The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-12-07
All Over fife World
soId Everywhere. n boxes loc. and 25c.

profusion shoes of gold and silver pa- per; red streamers iraped the shrine. The scene was calm and peaceful, the air redolent of incense.
 Three priests, leaving the waiting groups, ascended the temple steps, their departure signal to the bell ringer to fill the spacious courts with notes of solemn melancholy. As the bell tolled it's gentle warning each hum- ble suppliant bestirred himself, turning to face the temple and to watch with no little reverence and dignity the tenn pie priests. These were engaged upon their litanies, and as one chanted his fellows beat with their heavy clappers upon bronze gongs. Quickly the pray CTS were taken up, each group respond ing. Presently the priests knelt, and bending forward, supported upon their hands, prostrated their heads before the images. Slowly they leaned for ward until their foreheads swept the temple floor; as slowly passing from the temple to the tables in the court yard, stopped before tho offerings. Once again notes from the temple bell boomed forth, flooding all heaven with mysterious reverberation; again the priests swung aloft their incense fumes; again there were the crash of cymbals and the sound of chanted song, as the priests blessed the food, begging the Divine One to accept the little gifts. There was, of course, no answering response; but as the prayer died away the figures of the acoyltes appeared from the shadowy recesses of the temple, and moving forward to the center table, took up the dishes, carry ing them before them to the High AL tar. Here they were placed at the very feet of Buddha as, amid a louder strain of music, the priests themselves ap- preached. Each dish now in it's trun was blessed-the flour, the fruit, the uncooked rice e-each offering the sym bel of innocence and purity, the three together making the sustenance of life. Very quietly the priests invoked the in terventien of the Blessed One, singing again with gentle cedence the chants and litanies. Gradually their voices quickened until as the prayers fell from their lips the responses were thrown back to them with rapid dili- gence. The end of the service was ap-. proachiilg, as with a final burst of nu- sic, priests, acolytes and Worshippers claimed in loud voice the mediation of the spirit.
 To me, the mere spectator of a charming idyll, the scene ennen yith some abruptness, but while ..ufg about the precincts of the temple, oth- CT ceremonies appeared to follow. As [ waited the priests left the temple house, and taking the dishes from the shrine, began to divide the little dishes in equal shares. Che was dedicated to the use of the Bu6dha, one was given to the priests, third was allotted to their generous patron, and the fourth was distributed among the worship pers. To that already set aside for sacrifice to Buddha the lady patron added her own share. carrying 1t up with trembling hands and totterlng carriage upon the shrine To the oth- CTS the priests brought stoves and wa ter, and while some attended to the boiling of the rice, others whipped up the flour into cakes. The fruit was left untouched and taken when the rice was boFed and the flour baked. Then of a sudden and with a pleasant transfor-
 mation the previous sad and melan- choly spectacle became turned to a
 happy gathering where few good souls partook of food blessed by the
 Mighty Lord Himself. There was no merriment in the feast, but priests and Worshippers alike joined in, fibbling
 delicately and chattering in subdued whispers. The change was natural and | altogether synbolical; their beloved
 friend or relation being dead they
 wished to share some of the joys which l the good and gracious Buddha had
 vouchsafed to him Thus they ate the
 sacrifices which had been blessed,
 voicing the wish of peaceful lives to
 each member of the little gathering and 1 perpetual plenty to him who had so
 long since departed.
 Presently the little feast broke up.
 but not the party. Eachhh individual
 member had a personal sacrifice to
 make, and leaving his fellow guests,
 one by one each made his way into the
 temple. Ensconced behind a pillar. and
 quietly sitting in the shadow, I watched and waited the passage of
 each foreign visitor. Papers were
 burning in the temple and yet others
 were added to the illumination There were two lesser and one larger divinity on the altar uiece, but obeisances were made before each and newly lighted
 tapers placed in the several sockets. -- Westminster Gazette.