The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-08-11


you see the main building, with its windows
looking in upon the court. But little in
ducement to look out at the window. The
windows themselves are curiosity. There
are no large glass in them, but great many
spaces, about two inches square; each Of
these has the inner part of sea shells, in
stead of glass. This admits light; but the
window must be opened if you wish to look
out. 1t is true, some of the wealthy are
now using foreign glass in their shops and
houses. Let us now, leave this place, or
some boy or grown men and women will be
sure to call us "Yang kuei tee" Foreign
devils" But many mean nothing by it,
only that he is foreigner. 1t is about the
only name many children know for a for
eigner. Just after leaving this large house,
we come to an open lot, where they are build
ing. This lot has on it pieces of walls, but
no chimneys, as they have but few such
things: 1t is part of the old city, which
was mostly burned several years ago, during
war. On the ground, you see broken
bricks, tiles, and plates and cups, etc. Men
are digging this up and filling little baskets.
Watch them; they carry it where strange
kind of wall is being built. Here we see
some men with two planks about one and a
half feet apart. Between these they pour
this dirt and rocks, and then pound it in;
then they raise the planks higher, and do
the same thing again. After the wall is up,
they plaster with mud with straw in it, and
then whitewash. Here we see what the
nice whitewashed walls are made of. They
are putting roof on another house close
by. What, putting on the roof when they
have no walls, only few posts set up, and
the framework on these eight or ten poles
Yes. We are in China, and here they often
put on the roof and then build up walls by
the pillars. Look how the roof is made !;
they have tiles. These you may never have
seen. They are burnt mud, dark brown,
and look ike a straight stone jar broken in
the middle from top to bottom. They lay
down two rows of these close together, with
the hollow side up, and then put one row
over the edges of these two, with its hollow
side down. Again passing on, see small
frame. house, with its ends made of matted
work of bamboo We can see all they are
doing inside, for the door is open, and it has
one front room. Here they are eating; or
it may be little too late for breakfast, and
they are at work. The women are sewing
Chinese shoes or making mock money for
the idols. They are cutting little slips of
pasteboard, on which they paste thin pa
per, which looks like silver. They then
make it in to different shapes, like their sycee
silver The next house is that of tailor.
This has all the front open, "What! the
whole front open?" Yes, in this warm eli
mate, they need all the air and light these
little rooms can get, for they have no win,
dows. The boards are taken down in the
morning, and set, it may be, on frame
across the narrow street. Here they keep
the sun out of the house, and late in the
evening they are again set up in their place,
closing up the house. Inside the house
hangs cage with a bird; in the door stands
an ugly Chinese dog, ever ready to bark at
foreigners; back of him is a straw affair,
which looks very much like an old fashion
churn. Just over the top of this hangs the
arms of little Chinaman, too small to take
care of himself. He is placed in this snug
little affair, where he will neither hurt him
self nor trouble his mother. He is amusing
himself, perhaps, by looking at the ugly
faced pig lying in the sun by the door. But
there is large picture at the back of the
room of one or two very ugly persons. We
can't laugh at this. "Why?" Because it
is the "Kitchen God of this family. He
is supposed to preside over the kitchen and
food of the family. They also regard him
rather as a spy on the household, who goes
back at the end of the year to report in
heaven about this family. So they make
him a feast on the 23d of their twelfth
month, lin February,) and, if they are rich,
again the next day. If they make two
feasts, one is of meats, the other of vegeta-
bles. They hope to bride him to overlook
the evil deeds of the family. Such, my
friends, are the gods of this people. Now,
can you pray for them and for those who
come to preach to them?
Our walk for this time is ended We may
take another hereafter. But l want to ask
you one question. VIII you hereafter walk
with me on the golden streets of the New
Jerusalem? You know no one can enter
that city unless he loves Jesus. Then, while
you give your little offerings that the Chi
nese children may be saved, remember, I'M
less you love Jesus, they may enter and you
yourself be shut out.-The Missionary
Undue Excitement.