The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1918-04-13
The CHINESE Are
Devil W0RsnIPERs
Ancestor Worship and Devil Worship
Are Common to All Forms of
Their Religions.
Buddhism, Taoism, confucianism and
Neo-Confucianism Comprise. Most
Popular Faiths.
Irish Missionary Movement Will Use
the Methods of St. Patrick for
Conversion of China.
Women Missionary Doctors Needed
to Help Chinese Mothers.

! (Rev. Joseph P. o'Leary, Che kiang,
China, in "The Far Easily
I None of the religions existing in
China at the present day can be said
to have definite system or body of
doctrine. They all have certain ele-
ments in common, notably ancestor
| worship and devil worship. AS far as
practical religion goes, these may be
| said to embrace the entire worship
of the Chinese people. All the earliest
| religions maintained, above all things
else, belief in the Immortality of
the human soul. Buddhism placed
the after-life in a Western Heaven.
Taoism placed it in a nine-storied
Heaven above the earth. Confucian-
! ism in it's original form strongly main
| tanned an existence after death, and
though Neo-Confucianism has discard
ed that belief, yet, for financial rea-
sons and to secure the support of the
| people, they still practice the cult of
| the dead.
| Desire for Sons.
Worship and sacrifice to the depart
ed shades is the duty of every son,
and hence the anxiety of Chinese par
ents to have son in their family.
If they have no male issue their souls
can never be at rest. Female chill
dren are not looked on with favor, es-
pecially by the poor, on whom they
become serious burden, and are Of
ten cast out of doors to perish in their
infancy.
Chinese Mothers Refuse Attendance
| Of Male Doctors.
| We may here mention one curious
belief connected with ancestor wor-
ship and the repose of the spirits of
woman dies unpurifed after child
birth, her spirit descends into lake
of blood. This fact is said to have
been revealed to a certain Chinaman
who during life had a glimpse of the
underworld. In his wanderings there
he found himself on the brink of this
lake, and to his horror he recognized
the spirit of his dead mother. He
was informed by his guide that at his
birth she had died unpurifed, but that
there was still hope of releasing her,
if when he returned to earth, he Of
fered certain sacrifices and performed
the rites of publication. Ever since
the Chinese regard it as the greatest
misfortune that could befall woman,
to die in this unpurifed state. And
yet so extremely modest are Chinese
women that they prefer to risk the
terrible consequences rather than be
attended to by male doctor at child
birth. This strange fact opens up a
tremendous field of opportunities for
lady doctors in China Besides an ac-
count of the well-known custom that
feet, they are unable to come to the
church for instructions, and, as re-
suit, scarcely ever see priest. This
is ruinOus to the progress of Cath.
olicity, for unless Chinese mothers are
we'll instructed in the faith they can
not instruct their children. The idea
of movement of lady missionary doc
new to Ireland, but the situation needs
it. Protestants understand the impor-
lance of such a movement, and are
already in the field. A beginning has
been made also by Catholics, and a
medical mission society has been es-
tablished in America. 1t was this that
Leo XIII. contemplated when he spoke
of "the lay apostolate of the TWEEN
tieth century" An extremely interest.
ing article has been written on the
subject by Miss Mary Ryan, Of Uni.
versity College. Cork, in the July
number of the Irish Rosary, 1916. 1t
is encouraging to think that the Ma
tional University is taking an interest
in the work, and as Miss Ryan says