American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-07-04

| tions or aspects Before a house is built
or II burialplace selected, it is ncces
sary to consult certain professors
| of the occult science. who. at the
price of adequate fees, proceed with
much solemnity to examine the situation
| After frequently perambulating and eX
| aiming the ground and even deferring
their decision for months they will fix
| on some particular place. If, after all
| the expense and trouble of consulting
| the cheats who profess the art, ill-fortunc
| rather than good should attend the par
| ties, this is, of course, attributed to any
| thing except the inefficiency of the foong
shuey. This term may in general be
construed by the word luck, and it has
been supposed that in country like
China, where nearly all long journeys
are performed by water, good wind and
water or in other words good luck in a
journey, has by degrees come to signify
good luck in every circumstance and
condition of life" We are inclined 40
think that Sir John Davis, writing as he
did at a time when the manners and Gus
toms of the Empire were not SO well
understood by foreigners as they are
now, does not lay sufficient stress on the
importance which the Chinese attach to
their doctrine of Feng shut, for it is I'M
doubleday IA very serious stumbling
block in the way of the progress of Eu-
rOpean civilization in the country. When
the Chinese have no other argument left
to urge against an innovation they take
their stand on the Feng shut, and it
would seem as if no amount of reason
ing were sufficient to remove the obstacle,
which to Il civilized mind appears moth
ing more than ridiculous superstition.
In conclusion, we would say few
words respecting the dragon Lung)
which holds a striking position in the af
fections of this superstitiOus people
With them g it is frequently represented
as the greatest bcnefactOr of mankind;
and it is the dragon which causes the
clouds to form and the rain to fall" The
true dragon. with five claws on each of
its four feet, is appropriated to the En-
peror, as the emblem of imperial power.
Its likeness is embroidered on his robes
of state, and his throne is called the
dragons seat. (The Empress is repre-
sented by the phGniX-Feng) DIR. S.
Wells Williams, in his Middle Kingdom"
observes with some qaintness: The old
dragon, it might be almost said, has
cOiled himself round the Emperor of
China, one of the greatest uphOlders of
his power in the world, and con-
trived to get himself worshiped through
him by one-third of the human
race" The true dragon is represented
us HdNlnS ITO ears anu WIFI TWO
horns on its forehead, through which it
is supposed to hear, and its body is said
to be covered with scales. The fable
runs that it never reveals its entire form
to mortal man, always partially shrOud
ing itself in clouds. According to some,
water-spouts are caused by the move
ment of the dragon; and in times of
drought supplications are made to it, as
a kind of rain god or rain king, by the
Emperor and the people of China.
The Chinese often make use of an in
ferior sort of dragon in pictures, devices,
etc; and at the holiday festival of the
new year Z" a cloth image of the dragon"
we are told, is exhibited at theatcrs in
the night time, and paraded in the pub
lie streets, being moved and worked by
men. 1t is represented as pursuing a
large pearl or ball, which is carried
little in advance of it, the whole being
sport, and is called playing with a
dragon lantern. '"-AN tie Year Round.