The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-10-16
Chinese Superstition-

Crowds of people assembled as we ar. rived at the,inn, just before sunset, and among others I spotted the fine head of an old Buddhist priest. After a long confabulation and a few strings of cash, which passed from my pocket into his hands, I was able to induce him to sit for his picture and I dashed off a sketch in oils before he had time to change his mind. Unfortunately tha large crowd that had gathered round, especially the women folks, seemed to scold him and talk angrily at him for his stiffness in sitting, owing to tho strange notion that prevails in China, and, in fact, nearly all over the east, that if an image is reproduced, soul has to be given to it, and that the per- son portrayed has to be the supplier of it at his own expense. The venerable old Buddhist priest, who was nursing his leash" on his lap while being im- mortalized on wooden panel, and had a curious twinkle in his eye, as if he knew better, resisted bravely for some time and sat like statue, but finally had to give in.
 "You will die,". cried an old woman at him; q saw your soul coming out of you and go into the picture. I really did; saw it with my own eyes!'
 "So did l." cried a hundred othaa voices in a chorus.
 By the time the priest had got up they had half convinced him that at least half his soul had really gone out of him: but had the soul gone or not. he would go and take the cash for safe keeping to his home first, and complain and ask for the restitution of his lost property afterward. He was @ sensi- ble man. So was I, and knowing what was coming, the moment he had gone went into the room and packed the sketch safely, then took another clean panel and smeared 1t with the scrap- ings of my palette to show him instead, in case he would come back and wish the picture destroyed. Twenty minutes had not elapsed when he was back again, of course without the "cesh," holding his stomach and complaining of internal agonies.
 "I am going to die," he cried, the mos ment he saw me; you have taken away ndlL Illy Soul'
 Certainly I have" said I sternly. "You did not expect me to give you all that cash for less than half your soul, did you?"
 "Oh. no! but I wish it back as I feel so bad now without it."
 "All right" said I. T shall go in the room and destroy the image I did oA you; will you then be satisfied?''
 "Yes"
 Here the other panel smeared with palette scrapings was produced, after making pretence at destroying it with a knife, and never in my life have I seen an expression of relief to equal that of the priest. He had not felt half his soul so much going out of him, but he certainly had felt 1t coming back again. He could swear by it. He was now perfectly well again!
 This wonderful cure gave us all 8 very busy evening. All the villagers who had complaints of any sort came to us to be restored to health. A leplr who had lost all his fingers wished ma to make them grow again; and pttiful case of a poor child. only few monthss old, was brought up, whose mother, while busy stirring boiling water in q big cauldron, had dropped the child in by mistake. He was so badly scalAod that I am afraid. though tried to ree lieve his pain, the poor child canned have lived more than a few hourssn Fortnightly ReYieM