The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1883-01-25
STREAMS OF GOOD AND BAD LUCK.
How n Curious Belief EuterGereS with
BuiIdInR RniIrOt,is in china.

How n Curious Belief Euterrercs with
Building RailrORdS in China. I.
DIR. D. Bethune McCartee, who for
thirty-seven years was engaged in mis-
slonary work in China for the American
board of foreign missions, and is now in
the diplomatic service of that country,
has given some explanations in regard to
the attitude of the Chinese toward rail
ways.
''To understand the opposition Of the
Chinese to railroads" said DR.. McCartee,
you must know something about their
superstitions. In China, considerations
OF good and bad luck enter into every
transaction in life. In their conception,
luck ls sort OF material substance that
can have course like wind or stream.
For instance, house opposite to the
Junction OF street, with tho street in
which it stands, is an unlucky position.
The bad luck that may happen to flow
down the opposite street will run right
INTO the house. In such case o sign
will be put up to keep the bad luck away,
such rs:
"Tho stone Of the great mountain is hero.
'"This refers to tho sacred mountains
worshiped by the high dignitaries of the
empire. Only tho Emperor may wor
ship the heaven. Officers Of the highest
rank worship the sacred mountains, the
various powers of nature are worshiped
by the lower official grades, and tho
common people worship their parents
and ancestors. 1t isnot at all necessary
that piece Of the stone Of the sacred
mountain shall be there, for the Chinese
believe you can humbug the bad luck
by simply declaring that the stone ID
there. Sometimes they put up bar
rier to keep off stream of bad luck. In
front of every mnndarin's Office there is
a large wall called pih-ho Chang, which
means tho wall keeping off calamity
sometimes measures are taken to divest
stream of bad luck. I know Of n house
where n road came opposite the back
door and then came around the house.
1t 80 happened that several cases of i'll
ness occurred in tho house, and it was
concluded that tho trouble arose from
stream Of ill-luck pouring down the
road into tho back door. So they closed
tho door md made the road zig gag, so
Us TO diminish the force of the stream.
'Good luck is supposed to flow in the
same manner as bad luck. If O. mans
ancestors are buried in good place, q
stream OF good luck flows down the fam
ny; II In bad place, then stream Of
bad luck dcscends. SO careful are
Chinese in such matters that they will
keep q corpse unburied for several years
rather than take any risk. They make
| thoir collins very thick, and put packages
OF quicklime in among the wrappings of
the bodies SO that they do not become
offensive. have many time slept in q
room that had such q coffin in it. You
must not think that these things arc
merely the superstitions of the ignorant
| Dlvlnatlon Is a recognized science in
China. The board Of astronomers of the
empire fix the lucky days for marriage
house building, or travel, and these are
published in the official almanacs. And
then there are innumerable Fungshwuj
doctors, whose business is to decide
questions of luck. Fungshwui means
literally wind and water, but the idea
Is best represented i'll the English by the
word luck. The direction of luck streams
are always considered in building, and
hence 1t is that pagodas are always found
at the junction Of rivers, the forks of
roads, or the intersections of valleys.
"Now, you can imagine how much
trouble railway building would cause in
China; what innumerable streams of
bad luck it would divert upon poor peo-
pie who had carefully put their houses
out Of reach Of such influences. The
Chinese do not have cemeteries. and
tombs are scattered in every direction
through the country. Nowhere could n
railroad be laid down without desecrat-
ing the tombs and lacerating the feelin gs
OF the people. When an English COM
Pnny built n railroad from Shanghai ia
Woosung-only fourteen miles-peoplo
stood on tho track crying and beseeching
SO that it was sometimes necessary to
stop tho locomotive to put them of. The
company never would have obtained A
charter from tho Chinese authorities Ind
its intention been known. Their appi-
cation was for permission to build n
horse-road, which was granted. The
protests of the Chinese authorities were
d1sregarded, and the company, sustained
by Sir Francis Wade, the British nm
bassador at Pekin, carried things with n
high hand. There was no traffic for the
road. and finally the company sold it to
the Chinese government for a good sum,
The railroad was then taken up."