The Somerset reporter., 1894-10-25
Chinese Superstition.
(Forinighfiy Rerieic.)

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 long
confa bulation and few strings OF cash
which passed fuom 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 angrilv at him for his stiffness in
| sitting. owing to the strange notion that
prevails in China. and, in fact, nearly all
over the East. that if an imagt is re-
produced. soul has to be the supplier
of it at its own expense. The venerable
old Buddhist priest, who was nursing
his cash on his lap while being immor-
tai zed on a 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: II saw your soul coming out OF
you and go into the picture. did
really, | saw it with my own eyes,"
| $50 did L. cried hundred other
voices in chorus.
By this time the priest had got up,
they had half convinced him that at
least half his soul had really gone ont
] 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 sensible
man. So was |. 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 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 hack again, of
course without the 'cn-h" 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 soul.'
"Certainly, | have" said | sternly.
"YOu did not expect me to give you all
that cash for less than half your soul,
did you?"
"Oh no. but | wish it back, as | feel
so bad now without it
"All right" said l. 81 shall go in the
room and destroy the image did OF
you; will you then be satisfied"
"Ies.''
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 | 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 GER
tainly had felt it coming back again.
He could swear by it. He was now
perfectly well again.
This wonderful cure gave us all a very
busy evening. All the villagers who
had complaints of any sort came to US to
be restored to health. A leper who had
lost all his fingers wished me to make
them grow again; and pitiful case of a
poor child, only II few months old, was
brought up, whose mother, while busy
stirring boiling water in big eauldron,
had dropped the child 10 by mistake.
He was so badly scalded that am
afraid, though tried to relieve his pain,
the poor child cannot have lived more
than few hours.