The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-10-23

within an hour was IN the scene or the
festivities Ny Chinese servants were
well acquainted in the place-in fact.
were cousins or nephews or something
or other of the leading family Of the
town It was a stroke Of rare good for
tune. as it insured us cordial welcome
and offered opportunities to see and hear
that are never presented to strangers,
much less Europeans
A Question of Generosity.
The festival was given by all the fam
lilies in the village. Each had subscribed
what it could afford and had paid the
money over to the village elders, who
formed a sort of executive committee.
Not alone this, but they had written to
we'll to do lzinsmen in Hongkong, Can
ton and elsewhere, who had duly and
generously responded. 1t is a sort of
duty for everybody to ''chip in" upon
these occasions. The element of pride
also enters, for the name of every giver
and the amount of his gift are inscribed
upon large placards, which are posted
up where all may see and read them A
mean man is not only condemned, but
is treated with a rudensss and incivility
that would spoil the patience of a saint
In the morning the people turned out
gayly dressed and looking their best. On
this day the women are allowed to go
Open air, where the rest of the year
they stay within doors or travel in closed
sedan chairs. They make full use Of
their privilege. The pretty girl walks,
talks and poses, SO as to exhibit her
charms; the frivolous or hirtatious fe-
male devotes her eyes to the young men
and smiles and stares, winks and ogles
most preposterously; the heiress wears
her Jewels as cOnspicuously as possible
and draws her costly skirts about her
whenever a poorer member Of her sex
comes near; the gossip entertains null
titude with insinuation, SANDER and
scandal, while the scold finds ample
scope for her dreaded and notorious
tongue.
They Take the Joss Along.
About noon is a procession. It starts
in front Of the domicile Of the leading
man Of the village, wanders, now fast
and now slow, through all the thorough
fares of the place aud winds up at
temple or josshouse, which has been
cleaned, repaired and decorated for the
occasion Like all Chinese professions.
it is so grotesque as to be funny. There
is usually a Joss or idol to start with.
This is a small figure no larger than a
girls doll, but SO bedizened and be-
whiskered as to seem a miniature cut
throat or pirate. He is fastened securely
to the seat of a strong sedan chair or
throne on poles, SO that no matter what
may happen to the carriers he viii not
suffer the indlgnity Of pitching forward
and falling into the mud This is the
most terrible luck that can happen to
ali idol. If it occur and he is not to
blame, something awful will befall the
people of the community. On the con-
trary, If he, the idol, or the deity he
represents has been misbehaving, 1t is
very just and appropriate punishment
JOsses who allow their wOrshipers to
get sick or do not send good harvests or
prevent fishermen making good hauls
+ with their nets are frequently chastlsed
I BY taking them out of their comfortable
temples and putting them IN the mud
4 or IN muddy water. The process is cruel,
4 bat the joss is said always to turn over
a new leaf and become a good deity
thereafter. To 60 on with the process
+ sion. the chair or throne Of the idol is
carried by 4, 8, 8 or u porters. Around
4 it are other men, who carry the UNI
4 brella of the joss, the long red boards
/ on which are inscribed his name and
titles, the weapons with which he is to
be defended against enemies, the flags
and banners which strike terror into
the hearts Of his foe. and there. of course,
I is the perpetual band of music. It con-
sists of a gong a tom tom, a drum,
4 clarinet and cymbals. Sometimes there
are two and even three clarinets, and
sometimes they add a trumpet and even
a horn. The first combination is bad
enough. 1t causes you to gnash your
teeth and desire to shoot somebody
But the last is something frightfuL
Would Rend Rock
After the second bar you close your
ears with your fingers and escape Aft
er hearing If once / was firmly convinc-
ed that when the Hebrew priests and
Levites made the walls of Jericho fall
down with the sound Of their martial
music they simply hired some peripa-
tetic Chinese orchestra that happened
to be in the neighborhood. Then there
are men and children in the parade
some dressed in ordinary costume and
others in cheap, flimsy disguises. Pretti-
est of all are lite boys attired as warriors
riding on tiny ponies and donkeys and
little boys and girls made up to repre-
sent angels on floats and platforms COW
cred with flowers The procession breaks
mp at the temple, because at that hour
the public banquet generally opens It
forms again in the evening and goes
over the same route, only now it is far
more attractive Torches, dambeaux,
lanterns and transparencies are massed
in confusion for the entire line of
march. Every second some enthusiast
in the parade or on the sidewalk ignites
an immense string Of firecrackers on
the end Of a long pole to increase the
birlliancy, the racket and the confusion
Not until the lights are all dim and the
torches sparks and embers does the