The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-03-18
STRANGE CUSTOMS OF THE CHINESE ayv

Even sincerity was of less importance,
and both Confucius and Mencius set
/ dem0ralizng examples in placing the
latter above the former. In the Ana
lects an instance is given where one
JOo Pei, wished to see Confucius, but
the latter refused TO see him ION the
ground of being sick" When the bear
er of the message had left, Confucius
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 a message from the king say
ing that the latter was wishing to call
on Mencius but was detained BIZ q
cold" Mencius replied: Unfortunate
ly, I am unwel and unable to go to
court" but next day he went out and
paid visit of coincidence to another
family While he was absent from the
house the kings messenger called with
a physician, whereupon the representa-
tive of Mencius explained that he was
sick the day before, but that being d
little better he had FASTENED to court.
It was necessary to send out several
men to intercept Mencius and get him
to che kings house. All of this sub
terfuge was resorted to in order 10 get
II king to call upon Mencius first.
The kowtow is still a 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 kOwtow before
COnfucian tablet twice each month.
When we visited the government school
at Shanghai we noticed mats upon the
floor of the otherwise empty assembly
hall, and upon inquiry learned that at
the next morning the students would
perform the usual COnfucian rites.
These consist of a series of kOWtOwS.
At a given signal the students kneel on
the mats and bow three times toward
the tablet. their heads each time touch
ing the floor; they then rise and after
a short interval kneel again at sig
nal and bow three times more. This
ceremony is again repeated, making
nine bows in all. Then they kneel and
bow three times to the professors; aft
er saIuting the professors each student
bows once TO the student next to him
and the meeting adlOuTnS. We thought
it would be interesting to witness this
service in honor of one who has re-
ceived more formal reverence than
other mortals, and arising before it was
light, we made the journey to the col
lege which is distant an hours ride
from the hotel. When we arrived we
found that for some reason which we
could not ascertain the ceremony would
not be performed. Whether the post
pOnement was due to objection to the
presence OF foreigners NN-SilOIS lidN
been present on former OCcaSiOnS) or to
some other cause was left in mystery.
Our morning ride, however, an
swered one purpose; as the road ran
some distance by the side of a little
stream. it enabled US to see something
of hOusebOat life. Hundreds of little
boats line the stream, and in their
diminutive mat-cOVered cabins were
housed thousands of natives, many of
whom are born, live and die in these
unstable homes. As they were prepar-
ing the morning meal, we had a chance
to confirm the stories regarding their
want of cleanliness. It was not an IN
common thing to see woman wash
ing rice in the muddy water and few
feet away another woman throwing
refuse matter into the stream, or a
man performing his morning additions
At Canton one has still larger Oppor-
tunity to observe hOuseboat life where
the Pearl river furnishes the water
supply and at the same time an open
sewer for a floating population of
many thousand.
The contrast between the bath-lOVing
Japanese and the dirty, complaisant
Chinese labOrer is very marked, and
this contrast is also noticeable in the
streets. The sights and smells that
greet the senses along the narrow
streets of a native city are not soon
forgotten by one who travels through
China, and ones ideas of modesty, too.
are sadly wrenched-
By whatever may be said of the
habits of the lower class Chinese, they
are an industrious and patient people
After watching them work and Observ-
ing the conditions under which they
live, one can scarcely begrudge them
whatever comfort they can find in the
dreams of heaven which they draw
from their opium pipes. And speaking
of opium, one is restrained from speak
ing too harshly of the habit by a recol-
lection of the fact that the opium trade
was forced upon the Heather Chinee'
by a great Christian nation.