Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1895-11-30
DESTINY REVEALED.
HOW THE FUTURE is READ BY CHI
NESE SOOTHSAYERS.

Simple Way of Telling Fortunes With
Sticks at Cost of 1 Cent-More Elab-
ozate and Proportionntely More Expen-
sive Methods.
In every Chinese community there
Will be found one or more soothsayers
or fortune tellers, who, in return for
small coin, will send fate seeking
Chinaman away either happy or miser-
able The Chinese quarter in New York
fupports three Of these fortune jugglers
who manage to make fairly good liv-
ing out CT their patrons In this country
the soothsayer is not so important a
parsonage among Cinnamon as he is in
China, for the influence of "Melican"
man has affected even stolid 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 fortune teller. Ono of the
s0othsayers 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
i'll 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 Sow
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 flat on the other.
When some superstitious Chinaman de-
sires to have his fortune told he pays 10
cents to the soothsay or, and asks the seer
what prospect there is for him in tho
near future. The man of fate mumbles
an incantation over the two pieces of
wood, and then throws them upon the
ground. Upon their position depends tho
fate of the anxious customer. If they
both lie with fiat side up, it is mod
! erately bad sign and calls for great eau
tion on the part of the fortune seeker in
his conduct during the coming year.
When one is round side up and the other
flat side up, the augury is extremely
favorable, ard 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 custo asks, for
instance, whether tomorrow will be a
good day or not to open laundry bust
ness. If the answer is unfavorable, he
names month ahead and awaits the
verdict of the sticks upon that PROPOSE
tion. He continues until he gets one up
round and enc fiat and makes his plans
accordingly.
The instruments found in the JOSS
house are those most generally used and
consist uf large number of bamboo
strips in a handsomely carved cylindric-
al box. Each strip is about ten inches
long and Il quarter of an inch wide.
They arc all polished to "a high degree
of smOuthneSs 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 80.
Sometimes there are 100 in box, but
rarely moro In this case the augury
costs so cents, but u fan and some Joss
sticks are thrown i'll.
The Chinaman wishing to learn his
fate chooses at random one Of the little
sticks, and reads aloud the number on
it. The soOthsayer then goes to board
upon which are strung a number of red
slips of paper, numbered i'll the samo
way as tho bamboo sticks. Upon each
ticket is written tho 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 il 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 tho flowers of peace.
A Tribune reporter drew one which
was interpreted as meaning: Riches
and good fortune will be your torch
bearers throughout your career, and in
the smile of Buddha shall you bask
Your heart shall glow with happiness
even as the steady glow of the joss
stick. -
1t is not absolutely necessary that the
Chinaman wishing to have his fortune
told should be present. Many customers
remit the fee, and the fortune teller
draws for them and mails the little red
ticket which contains the result The
results are not always favorable and the
most CHASTITY predictions are contained
on some of the slips, which greatly re-
semble laundry tickets
The higher grade of soothsayers pre-
dict fortunes by means of casting a
horoscope, which is something like that
employed by astrologers. Another meth
cd is by means of an ordinary magnetic
compass, which is set in round disk Of
wood Around the compass little squares
are marked out on the wood containing
numbers. After giving the date of your
birth the numbers are shifted around to
correspond with your age and by some
occult" reasoning on the part of the
soothsaycr The direction of the needle in
dicates what fortunes you may expect.
The fees are not arbitrary and vary ac-
cording to the means of the customer.
They begin at 1 cent for the fiat and
-uuu1 stirl,S and Inn mn to & for the