American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-01-09
Chinese Worship in Sacramento.

THERE are no Sundays with the
Chinese. The temples devoted TO their
deities and worship are open all hours,
and he who desires II blessing, or to make
sacrifice, is not confined to any set time
or season for approaching the-to him
divine presence. When one is about to
engage in a business enterprise, or is
sick, or desires information, such as Joss
alone is able to give, recourse is had to
the Temple, or Joss-house. Worship, for
the sake of worship and for the love of
it, or from a sense of devotion or adOra-
ton, does not constitute the chief part,
if any part, of their devotion, by any
means. The Chinese are intensely prac-
tical-in their intentions if not in the
plan by which they put them in practice
and hence the wisdom of their Great
Spirlt-Joss is invoked often to assist
the devotee in gaining the almighty dol
lar; and, in general, in the practical af-
fairs in life. Form, and not spirit, dis
tinguishes the Chinese worship, and their
religion is the religion of blind chance
like their gambling.
The Chinese temples are elegant and
costly as compared to their abodes, but.
compared to any "Melican" mans
standard, they are cheap and filthy af
fairs. In our tour of observation we in
spected the two temples in which the
Chinese of Sacramento worship their
strange gods. 1t must be remembered,
| however, that every house has it's special
guardian deity, before whose shrine
taper and incense are ever burning The
one first visited is built over the slough,
in the midst of lot of wash-houses, re-
minding a person of the quotation about
the proximity of cleanliness and godli-
ness. The building is rude wooden
structure, and contains, as the temple
| proper, q single room about fifteen feet
by twenty. The outer door stood invit-
ingly open, but facing it was q wooden
screen, very suggestive of similar ar
rangement seen in many of the temples
of Bacchus. The screen has an inscrip-
| ton, to which we gave the free transla-
ton, walk in" In the left corner
stands frame some six feet in height,
| supporting q quaint Chinese bell, the
use of which is to summon, not the wor-
shipper to the presence of the god, but to
call the attention of the latter to his duty.
And lest perchance the god be such a
great way off or is SO sound asleep that
| the bell does not bring him to time, an
odd looking drum, which is placed above
the bell, is also beaten. The right-hand
corner of the room is occupied by case,
somewhat resembling a writing desk
| and book case combined, in which sits a
| deity of aldermanic form and benign
countenance, before whom burns a pot
| of incense.
The principal object of attraction is
| the altar, occupying, with its parapher-
| MALTA, the further end of the room and
| opposite TO the entrance. Four deities
grace the altar-three of them lords of
creation, if they may be spoken of as
mere men-and the fourth representa-
| tive of the softer sex. The images are
about two feet in height, are wood,
clothed in paint and parti -colored dra-
perry, have boards Except the represent
| alive of the beardless sex) and have
cOuntenances suggestive of bon otcants,
which are lighted up by pot of incense
burning before them. The costume of
the idol at the right is blue, and his left
hand holds red ball and his right a
purse. The parsonage next in order is
"a-wearing of the green" and sports a
military looking belt about his person
The female comes next, and is dressed
| like woman" but her skirts do not
| conceal the fact that she sits in a posture
which in a man would be described as
cross-legged. About yard in front of
the idols is what may be called the front
altar, or altar-rail, on which stand
tapers, candlesticks and rude, dusty and
| shapeless bouquets of artificial flowers;
and next to this is common deal table,
covered with gaudy oilclOth, for the re-
ception of offerings of fruit, roast pig,
anu WAdICNCI ClSC may OC uSCd W LII
cline the gods to bestow blessing, or
forgive a sin, or tell John" how he can
make q dollar. Upon the walls of the
room are few Chinese inscriptions, and
overhead there is some ornamental work
resembling the colored paper often put
up in barber shops for flies to rOOst upon.
The Chinese consult some one or more of
their deities in every affair of life, from
the commission of murder to the pur-
chase of coat.
The abode of Joss, the chief of the
Chinese gods, is near the slough. 1t is a
Dolly Warden of u building viewing it
from the outside. 1t is more pretentiOus
and is heater and more wholesome in ap-
pearance than the temple devoted to the
lesser gods and goddesses. 1t is located
on an island in the slough Its entrance
is through a latticed portico, in which
hangs q spiral piece of punk, burning
and emitting fragrant odor. About
the door leading to the main room, the
Holy of Holes, are Chinese inscrip-
tons, of which we are unable to give the
meaning, but were told they were invi-
tations to enter, pray and be good. En-
tering we find ourselves in a room about
fourteen by twenty feet. -Four large
lanterns are suspended from the ceiling
overhead, which probably serve to throw
light on occasions that are to be made
more than ordinarily brilliant. The
walls are papered, and in places adorned
with inscriptions. The same general
characteristics in arrangements that are
found in the lesser temple are seen also
in the Joss-house. Here, however, there
are five idols OF images, Joss having
two upon either hand. They are much
the same as those before described,
and the great Joss himself is not
distinguished by any noteworthy
marks 1t may be remarked, however,
that he has no beard, while most of the
Chinese gods wear a full beard. Upon
the wall above and partly behind the
image are specimens of Chinese fancy
work, resembling on their outer surface
paper wall-pockets, such as are found in
the abodes of e Mclean" women. A gen
| tlemanly Chinaman who came in, and
who was inclined to instruct us in Celes-
tial things, gave these articles the name
of Fab Hong. A looking
| weapon made of wood, resembling
somewhat a blade, stands point
| upward near the altar, as though guard
ing the sacred personages behind it. Up
! on the front altar are fine candle-sticks
of massive block tin, while the
table for offerings contained a
fruit offering in the shape of a
pyramid of oranges with tomato
on the apex, some bouquets, several
I