Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-10
CHINESE SUPERSTITION.
An Artists Experience in Painting an
Old BUDDHIST Priest.

From the FortnlGhtly Review.
Crowds of people assembled as we arrived
at the inn, just before sunset, and among
others / spotted the fine head of an old
Buddhist priest. After long Capitalization
and few strings of cash, which passed
from my pocket into his hands, 1 was able
to induce him to sit for his picture. and l
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 that
prevails in China, and, in fact, nearly all
over the east, that If an image is reprouce,
a soul has to be given to 1t, and that the
person portrayed has to be the supplier of it
at his own expense. The venerable old
buddhist priest, who was nursing his cash
on his lap while being immortalized 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 a 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
1t with my own eyes!'
80 did l." cried a hundred other voices in
q chorus.
BY the time the priest had got UP they
had half convinced him that at least half
MS soul naQ really gone out OF MIN, Out
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 restitu-
ton of his lost property afterward. He 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 and
smeared 1t with the scrapings Of my palette
to show him instead. in case he would come
hack and wish the picture DESTROYED, TWen-
fxy linn tnS had ~ al hAT, h.a q
back again, of course without the cash. %
holding his stomach and complaining of in
ternal agonies
Il am going to die" he cried, the moment
he saw me; you have taken away half my
soulp'
Certainly have" said 1, sternly. You
did not expect me TO give you all that cash
for less than half your soul. did your
"Oh no, but / wish 1t back, as feel so
bad now without it,
"All right" said 1. Il shall go in the room
and destroy the image did of you; will you
then be satisfed?"
Yes
Here the other panel smeared with palette
scrapings was produced, after making pre-
tense at destroying 1t 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 he certainly felt it coming back
again. He could swear by 1t. He was now
perfectly well againl
This wonderful cure gave us all very
busy evening. All the villagers who had
complaints of any sort came to US to be re-
stored to health. A leper who had lost all
his fingers wished me to make them grow
again; and a pitiful case of poor child,
only few months old, was brought up,
whose mother, while busy stirring boiling
water in a big cauldron. had dropped the
child In by mistake. He was so badly
scalded that l am afraid, though tried to
relieve his pain, the poor child cannot have
lived more than few hours.