The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-17
CHINAH HOLDS TO HER WAYS.
f. ANCIENTCUSToMS NOTCHAN2ED
TO SUIT PROGRESS.
Though Riding wheels with Hempen Tires. the
Chinese Cling TO Their superstitions Re-
gardinE Family, Bones and Teach the Wor-
ship OF Parents with tho Iron Hand

Though Riding wheels with Hempen Tires. the
Chinese Cling to Their superstitions Re-
Earding Fnmii, Homes ana Teach the Wor-
ship or Parents with tho Iron Hand.
SHANGHAI, Sept. 2O.-MSny curious instances
of the spread Of foreign customs and the abb
sorption of European ideas"are found In the
English and vernacular newspapers of China.
Reforms are adopted very slowly in China. Tho
law remains as it was 1000 years ago. and all
the customs that pertain to the worship OF an
cestors and the upholding of paternal authority
cannot be altered by 30 much as o hairs
breadth without provoking a storm Of profess
which not even the highest authority could at'
ford to ignore.
A case illustrating the remarkable hold that
superstition has even on persons OF wealth ana
Intelligence comes from a place south of Can.
ton. 1t seems that the persistent nl-fortune OF
O respectable family of some wealth was traced
to the fact that they had selected an "unpro-
pitious" site for the burial Of the bones of tho
head OF the house. The Chinese custom 10 to
exhume the coffin after three years, and to
wash the bones and, put them in a large jar.
This jar is then buried in q shady place, usually
under q tree, and over 1t the sons do ancestral
worship that assures the happiness of the de-
parted. The son Of this unfortunate family
dug up the two jars containing ancestral boness
cleaned them carefully and then reburied them.
But recently q neighbor by chance exhumed
the Jars while he dug for something else. This
was regarded as a bad omen and the jars were
| taken out and leaneisfor.another emoval.
The wiseacres Of the town said that several
misfortunes which had befallen the family were
due to Cd the esb unpftGRp e Epron sl,s s %So eec oGd .1 HE
Incident visited the village he found the rela-
tiyes and friends engaged in solemn discussion
family belonged to the respectable, educated
class, yet believed in these gross superstitions
Paternal, authority Is still supreme in China,
and when The old family law comes into Son:
must yield. An incident illustrating this
comes from Human; A doctor named Lily was
OF a deliberate murder were present. But
while an inquest was being held the dead mans
had slain his son because of the young man'g
%pnflial CONDUCT. 1t seems that the son had
his RHs' family NY and he = had even ehastised several
elderly men Of his clan who had gone to repon-
s ST It. With With a him; So the si father ne d had F Killed da hl%:
trate referred the whole case to the Board Of
pGndIshmen #: as 9st he did d.1 not feel a as nor ed, to
boards Of the Liu clan testified that the son had
rette. In this case tho Empress Dowaser metsd
Tsa sha, PsseH eidScst i son Of 9a a widow VI" He showed
open contempt for his mothers wishes by feiFn-
tiSsitios occurred; 10 cap The climax 81 his
offences, he failed also TO return thanks for the
m n%YSssS Tho RhSw natter w n,s'h Pefsrre sif IS tho se E N:
press Dowager. who prescribed eighty blown
with the rattan and the perpetual imprisonment
an empty room" The Emperor confirmed this
edict, SO the son will have ample leisure to re-
pent of his offence.
The Shantung Peninsula, on which were the
Notifications of Wei-hai-wei. and which was
overrun by the Japanese In the late war, Is tho
last place one would look for evidences Of for
eign improvements or inventions. Yet q letter
from Wei-hai-wei says that in tho interior of the
| province the DlcyCle fever RACES among the
wealthy natives, and no fewer than 200 Ameri-
can wheels have been imported. With great
ingenuity some native gunsmiths and black
smiths have turned out limitations of the for
sign wheels, and these are said to do good ser
vice. Instead OF the pneumatic tires these
Chinese wheels have solid tires of plated hemp
covered with ra whide.