The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1893-05-04
BY scHmAHL & RUTER.
REDWOOD FALLS NAY 4, 1898.
TALKED OF CHINA.
Rev. w. r. Hobart Tells of the I'm
Christianlzed Country.

church last. Sunday, morning and ev-
ening, and in the afternoon to the Ep-
worth Guards Mr.. Hobart is Chinese
missionary, and is now in the States
on visit to his parents, proposing to
return to China in September. He is
apparently young in years, yet his
smoothly shayen face, sallow complex
ion, and premature gray hairs bespeak
of terrible trials and heavy burdens in
the foreign missionary field. He spoke
of women footbinding in China and
declared it practically universal with
all classes, except some of the working
women in South China. The Man
choos, who rule the empire, do not in
termarry with the Chinese women.
"China is bound in more ways than
one," said Mr.. Hobart. 1T is bound
by ignorance,by evil custom, evil prac-
tice and by superstition. Their re-
ligions are Confucianism, Tauism or
Boodhism. The first is widely hon
ored, all believing in it, and in the
temples to Confucius, scattered all ov-
er the Empire, are small tablets on
which is written the name of Confu-
Gus. Then there are twelve smaller
tablets bearing the name of his twelve
disciples, and in the large temples
there are y more bearing the name of
his ~ disciples.
"There are no public schools in
China. They do not educate the girls,
the parents contending that she will
grow up and marry, and another fam
lily will reap the benefit of the educa-
ton. The few boys who are fortunate
enough to have means to pay for tu-
ition and obtain an education find
government employment. All schools
have tablets of Confucius and the pu-
pill upon entering, kneels before this,
knocks his head on the ground, and
his worship is complete. The filial
piety of obeying parents, burylng
them decently and ancestral worship
prevail, and the latter is the greatest
obstacle in the way of Christian pro-
gress. The Boodhist theory of trans
migration prevaik-the good to APP
pear again in another person, others
to appear in animals, and the Chinese
know that lying, stealing, murder, etc :,
is wrong. All Chinese have Boodhist
funerals, calling in priests according
to their money. Their chief god is a
dead Tauist priest, who lived in the
18th century, aud has been exalted to
divine position by succeeding rulers.
The god of wealth can be found in all
shops. When there is sickness the
shrine of the god of medicine is Wis
tied, and prayers, and pilgrimages on
hands and knees, and measuring the
distance by the body, are offered. The
Chinese worship the rat, the tortoise,
the fox, the weasel, and the snake "a
viceroy once having knocked his head
on the ground before two-inch snake
and then building temple to this
snake-god. They are afraid of evil
spirits. They believe that the spirits
move in straight line, and therefore
walls are built before their houses, so
that in order to reach them a curve
must be made. One Chinaman thought
the smoke from a mission chimney
was unlucky::for him and we took the
chimney down.
'All weddings, funerals and i'm
portant undertakings occur on lucky
days, and one of our contractors in
sisted on commencing work on Friday,
because it was lucky day. We want
ed him to start on Monday.
A little child dies, and it is declared
that 1t never possessed human spirit.
They, or unmarried persons, are never
buried in the family grave yard. They
are buried by roadside, and round
about way is taken to get there. Chin
! csc are afraid of dead body. One
inn-keeper had his business ruined by
a suicide on his premises. The grave
apparel is put on before the death oc-
ours, and the interment is the same as
here, except Boodhist priests who are
buried in sitting pastures fact, are
placed in the coffin before deatf
comes. The priest is placed in vault
above ground which also serves as .
monument.
"Infanticide is not practiced 81
much as of yore; po]ygamy is prac
ticed all over the empire, each maj