Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-11-06
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CHINESE SUPERSTITION.
A Striking Illustration of the Credulity
and Ignorance of MonRolians.

and Ignorance Of MonRolIans.
Crowds Of people assembled as we ar.
rived at the inn, just before sunset, and
AMONG others spotted the fine head of
an old Buddhist priest. After q long
confabulation and few strings Of cash,
which passed from my pockets into his
hands, / was able to induce him to sit
for his picture, and / dashed off a sketch
in oils before he had time TO change his
mind Unfortunately the 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 the strange notion
HAT prevails i'm China, and, in fact
nearly all over the east, that If an image
is reproduced a soul has to be given to
IT. and that the person portrayed has to
be the supplier Of it at his own expense.
Tie venerable old Buddhist priest, who
was nursing his "cash" on his lap while
being immortalizod on a wooden panel,
and had a curious twinkle in his eye,
rs If he knew better, resisted bravely
for some time and sat like a statue, but
fnally had to give in.
"You will die, " cried an old woman
at him II saw your soul coming out of
you and go into the picture. / did real
~. | saw it with my own eyos"
$50 did l." cried a hundred other
voices in 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
ho would go and take the cash for safe
keeping TO his home first and complain
and ask for tho restitution of his lost
property afterward. flo was a sensible
man. So was l. and knowing what was
coming the moment he had gone /
went into the room and packed the
sketch safely, then took another clean
panel ana smeared it with the scrapings
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 leash, " holding his
stomach and complaining Of internal
agonies.
81 am going to die, " he cried the
moment he saw me. You have taken
away half my soulW
Certainly / have,". said / sternly.
"You did not expect me TO give you all
that cash for less than half your soul,
did your"
"Oh, mol but wish it back, as feel
30 bad without it. "
"All right" said /. II shall go in
tho room and destroy the image ] did
Of you. Will you then be satisfedr'
"Yes.
Here the other panel smeared with
palette scrapings was produced after
making pretense at destroying 1t with
knife, and never in my life have seen
an expression Of relief TO equal that Of
the priest. He had not felt half his soul
50 much going out Of him, but he GER
tainly bad felt IL coming back again.
He could swear by IT, Ho was now per
feotly well again
This wonderful cure gave us all q
very busy evening All the villagers
who had complaints Of any sort came 10
us 10 be restored 10 health A leper who
had lost all his fingers wished me 10
make them grow again, and pitiful
case Of a poor child only few months
old was brought up, whose mother,
while busy stirring water IN Il big cal
dron, had dropped the child IN by mis-.
take. He was 30 badly scalded that J
am afraid, though tried 20 relieve his
pain, tho poor child cannot have lived
more than few hours, -Fortnightly
Review