Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-03-11
CHINESE LUCK STICKS.
CURIOUS SUGGESTIONS OF Al
MOND EYED "JoHN."

Shaking a Bundle Of Odd Little Sticks to
Tell What the Future Contains--A Pro-
lessor who Explains and Gets u Rap at
Christians by His Comparisons.
"Chinaman, him no flaidee; him gottee no
spookee."
That was the authoritative statement made
by Sheriff" Tom Lee, the wary old leader Of
the Mott street Celestials.
Tom Lee had been asked about the nryste-
rious demons of the elements to whom every
orthodox Chinaman offers daily propitistory
sacrifices
The sheriff himself shortly after daylight
the other morning wended his way to the
joss house at No IS Mott street and made
numerous offerings, and then shook the "luck
sticks"
That isn't what the Celestials call them,
but that is the meaning. There are 100 Of
them, about the size of lead pencils, tapering
10 blunt point at either end Each stick
has number on it. All are held in little
porcelain case.
PROVERBS on A STICK.
The hopeful Chinaman takes the case in
both hands and shakes it vigorously until one
OF the sticks drops out. This sometimes means
parspiration stand on the shaven forehead of
the son OF Cathay before luck comes. And
ho don't look upon il as chance, either, but.as
the personal feeling of the gods toward him.
When the stick drops out he seizes it eagerly
and goes 70 the wall where hang great num-
Der of red rice paper circulars. Each bears q
number and a proverb from Confucius or
some other pic tail philosopher of the olden
days
The inscription on the paper bearing the
same number as the stick foretells the luck
socially, financially, etc, of the holder until
tho next anniversary of Pang 70 Wong.
Secretary Huio Kin, of the Presbyterian
Chinese mission, who, in addition TO a large
amount of native intelligence, holds hard
earned college diploma, told a reporter many
curious superstitions of the common people
In China, most OF which their Mott street
brethren retain.
"Chinamen," he said, ''soe the work of a
good or evil spirit in almost every occur
renee. They also believe that these innumer-
able gods, mysterious and otherwise, can bs
influenced or propitisted by various sacrifices
or offerings.
They burn prayer papers and joss sticks
and food almost every day. and scatter rice
and do various other things as foolish as
JNo4 PooIAVf "uO ALl NV S&llJ III Tie Nnon
they upset the cellar, to avoid quarrel"
The reporter had TO admit the similarity.
and HUE Kin, having scored one point, con-
tinued:
"Chinamen believe that one god rule, the
thunder and different 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
ono offers sacrifice. If the thunder is very
heavy, they say that do thundor god is very
cross
1T Is very funny, isn't it; he continued;
almost as funny rs the idea OF some Of your
farmers, who plant their peas and potatoes
and kill their pigs in the right time of the
moon"
The secretary had scored another good
natured point, but he wasn't through.
TOM LEE Is pISSEErER
He stated that the Chinese calendar is full
Of unlucky days, and every Chinaman about
to make a journey, or commence any busi-
ness undertaking, or get married, consults his
almanac about the day, and ii it is ruled by a
bad god no changes his date
ut ia very much like the belief in unlucky
Friday OF your people" said the bland secre-
tary, except there it Is general and no one
hides bis belief in It.
ncn man Is SICK, ne continued, 1T Is
because some bad spirit has control Of him,
or else he has offended the greater gods. So
they dose him with stuff TO drive out the bad
spirit and sacrifice chickens and rice and
other things to the good, and II the man has q
pretty good constitution he may live through
1t, and that is more than he does sometimes
with your doctors"
Again MIR. HUE Kin's almond ewes twin
klsd with merriment at his point, and then
he said:
1.-THE Cinnamon in this city nearly all re-
tain these superstitions. Even when they
embrace Christianity the old, fearful super
stitious feeling remains, and involuntarily
some time they will perform some propitia-
tory act"
Mr.. HUE Kin said that the Chinese are the
most superstitious people in the world, az
they must naturally be, believing, as they do,
that each one Of their 1900 gods take per-
sonnl interest in each individual Chinanaan,
and rewards or Furnishes him according 70 bis
own varying mood or whim.
But Sheriff Tom Lee wouldn't admit this.
"Pooh!' he said. Lots Chinaman no fiaid.
Him gottee no spookee New Y ork Journal.