The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-10
BARS OF SUPER STPTION.
Queer Customs in the Chinese EN-
pire.

Queer Customs in the Chinese EN-
Tien-Tsin Letter in New York CONNER
cial Advertiser.
As English and American importers al
ready know. the two great difficulties in
the way of extended commercial relations
between the East and West are, first, the
| Superstitions of the people of the East.
and second, so far as China is concerned,
the burdensome etiquette which affects
| every imaginable circumstance or condi-
ton. The Chinese, with all their rever-
ence for learning, the position to which
they eXalt their hteraH who are the rul-
| ing class, are scarcely less superstitiOus
I than the savages of Africa. The OWNERS
are consulted upon all possible occasions.
! No marriages or burial can take place
except upon days that are pronounced
| lucky and this is determined according
! to the OWNERS within, or his prospect of
being wei paid for a decision satisfactory
to those who consult him. This is not
less true of the humbest coolie than Of
the mandarin, "a yellow girdle man"
holding some exalted position in thu inn
perial service. Luck. as decided by the
necroma ncer, must also have its part in
all the bargainings of the Chinese with
foreigners whether il be selling a pony
or securing concessions for railways. And
has been declared off from some mysteri-
Gus -..gse. which, If he could be inter
viewed. the ntCl3E2encer could explain. OF
these gentry there are conntless thousands
in China, and they are not only shameless
charlatans, fully conscious of their skill
in imposing upon the supersitious cred
ulity of the people, but are the ready tools
of the literati-the sworn enemies of the
foreigners and the strongest obstacle in
the way of progress. Dozens of instances
can be furnished of the superstition of
those holding responsible postS-as of a
mandarin who had been the Chinese am
bassador to a foreign court prostrating
himself and worshipping a lizard which
he was assured was the incarnation of
the great dragon king, who had withheld
rain until the whole country parched and
the crops were perishing.
Dr. Martin. the president of the 1mpe-
rial University, witnessed this scene. He
had observed q long procession entering
a courtyard, the people bearing wands OF
willow in their hands. He was told that
the dragon-king mad been caught and he
was in his palanquin, which was pointed
out. Upon investigating he discovered
the lizard-a creature four inches in
length swimming about In jar of water
As a last resource. the people had gone
to a pool supposed to be inhabited by the
gold, the rainmaker, and praying for
manifestations found the reptile which
they at once pronounced to be the drag
onIking himself. in this humble form. He
was captured, transferred to the jar and
carried TO the yamen, or office of the city
magistrate. the procession hating at every
yamen on the way. that the lizard might
be worshipped by the crowd that had col
lected When it had been sufficiently hon
ored the reptile wOs returned to its ma
tive pool When DR.. Martin saw it
rug was spread on the ground in front Of
A1.s,, 4 All,
kneeling arrayed in his splendid robes of
office. And yet, this high official had sue
cessfully passed the civil service eXamina-
tions upon which political promotions de-
mend and was, in the Chinese accepta-
ton of the term, highly educated man.
A parallel case has occurred within the
mast month No rain has fallen in North
china since July The crops has suffered
terribly. maize and other grains drying up
and the fields are baked until it almost
impossible to plough them for the autumn
nlanting Roots that remain in the ground
through the winter. and whose tender
shoots i'm the spring furnish food for many
thousands have also died. For weeks
nrayers have been offered in the temples
and ions of incense sticks have been burn
ed before the shrines of the gods The
Empress has regularly told off details Of
mobiles and princes to pray in the Temple
of Agriculture in Pekin-flrst three, then
deputized for whole week to petition
without ceasing day or night. This hav-
ing also failed, the last resort was tried
a sacred tablet preserved in a temple In
one of the Southern provinces was sent
for and brought up to Pekin to be sol
emily worshipped This tablet is a piece
Of iron that was found i'm a well in a tenn
nle court several hundred years ago ana
which was discovered to have an occult
| influence upon the rainfall. Its arrival in
Pekin is always attended by very SOL
| emn ceremonies. and 1t is deposited in the
| temples where it is to be temporarily lodg-
ed with every mark of honor. The EN-
peror then goes in person, prostrates him
| self before it-and his piety is rewarded
| with the much-desired downpour The
| tablet has been sent for, brought up 10
the capital and worshipped, but no rain
has been vouchsafed A solemn council
has been held. the tablet has been proved
unerateful and unworthy and II has been
permanently banished by imperial decree.
| And this In a city Boosting a university in
which modern languages English Htera-
ture. political economy and the natural
sciences are taught by the best attain
able European and American professors:
city which has recently achieved rail-
way communication with an important
open port I'm which the telephone and the
electric light are now used. and which has
a resident population of several hundred
foreigners.
we have seen, In our own history and
very recently. how ordinary, natural
events have had an instantaneous effect
upon political affairs good crop and the
unexpected rise in the price of wheat
contributing materially to the defeat Of
one political party and the triumph OF