The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-15
CHINESE PRIDE IN coFFISs.
Superstitions That May Delay Burials for
Years in China.

A sympathetic foreigner recently writing to an
American newspaper, bcwailed the heartlessncss
Of Chinese sons and daughters who in the parent
lifetime prepare his coffin and shroud. and openly
talk with him Of his demise. The facts do not
justify the sympathy for there be no trucr evil
dcnce Of fllial pety in China than for a child to
present to his parent burial outfit. Let the head
Of the family he assured by the indisputabe owl
dencc of the coffin in the house, that respectable
burial will be his and ono OF the grcatset anxietics
OF his life is relieved. The coffin is proudly dis
played to each guest, the latter never failing TO
add his testimony to the ilial pcty Of the younger
generation The force of the Irish bull that hopes
you may live 10 eat the hen that scratches your
grave" is quite lost in China
IL is singular to note with what certainty n
Chinaman who is old or i'll will pre- Tor his
demise. Premonitions of coming fate seem To
enter into his soul. and he sends word to his rcn
ativCs and friends that he is about 10 die what
day can they come to his funeral? II he has not
been forehandcd enough to secure his burial
outfit. there is great commotion among the
households till money is collected for coffin
and also fot fcasting and music for a funeral
be propitiatcd with food and paper money. and
supply OF paper clothing and furniture must
b. burned for the Use Of the departed spirit in
the realm Of shades. when he is assured that
his obscquics will be properly conducted the pa
ticnt calmly SutfGndcrS to the inevitable. When
a man has made up his mind to die il is not oft en-
that ne RECEIVERS though II sometimes happens
that vigorous protest and exhotation, on the
part OF some influential relative will induce him
to delay shutting off his mortal coil
Vastly more shocking than the ubiquitous
grave is the unburied coffin 1t is everywhere
Every village has lis houses for storing collins
for viii oh no suitable burial place has been found
and whole hamlets are given over to this ghasty
will Of the Wind and Water Devil. Fong.
Shut, and his favor being, closely intertwined
with that of the priest who Is employed to choose
the site i, sometimes happens that The ancestral
remains occupy corner Of the dwelling house
for fifty years before the two powers that be can
agree upon proper resting place Even after
the bones are laid in the ground il is by no
certain that they finally disposed Of: for if
the relatives have money the priest is apt to dis
cover that the site is not a good one. or perhaps
the FOng Shut has changed his mi nd, and up
comes the ancestor If the coffin has decayed
the feshless bones are slowed in a covered jar
and these frghtful objects. awaiting refinement
dot the country thickly.
proof in tho fact that not, even her graves
remain involatc. Thousands of them have
recently been DESTROYED 10 make room for improve
mcnt%. Even the ancestors who for centuries
nave enjoyed undsturbed reIcsc, who IN der
lifetime opposed all reioim and adyane tment and
in their death went 10 swell the lCrg u Of these
who are nothing less than an incubus 10 their
descendants must now share in the fate of the old
largely responsible
One Of the most fruitful sources of dispute is
these same graves. \ little man came running
INTO the compound OF the winter some weeks ego
IN great distress because his buflalo WAS accused
oil exercising It's horns upon grave belonging
to another man In consequence Of such rude
disturbance Of the Fong Shut the mans wife was
very i'll, and he demanded Sc damages from the
owner Of the buffalo. Tho little man PROTESTED
that II was not his beast that did the mischief
and the writer teacher Ia literary graduate),
who was sitting BY, made the apparently axiomatc
statement Well If IL wasn't your buffalo you
won't have 10 pay" WhereupOn some friend of
the aggrieved graycholder took the case before
the magistrate accusing the graduate himself
OF interfering against him, and the case is still
unsettled. But time is nothing thousand years
more or less are but as yesterday when il is past
10 a Chnamap.