Morning journal and courier., 1894-02-15
No. 40

smallest details of those osremonials are prescribed by the 'Leke," or Book of Rites. To disobey the least rule of this great national manual is a crime, and 6 se- verely punished one. In two respects ou- ly does one Chinese funeral differ from another. The first is in the amount of money spent, and the second is in the pe- riod after death at which burial takes place.
 The first ambition of every ChinAnsn is to have splendid coffin. A poor China man will half stsrve himself and his fam fly for years that he may dsily hoard few
 cash" toward the sum needed for the pur- chase Of the coveted cssket When the eofnn is really bought 1t is brought home with great ceremony. Itis given the place or honor In the house, and is regarded as tne most valuable piece of furniture In the sstaohshnent. Among the poorer classes u Is custonsry to buy . rsry thick cofsp. 10 sen-resPecting Chinese fAnily-s1d .m .ne Chinese are the most self-respectins of sll the nAtsons-uin bury e parent until they can do it with more or less norrol,sn nagnifcence. Hence, in China. death by no means implies immediate baraAl. When ChinAmsn dies his neighbors come in and help the women of ths family 10 make the shroud. The body is put in its coffin. Then the funeral ceremonies begin, If there Is money enough If there Is not ths pof- in is put back in its piscs of honor uuial the family finances look up
 The dsy of the death, or the day hflsr, the relatives not living in the house and the friends come fo pay the last duties of respect to ise 6ecsesed. When the vasa- tors arrive they are shown into 6 room In which are sll the women End children of the establishment. These latter eel up dismal howl, In which the visitors jaln, or to which they listen synpstheticsily. When the tympAnun of even a Chinese ear begins 10 scse the guests are ushersd Into another spATtmsnf, where ihe men Of the house give them teH and rsfreshneui. The refreshment varies according to the means of the family In the houss of the rich IL ts o.uns-- After the visitors have drank and eaten tEsy are bowed out by one of tho kinsEnsn of the dead.
 A wen-condpctad Chinese funeral is the most gors ors sight in Asia. IT may seem to us little unselly. but that is e mere matter ot taste. And I, who n&ke bold to like the Chinese, cannot claim that they have supsrRbuposnce Of taste. At the froBt of the funeral prooesFlGn walk the noisy mnsicless musicians. Then come men lihey nsy be friends, they may be coclsesD bsarirg the !n.igpis of the dignity ot the dead, 1T he had any. Next walk more men carrying hsartt Of Enlnsls. idols, umbrellas, and blue and white strtamsrs- After them cone men cxTry- ing pane of perfume gusE before the oaf- fin walk bonzss, Chinese pfsests Over the coEan canopy is 1suAliy carried. The casket is borne by about 6 score uf men. Immediately behind ihs cnfSa walk inc children of ihe deceased. The eldtst son comes fret He is dressed in canvas and leans heavily upon s stout stick He is supPoted 10 be too exhausted by grief and fsstipg to walk without ihe aid of this staff. The other children and relatives follow this chief nourDer- They gre clothed In white linen garments. White is the mourning color Of the DAues, of the Burmese and of the Chinese. The women are earned in chairs in the Chi- nese funeral procession. They sob and wall at intervals and in unison
 When the burial place is reached the bonzes begin chanting a mEss for the dead, and the coffin is put into the tomb. When the coffin Is laid in its f5si position large oblong while marble table is plsced before the tomb. On the middle of it is ret a censer and two vases and two candle sticks, all of as exquisite workmanship as possible Then they have s paper ursmR- tionl Paper figures of men, horser. gar ments snd 6 sooTe of other things gre burned. They are supposed 10 undergo & material resurrection, ard bo be useful to the dead in the Chinese heaven. The tomb Is sealtd up or ciOstd, Eud sn enter tsinusent concludes the ceremony at the grave. The forms of Chinese tonbs vary somewhat according to the province in which they are built. and very much &C., cording 10 the means of the relative who undert kes the expense. With Che vTYy- pcor the coffin is placed upon the ground, earth and lime are packed about 1t, and a rude grave is formed. With the rich 6 vau!t Is built in the form of s horseshoe. If the dead was of note or position the deco rstions of the grave ard of the coffin are very elaborate. There gre a thousand in tsrestipg things 10 be said about Chinese mourning, about the ceremonies commsm- orstIve of the dssd, and about the funerals of the Chinese royal family. But they csnnot be put into 6 paragraph or into a column.