The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-31
BURIALS IN CHINA.
Houses, at Times, Are Sacrificed for
Funeral Expenses.
From the Pan Man Gazette

From the Pail Mall Gazette.
1t is well known to those who have the
smallest acquaintance with China that
one OF the principal industries, as well
as one of the chief amusements of the
Chinese, is that of burying one another.
1t is, indeed, proverbial that any kind of
earth will answer for burial purposes, yet,
While this is an indisputable proposition.
1t is to be understood in the sense that,
when worst comes to worst. dead man
can be disposed Of with very little eere-
mony. On the other hand, every one
knows that the rich in China have sam
pies OF earth sent into them on trays-like
specimens of different brands of sugar
and that from these burial soil is Sc
lected. That Is what one has read in the
books, and, therefore, we are bound to ac-
cept 1t with unques tioning faith. We have
heard, too, says the North China Herald,
OF the geomancer, who is an expert, and
a very costly one. He shows where the
powers of nature are harmonized in some
single and felicitous spot-and he plays a
great part In the economy-or rather ex-
traVagance-of the empire. Those who have
either perused The fascinating volumes of
Mr.. Doolittle on the Social Life of the
fact that Chinese funeral Is the culmina-
some purpose have been struck with the
fact that Chinese funeral is the culmina-
ton of Confucian civilization. 1t is not in
the least necessary that the deceased
should have been a scholar, or in any way
connected with a scholar. Usage requires
that he should assume such a role for the
time, and if he belongs to an upper
generation" the funeral must be elaborate
When old folk die the rest feed high"
Invitations must be issued on an enor-
nous scale, and everybody who is in the
least degree related or even connected
must either appear or have a proxy. In
many cases no excuses whatever are valid.
There are always as many female rela-
tives and friends as male, and each woman
is accompanied on the average by two or
three children all of them in a proverbial-
ly hollow condition of the digestive or
gans. These children are the terror of
Chinese feasts, and with the best of rea-
son; the funeral of even well-to-do far
mer may be attended by five or six hun
dred guests, and each one sees to it that
he gets the full Worth of the quota which
he has contributed to the general fund.
Besides this there are the religious cere-
monies, to the cost of which absolutely no
limit can be placed. One of the most ex-
pensive things in China is the erection of
the mat sheds; a large funeral requires a
great many of these sheds, and great
many of them are quite abandonment a
suitable distance. The priests are to be fed
on scale proportionate to the wealth of
the family employing them, and this item
is heavy one.l
The musicians, who discourse the most
doleful music, are numerous and, like all
the other participants, hungry. The
small army of scholars who are to dot
the tablet" have a private code of eti-
quette of their own, which necessitates
their presence Some days before the funeral
actually takes place, for the performance
of ceremonies, the intricate nature of
which the average occidental reader is
i'll prepared to comprehnd. But even he
can appreciate the fact that three excel
lent meals day, each with wine and all
followed by free opium pipes for any that
wish to smoke, add a serious amount to
the total bill. Getting married is by far
the most expensive thing which a China
man ever does. But the one thus honored
from the nature of the case, does not him
self bear the expense, though he does re-
ceive the glory" For this and other rea-
sons there is no revolt against the insane
expenditures of the funeral, although it is
very common thing to find families who
have had a proper Confucian funeral OBJ
liged to pull their houses down little lat
er to pay the bills. To Chinese there is
nothing irrational in this, for it is only a
proper exhibition of "filial piety'' in the
concrete.