The Washington times., 1901-12-22
CHINESE WORSHIP
OF THE LIVING GOD
ADORATION OF A YOUNG NAN.
Curious Discovery in the Interior of
the Celestial Empirc-Miiiions of
Deyotccs-objcrt of Their
EcnerR1i1u.

No stranger story has been told OF late
than that OF an English traveller who hai
just discovered. in one Of the most primi.
tive regions OF the Chinese empire. a hu.
| man being who Is worshiped as a deity
] 10y millions of people. known far and
wide as the Living Goa. ne is to the
uncounted millions Of Chinese and Mon
I enlian Buddhists what the famous Lama
OF Tibet is to those OF Central Asia.
IRIS remarkable religious personality
makes his home at Urga, the remote Mon
golian town lying just on the fringe OF
civilization at the end Of the, old Asiatic
highwav across the Cobb desert. and IL
was while the English traveller was re-
turning overland from China TO Europe
that he Witnessed the strange rites con-
Dected with the worship OF the Living
God" IN letter this description Of him
is given:
OF the world, Worldly.
in the flesh he IS young man about
thirty and lives in house which is AN
exact replica of the Russian Consula
General. H1S pcrsoniaca,ion Of deity is
chiefly confined 10 religions occasions and
his public life. In private he is Of the
world worldly and bas some amiable
weaknesses.
One of these renders him an object of
much importance in Urga itself apart
from mis- religious circle II is the not
uncommon craving 20 possess a duplicate
Of anything which takes his fancy.
In the exercise OF this Indulgence he
has at various Tine become the possessor
OF some curious reproducticns To it he
owes his present most incongruous habl-
tatioa ana at another time the possession
Of an elephant. said 10 have cost him q: goo
rubio5. He has also acquired many other
curiosities, the procuring OF which offers
to the russian iH@reha1's at rrga a not
Improbable means of livelihood
At Wrestling Match.
was fortunate enough to see This ex-
traoIdinary parsonage under conditions
not easily forgotten. Outside one of the
beautiful Buddhist temples. in a carefully
guarded inclosurc WAS pitched a semi
circle Of tents. The central one. resr,Ien-
dent with yellow silks ana gold embIoid-
cry. with huge yellow silk umbrellas and
cushions to match contained the throne
oil the Living God. On either hand and
priests, Mongol princes and Arbans.
In front Of the tents was an open space
sixty 70 eighty yards across. where hun
dreds Of Mongois, standing knecling and |
sitting. all deeply interested. gazed upon |
the wrestling matches which were going |
on in pairs all over the ring The com |
0atahts are picked Champions from vari- |
ous tribes and families. Theyare stripped |
NAKED, ~its the exception Of the leather /
riding boots and a garment rather more /
sran'y THAI. mans bathing dress.
GrON"iiuE Before Their Deity.
Upon entering the ring each pair OF
; i'15tlers prance UP 18th curious move
nents Of the arms anu legs to the imme-
Hate presence OF the Living God" be-
ore whom they lkowtow. falling on their
inees and strildng the ground repeatedly
with their forehcads These obeisanccs
,yer each man IS placed in position by
lis own second. usually IN elderly Mon
sol, one o. whom gives the signal for the
,out to begin.
The wrestling itself was good. 4 fall
$ the signal for the opponents to stop.
The winner at once begins prancing and
lancing about In an even more wonder
ul maner that at first again Croveline
'beisanccs. After this he quits the ring
o be received a crowd OF admiring
riends, another pair being introduced
At one time there might have been from
fifteen to twenty couples wrestling These.
With the cries OF the OnioOkers, the col
ring OF their bright clothes, the mass Of
odd and yellow in the magnificent tent
nd the quaint and picturesque roofs OF
he beautifully colored temples rising
byye II made up a scene to be long re-
nembered.-ChicagO Chronicle.