The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1878-06-19

I IL required TO Keep candles and incense
burning constantly, day and night, on the
alter, aud the friends and nurses must
make frequent prostrations before the
goddess The performances are contin-
ucd until they conclude the favor Of the
"lioly Mother has been won, without
whose aid the disease will not develop
! properly. While the sickness lasts, no
irrevcrcnt or angry word is uttered ty
one OF the household And the nurse is
/ expected to perform frequent ahutions in
behalf Of the patient. Uf;his was done
more, fancy there would be less dis
ease among the people, II these process
ses do not bring ont the pox. physician
/ Is called as the last resort, who adminis~
/ ters dose of vermicelli, Kind OF bread
made of wheat paste ami an article of
/ food. ltthis fails, then q dose Of mush>
| rooms is the last resort II worship of
I paper image and bread aud mushrooms
/ fail. the patient must tide; in which event
the matter is acquiesced in, as being the
/ will of heaven.
Alter recovering, the priest is again
called to escort the goddess out of the
house. For this paper boat is male Of
certain shape and color-gaudy colors-
| The idol is removed from its throne, and
! put into the cabin of the boat. The lat
ter is placed upon the shoulders of four
men, who carry it in state through the
streets, to the dscordant jargon of Chi
nese band. consisting of pipes horns,
/ gongs, drums, flies, &c. 4 man bearing
incense cerscrs, the priest all the while
chanting from their sacred books. The
family of the patient in holiday costume
| To get an idea Of the music of the band,
inst go to 6arn'yarl full of geese. chick,
ems and hungry pigs, with a frog pond
near by; and the sound is Just as rhyth.
mical and no more confused This Is
| given effect by the occasional discharge
| of blnnderbus or gun. The process
sion comes to halt at II proper place for
disratchmg the boat and divine (?) pas
senser to the spirit land, which is done
10y burning them Paper money, imita-
ton gold and silver. is burned as the paw
TO the goddess and more substantial NOM
ey is paid the priest for his fee, when
all hands repair to temple to worship
the bronze or clay idol of the proper
deity. when the matter is ended.
One need not moralize upon many
points of analogy between thee proceed,
lngs and those OF more enlightened peo>
pie in time ofsickness The evolution Of
ideas can easily transpose the heathen's
idea that he is verbally in the hands of
a god, when he has the small box TO
the christian idea. who thinks it an es-
pecially appropriate occasion for PASTOR
al counsel and priestly benedictons.
when sickness less serious than the small
pox is in the family. The only difference
seems to be, that the one has an idea of
a God of so many and various attributes
that he can both love and chastise. while
the other combining each God to a special
work, as a mechanic requires many Gods
to account for the various phenomena OF
nature. Hence polytheism, and the mind
being fully superstiti0us and altogether
ignorant Of the forces or plans of nature.
raalil, ooIuiraa H. I.ii.f IL Il. -. 1
rule every event of life or death. These |
people. just like christians, attribute TO |
deity what ever is secret from their |
knowledge, and as knowledge they have
not; not bird falls but that the Gods |
decreed it, 10 such an extent IS this be- |
lief carried, that ifa mans wife was TO
fall out of canoe and was drowning. in
an arms length Of the man, he would not
rescue her, because the God of the water
seeks her life ard if he interierred he
would incur his displeasure. and hence
lose his own life. China's orthodoxy is
extremely calvanislic, not AN event but
hat is lecrced, hence the poor heggar ac>
,epts his lot with an air of satisfaction,
that the more enlightened know not Of |
see yon have noticed the famine in your
ssle of March 9th. No pen can depict
he horrors of the case, hundreds OF
thousands of people diving Of starvation.
md their unburitd bodies are food for
starving dogs. No rain tor three years,
he very bark OF the trees have been eat>
IA, children aud wives have been sold for
bread, and no buyers or bread to buy.
cannabalism is practiced ! have seen
'etugees from that region, and they re-
mind me Ofthe starved swine by the road /
tide in August. Human beings starved !
o death 10y the car loads, and vet in a ,
and OF plenty; but no means of convey t
Ince. 1t is as if Maine was in a famine :
md relief had to he taken from Texas in Il
and on the backs of don> !;
icys, AID the whole roate beset by
hievcs, with no highways. but only winds
ng mountainous ioot-paths China has
10 postal system, messages ere sent in
by the hands of footL.en. SO h
on can readily see how an inland famine II
Tould effect the people before relief could e
ONE Many thousands OF dollars has 81
cen dispatched 10y foreigners and the ma ~
We government, but is as drop in a OF
ucket An area larger than any three =;
tates in the union, is doomed to depop ri
'ation, as surely rs was Sodom doomed
} the fire, and, h. a death far more
rrible than suffocstion with sulphur
asses. At Tientsin, hospital for reu-
'es was constructed OF bamboo, AMI COW
ed with straw, and for bedding the floor N
as filled with rice straw, and about h,
900 women and children was shut IN g
is place, packed as close as pigs in ga "a
aughter pen. The only gate to this was