The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1861-06-26
1flislellallp.
Life among the Chinese.

James 7. Magee, of Boston, has on sale
the Rev. R. 5. Maclay's recently published
work embracing thirteen years of his expe-
reuec among the CeestiaIs in which we find
some curious facts in relation to the habits
Of that strange people. The following ez-
tracts from his work show that humbugs,
as we'll as gunpowder ard the mariners com
pass, are ancient institutions in the land that
acknowledges the = brother Of the sun and
moon " for its sovereign:
Even tabIc-tur ninganI spiritual manifes-
tations are not unknown in China. In this,
as in many other things, they are IN advance
of the practitioners among themselves. The
mode of carrying on this operation is some
what different from that in vogue IN the Uni
ted States The table is TUNED upside down
upon pair of chopsticks laid at right an.
giles over the mouth of mortar or bowl
filed with water Four persons lay on one
hand upon each leg of the table, while the
other clasps the free hand OF one of the four,
and thus the circle is completed. An mean
tation is now chanted by the medium, and
soon the table begins to move. The circle
move with it, and in minute it is whlrllng
rapidly on it's axis until it is thrown violent
" off its balance, and falls upon the hoor.-
The motion of the table is universally attrlo-
uted to supernatural agency, but it seems not
to have been used as means Of communlca-
ton with the spiritual world.
There is no necessity for resortlng to SC
clumsy method of communication with the
dead. The spirits have been induced tc
write their communications A table l;
sprinklcd with some kind of powder, or -four
or bran. or dust Thea small basket, with
out a. handle, is armed with pencil or chop
stick, which is tied to its edge, or thrus
through its intersiices. The basket Is ther
turned upside down, its edges resting upor
the tips Of one or two fingers of two persons
standing on opposite sides of the table, ant
in such a manner that the pencil touches th
powdered snrface. In short time the pen
Gil moves, leading after it the basket and tn
6noers on which it rests and tracing upon tn
table lines and figures in which good I'm
guist easily recognizes the characters OF tn
Chinese language. In this way information
is communicated on subjects of which the op
orators have no knowledge. Sometimes IN
deed. ghost thus invoked may be unable
write Chinese, or may be unwilling to eze1
else its powers, and then nothing can be dis
covered but uumeaning lines and angles. Bu
in general the composition is good, and tn
information valuable.
FIGHTING FOR THE FAMILY.
During one of our examinations OF car
didates for baptism at Ngu-kang, observe
that one woman and some three or four youn
neopIe had the same surname. This Gil
cumstance led to the following conversatio
between myself and Que Of the young men ;
r. | observe you all have the same surname
are YOU members OF the same tamily?' l IL
CURED.
Yes one replied this is my mothe
and these are my brothers
: Where is your father !? continued.
! Does he approve OF your embracln
Christianity? -.
= Yes he is entirely willing
Why does your father not become aiChll'
tian ?
He says it would not answer for all th
family to embrace Christianity =?