Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1883-11-28
THE WORLD OF DARKNESS ;.
Rudimenrary Forms of All ReIigions-
Propitiation OF tho Dead-Dien-Aveng-
inc Sntrita

Rudimenrary Forms Of All ReIgions-
Precipitation OF tho eDead-Dien-Aveng-
ing spirits.
The rudimentary form of all religion,
Mr.. Herbert Spencer tells us, says the
Saturday Review, is the Precipitation of
dead ancestors. 1t is well known that
the worship of the dead is the principal
religion of Gina, and that the other
religious systems, having long vainly
struggled against it, have finally given
in, and are fain to serve as adjuncts to
the faith which is followed by all classes.
At certain seasons the Precipitation of
the dead forms the occasion of a great
public festival, subscriptions toward
which are made by every member of
the community, from the richest TO the
poorest, each according to his capacity.
Each family is expected to look after
its own dead, and there is no slackness
of piety in this respect, for the founda
ton of the worship is terror. Rich and
poor, all of them live in perpetual fear,
not only OF their own ancestors, but Of
other peoples. A dead Chinaman
passes from tho world of light of the
middle kingdom 10 tho word of dark.
darkness, everything is the same as in
the world of light. There is an en-
peror, and there are mandarins, with
the regulation buttons, deep-thinking
hterati, and the prescribed annual ex-
aminations, Yamens, policemen, and
chuckle- headed soldiers who cannot
pass the examinations. This would be
all very well if the spirits had the
counterpart of the possessions they
owned upon earth. This, however they
have not. They are entirely dependent
for all their comforts upon their de.
scendants in the world of light. If the
we'll being of the spirits is not looked
after they come up to the world of light
to avenge themselves. This vengeance
they naturally carry out upon their
own relatives first of all; but they are
by no means particular if they come
across anybody else on the way. There
is naturally n certain number who are
neglected by impious descendants, as
we'll as others whose families are ex-
tinct. These, together with all who
are drowned at sea, or die in battle or
foreign lands, and whose bones there
fore cannot be deposited in the family
resting place, constitute perpetual
source of peril to the entire community.
Hence the public subscription festivals,
the chief of which, Ch'ing-ming. falls
about the beginning of April. Sacri-
fees are then made all over China for
the benefit of those whose burial places
are not krown, or, il known, have no.
body to sacrifice to them. The hope is
by this means TO provide for and APP
pease the lost, whose irritation might
otherwise endanger the peace of the
whole country. The dead are, OF
course, invisible, except to those who
by sustained fasting have approached
To the condition of the more luckless
among the spirits, or, moved by evil
consciences, have seen the ghosts which
come to warn them of their backsliding
and niggardliness. To supply invisible
beings the offerings themselves must
be made invisible. otherwise they might
share tho fate of the sacrifices on the
Buddhist affairs, which are eaten by
the crows and pariah dogs. Every
thing, therefore, is burned. When a
man dies his best suit of clothes is forth
with burned, to insure his making a
respectable appearance down below.