The midland journal., 1917-04-20
LETTER FROM CHINA.
To Westminster Guild By Member In
Mission Field.
Chengtu, West China,
12-27-19l6.

1
Dear People,
This will probably be the las: time
will write to you from Chengtu.
Next time I shall probably be telling
of another journey and a new place.
When I last wrote told you of the
first year examinations in language
study which were not far off. Now
I am thankful to say they are over,
and l ann taking a weeks vacation
before starting in again with my
Chinese teacher. The examination
was entirely oral; for the first part
Of the time had to carry on con-
versation with a Chinese teacher
whom / had never seen before,
while DR.. Kilborne sat by and OBJ
served how well, or rather how poor
ly I could make him understand me.
Last time wrote you Of visit to
a Confucian temple. I think I've
been in nearly all the other kinds
that they have here since then;
Taoist, Buddhist, and Monammedan.
The mosques of the latter much
simpler than any of the others; there
is nothing at all in the big room
except copies of the Koran locked
up in case, and mats on the floor
to kneel ON. But one is not allow
ed to enter this room without first
taking off ones shoes, and in one
place they told us we could not go in
until we had first gone through some
ceremonial washings. We decided
that it would be sufficient IL we
looked in there! There are several
of these Mohammadan mosques here
in Chengtu testifying to the zeal of
these people in spreading their
religion. One day our language
class went on a picnic to three
famous temples erected to the
memory of poet, an emperor, and
q general who have been connected
with this part of China. We had a
Chinese teacher with us who could
read the tablets and tell us all about
things and it was intensely interest
ing. Moreover we got several side
lights on the beliefs and customs of
these people. In one temple there
are two green goats, made Of copper,
which people worship just as they do
the idols. If they are ailing in any
part of their anatomy they rub that
part of the goat and are supposed to
be benefited thereby. One eye was
nearly worn out, a rather significant
fact, for eye trouble is very common
among the Chinese. In this temple
there was a well-to-do family of
mourners who were going through
all sorts of bowings and scrapings
for the benefit of dead relative.
These people believe that the happi-
ness of their friends and relatives
| in the other world depends entirely
on what is done for them in this;
so one frequently sees paper houses
being prepared to burn so that they
may in this way be sent to the other
world for e use of some person
there In the same way paper
money and paper clothing is burned;
people in the other world are not
supposed to need as substantial
things as people here since they are
spirits. Before every meal the
father or oldest son of family is
supposed to take his bowl of rice
and place it before the ancestral
tablet, and bow before it. The
spirits of the departed Dartake of the
essence of the food and SO are
nourished. The son then takes the
rice and eats it himself. These
ancestral tablets one sees opposite
the doorway in the front room OF
even the meanest hovel. And VIC
were told in a lecture few weeks
ago that ancestor worship is one
thing which grips the people more
deeply than anything else. They
eat their candy Buddhas, and often
laugh about their idols. but they are
always serious about anything con-
nected with their ancestors. OF
course this all has it's good as well
as it's evil side. / believe the first
missionaries had many disputes be-
fore they decided that the ancestral
tablets must be given up before a
person could be considered a true
Christian.
! I have been studying quite little
Chinese history in the past few
/ weeks, and it surely does increase
ones respect for this country. 200
years before America was discovered
! Kublai Khan, the one Colerndge
/ dreamed about. was ruling over a
vaster empire Out here than any
his sway. And the things which
have happened since 1892 are recent
history in this land.
JANE C. BALDERSTON.
Concluded next week.
There is nothing that will give any