Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1888-07-27
CHINESE supERsTirioNs.
rropitiating the Evil Spirits and the Great
Dragon of Canton River.


Dragon OF Canton River.
In the ruined sort of a courtyard be-
low amateur photography was attempt
ed,but not coolie could be made or
hired to stand up before the big camera
ON the tripod. Superstition is one of the
contradictions and inconsistencies of
Chinese character, and, sbrewd as they
are in cheating and bargaining, their
acumen and penetration fail utterly
when they come to spiritual affairs. A
Chinaman's prayers and offerings are
all to placate and appease the evil
spirits. his hard-headed logic working
out that the good spirits are bound
to look after and kindly help him, so
that the averting of the schemes of the
evil spirits is the real thing for him to
look out. He believes that photography
is an invention of the devil for stealing
away his spirit, and that when his i'm
age appears on the paper something of
his real bodily self has been taken
away. They have the greatest terror
of losing an arm or leg. or any part of
themselves, and dissection otter death
is the most awful thing foreigner can
threaten them with. With all their
terror of the devil and the machine
tons Of the evil spirits, they yet seem
to have poor opinion of the wits of these
internal ones, us they try to hoodwink
and deceive them by the most childish
and ludicrous devices. The reason of
always putting screen at the door
way is to prevent the devil from Jump
ing in, and the round doors and win
dows. that are emblems of the sun, are
supposed to keep back all spirits, none
being able to pass through one of these
magic circles. At the midwinter and
midsummer festivals all the supersti-
tons crop up. Dog meat, which is as
freely exposed in the markets as fish,
or long-necked ducks. and always with
the black tuft at the end of the tail
left on to prove its superior quality,
is eaten at these times to promote
health for the rest of the season. One
is sure TO partake of the qualities of
the animal whose flesh he eats, and as
cat and dog meat make them tireless,
brave and enduring rat meat is believed
to surely quicken the hearing and to
make the hair grow luxuriantly. This
theory is shared by all primitive and
uncivilized people, and the American
Indian has the same belief. At the
midsummer festival more noise is made
than at any other time of the year, as
the great dragon of the Canton river
has then to be propitiated. He once
dragged fisherman down to
watery depths and devoured him,
and his fiery eyes and phosphores-
cent body are often seen prowling
the river in search of another Juicy
fisherman. The boat population turn
pandemonium loose in June and fright
en- the dragon Sat of his appetite by
their gongs and tirecrackers, and tons
upon tons of boiled rice and gallons of
rice brandy are poured into the river
as substitute food. They have real,
actual fear of the great water dragon,
and they scored a point on the soothing
foreigners. who dread the horrible,
three-inch-long. coal black, hook
| clawed Canton cockroach far more,
when deadly cobra was found on
Shameen island. The cobra, or for
long time the "what is it," was known
to be on the island. but it lowered too
closely about the clubhouse and mani
tested itself too late at night for any
one to believe it more than the legiti-
mate dragon of bottled spirits. The
few night-owls who claimed to have
seen it cross their paths by moonlight.
or to have hfd it coil itself around their
ankles, were treated as people are
treated at home when they tell of the
sea-serpent The American Consul de-
termined to settle the question, after
he had felt its coil, when he was enter
ing the clubhouse early one evening.
In due course of time the intrepid
American caught his cobra, bottled it
and sent it to the Hong Kong museum,
and the Chinese shook their heads
wisely at the proof that the original old
dragon was sending its young after
offenders. Cor. 81. Louis Globe Demo-
| crat.