The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1889-05-25
CHINESE LUCK STICKS.
CURIOUS sUPERsTlTloNs OF AL
MoND EYED "JoHN"

Shaking Bundle of Odd Little Sticks to
Tell What tho Future Contains-A Pro-
fessor Who Explains and Gets u Rap Mt
Christians by His Comparisons.
"Chinaman, him no flaidee; him gottee no
spookee."
That was tho authoritative statement mado
by SHERIFF Tom Lee, tho wary old leader of
tho Mott street Cclestials.
Tom Leo had been asked about tho myste-
rious demons of tho elements to whom every
orthodox Chinaman offers daily proptiatory
sacrifices
Tho sheriff himself shortly after daylight
tho other morning wcndcd his way to tho
JOSS house at No. IL Mott street and made
numerous offerings, and then shook tho "lucls
sticks"
That isn't what the CclcStials call them,
but that is tho meaning There nro 100 of
them, about tho size of lead pencils, tapcring
to Il blunt point at either end. Each stick
has Il number on it. All arc held in little
porcelain case.
PROVERBS ON STICK.
Tho hopeful Chinaman takes tho case iu
both hands and shakes it vigorously until ono
of the sticks drops out This sometimes means
shake of four or five minutes and beads of
rerspiration stand on tho shavcn forehead of
the son of Cathay before luck comes And
he don t look upon it Us chance, either, but us
the personal feeling Of tho gods toward him
When the stick t3ops out he scizes it eagerly
and goes to the wall where hang Il great mum
bcr of rcd rico paper circulars Each bears n
number and u proverb from Confucius or
<.,:l
days.
The inscription on tho paper bearing tho
same number as tho stick foretclls tho luck
socially, financially, etc, of the holder until
the next anniversary of Pang 70 Wong
Secretary Iluic Kin, of tho Presbyterian
Chinese mission, who, in addition to a largo
amount of native intelligence, holds hard
earned college diploma, told Il reporter many
| in China. most Of which their Mott street
brethren retain
| "Chinamcn," ho said, ''sco tho work of n
good or evil spirit in almost every occur
renee They also believe that these innumcr-
able gods, mysterious and otherwise can DO
influenced or proptiated by various sacrifices
or offerings
"They burn prayer papers and joss sticks
and food almost every day, and scatter rico
ant, do various other things as foolish us
your people, who throw salt in the fire when
they upset tho cellar to avoid n quarrel"
The reporter had to admit tho similarity,
and fluie Kin, having scored ono point, con
| tnucd:
"Chinamcn believe that ono god rules tho
thunder and n Indifferent god takes it in charge
each year Their almanac shows which god
is on duty in the thunder department, and at
the first thunder storm of the season every
one offers Il sacrifice. If tho thunder is very
heavy, they say that tho thunder god is very
| cross.
ut is very funny, isn't it," he continued
almost as funny as tho idea of some of your
farmers, who plant their peas and potatoes
and kill their pigs in the right time of tlo
moon"
Tho secretary had scored another good
naturch point, but ho wasn't through.
TOM LEE is DIssENTER
Io stated that tho Chinese calendar is full
of unlucEy days, and every Chinaman about
to mako Il journey, or commence any bust
ness undertaking, or get married, consults his
almanac about the day, and if it is ruled by a
bad god he changes his date.
"lt is very much like tho belief in unlucky
Friday of your people," said the bland score
tary, except there it is general and no ono
hides his belief in it.
when {. man is sick" ho continued, "it is
because somo bad spirit has control of him,
or else lie has offended the greater gods So
they dose him with stuff to drive out the had
spirit and sacrifice chickens and rico and
other things to tho good and if the man has I,
pretty good constitution ho may live through
it, and that is moro than he does sometimes
with your doctors"
Again MIR. Huic kin's almond eyes twin
kled with merrimcnt Mt his point, and then
hc said:
Tho Cinnamon in this city nearly all re-
tain these supcrstitions Even when they
embrace Christianity tho old, fearful super
stitious feeling remains, and involuntarily
some timo they will perform somo propitia-
tory act"
Mr. lIuo Kin said that tho Chinese arc tho
most slpcrsttious people i'll tho world, us
they must naturally be, believing, as they do,
that cacll ono Of their 5000 gods tako u per-
sonal interest in each individual Chinaman,
and rewards or Furnishes him according to his
own varying mood or whim.
But Sheriff Tom Lee wouldn't admit this
"Pooh!' hc said. Lots Chinaman no faid
Him gottee no spookcc. New York Journal