Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-01-17

(showing the final extinction of the
the individual that weuld not clear
the track of the procession Instru-
mental music--drums, gongs, castan-
cts. .ambourines, etc.
a small furnace, carried by ham
de 10 burn powdered sandalwood
incenses, to neutralize the the lower.
stratum of disagreeable odors.)
A small furnace carried on a tray.
ITO bnrn powdered sandalwood in.
cense to neutralize the upper stratum
of disagreeable odors.
| A Sum shade.
Music.
The Shadowy Pavilion Contains
. drawing of the deceased.
A Sun-shade.
The Spirit Pavilion. CONTAINS
tablet OF the deceased
Music. (Flfes, fiuter, fiageolets dc. J
Two or four pairs of paper figures.
Three ere supposed to represent
servants formerly inIthe employ of the
deceased-each carries some article
connected with his service, as a book,
or dish. These are made OF founda-
ton of stiff reeds, and when expen-
sive are clad in real silk and satin,
and are to be burned at the graves.
These must not be COMPOUNDED with
the Shadowy Funeral Procession,
which is generally in advance of the
real one, and is exclusively composed
OF images and objects, designed to be
and exact duplicate of the real. This
part OF the procession alone, compris-
ing animals of different kinds, paper
carts with real drivers, dc, g., may
cost several hundred dallars. The
whole is to be burned at the grave,
according to the familiar Chinese
theory, that the deceased will be
benefitted.) saa
The sons of the deceased, and male
relatives and friende, all on foot.
The Banner to conduct the spirit.
"A Pennant with character for
Merih. Representing the aggregate
virtues of the deceased.)
A Pennant with character lori
glnally that for evil was used) repre-
senting the faults Of the deceased.
The Catafalque containing the cot.
fin. In China no matter how great
the man, he never occupies so much
space as when in his coffin, and his
vast coffin is never so much in the
way as at the funeral. The Cata-
falque is not a simple bier, but is Of
ten so profusely ornamented as to re-
semble small temple.
The largest of the red lacquered
poles by which it is carried are some>
times foot in diameter, and resem-
BILE the masts of junk. The smallest
number of bearers is sixteen, but of
ten twenty-four, thirty-two, forty
eight up to sixty-four. The weight
OF the carrying poles alone is inn
mense. So large force of men en-
gagged IN executing task so difficult,
involving entire co operation, strug.
Cling not only with their burdens but
against numberless distractions, rem
der inevitable a perpetual tumult,
| quite homogeneous with occidental
ideas of funerals.
! The female relatives of the de-
ceased in white sedans, occupied in
wailing, and followed by female
friends also in sedan chairs.
IT Buddhist priests, Buddhist nuns,
Iauist priests or Lamas have been
hired to grace the procession, it is by
80 much the larger (and more expen-
sive) and there are SO many more
persons to obstruct travel.
In addition, however, to all this
cavalcade, it is customary for friends
to provide the Offering for the road ,
which is truly one of the most orien-
tai OF performances. At certain
point on the route of the procession,
tables are set in the middle of the
street, food is prepared and placed
upon them, a chair is set at the head
for the spirit of the deceased, and GER
tain ceremonies are observed, with a
view to assisting his peaceful journey.
If the deceased have many friends the
operation may be repeated several
times. On occasion of great funerals
a mat-shed is built entirely over the
street, with a view apparently to
make this public ceremony more pri-
vate. The practice of suspending the
largest thoroughfares, that a dead
man may attend picnic, could with
difficulty be introduced into other
countries than China.
The funeral procession in all its
magnitude and longitude is by no
means content with adopting the
nearest route to the cemetery, but
the reverse. In the first place it
must On no account enter a city, nor
emerge from its north gate, since this
would do violence to the eight dia-
| grams. The usual route selected is
that through the most hot and bust
ling streets since thus only can the
public be most impressed with the
amount of expense incurred and at
the same time be most Inconvenience
in its ordinary traffic.
| On occasion of the funeral of high
officials, it is said that the Emperor
sometimes kindly contributes gold
en- spade and jade pick.axe Chat is, a
wooden spade and pick.axe wrapped
up IN yellow clothl. The symbolical
significance of these weapons, for
such they are, is supposed to be au-
thorization of the most vigorous mea-
sures toward securing a clear passage
for the deceased to his grave, by the
leveling of all inequalities along the
road with the spade, and the demoli-
ton of all obstructive buildings with
the pick-axe. These tokens Of imper.
ial favour are triumphantly carried at
the head of the column, a warning, as
it were for all mountains and edifices
to open way. In practice, however
it is generally found more satisfactory
to fix upon line of march, in which
an unobstructed passage may be had
without quarrylng.
When the population of China is
taken into account, it would appear
that if this description of funerals is
20, Io svI I'LL Al