The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-09-14
A Light Unto the Heather.


wood, and will be commemorative of a
great undertaking by the Presbyterian
congregation of this place that of send
ing and maintaining missionary to
China. The Rev. William Breckinridge
White, formerly of Fairfield, who is Sc
lected to represent these good people in
Heathendom, hes been here several days
meeting his friends after last fond fare.
we'll to hia family.
Last night farewell service was held
in the Church, which was packed with
friends. 1t was truly solemn occasion.
Kind and encouraging words were
spoken by Profs. R. B. Wilson and j. R.
Blake in behalf of the Sunday school and
congregation respectively, causing moist
eyes and tender feelings. Mr.. White
publicly accepted the conditions Of the
compact and said that he felt proud of
the opportunity to undertake this glori-
GUS mission aided by congregation with
whom bond of affection has been estab.
lished. A notable feature was the en-
couragement offered him by Mr.. Tsoong,
a Chinese convert and Methodist preach
er.
The Rev. j. 81. Bell, who is finishing
course in English at Emory College,
Georgia, delivered lecture in tho Meth.
odist Church. yesterday on the cu"foms
of China. He said his name in the Chi
nese language was "Tsoong," the trans
lation of which is Bell. He said that
they were governed by the Emperor,
whose power is absolute. The produc'
tions are much the same as in this coun-
try. They live chiefly on rice, but have
something besides, such as chickens,
hogs, geese, ducks and beef, but they
don't like beef, as it lei bad smell.
"We don't eat rats" he Said. Some peo.
Pile have an idea that We eat rats. About
thirty years ago there Was one man who,
during war, cut up big rat and eat
him. [ never tasted one, so I can't tell
you how it tastes. We also have large
square tomatoes and long beans, such as
are not in this country. We don't Use
plates, but instead have bowls. We
make soup of everything, and little shal.
low plates would not hold enough. In.
stead of knives and forks, We have sticks,
chop sticks, round at one end and fat at
the other. He then showed how chop
sticks were uaed and told how man who
could not use chop sticks, asked for
knife and fork, and on not getting any
pulled out his pocket knife and used that.
As to dress, be said, the Chinese used
articles made of wool, silk, cotton and fur,
aud that they wore their vest outside of
the coat On their caps are buttons to
pull tLem off by, as they fit closely about
the head. The buttons also signi6ed
mourning, white buttons for relatives of
advanced age, blue for those of the wear
er's age, and red for no mourning at all.
The invariable custom is to keep the
sexes separated until marriage is ar
ranged by the parents. He then told 8
joke as to how q young man found out
where his 6ance lived, and frequently
passed the house in hopes of seeing what
she looked like. There were two daugh-
ters, one pretty and one ugly, and when
passing one day he saw the pretty one.
Not knowing there we're two he went in
to ectacies over the beauty of his future
wife, but when the day of marriage came
be found that his father had selected the
ugly one. The prettiest girls, he said,
had small feet, two and two and half
inches, and fat. 1t is painful to be
bound, but they would rather be pretty.
Large feet are considered badge of low
class. The binding of the foot is like
the American girls binding their waists
and wearing tight corsets, which is more
injurious, and they walk on the streets
like wasps.
AS to their religion he said there were
three kinds, which bound together make
up the idol worship. There is another,
the ancestor worship, which is the
strongest to be combated by missionarieYs
IT consists of AL Offering, on slab, of
meat and vegetables when parent dies,
and of burning incense for forty nine
days, morning and evening. They be-
lieve in the transmigratiou of souls,
and consider it q crime to kill animals
and insects, as it will cause the death of
the relative whose soul was therein.
He said only the frat and second
classes could stand national examina.
tions. The lower ones bought position
with money.
Thunder, they believe, is the noise one
of the gods makes by striking with q
hammer and beating drum, and light.
ming is called his wife's mirror. Mis-
sionary work, he says, had proven futile
until 1901, when Robert Morrison was
sent there by the London Missionary
Society, though he did not baptize Lis
first convert until 1911, and since then
Christ has been preached in the high
ways.
Hs said his father wanted him to learn
English, and that while at college he
read the Bible and was con verted, and
thanked God that he could stand before
the congregation and say that he was a
Christian. He pleaded for more workers
to ,,go to the country where there were
four hundred million souls. They will
listen attentiyely now. He said the
further you 20 North the less Gospel
they have, and asked for female teachers.
IS the men could not reach the women in