Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-04-13
CHINESE EARTH SPIRITS.
Some of the SuperstitiOus FOllies of the Rulers
of the Sacred Empire.
'-s~ London


Mr.. Little has strong opinions not fav-
ora5le to the current ideas of the wealth,
strength and prowess of China and her
value as an ally, and considers that these
are only remotely potential. He thinks
the Chinese possess "a much less highly
developed organization than do the eau
casian races finds their religion consists
IN "propitiating evil Spirits" end that
they ''can hardly appreciate the Christian
ideal" On the other hand, they have
'many virtues" and although the social
system is undermined throughout by spec
ulation and deceit, from the armies
which only exist in the commander-in-
chiefs wardrobe and the public granar:es
containing only chaff, down to the presents
not intended for acceptance and the proc
lamati 0ns never meant to be observed"
so that the empire is a sham, yet still he
is forced to admit, on reflection and in
fairness, that such is the persistent indus
try OF the Chinese that with highly gift
ed rulers to guide and rule them, they may
yet be a great people"
As Illustrations of their readiness to
obey the points 10 the edict of Kubiai
Kahn, which directed that the cemeteries
should be plowed up, an edict Obeyed, and
only revoked two centuries ago, and to the
ing robes and imposed the pigtRil. The
first Emperor of the present dynasty or
dered the tribes of Yunan, ION pain of
death, to learn Pekingese," and was obey
ed. Mr.. Little thinks that had we, when
masters of Pokip, had the courage to
usurp the dragon throne, and haG we is
sued an edict prohibiting thenceforth the
mutilation of children's feet, the COM
mand would have been obeyed sullenly,
perhaps, at first, but afterwards thank
fully" That, undoubtedly, would have
been an immense social reform, liberat-
ing from torture and physical deformity
the women of China.
How fer these strong views are sound
the experts must Judge; but it must be
terribly difficult to effect radical changes
in a people so saturated with the belief in
earth spirits that they oppose mining en-
terprses, and at the cost of 10000 built
''tO face and counteract the pyramidal
hill on the opposite side of the river, to
the evil influence of which is due the i'll
success of the Ichang candidates at the
triennial examinations" That is only
one specimen of the traces of earth wOr-
ship which abound. A Mr.. Tung purchas-
ed and desired to quarry hill near
Chung king, but he was obliged to deslst
because the officials found that the falling
in of trade was ''clearly due to the wound
ing of the ground pulse" So they met in
the "cultivate virtue hail." honestly paid
com pensation, but obtained a proclama
ton whereby it is forbidden to quarry
stone, to burn kilns, or to open ditch,
that the ground-puIse may be cherished
and handed down (intact) to all ages. So
ended the quarrying, but the rule is not
without exceptions, for some easy plot in
the vast Szechuen coal field arc worked
with profit, and were the steamers to make
their appearances the temptation to trade
in coal would probably prove stronger
than the superstitious belief in the
ground pulse and the earth dragon.