, 1874-06-14
2:,1;ef in the Inevitable p---Charms
Against Wicked Spirits.
T.: :: iioney-sword "-..7he " Hundred
Families Lock s---The Ward
ing-0if-Eyil Coin."
:,.-.:sny Words, Ornaments, Etc.
"E2Dg Shut ''---Tl1o
Dragon.


;. Ger ],:s bcen. more given to superstition
,. t.:o Chinese; they are, in fact, Intensely nu
(. .s,:;ous in almost every conceivable waY, an'
), y very rare indeed to find even an u1lyidua
80 is wholly free from the talnt-
APATur Is 70 FLEE.
Like many other people, the great mass Of th
-;,i.:c.o are firm believers in the s. inevitable,
1.! cne very disastrous consequence Of this i
,~:r reckless carelessness with regard to fire
IL; let of crackers on the slightest proyocatio.
i taeir streets, temples. or houEca, and Otter
:uo, in u,at-sAeds; they are constantly burning
mock or paper money" in honor of deceased
relatives, &C., under similar conditions; and &c
:sl.cre you wlll-into q temple, shop, Of
4 private dwelling-you are almost sure to find
:,uouldering sticks Of incense Foreigners call
LIEN joss-sticks) lying about. Under these cir
c1c.s:auces, and considering that nearly all their
buildings arc. to great extent, constructed OF
tho most inf1nmmable materials, it is not very
surprising that, in climate where everything is
as dry as tinder during great portion Of the
year, their auperstitious apathy, is often the
cause of fearful confasrationB. We have ocr-
selves Witnessed moro than one, which VIC shall
never forget, ut Pekin, Hankow, and elsewhere,
and when inquiry came to bo nado into tho
matter, the fire was most invariably traced to
one of the above causes, or to man
having knocked out bis pipe on some mat
ting When FIRE does break out,
their behavior is equally extraordinary and apa-
thotic, and OF this we remember sonlewhnt
amusing, but at the sanle time an extremely ex-
aspe1ating instance. On the night of the 18th
OF December, 1861, o rather serious fire occurred
III 9 portion of the British Legation at Pekin,
uc establishment which covered eome acres of
ground, and which at that time was for the most
psr1, Of purely Chinese construction. On the
alarm spreading, the night patrol of ihe native
police arrived III charge of officer, aud 1t will
perhaps hardly be credited that their coul:'e of
action was TO wave tiny tags, beat gongs, and
oven produce fans, for whnt purpose we never
could make out, as the thermometer then mark
cd about ten degrees below zero (Falrenhelt)!
On this occasion the Chinese also brought
to our assistance what they are pleased to con-
slider ire-cngines (tley call them thullung, or
water drasoas), and Nc think that en- English
fl e-bricado would have been rather astoniEned
at their performance, for they would not have
been Of much use watering largo garden,
and, Lad it not been for the timely aid OF the
Ccssacks and other foreigners residing in Pc
kin. the Legation would have suffered more Sc
vereiy than WIS actually the case. The incident
We lave here alluded to is By no means an isola-
ted one, and VIC rccollect Witnessing equally
iulc,ous exhibitions at HanEoW Oh the occasion
OF onae e1tensiTe con1sgratious there in 1868
and 1854.
CHAR.1s AGAINST WICKED SPIRITS.
T.:c CtliHesa stand in much cWe OF EVIL spirits
AID ,:ilropt;ous Influences, aud consequently
K: ea- believers in the efficacy OF charms, and
pay constant attention to oneus.
AS ra!e, whatever il Red is thought to act az
q ta'lsmau; SO If mau, when reading the CHI
ncse Classics, marks the stops with red ink. he
is thought to adopt the surest means OF ward
ing off evil from, hitasen. For q similar reason