El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-06-07
CHINESE MISSION WORK.
A Picturesque but Senseiess Religious
Ceremony of the TaOiSts

Ceremony of the TaOists
| was in the country last week at
point where there is a mission da
school, writes the Rev. T. NJ. Houe ton
of Marking China: the house is 20X2O
7 with d partition dividing it into tive
apartments. In one of the apartment:
the teacher and his family live. II
! the other are school and two loom:
for weaving satin ribbon. The teach
er pressed me to stop with him, but
had | done so he would certainly have
gone to extra expense and as be
is poor man, I excused myself and
went to the inn. This is one large
room, kitchen. diniugroom, reception
room, sleeping room, al in one, and
perhaps at night dOnkeys are fastened
| in one corner. In the other corner is
Il frame on which is straw, covered
with a mating. This is the bed and
it is always occupied. In the daytime
we eat and the other occupants slum-
Der. AT night they sat and we try to
sleep. Turn about Is fair play. But
our friends at this point are getting
quite DESTROYS to have house of wOr-
ship and now think that if we help
them to the amount of $50 they can
put up house with room for school
and Worship. We spent several hours
Of consultation and prayer over this
| and hope to see it accom- piished soon,
| have q ''prophet's room.''
| y TAOIST PERFORMANCE.
Now step on the fairy carpet and we
will transport ourselves, by thought,
to the top of high hill some five miles
farther on. 1t is ridge fourth of a
mile long, with an eminence at either
end. On the north end is Taoist
temple, full of idols. The noise of
drums and cymbals and flies comes to
on and l. f1,.
from nine directions come long pro-
cessiOns OF men. women and children.
The men and boys first, women and
g rls Struggling along, delayed by their
crippled feet y drum and fife corps
heads each procession, and large, many
cOlored, three cOrnered flags wave
gaily in the spring air. The wheat is
green in the valleys, aud the hills are
decked in green grass and towering
shrubs. the long lines of blue clothed
people detiling along the winding
paths complete picturesque panOra-
ma. Now they have joined forces in
the village at the foOJ of the hill and |
terrific confusion of instruments and
babel of voices come up to US. Grad |
ually the crowd ascends and arranges |
itself along the brow of the hill, COM
handing Il view of the path, rocky aud |
steep, which leads up from the village. |
Now the play begins. The actors are |
still below. Their long outer garments |
are thrown off. Some are in close fit |
ting white garments-SOme stripped |
to the waist. around which are broad |
girdles embroidered in fancy cOlors-
with tight trousers. First, the bands |
OF music come up, one at a time. In |
front of each dances the drum major, |
shaking and tossing his baton, on the |
end of which is a little bell with which |
he marks time.
THE TEMPLE REACHED.
At the brow, some sixty feet from |
the nipple door. there is a pause. then |
terrible banging of the big drums
six or eight in each cOllection). Grad
ually, by ssealthy approaches and sud
den leaps, they near the temple, the |
rOise growing more and more furious,
the players fairly leaping up aud down,
as they exert their whole muscular
force in belaboring the big tom toms.
Suddenly the leader leaps over the sill
of the temp'e-door with Il shout, and
the others follow. shouting aud taking
the sill, like flock of sheep following
a breachy BUCK, disappear into the
inner court. In about an hour the
bands have all come up
Now come the flags. From our
position we can not see the path up the
hillside, and first catch sight of the
top of the flagstaff as they near the
crest. Surely there is a curious WAIVER
to that flag. Now the upper part of
the bearer becomes isinle. his eyes
fixed on the flag, his arms tense in
the effort to hold it against the stiff
breeze. No wonder it moved strange
ly, Now we see he is mounted on
gle is to maintain the equilibrium
until the temple is reached, when
the flag is dropped at tn e
temple door on the shoulders
of half dozen waiting men, who rush
with q shout into the IDOLS abode,
while the successful bearers receive
the plaudits of the crowd. But there
are four flags somewhat different
regular crazy, patchwork affairs-very
large, and in the center OF each one &.
the large character Shen, god or
gods" These four are not brought
to the temple, but are carried to the
opposite eminence and planted in a
square.
y FLAG RACE.
Now there is Il pause, and babel of
voices again breaks forth, but present
ly the heralds come forth from the
temple beating gOngs and commanding
silence and clear road. Then there
Is rush from the doors and four men
are racing along the crest of the hill,
only ligh5 trousers and straw
sandals. Each, in his hand, carries the
flag of his community and the end
aimed at is that not the man but the
flag should first reach the goal far
away across the field The crowd
cheering and excited, has followed, and
the runners have passed the crest and
are speeding down the painless hillside
leapiug stones and shrubs. Up from
the appointed place darts the relay,
who seizes the flag and carries it on to
victory. Whether or not there is a7y-
thing idola,rOus in this we cannot as
certain. But tie heralds are shouting
and beating gOngs again. The crowd
ranges along Two SIDES of the path and
from the temple come eight men,
with measured, but quick
step, through the avenues thus left and
L.;