principles very nearly akin.

The lodge-room is at No. 18 Mott street, second floor, front, and has recently been remodelled and refitted in very good shape, all newly painted and cleaned. The lodge furniture is of Chinese design, and imported from China expressly for the society at a great expense. A tall flagstaff with a rope for running up colors is on top of the building. Above the door as one enters the lodge-room is a red sign in native characters signifying "Chinese Masonic Society," and down the sides are two long slips of red paper bearing mottoes. One of these is: "Do good to one another," and the other relates to the business of the order.

The interior is like most Chinese quarters, only lighter, and not full of odd turns and unsuspected corners. Immediately on entering one is led into a sort of ante-room and thence into the main or lodge room. At the lower end of this room is the altar, and a very valuable one it is, costing in China $1,500. Above it is an alcove in which a colored drawing is suspended. It is not the least curious thing in the place, the design being three figures, one seated and two others bending over his shoulder. The seated figure represents the venerable father of Chinese Masonry. The face is heavy, placid and adorned with a long black beard. The other two are respectively the spirits of light and darkness, who are supposed to be giving him counsel. In front of the altar a lamp is hung. It is never extinguished, and burns in commemoration of the dead of the order. Another emblem is two sticks of sandal-wood punk thrust into a box of sand. They keep smouldering away and fill the air with a faint but sweet perfume.

On the wall is a long board, and on this are pasted a great number of sheets of paper covered with Chinese hieroglyphics. These are the lists or members voted on in the New York lodge. Near the roster hang two books. One of these is sent out from the Supreme Lodge at San Francisco, and gives a detailed account of a number of cases of those in distress and sickness, and the whereabouts of each one who needs help. The other is a subscription book, in which the various amounts subscribed are entered. At intervals these two books and the amount raised are transmitted to the Supreme Lodge, from which the dependent members are relieved.

Meetings are not held upon regular nights, but at intervals decided upon by the dignitaries of the order, as the necessities of business may demand. The members are notified of meetings, held generally on Sunday nights, by the appearance of a triangular flag at the top of the pole on top of the house. This flag is white and bears the picture of a huge red dragon with its tail toward the point. There are grips, signs and passwords exactly as in an American lodge. "The traveling card" of this society is quite a curiosity in itself. It is a square of red silk inscribed with Chinese characters, and is a document highly prized by all its possessors.