The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-17
A BURIAL in THE ORIENT
MRS. OLIVER It. LOGAN, A MISSION
AIRY, TELLS OF CHINESE FUNERAL.
An Interesting Letter from a Former
Resident of This City-StranEe
Burial Custom.

"A IeIler mas been received IN this city
from Mrs. Jennie Manget Logan. who, with
her husband, Dr. Oliver T. Logan, is serv-
ing as missionary in China Mr.. and Mrs
Logan have been stationed at I-Chang
China, for about a year, having
gone directly there from this city,
Mrs. Logan is a skilled nurse, hav-
ing received her training at the Indian
apolis City Hospital. Her husband, Oliver
I. Logan, was graduated from the Indiana
Medical College beside having been, while
In this city, an inferno in the City Hospital
Before going to his present field of work
DIR. Logan was actively identified with the
local Y M. c. A. Since arriving in China
they have sent letters to friends in this
city with considerable regularity The pres
ent one deals with a Chinese funeral as fol-
lows
I'VE were studying with our teacher, Mr..
Ho, some weeks ago, when we heard a big
gong sounding. Finding from the cook that
DIG man to-day wants go in ground we
went 10 the gate TO see funeral procession.
Inc man had been petty official, possessed
or some means and, consequently, his body
had been placed in his casket and some
months allowed to elapse before it was con-
sidered proper to make the interment. Red
IS the color for all festival occasions in
emma and the Chinese use it for funerals
in order to mislead the evil spirits who,
otherwise, would come and take away the
splTlf f7 OF the deceased Gongs are beaten
son. First in the procession came some
Buddhist priests bearing open box con-
tanning a censor of burning incense; these
were followed by a small army of gong
heaters and men with crackers-the din was
awful. The participants were supposed to be
and bowed while nearly all of them fa-
Vored me with q prolonged stare. There
We're more censers and crackers and behind
these there came a long stretcher on which
rested an enormous dragon made of red,
yellow and gilt paper; priests, in robes, fol-
lowed, playing a kind of ,dirge on reed in
strumentS, winch sounded little like the
Scottish bagpiDeS.
After these came the four sons of the de-
ceased dressed in white robes. with bands
of white on their foreheads, walking inside
rope Enclosure Next to these came the
men who were relatives, also with white
headbands. After the everywhere-inter-
spersed crackers and incense came the
mourning women or funeral weepers
There were several Of these and their walls
were loud and long, though they stopped a
second to look at the foreign woman. These
women do this weeping for a livelihood
sometimes in cases Of wealthy people being
employed to wall at the grave for a week
or more. After all the male relatives and
friends had passed, there came several
sedan chairs of a greater or less degree of
mans numerous wives A few more gongs
and crackers and there came the heavy
covered with a red cloth in order to make
the spirits think 1t was a box containing
bridal presents. Except for the. mourning
women and the white clothes the cortege
might easily be mistaken for a marriage
procession, the casl1et corresponding to the
large box of presents which the groom gives
TO the bride s parents On top of the caSket,
tied by one foot sat red rooster. This was
to be killed at the grave and it's blood
sprnkled on the casket. We could not as
but were told that it is a. ceremony never
omitted. The grave is not dug until the
body is brought to the spot. 1t takes from
hours ready
and filled and the people all stay until it is
finished.
DECORATING THE GRAVE.
"Six months after interment the relatives
take paper facsimiles Of pipes, opium,
gambling tools, sedan chairs and bearers.
food, and, in fact, anything the dear de-
parted liked in this world and burn them
at the grave. They then decorate the grave
with pieces of bamboo from which depend
streamers of white paper. Leaving smol-
dering mass of these paper articles, they
go away feeling confident that the spirit
will visit the grave and feel most gratifed
at the respect shown him. Sometimes as
many as a hundred relatives will gather
and spend almost whole day eating. drink
ing wine, gambling and smoking opium,
with an occasional fuSillade Of firecrackers,
the real worship Of the dead beginning near
sunset. A day spent in this fashion en-
titles the family to great respect from the
neighbors.. as the keystone of Chinese eth
BUSINESS and respect to parents alive and
dead
so far as we can learn this is the only
occasion where the men, women and chill
dren of family observe any kind of social
function together. This kind of ancestral
worship is performed twice every year, once
at the Chinese New Year and once during
midsummer. When we think of all this noise
and confusion, the expense that they never
get over, the show, the mockery and hol-
lownesS of it all, our hearts turn with Chris
tian gratitude to the loving sympathy. the
quiet church and still, flower-covered rest
ing place Of our loved ones. 1t makes us
long intensely to give these the hope of a
glorious resurrection and the joy of AN
eternal Inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled
and that fadeth not away l pause before
/ close this letter and think after this de-
scription have / only satisfied little Curl
osity on the part of those friends who are
TO read, if SO, 1 had better spend my time
otherwise If my readers do not look be-
hind and see that the reason these things
are true is because we have withheld the
gospel from them, and if an interest in the
spiritual side, the only really important
side, of the Chinese is not aroused, have
done only harm in writing. May the Holy
Spirit act the part of Nathan to us all and,
in answer to the question, who is response
BILE, say to each one, Thou art the man