Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1894-05-14
r,,NERAL IN CHINA.
; shossy Event In q chinamanr
 rife is His Funeral

,. shotsy Event In q Chinamann
 rife Is His Funeral
 ,ost important event in China
 ';fs is his funeral. A Chiness
 ;s the culmination of humar
 and the Chinese are never ss
 at a funeral. They have
 snnetites Ut all times, but they
 sat so mncl as they do at
 saast When I first lived ir
 ,,sad to find it almost impossi' i distinguish between a funeral E;on and a marriage procession znsnter of one the cofiued corpse Sa m the shoulders of men. h ter of the other similar men
 non their shoulders the bride
 ! an inclosed sedan chair. and
 followed by her bridesmaids, & the casual observer the two S the two processions are quite
 every respect. Tom-toms, red
 coolies carrying roasted pigi
 er dainties, smaller coolies car 8cheap paper ornaments of a I|ian theatrical type-these are sariable clements of both pro
 Chinese are to-day the most T the most ancient and the most
 erstood people on the earth. ]
 most ancient because they are
 ! changed from what they were
 Injuries ago. The least changed
 re not changed at all. Ths
 of to-day is the China Marco Few. A few of us have been in * I am not speaking of the mis.
 s; regard them as a peopls X What have we gained in Chinas
 ee experience ito me a pleasant s pound of perfumed tea and 8
 lowered crepe, for both ot Ne have paid right handsomely. "a been treated in the main DO, but sooner or later most of us led out of China, if not by the
 why then by the climate. ehinese have at least three reli- 2 Confucianism, Buddhism and
 But the funeral rites of the ects are identical. There are Ereasons for this. The three re- are much alike and are all Bounded upon Indian Buddhism. er, religion is very second. Fair in China. The priests of It's often live together in the lest way. Filial devotion is the zigion of China. All China is ge family, and the emperor is 1reat Father. J By the way, Hather is what the North Amer, <tlians call God. And the Chi knsider their emperor a god. B one more reason why all Chi nerals are greatly alike. China a of ceremonials, and the small afis of those ceremonials are bed by the sLeke," or book of Fo disobey the least rule of this ational manual is 8 Time, and Ely punished one. Tn two re- only does one Chinese funeral Fom another. The first is in the of money spsnt, and the sec sin the period after death at burial takes pace.
 6rst ambition of every China, { to have splendid eofan. < si4aman will half starve him. !. his family for yea that he ily hoard a few "eash' toward needed for the purchase of the casket. When the coffin is ought it is brought home with ceremony. It is given tn place 2 in the house, and is re iarded post valuable piece of furniture
 establishment. Among the ,lasses it is customary to buy 8 lick coffin. No self-respecting
 family--and the Chinese are f self-respecting of all nations ury a parent until they can do more or less Mongolian mag e. Hence, in China, death by IS implies immediate burial.
 a Chinaman dies his neighbors and help the women of the 'o make the shroud. The body its coffin. Then the funeral lies begin, if there is money
 If there is not. the coffin is k in it's place of honor until the finances look up.
 ny of the death, or the day le relatives not living in the nd the friends come to pay the ies of respect to the deceased. the visitors arrive, they are nto a room in which are all the and children of the establish
 These latter set mp dismal which the visitors join, or to they listen sympathetically. le tympanum of even a Chinese 'ins to ache, the guests are into another apartment, where
 of the house give them tea reshment The refreshment ccording to the means of the
 In the house of the rich it is 1T. After the visitors have nd eaten they are bowed out 'f the kinsmen of the dead.
 conducted Chinese funeral is gorgeous sight in Asia. It m to us a little tinselly, but mere matter of taste. And I. <e bold to like the Chinese. can n that they have a superabun- taste. At the front of the
 procession walk the noisy. $ musicians. Then come men ay be friends, they may be coo 4 ring the insignia of the dig he dead, if he had any. Next 're men, carrying figures of norellas and blue and white E rs After them come men car 'ns of perfume. Just before n walk bonzes, Chinese priests comm a canopy is usually car ne casket is borne by about a men. lmme{1iatalv bahiud tho