The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-08-26
MIRACLE PEARLS
Images of the God Buddha Are Grown
to Order by Mussels.
(Ningpo Cor. Chicago Tribune. J

"And on the last trip out into the
country on our village rounds We
came upon these producing pair
of shells on whose inner narcreous
surface lay imbedded rows OF ''blist-
err pearls" and the famous "miracle
s''-tiny pearly images of the
Buddha in low relief.
These miracle pearls have been
known as products of Chinese skill
and ingenuity for centuries. Every
museum possess one or more shells
with the pearly image embedded,
and in the old days of the East India
trade the New England sea captains
used to bring them home from their
cruises. They got them, of course,
at Canton; but Canton no longer
| knows them or shows them for sale,
and persistent questioning can get no
clew as to the place where the mir
acles are made to order. They used
| to be sold at the Buddhist temples
| in Canton, and I had been told that
they were also brought by the pill
grims as souvenirs of their visit to the
sacred isle of Pootoo, in the Chusan
archipelago; but no one knew where
the "pearl yards" were, where the
seat of Chinese pearl culture might
| be-
~ saw these on the ledge Of the
wall in one house, and when | asked
about them they told me to come and
see,' and without any effort, pro-
longed interest, question or search the
good missionary stumbled upon the
whole business of the miracle pearls.
Pearl raising, it seems, was the
chief industry Of that remote village
in Checkiang Province, and had been
its unique speciality for ages. Each
generation had passed on the secrets
Of the art and knew not when it be-
gan, who first taught or evolved the
process by which the fresh water
mussel is induced to retain mud pei
lets and small metal objects which
are slipped into the shells and to dill
igently cover them with nacreous sub
stance.
The foreign visitor who had chanc-
ed upon the miracle making village
was taken to place where eight Or
ten men sat around tables prying the
mussel shells open to admit Of little
pellets Of baked clay and admit of
fiat metal, impressed evidently from
die, in the shape Of seated Bud
dha.
The mud balls are slipped in and
the mussel does the rest, but the lit
tie scraps Of Buddhas must be plac-
ed right side up with care, as Chinese
aesthetic culture has never reached
the appreciation or evolution of an in
taglio.
The mussels are put in ponds and
left there two or more years, and
are then ready for opening and cut
ting the "blisters and Buddhas free
from the shell surface. Whether the
mussels were fed by the pearl Guilt
vators, the visitor did not learn, nor
just the arrangement Of rotation or
alteration of ponds of each season s
harvesting.
While the villagers carried on the
other usual industries of rice and silk
culture, the pearling remained the
chief source of wealth, some families
realizing as much as 800 silver dol
lars each year from their pearl crop.
The blister pearls 60 to jewelers. and
are worked upon into elaborate Chin
csc hair ornaments; and the mlracu-
lous images of the Buddha, tiny, care
fully modelled, exquisite little half
inch long jewels, are sold as sacred
| treasures and talismans to pilgrims
| at the Buddhist shrines around Han
chow and at the Pootoo for the little
while each season that the limited
supply lasts
Sick Headache.
For several years my wife was
troubled with what physicians called
sick headache of a very severe char
acter. She doctored with several en-
inent physicians and at a great ex-
pense, only to grow worse until she
was unable to do any kind Of work.
About a year ago she began taking
Chamberlain Stomach and Liver
Tablets and today weighs more than
she ever did before and is real well,'
says Mr.. Geo. E. Wright of New Lon
don, New York. For sale by A. G..
Luken & Co., and ". Fl. Sudhoff,
Fifth and Main streets.
Nearly Forfeits Life.
/ nl,,nnct ondirrr e. knl IL