Milford chronicle., 1895-11-15
DESTINY REVEALED.
NOW THE FUTURE IS READ BY CHI
NEsE sooTHsAYEHs.


NEsE SooTHsAYERs.
A simple Way Of Telling Fortunes With
Sticks at Cost Of 1 cent-More Elab-
crate and proportionateIy More Expen-
aive Methods.
In every Chinese community there
will be found one or more soothsayers
or fortune tellers, who, in return for a
small coin, viii send a fate seeking
Chinaman away either happy or miser-
able. The Chinese quarter in New York
supports three Of these fortune jugglers,
who manage to make fairly good hv-
ing out Of their patrons. In this country
the soothsayer is not so important
parsonage among Cinnamon as he is in
China, for the influence Of "Melican"
man has affected even stoid John.
Many Of them boast Of their Indifference
to the auguries Of the luck" sticks.
In China the lower classes never
take any step Of importance without
consulting their favorite soothsayer, SO
that he exercises considerable influence
among his customers. The Chinese fes-
tival ON their New Years day is the
great day to take a peep into the future,
and the Chinese come into New York
from all the neighboring towns which
are not strong enough in Cinnamon to
support a fortune teller. One Of the
soothsayers plies his trade on the side
walk in hot weather. Another has his
headquarters close to the Chinese the
ater, while the third is in the josshouse
in Mott street. Every josshouse has'its
fortune telling appliances, which are
kept in front Of the altar ready for the
use Of the worshipers. There are sew
eral kinds of apparatus used to tell for
tunes. One of them consists Of two
pieces Of wood, which are round on one
side and fiat ON the other.
When some superstitiOus Chinaman de-
sires to have his fortune told, he pays 10
cents to the soothsayer, and asks the seer
wha5 prospect there is for him in the
near future. The man of fate mumbles
an incarnation over the two pieces of
wood, and then throws them upon the
ground. Upon their position depends the
fate Of the anxious customer. If they
both lie with fiat side up, it is a mod
erately bad sign and calls for great eau
ton on the part of the fortune seeker in
his conduct during the coming year.
When one is round side up and the other |
fiat side up, the augury is extremely |
favorable, and the Chinaman goes on |
his way rejoicing. If both turn round
side up, the outlook is exceedingly |
gloomy and something terrible may be |
expected to happen soon. The idea is to
SO frame the question that the position |
of the sticks will give an answer one
way or another. The customer asks, for
instance, whether tomorrow will be a
good day or not to open laundry bnsi
ness. If the answer is unfavorable, he
names a month ahead and awaits the
verdict of the sticks upon that PROPOSE
ton. He continues until he gets one up
round and one fiat and makes his plans
accordingly.
The instruments found in the joss
house are those most generally used and
consist Of a large number Of bamboo
strips in handsomely carved cylindrio-
al box. Each strip is about ten inches
long and a quarter of an inch wide.
They are all polished to high degree
of smoothness and squared off at one
end, the other end being round, The
strips are all numbered from one up-
ward, generally running as far as 3D.
Sometimes there are 100 in box, but
rarely more. In this case the augury
costs 90 cents, but fan and some joss
sticks are thrown in.
The Chinaman wishing to learn his
chooses at random one of the little
sticks, and reads aloud the number on
It. The soothsayer then goes to a board
upon which are st~ung a number Of red
slips Of numbered in the same
way as H. bamboo sticks. Upon each
ticket is written the fate Of the Gus
toner and the one corresponding in
number with the number ON the stick
which he has drawn is detached from
the board. When translated, a lucky
ticket will read something like this;
Though dark clouds now roll over your
head, the fates will ultimately smile
upon you. All your undertakings will
prosper and your path through life will
be strewn with the flowers Of peace. "
A Tribune reporter drew one which
vas interpreted as meaning; "Riches
md good fortune will be your torch n
bearers throughout your career, and in
he smile of Buddha shall you bask. 2
Your heart shall glow with happiness
wen as the steady glow Of the joss !
tick. " Z
It is not absolutely necessary that the I
Jhinaman wishing to have his fortune i
old should be present. Many customers I
emit the fee, and the fortune teller ]
Iraws for them and mails the ittle red 4
icket which contains the result. The I
esults are not always favorable and the I
most CHASTITY predictions are contained I
n some of the slips, which greatly re- I
emble laundry tickets. I
The higher grade of soothsayers pre- I
lot fortunes by means Of casting
oroscope, which is something like that
mployed by astrologers. Another meth
d is by means of an ordinary magnetic
ompass, which is set in round disk Of
rood. Around the compass little squares o
re marked out on the wood containing :.
umbers. After giving the date Of your !,
irth the numbers are shifted around to 4
with your age and by some a
occult" reasoning on the part Of the p
the direction Of the needle in Il
icates what fortunes you may expect n
The fees are not arbitrary and vary &C. q
1rding to the means Of the customer a. a.
hey begin at / cent for the fat and +
,und sticks and run up to 81 for the h
oroscope. -New York Tribune, a
TALK A8oUTMETALsA AND MINERALS Il
'mething About Their Dtaerencss-RusCs :,
OF the Former. N
Professor Skidmore Of Philadelphia, Oh
-