The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1873-11-19
Guusehp1d aFuras.
From the Missionary.
Letter from Mr.. DuBOse to the Sabbath
School Children.
PRAYING FOR RAIN.

SHANGHAI, CHINA, Aug. %, 1913.
Dear Children: Who was the old prophet
that prayed that it might not rain, and it
rained not for the space of three years and
six months? He prayed again, and now sit
down and tell al that happened on that day |
In all this portion of middle China, there
has been long drought this summer. Rice
is here raised in great quantity, and the peo-
pie live on rice almost entirely. They do
not say eat breakfast, or eat dinner"
but call it eating rice" The poor farmers
have seen the ground growing hard, and
their rice al dying, and they have been very
sad. They generally pump up water from
the canals TO water their fields, but in many
places the canals have dried up.
Now, what are they to do? They pray
to heaven. Their ideas of true God and
Of heaven have become so mixed up, that
they themselves do not know exactly what
IL is. If you ask them why they pray, they
say 10 Is their custom, and their ancestors
used to DO it. o would you not like to
teach them Of that God who "sendeth rain
from heaven p
The Chinese do good many things when
praying for rain. They have funny idea
about dragon who, as they think, rules
over the rain. My teacher this morning
was telling me about the dragon in the sea,
and how he blOwed and spouted up the water.
told him that was a whale, and l had seen
them when coming to China. A Chinaman
often points you to the clouds, and tells you
look at the dragon, when it is only what you
children call the "snow banks" having a
fancy shape. To obtain favor, they some
times make an image Of the dragon king,
out Of bamboo frame covered with paper,
parade the streets with boys shouting, men
beating gOngs, and other nonsense. At
another time they will take an idol from the
temple, as the goddess Of mercy, and form a
procession, having many little boys, dressed
in fancy eolors, one representing thunder,
another lightning, ETC. In these, however,
only few Of the people engage.
Here in Shanghai, week ago, before it
rained, they placed several "kongs," or large
earthenvars jars, holding two or three bar
rsls Of water each, in a clear place, so that
with open mouths they may pray for rain.
IL is said that sometimes seven frogs are put
in each kong, and are beaten with little
sticks, and then it is obliged to rain. AT
another place they viii take tigers bone,
and throw it into hole, where they say the
dragon lives, and the tiger and dragon will
fight, and they viii have rain. Oh, children,
I don't know one in hundred of these
heather notions and suppose, were l to
stay here thirty years, I would not know
half You viii have to come yourselves, and
see, and hear, and give them the gospel,
which kills all superstition. Are you not
glad you we're not born where every day you
would be worried and frightened by ten
thousand foolish tales?
In severe drought the Emperor some
times makes proclamation, in which he con-
fesses his sins. During this last drought, all
the high officials, as the Governor Of the
city and the magistrates, would walk bare
headed to the temples and sit for hours under
the burning sun to get the favor of heaven.
The people we're not allowed to kill animals
or to eat meat, so they had to live on vege-
tables God might ask them, if this was a
fast be had chosen 1t is pleasant, as the
Bible says, to see the heather feeling after
God, if haply they might find him. 1t is too
dark; they need light. Can't you come
with a lamp? "Thy word is a lamp unto
my feet and light unto my path.
Your elder Brother in China,
HAMPDEN G. DUBOsE.