Durango semi-weekly herald., 1906-01-22
SOME CHINESE SOCIAL CUSTOMS
(By Rev. Geo. Il. Loehr. l

tBy Rev. Geo. r. Loehr)
Readers of the Visitor have doubt
less seen the statement. or have been
told, that the Chinese In their socIal
customs are just the opposite of what
the people are in the West As China
Is on the opposite side of the world
IRON the West, so the manners and
customs are opposite. The Occident
and the Orient are antlpodal Some
OF these striking opposites may be OF
interest 10 residents of the Occident.
In the West all the worshippers are
expected to take part In the worship
of God. In China the emperor alone
Is considered to have the right to
worship God. In the West God Is
worshipped in building built special
ly for that purpose; In China God is
worshiped in the open air. The en-.
peror worships twice year. aui
prays on behalf of his people, not In
the Temple of Heaven but on an altar
open to the sky, In the inclosure OF
the Temple of Heaven. This makes
us think of Solomons idea that no
| whom the heaven of heavens can not
contain can not therefore be possibly
| confined In temple made with hands.
This Is also the Idea of the Chinese
and is literally carried out by them.
| Christians meet for the worship oi
God every Sabbath In the West; In
China the Temple of Confucius is op.
ened for worship only twice year, In
the spring and In the autumn There
Is no sacrifice of animals In worship
In ths Wests In Chias IN the woFahlp,
OF Confucius there Is a scarifec Of
hullocks and pigs roasted whole. In
the West the worshippers gather to-
sether and worship simultaneously;
in China individuals go into the tenn
pies whenever. as rule, II suits their
convenience.
The Chinese for the most part erect
pies: In the West, as rule, they are
In the open air. an otable exception
being the Westminster Abbey.
In the West In the schools the
| teacher is the chief factor and the
hook is only a help; In China the
committing OF the book to memory is
the chief factor and the teacher is
secondary. In the West pupils are
graded and classified, and recite to-
gether; in China each pupil Is by him.
self, and recites all Of the lesson him
self. In the West the pupil faces the
! teacher when he recites; In China ne
turns his back to the teacher. Col
leges in the West are teaching inst
| tutions: they are mainly examining
bodies In China.
In the West a man becomes of age
at 81; In China he does not obtain this
distinction until the death OF his fath-
er. elder brother or brothers, when he
! himself may be sixty or more years
Of age. Young people In the West
become Intimately acquainted, and are
allowed to select for themselves their
life companions: In China they are
not permitted to see each other till
they are married.
The office of middle man In China
is considered honorable. while In the
West a middle man would be consid-
cred an intermeddling bnsybody. Di-
by bitches or small creeks; hedges or
dykes mark them in the West-the
one by depression, the other by an
erection. In the West the right side
and next to the host Is the place OF
honor, while in China on the
left side and fartLest from the
host Is highest. In the West men and
l
In China this is never done, or. II done,
1t is the exception. The government
of China is in the hands OF one, while
In the West 1t is mostly according
to the will OF the people. The letter
OF the law Is supreme in all legal mat
ters in the West; the spirit OF the la "
and the will OF the mandarin are held
supreme In China. In China a lawyer
Is despicable, while In the West he
Is most honorable. The same is true
OF u soldier. In China one accused ol
crime Is held guilty until he can prove
his innocence; In the West he Is held
to be innocent till he Is proved guilty
In the West the criminal alone is pun
ished; in China. II the crime be grea
| -e. e., patricide or matricide, the tel
families to which the criminal be
longs, as well as the officials OF tn
: district. are punished also. The CHI
/. nese say the compass points to tn
= south We arrange the cardtna
b points N. F.. s.. w. They say f.. w
+ s., N. We begin the intermediat
v points with N. and g.. hut the ChiDe5
o begin them f. and We. e., we ~
v NE. pW.. and 80 on; they say EN-
Q ES., WIN. and WIS. In telling Of tn
J. death OF near relative the Chinama