Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1894-12-26
CHINESE BECGARS.
They Belong to a Secret Mendi-
cant Society.
MODE OF OPERATION IN PEKIN.
Government OF the "Forbidden City" Ig-
nores Their Existence-Worshi
and office-h olders their Prey.

Government of the "Forbidden City" Ig-
nores Their Existence-Worshi
and ofice-holders their Prey.
The feature in temple visiting in
Pekin is the presence of the religious
beggar. This is an institution, l am
told, which belongs solely to the cap.
itol. Lepers of both sexes and men and
women suffering from the most vile
diseases are all allowed to patrol the
streets in whatever guise they please.
There is sort of all round charity
shown them by Pekinites, who do not
look upon these things as do the Anglo
Saxons. A diseased beggar usually
gets just what he or she wants for the
asking. The beggars of Pekin, it ap-
pears, are banded together into secret
society and are bound to protect one
another. They have their chiefs and
leaders and thus manage to look after
themselves. The government seems to
utterly ignore them, neither helping
nor hurting them. This official act
brings about many queer happenings.
The beggars divide themselves up
into battalions known as the religious.
which are considered of the highest
rank, and the officials. A religious
vagrant begs or buys (for they are gem
orally well to do) the garb of some
great Buddhist or Taoist monk, priest,
or nun and he or she put it on and
stands in front of all the temples ply
ing trade. The result is that the wor-
shippers at this church, and particular
ly the teachers, whose style of dress
has been oonfiscated, pay them any sum
of money to give up the robe and leave
the premises. Another trick of these
pious frauds is to sneak into the
churches when the priests are not on
guard, and dressed in the favorite cloth
and ornaments of some popular god OF
goddess, stand by the idols side during
the hours when the most people pay
their respects to their best revered
images.
Kwang ii, the god of war, is the
favorite personation of the most
talented Of the religious beggars and
the cleverness shown in the manner of
making up the part is worthier of a
better scheme. | saw a shaking. pal
sled beggar gotten up as the goddess of
mercy with dozens Of arms sticking out
from her shoulders and back. These
arms were of wax and looked so
natural that as the woman moved the
sight-seer sbuddered. When the de-
votee approaching the divine figure
sees there beggar in like raiment,
the money intended for the gods i
given to the needy one and he does a
rushing days work.
Religious beggaIs carry about with
them small-sized praying machines.
These are like miniature organettes,
only where this little contrivance turns
out sheets of music and pleasant melo-
dies the praying machine evolves
groans, mumbles, whines, and red
paper with prayers printed on it at SO
much per half yard.
The official beggar follows the same
rule of treatment that his religious
confrere does, save that his lot is
among the official class. He will stand
in a mandarin's court yard with the
mandarin's 8 cap and colors ON pretend
ing to passers-5y that he is a poor rela-
tive. until the host or some of the
family make money bargain with him
to go away. He is always present at
weddings, christenings, and funerals.
and is constant menace to all the
members of ths liioial population.
There are subdir ist1s of the beggar
classes, and eacn one has rules of its
own. They are beggars who are edu-
Gated, who can read and write; who
are skilled in the arts; who are slaves,
having been bought with money by rich
beggars. Each and every beggar must
do part and do it thoroughly. With
the sightless matters are arranged thus
A stout, robust fellow, with excellent
eyesight, but perhaps palsied should
ers, or something of that sort, leads 8
procession of blind fellows all suppl
eating for aims. The beggars marry
among themselves, though there is 6
movement ON foot now to stop it.
Nearly every member Of the beggal
chiefs army is tattooed in some quain
| fashion. Sometimes the whole person
from the waist on line with the nave
| down to the knee, is covered with Chi
nese characters representing prayers
In some cases the cheeks are tattoeC
with two characters meaning "hell
the blind or some such admonitiol
which is applicable, and very often th'
arms alone are treated. The materia
used is SAID to be the oil of the Liche'
nut and charcoal substance mixed
The design is first burned into the skin
by fine iron needle and it is thei
filled in and given form by q series o
closely adjoining punctures made by
long pen point with heavy piece o
iron at the top, worked with the righ
hand and guided by the left. The pei
point is made hollow in the center, s.