Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1894-01-20
CHEATING The GODS.
The Chinese Are Not Slow When It Comes
to Getting a RaISe-On.

NsAS Sahhoeo arc NOT SLOW Wneu IL OouhCs
to Getting Ralee-On.
correspondent of the North China
Herald, writing from the interior of
kiangsu province, mentions that one
OF the industries there is the manufac-
ture of mock money for offering to the
dead. Formerly the Chinese burnt
sham paper money, but in these days
OF enlightenment and foreign inter-
course the natives of Soongkong, Hang
chow and other places have come to
the conclusion that dollars are more
handy to the ghosts than clumsy paper
money; hence they now, to great ex-
tent, supply their ancestors and de-
rarted friends with mock dollars
These are only half the size of real dol
lars, but there appears to be no more
harm in cheating the dead than in
cheating the living Besides, the de-
ceased are not supposed to know the
difference, for many of them departed
this life before silver dollars were inn
ported into China. A hundred mock
Carolus dollars, done up in boxes, are
sold for thirty-four dollars cash. The
operation for making this money is in
teresting. First of all, there are blocks
OF tin which are melted down and then
| poured between boards lined with Chi
nese paper, and when the upper board
is pressed down on the lower thick
ness of tin remains This is next cut up
into strips four inches long. one wide
| and an eighth of an inch thick. Some
ten of these strips are placed evenly
| together, one on top of the other, and
one end is held between the fingers,
when the workman proceeds to ham,
mer them out till he has beaten them
so fine that they are now three feet
! long and one foot broad, and so thin
that they are not thicker than the
thinnest paper. This is next pasted
on common cardboard, which is then
cut with a punching machine to the
size of half-dollars, and, this having
been done, a boy takes the cut out
pieces in hand, and with two dies, one
representing the one side and the
other the reverse, hammers impressions
of dollars on them, and the money is
ready for use. Another very curious
instance of the practice of cheating
the gods is recorded in the same jour
nal, but from quite n different part OF
the country. 1t appears that districts
of the Anhui province have lately
been "avaged by an epidemic, so that
in many places the people were unable
to attend to the harvesting of the
crops. An attempt was then made tc
deceive the gods by playing att New
Years day and pretending that Sep
t"mber was the first day of the new
year. Every preparation for celebra
ting the bogus new year was made
such as burning frecrackers and past
ing happy sentences in red paper OF
the DOORS The object was to max,
the god of sickness think that he hac
made mistake in the seasons and haC
erred in bringing an epidemic on th'
people at a time when no epidemics il
the course of nature should appear. A
any action contrary to nature done b.
the gods is liable to punishment by tn
King of Heaven, the actors in thi
farce thought that the god of sicknes
would gather his evil spirits back t.
him for fear of the displeasure of hi
superior divinity This child's play re
ceived the permission and cooperation
of the local authorities, but so far n
visible effects for the better are az
parent.-London Times.
"Ar last have reached the turning poir
of my life" remarked the convict whe
they put him on the treadmin. .-Atlant
Constitution.