The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-10-12
COURIER OCTOBER 1901

worship in the temple of his ancestors
The business of the day had now ar
rived, and presently the progress of the
emperor stopped as he alighted at the
entrance of a tent Of yellow silk which
had been erected at the angle Of the
palace and legation wall within the
shade of trees from the legation gar
dens. 1t was here that his majesty had
given us permission to watch the pass
Ing of his court, and it was here that,
within the moment of his own arrival,
the retinue of his son, his chair of red
silk borne in midair upon the strong
shoulders of sixteen bearers, stopped to
discard it's princely burden. The en-
peror and the crown prince passed
within the tent, changing from the i'm
perial yellow and crimson silken robes
of state in which they had first APP
peared into the sacrificial robes of yell
low, emerging a little later to make
obeisance to the passing of the tablets
of their ancestors. The character of
the procession now changed. Soldiers
and courtiers, noblesfand dignitaries Of
court gave place to priests CARRIED in
the yellow robes Of sacrifice, who
chanted in solemn tones words Of ben
ediction. The screaming pipes took a
fresh vigor, rising and falling in shrill
screaming until the air vibrated with
conflicting discords. Men, solemn of
face, their yellow skirts swaying with
the frenzy of their movements, swept
past the throne, surge of song rising
to their lips in the passionate despair
and lamentation which (should have)
filled their souls.
One tablet came, moving in a burst of
solemn song, and the emperor, his son,
the crown prince and baby prince, the
off-spring of Lady ON, the reigning
concubine, dropped to the earth, resting
momentarily upon their Bonded knees,
and crossed hands in reverent attitude
with pious mien-humbly sinking to the
dust their own proud heads before the
gilded burdens in the sacred chairs.
Twelve times they passed before the
imperial group, and twelve times each
humbled himself, the circle of support
ing mobiles and attending enunchs the
while assisting them, 1t was the first
appearance Of the baby prince, who,
scarce old enough to toddle, was OF ne
cessity aided in his devotions by the
chief enunch who pressed him to ms
knees, placing guiding hand upon his
head, a restraining hand upon his
shoulder The emotion of the emperor
was plainly manifest; he paled visibly
as If his whole being were centered
upon the object of his prayers and ven
Grafton, and there can be no doubt-the
suggestion should not even be permit
ted-of the integrity Of his belief.
The ceremony concluding. the twelve
chairs moved toward the ancestral tenn
pie and as the emperor ensconced him
self In his yellow chair of imperial state
the crown prince followed the example
of his father, mounting to his seat or
crimson silk, the babe riding upon the
back of the chief enunch and crying
with boyish and infantile delight. Once
again the flourish of the musicians
drums and pipes broke upon the har-
mony, and the priests and mobiles,
courtiers and servants, wearing the
costumes of their style and dignity,
followed in the train of the emperor.
The procession moved forward to the
temple. the tablets hating before the
Temple of Ancestors, the emperor and
the two princes proceeding to the Hall
of Sacrifice, where offerings of live
sheep were burnt and fruit and flowers
presented at the affairs. The spirit OF
the illustrious dead thus propitiated,
the emperor returned to the sacred
chairs once again paying his devotions
to the tablets one by one. Then each
was borne from its chair to the recep-
tacle which was in readiness for it's flu
ture keeping. Panels of yellow silk
screened them and no eye was permit
ted to gaze upon them nor any hand to
touch them, as each, wrapped In Its In
violate sanctity Of yellow silk, passed
from It's chaid of state to It's place OF
holiness. Priests attended them, the
throne followed in heir wake, the entire
court and the highest mobiles and
statesmen In the land bowed to them.
The exercises once over, the scene be-
came more brilliant within the temple.
Ladies' from the palace attended, cakes
and wine were produced, and the en-
peror and the crown prince changed to
their robes of state, the imperial yellow \
and the princely red discarding the
sacriflcial garments of yellow.-Pall
Mall Gazette.