The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1863-11-24

IRe san Francisco BafteisH, OF II 10Th Septe M.
ber, hss description Of the opealg OF the annual
religions celebrations Of the Chiacse tnhabanrs o.
that city. u says
The Chinese ARE having great time in their
temple, OH Sacrament street, just MnW. Evidently
the festival h Of a religious character, though
wha;her the proceeds are to be d4vDsed to cancel
Ing mortgage on their church, Os - sending on,
pagan missionaries 10 win over Ch9aian belle vers
IN Buddhism, Is more than inqui1tjyeness itseh
has heenahle To ascertain The di4hltaries oG their
temple are not at all reticeH!, but display charm
Ing readiness IN Indulge in cOoseTsati0n with
visitors, to which the only drawback s that uetther
understands the others language. However, they
then selves Know what the celebration means and
Is intended fOf, and they being the principal par
ties concerned, no Others have the right to com
plain.
The first thing which strikes the visitor on ente,
Ing the v,stbue of their sanctuary II a most AN,
etcnt and fish like smell, and il he Cpfoaches ttr
altar he will discover that the breath of the gods
smells strangely Of stale salmon. Evidently tbe!r
drink IL not nectar neither is il possible tha, their
victuai II ambrssia. Tue first object Of Chinese
alteration that meets the eyeis hir aud hI afini,s
god, standing eight leet in his stock
ngs, and fiOurishing cigar in his left hand like
Montgomery street swell. The attitude of this
Idol is not very graceful, while hts legs, widely
spread apart, and the air with which he braces
back against the wall, suggest that he il under
the influence of the rosy. Altogether he has
conviviai hook about him highly cheerfuto behold
and the effect j. heightened by tk0 horns with
scItate0 tuss>e spft9nt &dAt ~D4n betalH0 his
ears. His belly Is modelled Hike a bass drum. Lut
80 Aiceiy adjusted not to seriously
the even tenor of his whole contour.
Passing on and ascending a narrow and fisi,v
staircase, We find balcony, gay with flags and
lanterns, and illuminated with scrolls written in
sinuous characters, probably pregnant with the
wisdom ot tine immortal Kung- flu -tse, whom the
i.atlns named C"nfucims. We may very well CON
clnde tina. the books which lie Open-but shut so
far as our understanding is c"ncerned-before us
the Solide Deca,Io and the CopcortiiI F.ysae,a
of their peculiar church Here the sound of a,isic
is loud-reckleSs disciples play crashing anvil chn
rilSes upon immense g"ngs, while miider- hammered
musicians keep up rattling accompaniment on
kettle drums. blended with a symphony of shriil
notes from the lips of cracked iifrs. The gods
stand it marveliousIy well, however and so does
the temple, though much less noise brought
Down the walls OF Jericho.
: In the temple the gods and worshippcrs are so
aeAplefous that one calls them longer John, but
Io&GD. You stumble over little god on th. floor
or pTeciptate your head into the stomach of a bin
one braced against the altar. The big ones nun
ber two, and face each other In Cog and Maaog
style. IN height they are Anaks, each standing Il
good eight feet above the level of the floor, without
counting In slight wrinkle in the back (which would
give them = few inches more were it ironrd out
Each has one foot perched on a s,ipposiiio,is rock
while the other rests on paper ger-they seem 10
have been tuckins against tbs tigeI all the night
through. One holds golden apple In his hand
piucked from no one knows what HespeIides; the
other grasp.a golden wreath. They spanglad
bogus baruns. chronic lasst,ide rests on their
features, probably ocr;,sioned by having been up
all night. Before them Is spread either a late
breakfast or an early lunch, hut they seem ia no
hurry tO attack 1t. Undoubtedly they feel safe in
the assurance that 10 one else will eat il. Ranged
around the wall in convenient little sentry boxes
stand fudsy little gods, with splay feet These be
the common 'SJoascs" of the concern. One Of
them is habileI like 4 Christian martyr, and has
the doOrOns look Oi one condemned to be burned.
The apprehension seems not entirely groundless,
Should they burn on, the spectacle would proba-
bly, be furnished of baked tomato.
The worshippers in the pur!eus Of the temple
are not very devout. They loaf around and take
all sorts of liberties with their gods, TO the
occasional smouching of Il tom cod from their
breakfast table. There dOwagers with head
dresses which tower up in criGigerOus Dabcls, and
da.sisels with eyes more clam shell than almond
shell shaped. There are male Chinnmen having
the look of ChimpaHZees aud Others dandified
enough in appearance to stand ms lay figures la
motley ONE, aud well worth seeing; bur curious
visitors should be vaccinated before entering Ili.
SynagDguas. and carry smelling salts with them
Were there time in this connection 10 indulge
In speculation and Ii fisction concerning this cuIi-
nC people, who have moved their Temples and
gods into our midst and sat down among us, but of
whom we really know little, there were ample
food for il. How long will they maintain tlleir
dnlatrons worship ih the ;uil blaze of the light
which Christian community sheds /? Or is II un
fair To call them id0!aters when these images
which they make unto themselves ;ee not made
Gin The shape of anything in the heavens above in
The earth beneath, or in the waters under the
earth ~ VIII ever aa ic.,nociast come along aud
m uu Ii;Psp ,trilitr fl vino hi0hpr