Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-06-05

Picking Correspondents of the New York sun.
THE TOMB OF THE coNFucIus.
Having spent comfortable night in q very
fair inn In Chu Flu, we were I'D betimes, we
rode at once TO the cemetery where the re-
mains of Confucius repose. II Is connected
with the city by an avenue of noble but sadly
neglected yew and cypress trees. Standing on
the roadside, with no other trees near them,
the northern winds have full sweep at them,
and have wrenched and torn them till not one
IL LETT with Its proper natural shape. Curiously
enough, too, the broken trunks and limbs have
not been cut of in any instance. but are left
standing, to decay and dishgure tres which
might otherwise appear to great advantage.
Unless they are looked after better than they
have been so far, II will be but few years till
the avenue falls into complete ruin. On the
way we passed under or through q beautiful
marble pai-ou spanding the road, and q short
distance beyond entered the outer gate, which
is connected with the inner gate of the ceme-
terry by continuation of the avenue, and with
high brick wall Oh either side The gates are
covered 10y the usual pavillions, aud tie ceme
terry Itself Is enclosed by brick wall sur
mounting an earthern embankment The
area enclosed Is from forty to ifty acres, thickiy
planted with Chinese forest trees, "where
neaVes the tur' In many moulderng heap"
This cemetery is strictly reserved for the
family, and contains the graves of unnum-
bered descendants OF the Coniucian class. The
grave OF COnucius Is within a separate en-
closure, the entrance to which is covered by a
large pavilion OF the usual type, where the
descendan ants of the sage come twice year to
offer sacrifices and worship him. A paved
road, which runs between low retaining
walls on each side, leads 10 the tomb. which Is
u sinpie mound of earth about twenty feet
high, overgrown 10y bushes and forest trees en-
closing an Oak from which We obtained plat
OF acorns for propagation in America. stone
tablet nearly AS high as the mound, a stone
table, and an urn or incense burner stand in
front OF il. II is fianked by the burial mounds
OF the mother, sou ana grandson, OF Coniuclus
and the whole enclosure is heaped into mounds
covering the remains OF the successive heads of
his family. West OIL the sase's tomb is "A small
paNliiion erected 10 the memory of lie kung
= faVurite disciple, on the spot where he Is said
TO nave mourned for six years, watching the
TOMB OF his dearly beloved master. There Is
no special beauty in the landscape. as IL is left
In an entirely uncultivated state; the ground
looks broken, but this arises from the great
mum Der oil MOUNDS rather tnan from any na =
ural fluctuations. There is large ditch rum
ming through the southern part vi the enclo,-
ure, which is generally dry, but carries water
In the rainy season. IL is spanned by marble
bridge ol rather picturesque design. We spent
the whole morning in the grounds taxing pho-
tOgraphS vi the tomb, pay iliion aud the carVe ed
stone hSures on either side of the avenue in
| front oil it, These H. ures are preceded ny u
pair OF STONE pillars oi octagonal section after
Which come u pair vi leopards, next pair of
fabulous animals, and lastly two heroic statues,
supposed ~ represent the ministers OF stale
VINO attend upon the disting uished dead. On
our Wy out We took pnotOg paplis OF the bridge
ana oi the lai-.Ou beyond the enclosure.
During our visit Ia the tomo, AS well as to the
erence with which Wang Fuyeh, our drago-
mon, worsnlped befure the various tablels Of
Coniucius and bis most Ialnou, disciples. AS
he caine TO each and read the Inscription, he
prostrate'i II .nseii ON hands aud knees, face
downna ard, and murinurinS prayer, knocked
his head against the ground or noor with
serious air, showing That he WAS sincere in what
he Was dong.
THE SACRED MOUNTAIN.
Having seen all the cufiositles and points of
interest in and about Chu-Fu, we leit the same
qff-. a..
northward, for the purpose OF visiting the
sacred mountain OF Chlna Our route at first
lay through the plains, but always in sight OF
t..e hills, wnicn OH tile ri lat were continuous
tut Oh The ieIt slUod out IN Isolated knobs
peaks. Reaching the Guy at about eight
O'clock. We had some d,iliculty i'll nuding u
settled down at the 'Lien-Suens-ten, which
we found TO be the best one We nad seen in All
China. SUPPER and beds soon followed and
maue us entirely comfortable.
AldviI. completed all our arrangements, We
m. dc an early start the eNt morning january
~ Climb the sacred mountain. Eacu uIeIn-
Der Oi our party WAS PROVIDED with a CHAIR
lasneu nriuiy to Il nluuUarroW, which was borne
by two coo.es VINO travel abreast over all the
steep Places, both going up ana coming down.
AS e chair faces tne h.tndie of the barrow, LAe
passenger GA course nlakes the uip sideways,
anu this rs by no nIeans com ,ortaGle Or
Ing at the start, especially II the r Il ierlence
Is liz coming down, as IL was ". IA us.
Tue cha,rnen carry most Oh the weight by
means oi straps attached To the handles vi the
barrow ana passing over t.lelr Shoulders, and,
a, they are \eIy sure .ooied anu asiie, aI,er che
has become used to the motion il is peasant
and eXIiiar.ttinS.
The muuiItsiin is known as sTaishan," or
'Great Mount, and is the highest peak of
range trenuinS generally east West. 1t
Uses Sharply from the plain OR broad valley, at
Tue edge III which stands The city vi 1ai-.,iI-iu,
and Is celebrated ior historical and religious
associations. IG j., mentioned in the Classics as
a Sluctilled spot over 100 years IL. L. IL is
visited by thousands uf ueNotees OF AL ages and
both sexes yearly, and Is Il truly .aIion.I place
Of .wUrslib, GA Inc lOp or sides Of which every
sect has its tenn ples
Ine ro.u upa gorge with but few wind
irs Or turninss. and is We'll paved with blocks
Oh unuieSSeu granite and pOi puyry. IL is
broken inLo ALTERNATE reaches oI seuily ascend
ins iAInps and nIsnts OF granite steps, and Is
furnished with Stone lar.peI. ell. nteeu or
twenty inches his H. ON the oulside aud where
required Oh both sides. An avenue OF beauIi-
tul III, cypress, aud yew Trees shade, The pain
Tor the greater distance, and after that a lew
scattering pines are seen still higher up the
mountain side. None Of these trees are very
Odd, however, aud even the paved roads and
temples are OF modern construction. AT inst
the lights oI sLei are short and The ram Us
long, uut the path slsceuds the ramp, become
shorter and nIgnLs Steps ul,.uer and
higher, III they are almost continuous. Tue
rise Is nearly as great as the tread, and hence
Tie steps are Unusually steep ana nard To
clmU. The road wtiIcii Is from ,welve Iii teen
feet wldc anu crosses from SIDE OF the gorge
u the other several times, is exceedingly
picturesque. 1t IS carried along tue lace of
ciass, WiiICh are frequently Oh great Leis ul aud
beauty, and are eVeIyw indeiIuly marked
with piOuS revelenilai Inscriptions In Chinese
characters. temples, suriues, and pai-ous oc-
cur, at frequent Intervals, anu Tie view OF the
pam below is mol only extensive and beauli-
iui, buL can he caug ut from a.InoSt every POINT.
So that the ASCENDING pilgrim or devOLee how
ever great may be Ills fatigue, or however ire
Quentiy he may lie compelled to halt for breath
can always refresh himself with tie coutenlpla.
ton ol scenery which vi itseli amply repays nim
Tor his tOii.
The distance from the city to the top of the
gorye aud the eud vi the steps is about
three miles possibly four, and took our best
spot a pavilion standing a brick foundation
through which the PAIN runs by an archwav
leading into the court OF temple, the eIeNa-
ton OF which was found 10 he 1000 Ieet above
sea level by one oil Queens best aneloid baroin-
eters. From the temple to the sum nit of the
mountain there Is road winding to the right
along the edge of a elm, and this road is also
lined with snrlnes anu temples, built into Tie
lace oi the mountain. lie tOpnOst peak is
called Yu-wang-snang-tO, ana Is crowned by d
small stone pavilion and tablet, said to have
been erected by kien-Lung, from which The
whole horizon can Ue swept 10y simply turning
on ones own ground. lie view is remark-
able LOT its breadth aud beauty, taking in as il
does, mountain tops, valleys, plains, and rivers
spread out below IN Almost endless succession
to be 5, 100 ieet. A snort distance away As
another eMinence rising from the same noun
tain mass, but not SO high by about twenty
feet. II Is crowned 10y large tempe parity in
ruins, which covers 1t entirely anu is pictur-
esque in the extreme. WespenL three hours
examining the temples and taking pnoto-
graphs Oi the most beautiful views including