The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-03-20

is fettered by formality. Each rising
! generation is drilled in the perform
anCe Of certain rites REQUIRED by ap-
| proved etiquette and it would be hu-
initiating for one to have to confess
that he did not know the proper thing
to Go and the proper way to do il.
Even sincerity was of less Importance
I and both ConfuciuS' and MenciuS set
demOralizing examples in placing the
| latter above the former. In the Ana
| lects an instance is given where one,
200 Pei. wished to see Confucius, but
the latter refused to see him ION the
ground of being sick When the
bearer of the message had left, Con-
fucius took his harpsichord and sang
TO it, in order that Pei might hear
him." 1t is related of Mencius that he
was about to go to court to see the
king when he received q message from
the king saying that the latter was
wishing to call OH Mencius but was
detained by cold" MenciuS replied:
"UnfOrtunatefy | am unWell and un-
able to go to court" but next day he
went out and paid Il visit of condol-
ence to another family. While he was
absent from the house the kings mes
senGer called with a physician, whore
upon the representative of MenciuS
explained that he was sick the day
before, but that being Il little better
l.
necessary to send out several men to
intercept Mencius and get him to the
kings house. All of this subterfugc
was resorted to in order to get the
king to call upon Mencius first.
The kowtoW is still u part OF the
ceremonial greeting. If two officials
are riding and meet they dismount
and bow their heads to the ground.
In the schools the students howtoW
before Il Confucian tablet twice each
month. When we visited the govern
mcnt school at Shanghai we noticed
mats upon tne floor of the otherwise
empty assembly h2lI, and upon inquiry
learned tEat at seven the next morn
ing the @tude.,ts would perform the
usual Confucian rites. These consist
of = series Of kOWtOWS. At a given
signal the students kneel on the mats
and bow three times toward the tab
let. their heads each time touching
the floor; they then rise. and after q
SllCrt interval kneei again at 4 signal
and bow three times more. Tais cere-
mony is again repeated, making nine
bows in all. Then they kneel and bow
three times to the professors; after |
the professors each student
bows once to the student next TO him |
and the meeting adi0urns We |
thought it would be interesting to wit |
ness this service in honor of one who |
has received more formal reverence |
than other mortalS, and arising before |
it was light, we made the journey to |
the college, which is distant an hour 5 |
ride from the hotel. When we arrived |
we found that for some reason Whicn |
we could not ascertain. the ceremony |
would not be performed. Whether /
the pOstpOnement was due to obJec- t
tion to the presence OF foreigners |
(visitors had been present on former |
OccaSionS) or to some other cause was !
left in mystery.
Our morning ride. however. an |
svered one purpose: as the road ran /
some distance by the side of little |
stream, it enabled us to see something |
Of hOuseboat life. Hundreds Of llttlc
boats line the stream. and III thelf
mat-covered cabins were
housed thousands of natives. many OF
whom are born. live and die in these
unstable homes. As they were pre-
pairing the morning meal we had 4
chance to confirm the stories regard
iae their want Of cleanliness. 1t was
not an uncommon thing to see z
woman throwing refuse matter into
he stream. or Il man performing his
, 7hIutions At Canton one has still
larger opportunity to observe house
boat life where the Pearl river fur
1ishes the water supply and at the
same time an open sewer for Il floating
population Of many thousand
The contrast between the bath-loV-
NO J,nanesc ana the dirty complaiS-
ant Chinese laborer is very marked.
ma this contrast is also noticeable IN
he streets. The sights and smells
hat greet the senses along the mar
row streets OF a native city are not
soon forgotten by one VINO tfaNeiS
through China, and ones IDEAS OF
too. are sadly Wrcnched-
But whatever may be sitld OF the
,ahits of the lower class Chinese. they f
are an industrious and patient people.
Aftcr Watching them work ana op-
serving the conditions uiuci NhttH
.ha,. i've one can scarcely begrudge
.bc,o whatever comfort they can hnd
!. tho dreams of Heaven which thcy
Iraw from their opium pipes Ana