The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-04-19
A FUNERAL IN CHINA.
From the Pail Mali Gazette.


crowd is the elimination of human
noise, and the Chinese are never so
| noisy as at a funeral They have
hearty appetites at all times, but they
never eat so much as they do at q
funeral feast. When / first lived in
China l used to find it almost impossi-
bic to distinguish between a funeral
procession and marriage procession.
In the center of one the cofined corpse
Is borne on the shoulders OF men. In
the center of the other similar men
bear upon their shoulders the bride.
who is in an inclosed sedan chair, and
she Is followed by her bridesmaids
But to the casual observer the two
ends of the two professions are quite
alike in every respect. Tom-toms. red
clothed coolies carrying roasted pigs
and other dainties, smaller coolies car
rying cheap paper ornaments Of a
Mongolian theatrical type-these are
the invariable elements of both pro-
cessions-
The Chinese are to-day the most
unique, the most ancient and the most
misunderstood people on the earth.
say the most ancient because they are
the least changed from what they were
long centuries ago. The least changed
They are not changed at all The
Chinese of to-day is the China Marco
Polo knew. A few of US have been in
China am not speaking of the mis-
sionaries; l regard them as a people
apart What have we gained in China?
A strange experience ito me pleasant
one), pound of perfumed tea and
bale of Powered crepe, for both of
which we have paid right handsomely.
We have been treated in the main POI
htely. but sooner or later most of us
are bowed out of China, if not by the
emperor. why then by the climate.
The Chinese have at least three reli-
gions = Coufucianism, Buddhism and
Toaism. But the funeral rites of the
three sects are Identical There are
several reasons for this. The three re-
iigions are much alike and are all
largely founded upon Indian Buddhism.
Moreover, religion is a very second
class affair in China The priests of
two sects often live together in the
chummiest way. Filial devotion is the
real religion of China. All China is
one huge family, and the emperor is
the Great Father" By the way,
Great Father is what the North Amer |
lean Indians call God And the Chi |
nese consider their emperor a god !
There is one more reason why all Chi
nese funerals are greatly alike. China |
is land of ceremonials, aud the small |
est details of those cersmonials are
prescribed by the ''Leke," or book of |
rites. To disobey the least rule of this \
great national manual is crime, and
a severely punished one. In two re-
spects only does one Chinese funeral
differ from another. The first is in the
amount of money spent and the sec
ond is in the period after death at
which burial takes place.
The first ambition Of every China
man is to have a splendid coffin. A
poor Chinaman will half starve him
self and his family for years that he
may daily hoard few leash" toward
the sum needed for the purchase OF the
coveted casket. When the coffin is
really bought it is brought home with
great ceremony. It is given the place
IF honor in the house, and is regarded
Is the most valuable piece of furniture
n the establishment Among the
poorer classes it is customary TO buy a
-ery thick coffin. No self-respectinp
|hinese family-and the Chinese are
he most self-respecting of al nations
will bury parent until they can do
t with more or less Monaghan mag
liicence. Hence, in China, death by
10 means implies immediate burial
When a Chinaman dies his neighbors
ome in and help the women of the
amily to make the shroud. The body
S put in its coffin. Then the funeral
ceremonies begin. if there is money
nough. II there is not, the coffin is
'ut back in its place of honor until the
amily finances look up.
The day of the death, or the day
fter, the relatives not living in the
ouse and the friends come to pay the
asst duties of respect to the deceased.
When the visitors arrive. they are
hown into a room in which are all the
vomen and children of the establish
lent. These latter set up a dismal
owl, in which the visitors join, or TO
Thich they listen sym pathetica,ly.
ar begins to ache, the guests are
shered into another apartment, where
he men of the house give them tea
nd refreshment The refreshment
aries according TO the means of the
amily. In the house Of the rich it is
dinner. After the visitors have
runk and eaten they are bowed out ;
Y one of the kinsmen of the dead.
4 we'll conducted Chinese funeral il !
ne nv. gorgeous sight in Asia II
lay seem 10 as little tinselly, but ,
nat is a mere matter Of taste And /.
Tho make bold 70 like the Chinese, can
OF claim that they have a superb bum
ance of taste At the front of the
lneral procession walk the noisy,
musicians. Then come men
hey may be friends. they may be COO
esj bearing the insignia of the Dig
ity of the dead. if he had any. Next ?
ak more men, CARRYING figures OF ,
lois, umbrellas and blue and white
reamerS After them come men car
ing pans of perfume Just before Z
le coffin walk BONES Chinese priests .
YER the coffin canopy is usually car q
ed The casket is borne by about q
ore of men Immediately belSnd the b
,E1n walk the children Of the &C. -
,ased The eldest son comes FIRST lie ! z
dressed in canvas and leans heavily
pom stout stick He Is supposed TO .
: too exhausted By grief and fasting =
walk without the aid of his stat.
re o.be- enfidrsu AID natives follow