Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-01-29

example, A-sze or A-woo, that is, Num-
Der Four or Number Five.
On the third day after its birth the
nurse washes the child for the first time,
before the family image of the goddess
Mother" who is currently believed to
watch over all children till they reach
their 10th year, and at the same time a
thank-offering of meats, cakes, fruit,
wine, flowers, etc., is placed before her,
in recognition of her aid In the character
of Lucinda. AS is always the case with
such like obligations in China, they are
afterward consumed by the family.
The important ceremony of binding
the wrists is now obs srved, and the
practice in this matter differs consider
ably. A common plan is to tie piece
OF red cotton loosely around the wrists !;
another is to fasten some ancient copper
coins on the wrists for several days by
means of red cotton. In some families
this is not finally removed from the in
fant's wrists for several months, though
it is more usual to it take off after four
teen days. The idea is that this bind
ing of the wrists together viii prevent
the baby from being wicked and DISC
bedient, not only in childhood, but also
in after life. In allusion to this singu-
lar custom, when children are trouble
some or naughty, they are asked if their
mothers neglected to bind their wrists.
When the baby is month old the
head is shaved for the first time, and In
the case of boy this ceremony is per-
formed before the Ancestral Tablet. A
E. = Il 30 n, fI,<, lott
and intimate friends are invited, and it
is customary for them to bring presents
of toys, food, money, ETC., they also fire.
quently club together and send the IN
FAINT silver plate, on which they in
scribe three characters, meaning
longevity, honor and happiness. Short
ly after this, the parents make their
acknowledgements to their various
friends for their congratulations and for
the presents which they have sent this
is commonly done by sending a small
present of cakes in return. At subse-
auent entertainment, which sometimes
takes place when the child is four
months old, the "happg father" it is
said, shows down before the goddess
(Mother), and begs that the child may
be good-natured and easy to take care
of, that it may grow fat, that it may
sleep well at night, and that it may not
be given to crying, etc. From this we
may naturally infer that the habits of
Chinese babies are much the same as
those of our own, and that distracted
parents in China, as elsewhere, know
what it is to have wakeful nights and
squalling babies.
The maternal grandmother, when a
boy is year old, sends him a present
of cap and pair of shoes, as well as
some other garments, ana on this occa-
sion another family feast is held to cele-
brate the birthday.
English mothers, whose children ara
backward in walking, will be amused at
the following piece of Chinese nursing
superstition at is the custom in
many families, when the child is just
beginning to walk alone, for a member
of the family to take large knife,
often such as is used in the kitchen to
cut up vegetables, and, approaching
him from behind as he is toddling
along, to put it between his legs, or hold
it a little way off him, with the edge
and then to bring it to the
ground, as in the act of cutting some
thing. This is called "cutting the
cords of his feet" and the motion is re-
peated two or three times. 1t is done
in order to facilitate his learning to
walk, and is supposed to be of great
use in keeping the child from stumbling
and falling down.
After the shaving of the head at the
end of the first month, it is a common
practice to allow patch of hair to
grow on the top, if the child be boy,
and ON both sides, if girl !: the hair is
braided into tight little queues, which
stick out, and give the children a very
comical look in their earlier years.
When girl, however, reaches woman
hood, she ceases to wear these queues,
which have latterly hung down her back
in glossy braids, and her hair is done
up on her head in a peculiar Chinese
style, which, we believe, varies but little
all over the Empire, and report says
though we cannot vouch for the accu-
racy of the story-that the singular
editice is very rarely taken to pieces,
and that the women use a very little
cane pillow to prevent the disarrange-
ment of their hair at night.
On the fifteenth day of the first moon
of the year, the birthday of the goddess
"Mother occurs, and married women
then repair to the temples, and worship
her, burning incense, and having crack
ers let off in her honor. OF this fact
we can speak from personal experience,
having lived for upwards of two years
within few yards of such temple,
and having been often nearly suffocated
with the smell and fumes of the burn
ing joss-sticks /; the fre-work part of
the performance, too, was always car
ried on conamore, as we know to our
cost. The din and clamor raised by the
crowds of women frequenting the small
temple of which we speak, on " Moth
er's" high festivals, will never fade
from our memory, for they were truly
awful, and could hardly be said to SAVIOR
much of real devotion
When boy goes to school for the
first time, he is expected to take with
him two small candles, some incense
sticks and mock-money, all of which are
burned in honor of Confucius before q