Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-20
Junior Christian Endeavor.

Topic for February 21-"How the ChiLese
Live "a missionary meeting)-Rom. x:14-15.
Dear Juniors:
If you could pay visit to Chinese VIII
lage or town, and peep into some of the
homes to be found there. am sure you
would be more than ever grateful that YOU
live in a Christian land.
We are told that IL all the people in the
world were to march in single file every
fourl person would be Chinese. It is
thought that there are about four hundred
millions of Chinese in the empire. number
so great as that we can form no idea of It.
These people live in queer little houses
built of wood. stone. unburnt brick or
adobe. They are rooted with tiles, thatch
or earth. and many of them have only earth
floors. Very few Of them have glass win
dows, but instead of glass they use paper
pasted over lattice work.
Their ordinary food is rice, salt fish and
vegetables. and in north China they have
also sweet potatoes. wheat and Indian corn.
They rarely ever eat meat. because they
believe in the passing of soul from one
body to another, and they are afraid to kill
an animal, as they might destroy some soul
that has come to live in it.
They have some customs that seem very
queer to us. For example, instead of shak-
ing a friends hand. Chinaman shakes his
own. Instead of wearing black as sign
OF mourning they always wear white and
they cover the head as a mark of respect
instead of uncovering it, as we do. The
parents of Chinese. boys and girls select the
husbands and wives for their children. who
are very likely never to see each other until
their wedding day.
When boy baby Is born in China there
isegreat rejoicing. and the baby receives
many presents. When he is a few weeks
old there is feast in his honor, If his par
ents can afford it. and there is a great dis
play of fireworks. which are believed to
frighten away evil spirits.
But the poor little girl babies are never
Welcone, and they grow up without educa-
tlon, ana with very few pleasures. 1t is
said that not one Chinese woman in ten
thousand knows how to read When little
Chlnese girl is five or six years old her feet
are ugntiy bound. and the bandage is tight
ened from time to time. until the toes are
drawn under. Chinese woman's foot ia
usually only four or five inches long. and
sometimes they are much shorter 1t is
CONSIDERED disgrace for her to have big
rlbly while their feet are bound in this
way, and they are not able to run about and
pay as their brothers do Altogether it is
very SAD thing to be girl in China.
ldo. temples and idol shrines are to he
found everywhere in China. and this ey-
plains everything that is unhappy about the
!lves or the Chinese people In almost every
mouse there are at least two idol shrines
and much larger number are to be found
IN most OF them. There are many mission
arles now IN China. who are teaching the
people about the true God. and some of
them have listened, and believed, and de-
stroyed their idols. But China will never
become Christian land until all the Chris
tians OF other lands unite in sending the
gospel there In this work the Juniors have
a part. and we must all work and pray and
give, that the time may come when there
Will be no idols and no worship of false
gods IN all that great empire. Yours for the
Juniors. EDITH v. BRADT-.