The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-23
sA1NT-MAKINa IN THE EAST.
The Chinese Methods of Dedication
Are Curious.


From the Contemporary Review.
There are three principal modes of
qualification as practiced in the east The
commonest method is by the voice of the
people "He was saintl' they exclaim
on the death of some remarkable man.
and the priests acquiesce, for each new
saint brings grist to their mills. When
the voice of the people is silent then the
priests, in their own interests, proclaim
saints and demand shrines for them.
These two methods are especially charac-
teristic in Hindustan. A distinguished
writer has compared the process of beati-
f1cation, canonization or DELEGATION
whichever term we like to use-to the
ascent and descent of Jacobs ladder.
1.-The Hlndus," he says, construct
for themselves Jacobs ladders between
earth and heaven; the men are seen
ascending until they become gods they
then descend again as embodiments of
the divinities; insomuch that 1t may be
almost doubted whether any god, except
the Vedic divinities and other obvious
nature gods, comes down the ladder who
had not originally gone up as man, and
an authentic man" The Hindu, in a GER
tain stage of enlightment, is inclined 10
defy any noble person, not necessarily
waiting for his death. While Warren
Hastings was on his trial in England it
was stated as an argument in his favor
that he was being worshipped in his APP
propriate temple In India.
But interesting and important as the
Hindu methods of dedication are, those
of the Chinese are far more curious. In
China the emperor claims power not
only over his subjects land, indeed, for
that matter, the whole inhabited world),
but also over the realms of departed
spirits. These he beatifies, eanonizes,
a. fac mic 1ne arFfft
proval in the Pekin Gazette when they
do anything to deserve that honor and
actually degrades and uncanonizes If he
sees just cause. In the latter respect
his power over the departed clearly ex-
ceeds that even of the pope himself. For
example. the emperor, Hieng- Flung, ele-
waited the god of war TO an equal rank
| with Confucius who previously had been
chief among the state gods Sir
Alfred Lyall has drawn attention TO
some amusing extracts from the Pekin
Gazette, illustrating the way in which the
Chinese treat their deties. Thus the
Gazette of November, 1873, has the fol-
lowing: 1.-THE governor general of the
Yellow river requests that q tablet may
be put up In honor of the river god. He
states that during the transmission of
relief rice TO Honon, whenever difficult
ties were encountered through shadows,
wind or rain, the river god iuterposed in
the most unmistakable manner, so that
the transport of grain went on without
hindrance. Order: Let the proper Office
prepare tablet for the templer Of the
river god"
The whole subject Of the power Of the
living over the dead is one that deserves
quite as much consideration as that of the
dead over the living. Though intelligent
Roman Catholics will no doubt attach a
much deeper significance TO the recent
beatification Of Joan Of Arc, no one can
doubt for a moment that the poorer
classes will imagine that the pope has
rendered her position better, more blessed
in the spiritual world. Let those who
feel inclined TO smile ask themselves If
they, too, are quite free from similar be-
liefs. From the time Of the witch of En-
DOR TO the day Of the fashionable spirit
medium there have been large classes of
apparently intelligent people who show,
In numerous ways. the world-old faith
that is in them. Among the poor Of
England there is widespread belief
that burial is matter of interest TO the
deceased. They have not such clear the
cries on the subject Of funeral rites as the
Homeric Greeks, but they are equally un-
able 10 distinguish their present concep-
tions from their posthumous sensations
III you don't bury le in such-and-such
place. said a poor woman, with great
emotion 10 her husband. "Ill haunt youl"
And how many dying spouse has
dreaded the remarriage OF the relicJl
Being interpreted, these vague breads
clearly signify a belief that the actions
Of the living can render the spirits Of the
dead more happy or more miserable than
they would otherwise be- That other re-
ligious notions are interviewer with them
II would be idle 70 deny But what shall
we say Of spirits called from the vastly
deep 10 talk at the bidding Of a mediumi
or 10 sit for their photographer
or even 20 have plaster casts
taken Of them For all these indig-