Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-05-02

are small pieces of board twelve inches
long bv three inches wide, on which,
when the head of a family dies, bis
name is inscribed and fixed IN frame.
The tablets are kept in the house only
of the Oldest son, and Worshiped
every day by prostrations, ,genufectiens
and offerings Of food, drink, incense
and candles until the third or fifth gen.
GRAFTON, after which the spirit of the
deceased pass into the bodies of birds,
beasts and reptiles, when the tablets
are either buried or burned Compar-
atively few families In San Francisco,
however, have ancestral tablets, for the
reason that the Oldest son alone is en-
titled to erect and possess them, and
he mast be permanently settled IN
order to hold them. Mock money and
mock clothing are burned before the
tablets and forwarded to the spirits,
when, by the potency of q charm, as
already stated, the mock articles become
real ones, and the inpecunious and
naked spirits are thus furnished with
money and clothing. The great care
thus taken of the spirits necessarily in
wolves the strictest attention to cere-
OOOooAOAo
death, mourning and burial When
the breath leaves the body of the head
of family, the Oldest son, kneeling
down, amid the weeping and lamenta-
tions of relatives, presents food and
wine to the deceased, together with In
eense and lighted candles. Turning
the Bridge Ladder is the next cere-
mony. The Bridge Ladder is a bam-
boo pole fixed loosely in socket, to
which pole are attached lighted lamps,
the structure presenting the appear
auce of Schapdelier. This contrivanee
enables the spirit Just departed to cross
rivers and climb mountains and over
come obstacles which to q spirit travel
ing in the dark through an unexplored
country would be otherwise impassable.
After this, food and wine are presented
to the spirit to refresh it on its weary
journey. Though provided for in this
considerate manner, the spirit will
nevertheless need little money in his
pocket for current expenses and for
conciliating evil spirits which beset his
way; and hence mock money is burned
and forwarded to him from time to
time. If the deceased has been used to
servants, these and an umbrella, all
made of pastebosrd, are forwarded in
like manner. The relatives sleep by
the coffin until it is removed, present
the spirit with food twice a day and
bring him warm water every morning
to wash his face. The coffin is kept
without burial for sometimes three
years, but here for three days only.
Some short time after death the mourn
ers sit by the coffin and tell the ten
Kings of hell what has been dOnefor the
comfort of the departed spirit. On the
seventh day the relatives go into mourn
ing and remain so for year, except the
oldest son, who has to mourn in sack
cloth for three years, and during that
time is not allowed to marry. After
this information has been transmitted
to the ten Kings, the relatives propi-
tiate the seven Kings with offerings Of
wine and vegetables, else these seven
divinities would seize and maltreat the
unoffending spirit on his journey. The
ceremony of "Ceasing to Offer Rice"
is performed on the forty-ninth day
after death, consisting of various of
ferings of food and drink, and some
small cooking utensils and mock fuel,
by which the spirit is informed that he
must in future do his own cooking and
supply all his own wants. When at
last the coffin is taken for burial, one
or two men nearly in front Of the pro-
cession scatter mock money along the
street. The bits of paper which we
see at all their funerals are mock
money, and they are scattered about to
purchase the right of way from spirits
that infest the road and would make
trouble if their dues were not paid
them. While the coffin is being low
cred in the grave incense is urned
and food and wine or tea is offe ed the
spirits. 1t is not generally known
that q Chinaman has three souls, yet
so it is. When he dies away from
home and his remains are being borne
back, his relatives, carrying with them
white cock, or the image of one,
meet the cortege, when one of the
three souls enters the fowl and is thus
decoyed back to his family home. A
white cock, being therefore spiritual
bird, is never killed for the table, but
is permitted to die a natural death
San Francisco ChTOnicLe,