The St. Johns herald., 1893-09-21
THE CELESTIAL JOSS.
By Luck Cards and ObionS Sticks the Chinaman Seeks to Learn His Future.

Chinaman Seeks to Learn His Future.
 The Chinaman's religion from an American point of view seems to be a belief in inspired luck. This is the way it looks to anyone who has visited the joss house in Mott street and had the aged and bald-headed Chinaman in charge to go through the services for his edifcation. So much does it seem to be a matter of luck, says tho New York Sun, that policy players and others who believe in luck and super stitions have begun to make visits to the joss house to find out from the bones and the sticks what to do to win.
 The regular form for holding services in the joss house includes the joss sticks, the services of the officiating occupies the full width of the build ing. At the rear is the shrine of the joss covered with carved figures and tapestry. Before the shrine is a row of pots with earth in them, where the joss sticks are put, and a little tray with holes to hold the pink wax tapers which are burned in connection with the joss sticks. A large frame shuts off the view of the joss from across the street. In this frame there is a carving which is said to represent the history of China. the great figures in rows showing the successive dynasties and the principal events. In the corners of the room there are carved chairs, huge umbrella about eight feet in diameter, and little shrines where also joss sticks may be burned.
 On the east wall hooks are arranged in regular order and numbered. On every one of these hooks there is a package of pink paper printed in Chinese characters. The papers are about three and one-half inches long by two wide, with five rows of Chinese characters and 9 superscription, also in Chinese. They are numbered accord ing to the hooks they are on. These are what the Americans call luck cards. On either side of the pots in which the joss sticks are burned is a long tin cylinder filled with long strips of wood and ivory several inches longer than the cylinder. But in front of the joss there are two oblong pieces of wood, resembling in appearance large red banana split in two.
 After the joss sticks have been lighted and while they make the room fragrant with their perfume, and the pink wax tapers are burning in tho tin tray, the officiating attendant pros trates himself before the joss and bows a number of times. Then he takes the two Oblong pieces of wood and throws them in the air. The way they fall decides in a general way the luck of the applicant. One side of each is round and the other fat. For both to fall on the floor on their round side is ono kind of luck, their fat side another kind of luck, and one round and one flat side is third kind of luck. This is a decision in the main as to wbether the one who is consult ing the joss should or should not do what he has in mind and came to con- suit about.
 For further inquiry into his luck the visitor can consult the ivory and wood sticks in the tin cylinders. The off ciating attendant twirls the cylinder round rapidly until the centrifugal force causes one of the sticks to fall out of the cylinder and drop on the floor in front of the joss. The number of this stick corresponds to number of hook in the wall. The attendant goes at this hook and takes from it the pink slip of paper with the Chinese characters, or the luck card, which tells in more detail the luck of the ap- plicant to the joss. He will also translate this card if he will confess to his knowledge of English.
 A fee of twenty-five cents pays for this. It is even an interesting visit to make to joss even if one does not be- lieve that the divinity has advanced inform ation about what is to happen.