The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-09-22
THE LUCK
of JOSSES
Diverse Fortunes of
the Manchuria's
Idols.

| There is one lucky joss aboard the
is. S. Manchuria, now by the grace OF
| the sea-gods and Captain Metcalf
safely in port. Never was joss so lucky
or the lot of joss so very excellent.
| There is another joss connected with
the noble ship. but sore beaten and
| disfgured out of all semblance of it's
| former splendor, it drifts today, some
where in Waimanalo bay, the sport of
wind and waves and the enduring Curl
| osity of the black tern
| The Chinese crew of the Manchuria
installed on the first trip of the liner a
most i'm posing joss, who was quartered
| in the after part OF the ship. 1t was as
| good a joss as the ingenuity of man
| could devise or Mexican dollars could
| buy. It was joss in all respects
worthy of the magnificent vessel which
| is honored by its residence.
Wise and benign. it reigned over the
fortunes of the ship and crew in it's
little alcove, sitting on a gaudily-col-
ored mat and propitiated without ces-
satfon by the incense of punk-sticks,
the spark of which was never allowed
to go out.
For many a trip the joss brought
good luck to the vessel and to the
vessels crew. Fair winds and absence
of the dreaded typhoon favored the
former and the great and good of the
earth elected to travel on her For,
tune smiled on the Oriental crew from
Hongkong to the Golden Gate and all
the way back again The dice games in
the Asiatic steerage ran lucky for their
promoters and the members of the fan
tan syndicate were on the road to COM
parative opulence
For this fair favor the ships joss
got it's due of thanks and presents.
The punk-sticks smoldered by the dozen
and the joss alcove was Uttered all the
time with bake-meats. preserved gin
neai-colored cakes and imitation silver
syeee.
And then came the crash in the for
tunes of the Manchuria and that GAL
liant vessels joss.
The day after she piled up on the
reef the Chinese aboard sought to pro-
pitiate their joss IS they had never
done before. Still the keel of the ves-
sci chung to the coral reef.
Then the Orientals decided that their
joss had gone back on them and action
waited quickly upon this decision.
The poor joss was taken from it's al
cove and placed on a hatch and every
Chinaman on board the vessel gathered
round it. First it's gorgeous raiment
was stripped from it, then it's eyes were
put out with hot irons; next thou
sand knife wounds were inflicted all
over it's body, an appointed teller see
ing that no wound encroached upon
another.
When the knife work had been sat
isfactoriIy accomplished, the body of
the joss was trampled and spat on by
every Chinaman present and finally
heaved over the side of the vessel.
That same night a new joss sat in the
old joss alcove and before him burned
the. punk-sticks, spiciIy as of yore
With it. franticaIiy interceded the ORR
entail crew for the salvation of the yes
sci, holding forth promises of extraor-
binary rewards and conjuring it by the
unplea SAINT fate of its predecessor to give
fsvora BILE ear to their supplications.
The Manchuria was saved from the
tooth of the reef and for this piece of
good fortune the joss has been given
the limit of credit. It's little alcove has
been redecorated at the maximum of
taste and expense, and the scarlet,
green and gold of it's mat represent the
most peerless product of the Eastern
looms. Sweet to its nostrils rises the
smoke OF a score of goodly punk-stIcks,
tended day and night by a faithful
slave. whose duty it is to see that the
spark of one never dies. Stocked IN
the alcove are enough good things to
furnish the festive board of Chinese
wedding party
And upon all and everything the new
joss gazes. to the heather stranger,
stolidly, but to his appreciat1ve, ven
Grating devotees, wisely and benignly