The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-18
subterfuge was resorted to In order to get
the King to call upon Menoius first.

s,Ibterfugs was resorted to In order to get
the King to call upon Menoius first.
THE Kowrow.
The kowtow is still a part Of the cere-
monial greeting. If two officials are riding
and meet they dismount and bow their
heads to the ground. In the schools the
students kowtow before a Confucian tablet
twice each month.
When we visited the Government school
at Shanghai We noticed mats upon the floor
of the otherwise empty assembly ball, and
Upon inquiry learned that ut 7 o'clock the
rext morning the students would perform
the usual C~onfucian rites. These consist
Of q series Of kowtows. At q given signal
the students kneel on the mats and bow
three times toward the tablet, their heads
each time touching the floor; they then rise
and after q short interval kneel again at a
signal and bow three times more.
This ceremony is agnin repeated, making
nine BOWS in all. Then they kneel and
bow three times to the professors: after
s~alutine the professors each student bows
once to the student next to him and the
meeting adjourns. We thought 1t would be
interesting to witness thia service In honor
OF one who has received more formal rever-
ence than other mortals, and arising before
II was light we made the journey to the
| college, 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 per-
formed. Whether the postponcment was
due to objection to the presence Of foreigners
Visitors had been present on former oc-
c~aslops) or to some other cause was left In
mystery.
H%orsFRoAT IIfE.
Our morning ride, however. answered
| 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 horn, live and die In these IN
| stable homes. As they were preparing the
morning meal we had a chance to confirm
the stories regarding their want OF cleanli-
ness.
1t was not an uncommon thing to see
a woman washing rice in the muddy water
and a few feet away another woman throw
ing refuse matter into the stream, or q
| man performing his morning ADDITIONS.
At Canton one has o still larger opportunity
to observe houseboat life, where the Pearl
| River furnishes the water supply and at
| the same time an open sewer for q float
Ing population Of many thousands.
The contrast between the bath loving
jar anese and the dirty, complainant Chinese
laborer lie 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 w~renohed.
Whatever may be said Of the habits Of
the lower class OF Chinese. they are an
industrious and patient people. After
Watching them work and observing the
conditions under which they live one can
scarcely begrudge them Whatever oom-
fort they can find In the dreams Of Heaven
which they draw from their opium pipes.
And speaking Of opium, one 10 restrained