The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-12-01
IDOL WORSHIP IN CHINA.


CANTON. CHINA, September Z, 1889.
Dear Evangelist /; TO know the power
Of tropical sun you must occasionally
feel its rays. and to know the power Of
idolatrous wortbip you must live where
people worship idols. After nearly nine
years smong this wonderful people
never turn away from a temple with
Of indignation. To see rational, i'm
mortal creatures bowling profoundly
before senseless blocks of wood ought
to raise IN reflective minds feelings
somewhat similar to the apostle e
when he stood before the altar to the
unknown God. We sometimes hear
of the heather at home. This is a
misnomer. and is not applicable in the
sepse intended. A heather not only
does not worship the true God, but
he worships false God. Idolatry
is one Of the greatest curses that ever
fettered any land. If every mem
Der of the Presbyterian Church could
have witnessed the worshippers in
the Shing Wong temple on the
23d of the seventh month, lin this
city, the contributions to foreign
funds next year would reach mil.
lions. Not that our Church does moi
know that people worship idols, but
they DO not realize the power and ex-
tent of one of the mightiest agencies of
the ruler Of darkness. On the evening
of the 23d of las month. scores Of
women went to the temple, and spent
the night on the floor. Many of them
came from long distance, and some,
no doubt, footsore and very tired. They
came to worship the idol Kan Fa, in
the belief that the worship of this par
ticular wooden image would call forth
the idols provocative power, and bring
them numerous offspring.
The temple was SO crowded the wor-
shippers could with difficulty approach
the altar. Six rows of round plated
mats on the tiled floor accommodated
the eager crowd. The large iron censor
blazed with burning paper, and the
odor of many incense sticks filled the
temple. Now we have only to watch
the worshippers' actions few mo-
ments, and the cause of Indignation
and sadness will be apparent. In the
first place, they are absolutely de-
ceived, for the supposed excel
lency of idol worship is pure delu-
sion. II forty millions of people in
the United States should walk on
their hands and feet one mile each
day, in hope Of pleasing some divinity,
they would be no more under delusion
than are the fifty millions of families
in this Empire who every day worship
some gross material object. Sadness
spontaneously arises that people should
be under so paipabie and outrageous
delusion as the sincere worship of a
worm. eaten piece Of wood, or a mutt
lated stone image.
But more than this. Indignation a.
quickly arises when the mind begins 20
realize the enormous outlay OF time,
strength and money necessary 10 pro
pitiate the good graces supposed to be
resident in these lifeless caricatures OF
humanity. Time.is necessary to clear
grounds, carry brick and timber, build
temples, pagodas, and other useless
structures. Strength is necessary to
visit them after they are built. | have
often seen weak and aged persons
climbing over long and rough noun
tain paths in the direction Of some ia
nous temple, reaching their destina-
ton only after wearisome expenditures
of physical power. Contemplate the vast
sums Of money burned up and utterly
wasted. If every time man spent ten
cents on the worship of an idol he
should receive an equivalent in cloth
or nutritious food, al bough deIudeo
as to the ultimate end. the consequences
would lot be SO serious. But idolatry
is not only a sinful folly. buta lying
deception through and through. Take
a quiet place in any Of the great tenn
Piles on an idols birthday. Watch the
women and nen as they are engaged
in worship. A bamboo cup, containing
certain number of wooden slips. is
slowly shaken until one of these falls
out. This slip is taken to the seller of
idol paper near the altar, who supplies
a piece of paper having on il "a few
characters, usually of auspicious in
depreciation. The recipient of such
prospective happiness shows his graft
tude by purchasing a quantity OF
.'precious paper" at many times the
original cost, which is burned with re
peated prostrations before the deity
styled THE Great Merciful, Great
Compassionate
Now let us bear in mind that these
acts are repeated million times every
day from January TO January, and
from century to century, and that the
outcome of all this gigantic expendi'
ture of money, aggregating at low
estimate three hundred millions yearly
Is without single iota of good to those
investing their money. and is a great
sin in the sight OF Heaven, aud we shall
begin to have some conception Of the
magnitude OF idol worsbip, which de-
ceives the heart, defrauds the man
and disgraces the nation. From the
Emperor down to the lowest peasant
all are idolaters. The scholar worships
the god of literature, the soldier the
/ cod of war and the lower classes have