The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-04-01

v
{ mems Official residences), go through I
:, regular set ceremonial on these occasions
They call in the aid of Taoist priests
and an incense vase and pair Of larg'
candlesticks, containing red candles TO
luck, are placed on the table in the hua
ting, or audience hall, but sometimes il
the court in front of it. When the
eclipse is beginning the red candles are
lighted, and the official enters, dressed il
his robes of state. He takes some lighteC
incense sticks in both hands, and bows
low in front of the table, waving the
sncense about according to custom be-
, fore placing 1t IN the vase. He next
proceeds to perform the ceremony Of
"kowtow" Qiterally knock-head), kneel
ing down thrice, and knocking his head
nine times on the ground. He then gets
up. and huge gongs and drums are beaten
to frighten the monster away and finally
the priests march around the table in sol
emn procession, repeating prescribed
formulas in sing-song tone, until the
termination of the eclipse.
The officials are, of course, always sup.
posed to be successful in their endeav-
ors to rescue the sun and moon from
their perilous position, and the ignorant
masses in China fully believe the happy
result is brought about by the ceremo-
nies just described. They have seen the
orb more or less obscured, or, as they
have it, swallowed up by some monstrous
beast, and after time returning to it's
former condition, and they are quite
satisfied that the deliverance has been
effected by their own exertions and those
of the officials. We have also heard that
on these momentous occasions some Of
the people beat in their own houses a
species of winnowing instrument made
of bamboo splints, in the hope that the
din they raise may aid in averting the
dire calamity from the sun or moon and
on the occurrence of an eclipse of the
latter sailors on board native junks al
ways beat gongs with very great hearth
ness and goodwill, and the noise they
thus make is sufficient to drive anyone
/
for moment affect to suppose that Chi
nese officials generally actually believe
in these absurd customs and hummer
les, though they are obliged to observe
them in obedience to the behests of their
imperial master and in Difference to the
superstitious feelings of the populace
for fully two centuries ago the Roman
Catholic priests, who were then in high
favor at the court of Pekin. taught them
the main principles of astronomy, how
to foretell eclipses, ETC.; and many we'll
educated Chinese are acquainted, through
the medium of translations, with some
of our best works on this and cognate
subjects.
In times gone by the errors and igno-
rance of the Chinese in regard to eclipses
have sometimes been made the pretext
for offering insane adulation to the EN-
peror. 1t is ON record that in the twelfth
moon of the seventh year of Chen Tsung,
of the Sung dynasty (about A. D. 996),
an eclipse of the sun, which the astron.
omers had predicted, did not take place,
and that the ministers congratulated His
Majesty, as if for his sake SO unlucky an
omen had been dispensed with.
If the Chinese view an eclipse with
fear, still more are they alarmed at the
advent of comet. According to their
shane and appearance" Sir John Davis
tells us in the Chinese, "comets are calico
by the Chinese broom stars, hairy stars
and tail stars, and they are said to point
the tail toward the region of whose ruin
they are the presage. The Chinese
affect to draw presages from the appear.
ance of comets, and here they bring into
play their foolish theory of the five col
ors. If the appearance be red, no particu.
lar consequences are to follow; if dark,
they expect the overthrow of regular
governments and the success of REBEL
ions," etc. The comet of last summer
caused considerable alarm among the ig.
norant, and was by them, in accordance
with their superstitious belief, con-
nected with the invasion of the island OF
Formosa by the Japanese. But during
the reign of Hsi Tsung, of the Tang dy.
nasty "a. D. 865 to 870), a dreadful phe.
nomenon appeared in the sky to bewildel
and terrify the superstitious Celestials
for two meteors shot across the heavens
with a motion repeatedly intersecting
each others track, the appearance OF
which was like threads interviewer; they
appeared of the size of large bowl, and
adds the native historian, "the circum.
stance was regarded as very extraordi
nary"
These little peculiarities and eccen.
tricities of the Chinese will doubtless
call up smile to the face of an Amer.
can reader in this latter half of the nine
teenth century; but they are not alone
in their superstitious absurdities, as wit
ness the following anecdotes, which ap
peared in the columns of London paper
in July, 1878. During storm which
lately ragged around that place (Clermont
in France) the lightning struck the
steeple of a chapel in neighboring com
mune, just as four persons were as
sembled therein to ring the bells in ordel
to drive away the terrible visitor" Again
!" It is on record that in 1852 the Bishop
OF Malta ordered the church bells to bt
rung to mitigate the fury of the gale!
Mindful of these and similar supersti
tious prachces prevalent among some
} classes in civilized countries, we mus
, look with a lenient eye on the follies o.
the Chinese, and hope that the day may
not be far distant when, through the ait
, Of the civillzing influences now at worl
, among them, they will be brought to be
hold in a more appreciative manner th'
wonders of the heavens. Ha,per's Bdzag
THE Sultan of Turkey employs in hi
palace 5000 servants of both sexes. HI
, pays and feeds 800 cooks, 300 gardeners
! 500 coachmen, and 600 more to do odd
: and ends about the house. To fee,
these people and their hangers-on 100
sheep and 2,OO0 fowls are killed ever,
) day, and 10000 francs for lights are 81
!: pended. No wonder they call him tn
7 sick man Of Europe.
II THE North Caroline Nss-6AsR IL edite.
'lby : "colopel."