The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-04
The Globes S SS%s.J@ay
The Jtorm Center Of The 6Jorid.
BY DR.. R. WARREN coNANT.

in another world, spiritual and alI-ar,-
praclng and ever-imminent The laws of
Ihls spirit world are a grotesque trav-
esty OF the material world. 1t is very
important to place plenty of food on the
tombs Of the departed, lest thew 60 HIM
cry, but they partake in a Spiritual
sense only-or, as we would saw in
PlcKWlcklan sense. For after the food
mas peen exposed for a decent length of
Cine the mourning friends fall to and
eat up every scrap of it, cheered by the
pop OF the festive firecracker and general
enjoyment = an admirable arrangement
all around. On the tomb must also be
lett strips of silk wherewith the sbiver-
ing spirits may clothe themselves. and
paper imitation money must be burned
70 serve as their legal tender.
NOW 1t is easy to see what a terrible
thlhg 1t is for a dead Chinaman to have
no son. Tor on every son rests the chief
uuty OF seeing that his parents are pro-
VIueo with food, clothing and money in
the land of spirits. Consequently John
Is never a bachelor if he can helm il
ana consequently too, if he travels from
HolIle' ms remains must be shipped back
without fail Think Of wandering about
Spook! o 7iiie0'
Johh Is terribly afraid of the spirits
Everyone knows that spirit cannot turn
sharp corner nor climu hill conse-
quehtly the streets often have sharD
corners, IN order that spirits who are
out for trouble to the living NAV cot
confused and lose their way This aIso
explains why the roads so often 60 out
OF thelr way to climb unnecessary hiIls
tnereby increasing seriously the length
OI journeys and the toll of the burden
bearing coolie. The Dead Hand rests
heaVy on everything in China.
a oil y;
tIon is very simple In this also tha
Chlhese OF today present to US a tabfeau
WANT OF our dead and gone forefathers.
Stey by step We can trace back every
one Oh thelr lunacies from the witch
cIdit OF New and Old England away
pdcA 90 the Roman goddess Of Luck and
tne personal demon, Of the CreoI-
China has simply marked time wbiIa
Europe has marched
recent events in China have convarcd
70 many the idea that John il in+oier-
ant OF any religion but his own That "a
great mistake. He is as tolerant as an
ancient roman. All religion looks alike
y;,aai; ne takes some of each, on the
principle by which some peonIa talTe
Hieulclhe, that YOU can't have too much
VI q good thing. Side by side for CEN
lures nave dwelt in mutual toIerapcO
IohIuclanlsm, Buddhism, Taonism Mo-
haInmedanism, Judaism and Christianitv
Swing them in the order of local senior
ItS' as nearly as may be. There were
no hatreds and no persecutIons urtII
christianity became aggressive.
Inc great religion of China is Con
tuclahlsm. Strictly speaking, however
II IS not religion but a moral nhiIoeo
phy' Kind of ethical culture. It IS also
tne state religion, and the emperor is ita
Ills!l priest. All believe in it, and the
eoSlhsS OF Confucius are quoted on all
n 70
words may be heard from the lips Of the
poor and ignorant as we'll as of the learn
Gu ana MS dictum on any subject is
maj Inc great temple is at Picking
where the emperor officiates twica A
year with most impressive ceremonies
1ohfuclus lived in the seventh century
B. c. ''UiS'
Inc next most important religion is
DlludIlsm, an importation from India in
the frst century, A. d. Because Of .
dream the Emperor Mingti is said to have
sent to India to learn about new re-
lglon there, and they brought back Bud
dhlsm' Now the temples and images of
Buddha are everywhere in China. and
the priests are q swarm of filthy, ignor
tons.
Iaoism was founded by Iaoutse some
times called the Chinese Pythagoras. He
was a contemporary of Confucius but
more Of philosopher and less Of a
practical reformer than the latter. Orig
lnally Taoism favored ascetism and ra
uonalism; the Taoists are the jugglers.
soothsayers, and astrologers of. China.
IN the north and northwest provinces
live millions of Mohammedans and in
Picking they have twenty-four MOSQUES.
Strangest of all, in this land of sur
VlVals and fossils, is a single village of
Jews, in the province of Honsen, far in
the interior. There they have been al
lowed to worship in peace, after the man
ner of their fathers ever since the Dis
persion.
Last of all entered Christianity. More
than 1,lGO years ago the HISTORIANS or
followers Of Nestorius, a patriarch of
Constantinople in the fifth century, be-
gan the work of ChristianIzing the Chi
nese. Eight hundred years later came the
Roman Catholics, and soon established
fourishing missions. The lead which they
then acquired has never since been lost
The first Protestant mission in China
was established in 1897, and before the
recent prosecutions they claimed 100000
converts and 2,E0O missionaries
Copyright, 1900