Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-11-14

Carleton, IN hll last fcttcr 10 tnt
Boston Journal, gives the following
graphic sketch Of the Chinese temples ia
Canton: .ti.|. UL ft
Il would take US long time 10 visit all
the idol temples, or I" joss houses, az
they are called. The werd joss" is
not a Chinese word, but corruption OF
the Latin word Deus-frst used by the
Portuguese; the Chinese would not un-
derstand US were we 10 use the term. A
look into one or two Of the temples will
be sufficient for our curiosity. Every city
in China has one, which 10 called the
City Temple, dedicated to the god Of the
city, and these ore more resorted to than
those Of any other god.
Going up into the heart of the town,
we find the temple on one Of the princi-
pal streets. There is such crowd in
front Of il that we can hardly get along !;
not worshipers, but here at the entrance
gamblers, fortune.tellers by the score,
quack doctors, hucksters Of all sorts.
Near by q man is keeping up tremen-
dous racket on big drum and calling
upon the crowd to come and see tiger
aud other curiosities which he has on ex-
hibition. On both sides Of the wide pas-
sage are rooms containing plaster images
which tell the story of the future, as the
Bhuddists understand 1.-THE torments Of
the wicked. One man is being ground
up in a grist-mill. The devils are turn
ing the stone, and the victim has been
put in head foremost; You see only his
legs and feet sticking out Of the hole in
the stone. These people believe in the
transmigration of souls-ihat is, that the
wicked will live in the future in the shape
of oxen, asses, monkeys, snakes, and all
sorts of animals, and here is the repre-
sentation of the changes. A boy is
changing to dog; one man had just
begun to take on the head Of an OK;
another has become an ass-nothing very
strange in that, perhaps you will say.
We see no women or girls taking the
form of donkeys or other shapes, for
they believe that women have no souls
There is enough about this temple to
keep us staring by the hour-great gilt
idols, fifteen feet high; long, crimson
streamers hanging from the roof hum
dreds of small gilt images-the goddess
of flowers with her thirty muses.; room
after room hung with flags and banners,
covered with strange devices; rooms
where the story tsllers are sitting with
listening crowds arousd them.
There is woman worshipping before
the idol; throwing upon the ground two
pieces of wood, which are fat on one
side and round on the other-they are
luck blocks; if one fat surface and one
round surface is the result of the throw,
the day will be lucky. She tries them
three times-they are against her. She
rises, lights paper, touches off bundle
of fire-crsckers, and her worship is DONE
So many fre-crackers are let of through
out the city, as acts of worship, that it is
like Fourth ofJuly all the time.
We're there time we might have long
talk about the temple of the Five Genii,
also the Eve storied pagods, the temple
of the Five Hundred Code; also we might
talk of the flower gardens, where the
shrubs are trained in the form of goats.
horses, dragons, and great many other
shapes We might ramble through these
narrow streets for week, and we should |
all the time come upon something new
and strange, which would call forth our
wonder, and perhaps make US laugh |