Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1889-11-16
SURFING THE DEAD.


Human Corpses.
India, though a swarming hive OF
people, did not impress me as "coun.
try OF cemeteries" "a did Turkey and
Persia. This Is. OF course. owing TO
the Hindoo custom OF cremation and
the fact that the burying races form
but small proportion OF the popula-
ton. But as soon as China was
reached the silent cities OF the dead
came again to the fore with greater
prominence than ever. One stands on
the walls Of Canton, near the five-sto-
ried pagoda. and sees the hills to the
north all covered with graves. IL Is
the same near any Chinese city. The
living occupy the city and the level
ground. the dead the hills. No corpse
Is allowed TO be buried within the
walls OF Chinese city, and without.
the vast cemeteries cover the hills,
with no fence or other limitation about
them. The Chinese family which can
afford II, builds horseshoe grave. '
or bricked vault on the hillside. with
the end built up In the horseshoe
form. Poorer people stick their dead
| In shallow graves, on viii n a small
tablet Of wood or stone is put In
some districts Of Quapg-tung. near the
head-waters OF the Pe-Kiang river. tn,
cemeteries consist of big jars set In
inches OF the rocky cliffs OF the Mae
ling mountains. As you pass along
the foot trails you see the steep rock
above. thickly studded with those bis
earthen jars. in each Of which is ,
human body In sitting position.
In the rich alluvial plains. where nj
uneultivated hills are available TO
burying the dead. graveyard resem
bles very much IA white ant village Il
Africa The graves are sugar loa
mounds. thiekly clustered together
While John Chinaman pays great re
spect TO the dead, he takes care tina
they do not appropriate much groun
that is OF value To the living. Tn
cemetery of a Chinese village anon
the rich rice fields covers very it'll
ground In proportion TO the number {
graves. II seemed TO me that bodie
must have been placed one on top (
, another. or stood upright. so thic
, were the tapering mounds. The Oh
, nese graveyard Is, on the whole. les
disreputable looking place than III
: Turkish or Persian yet the horseshc
1 vaults are sometimes seen in ven
y dilapidated condition. When passin
4 through them have frequently pecpe
. in and seen the crumbling coffin au
a the skeleton.
v In some parts OF China one seems
be travelling through cemeteries mo
i. of the time. Particularly is this II
a case in thickly-populated district
! where the topography is undulatir
!, plain. The ridges. where the soil
= thin, are then the cemeteries, M
!. re'egated the alignment OF Il
N public roads there. too. rath
a than through the fields. In such
! district the traveller Is In the compar
OF the dead all day long Among son
a OF the aborigines Of China their Gem
terry is bamboo grove. The dea
swathed in mating, are dashed in
" upright position to the stems. He
they remain until the ravages of tim
, birds. insects and the elements ha
: reduced them TO skeletons. when 4
!. bores are washed in hot water a
" buried. These people tie up the ms
= bodies in one grave and the female
another.
= The Japanese In the matter OF cen
teries, rs in 80 many other things. u
!, more in consonance with our ide
! than any other Asiatics. The cemcte
!. Is usually inclosed in a neat wall
: fence, and. like the houses and garde
y and every thing else in that COUNT
:. :. IL often work Of art The gray
= are miniature flower-beds. and one $,
there marvellous stunted tre
:. trimmed into fanciful shapes. qua
- bits OF rock. shells and other ado
= mcnts. From the Sea OF Marmora
the Gulf of Pichili. all across bro
- Asia, the Western eye Is offended
= the bald ohtrusiveness of the milliC
y that have gone before. but
Japanese have learned. like us,
= cover them up with flowers and fer
u them inn y. Post.
-