The sun., 1900-08-12

| Of the professors OF geomancy ana 'he ,hh'se
| tribunals and Government. that Fung-ohu'
is as fragile the imaginary animal outlines
/ and the ever-shifting currents or water ana air
| on which the whole system Is based Inc
| slightest defect in any part OF the Dehenceh'
| machine OF the imaginary animal brings every
particle Of II 10 a standstill; neither the temples
| Of the gods nor the houses and graves of great
or small can then escape the terrible conse-
! uuences Of the accident. Fung-Shui Is seldom
whole II Is generally wounded, often to death
| but not beyond the reach OF the power OF the
res,lrrcctionist professor And the wound can
! be inflicted by a trifie. No wonder that China-
men do not repair their houses untll they are
ready TO fall and become unnhabitable. Fung-
Shui. sensitive as il is. may be splintered asun-
der by false blow with hoe. or be dispelled
by one single brick applied the wrong way
Chinese are afraid to cleanse the house Tor
fear lest the rs al Kin wealth producing breath)
he swept away and thus cause the ruin OF the
inmates A stone carelcssly thrown away
or set mp somewhere by person wishing TO
improve his Fung- Shut. or maliciously to inJure
that of his neighbor the erection OF a wall
high enough to shut out the benehcent winds;
the erection Of hut or a shed at some distance
or on visible mountain brow; the slight devia-
ton of a watarcourse necessitated by agrl-
cultural requirements: the digging Of canals
the Standardization of irrigation; the cutting
down or bridging over OF submits and sides
Of hills and mountains; the removal OF knoll
the levelling OF an eminence. the planting OF
a pole or the cutting OF u tree may sever some
limbs Of Fung-Shui and cause II TO bleed TO
death. plunging the inhabitants Of the neighbor-
ing houses. villages. cities and provinces into
misery. famine. malaria. epidemics and death:
which disasters often actually follow simply
as a result Of the auto suggestion and demorali-
zation produced by the terror Of the inhabi-
tants. Hence interminable auarrels. feuds.
rebellions. incendiarism and loss of life.
II Is now possible to form a faint idea Of the
feeling Of Cinnamon toward the enterprises.
the railroad building and engineering works.
OF Europeans in China. Formerly when the
Europeans were unsuccessful In China the
Chinese, who had granted 10 them the worst
Fung-Shui places laughed In their sleeves
at the gullibility Of the foreigners, but when
the latter began to reap the fruit OF their sacr-
fees the feeling changed into deadly hatred
The white man became in the eyes Of the Chi
nese the foreign devil who was to ruin China.
Indeed. Cinnamon could no longer he cured OF
the idea that the Europeans knew more about
Funs-Shu than the Chinese and that they
were using their knowledge TO crush them.
Do the foreigners protest and circulate pam
phlets TO ridicule and expose the absurdities
Of Fung-Sh II simply adds fuel TO the fire,
for John Chinaman is astute enough TO un-
derstand that II Is all nothing but dust thrown
into his cunning eyes and that the foreigners
naturally wish to rid themselves Of impor-
tunate questioners anxious TO ferret out their
priceless secret. Otherwise how is II that all
white men are making money and there are no
paupers among themp All their houses and
gardens are placed under the protection OF
dragons such as no native professor Of geo
NANCY could ever dream OF or improve upon
They dominate cities and harbors, and, under
pretext of forming approaches, complicated
avenues are described around them assum-
ing the outlines of unk heavenly animals
The white men protected by such solid FunR-
Shuts are ever healthy and strong: they defy
heat, malaria and pest without even wearing
an amulet or talisman. And why do they build
their graves on the slope Of hills and surround
them on three sides with lofty walls against
the evil winds? Why do they arrange tombs
in uniform straight lines and surround them
with chosen flowers and bushes and treesY
Why do they build in the midst that large.
mysterious building? And finally. why do
they cut the sides of the hills and take so much
trouble TO pierce the mountains and shake
them TO their foundations by their locomotives
If not in order TO steal the hearts Of the dragons
Of the land. and thus e1terminate Cinnamon
from the face Of the earthp The white spretend
10 do 1t in order to save time In their travelsl
What nonsensel To pierce a solid mountain
OF granite and bridge over an inland sea Of
moving waters TO save a day or two of Journey
How absurd "Tshe ko tung pu tel" Thus
the Chinaman reasons.
Such was the ground on which the anti
foreign Empress eX pected to ward of the hatred
Of Cinnamon from the Manchu and to rally
every Chinaman around her against the for
eigner. For nothing else, not even the i'm
prudence OF missionaries, could have shaken
the apathy Of Cinnamon to religion; not even
the slicing Of China's territory could have
brought home TO that most selfish being the
idea Of fatherland and OF patriotism SO well
as FunR-Shui, the most stupendous notion
of selisfness known to history, of which neither
an Assyrian nor an Egyptian nor snperstitious
Roman would have been capable. While CEN
traliZng the Government and armng China
the Empress had set two wears to carry on nm
educational campaign, explaining TO China
men every misfortune during that period by
the outrages Of the foreigners on Fung-Shui.
This wear was wisely chosen by her for action
for the people were already strongly predisposed
10 IL and ex cited by an old tradition that when
ever an intercalary month Uuenn iue) occurs
between the eighth and ninth month Of the
year OF the Rat tchu year.. or the Seventh
stem, the whole Flowery Empire viii be con-
vulsed by n violent political crisis. out of which
Il will emerge victorious and harmonious
this being the will of Heaven in behalf Of a
righteous cause. Such is exactly this year.
the last one having been that Of 1888. and the
Of the fulflment Of the prophecy came to the
leaders Of the anti-foreign movement In the
shape OF famine.
Famines have always been the most power
ful spring Of popular discomfort and riots.
and the most effective instrument in the hands
Of INSCRIPTIONS despots Is well as demaxogues;
but seldom does history show such a record
Of famine combining circumstances so ex-
traordinary as the one referred to.
The provinces OF Chill and Shantung usually
expect some showers In October at the time
OF the Han Lou Gold Dow, Oct. s-23), followed
soon by the Choang-KianQ Frost's Descent,
Oct. 2s-Nov. 22) the Siao Sue CSlight Snow
Nov 22-Dec. ~ the Ia Siue tHeavy Snow,
Dec 7-Jan. a.; the Sias Han Che Slight Cold,
Jan. 6-Jan. Ply: the Tah Han Severe Cold, Jan.
2i-Feb 81, the III Choei Rain Water, Feb. I9),
and Kou Iu tthe Corn RAIN These latter
copious rains of spring. beginning about the
\ r,ks Eak, tn bs,u