, 1898-11-25
FANATICAL CHINESE.
SUPERSTITION RULES THE RACE FROM
CRADLE TO GRAVE.

ing influence, Which Makes Brutes
of It's sIavish Deyotees.
No race in the wide world Is more
controlled by superstitious notions than
the Chinese. They enter into every act
of q Chinaman's life, and their infu-
ence is more lasting than that of his re-
ligion. He cannot move hand or foot
without their agency, and from the
earliest moment of his life down to the
last detail in connection with his burial
their power and influence are the guild
ing motives of his acts. All business
and family matters are directly con-
trolled by superstitious sentiments, both
rich and poor, young and old, being
slaves to their force.
To the average Chinaman his religion
is a mere negative factor in his mode of
life, to be followed or d~isregarded at
will, but no true son of Han dares to
act otherwise than in accordance with
the strict precepts of those spiritual
powers which directly control his life.
There are some amusing superstitions
connected with Chinese entertainments.
A dinner party is an ordeal which once
experienced is never forgotten. 1t con-
sists of from 40 to so distinct courses
and occupies the greater portion of a
day. During the whole Of these repasts
and Notwithstanding the endless variety
of dishes served the invited guest re.
tains the same plate throughout. The
explanation of this strange custom is an
old proverb, which has now become a
superstition, that 'he who changes the
plates kills the housewife"
Chinese proverbs explain several of
the superstitious notions with regard to
women. 1t is considered unlucky for a
m to mix with the builders OF a
house or other edifice during its erec-
ton, and to avoid any possibility of n
straying into the premises all approaches
are carefully guarded by watchmen,
and a fence is erected round the pro-
posed building as soon as its founda-
tions are laid.
The explanation of this is the saying,
"Women mix ill with wood, and death
lives in the house over whose founda-
tions a woman has walked" There is
a similar horror of the fair sex interior
ing with any public matter Of national
interest or in any business transactions
where men are concerned. women tie
knots" says the Chinese proverb. "Let
them remain at home"
No funeral can take place until as
trologers and professional fortune tellers
have been consulted. These unscrupu-
louss diviners decide the place Of burial,
and in the event of disagreement no
final interment can take place. This &C
counts for the number of unbTr1 COT
fins which are seen about tn
districts in China. Sometimes
is temporarily deposited in a temple or
kept in the house of the heir Of Nhe de-
ceased. Among the poor as often AS not
it is conveyed to some sheltered spot
and covered with a mat.
When in course of time (by aid of
additional fees) the OWNERS can report
that all objections to final burial are re-
moved, the funeral takes place amid re-
joicing and p~rofane excuses. The mode
of Precipitation generally prescribed by
as~trologersais the purchase of some stone
or piece of iron, to which an elaborate
ritual of prayer and sacrifice is made,
or, if the client is wealthy, the building
of a pagoda is suggested, in connection
with which the meroenary fortune teller
doubtless reaps a large commission.
The last species of superstition to
which we will call attention forces us
to place China among the half civilized
and brutal nations. One of these super
stitions is that the soul of a dying per-
son takes possession of the bed and room
in which the invalid is lying. To obvi-
ate such a curse as this the relatives Of
the dying person, as soon as they per-
ceive his end approaching. forcibly re-
move, him from his bed and place him
almostnakedupon aboard. If by chance
a man should expire in his bed, 1t, to-
gether with all the furniture in the
room, must be burned and many atone
ments offered before the Dom is consid-
cred fit for habitation again.
Many strange and inhuman ideas are
associated with the illness and death of
children. If a child sickens and dies be-
fore the age of ~ years, its last mo-
ments are fastened by the horrible
cruelty of it's parents. So long a. hope
is possible the parents, do their utmost
to save their child, but as soon as the
doctors abandon hope the child is strip
ped naked and placed against the outer
door of the house. When the end has
come, the corpse is thrown out into the
street to be picked up by the passing
dead cart.
The reason for this brutality is this:
If a family loses q child before it has
grown to maturity, it's parents refuse to
regard it as their offspring, but rather
as some evil spirit who has worked its
way into their home in order to bring
ruin and misfortune upon it and them.
st. Peters.
It's Bliss For Her.
Mrs. Wicklins-You and your hus-
ha,@1 o,l NJ a.l NT,a CaI1olnx~ aoo-,