The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-08-30

arctic case and offered each Of his
friends a roll Of the famous old English
Three Castles.
You are inquiring about the philoso-
ply Of the hre-cracker." he began.
Well gentlemen. to be candid with
you. there is a certain philosophy about
1t. though we hardly ever dignity it by
that name The theory-if theory
may call it's simply this: the Chinese
believe that the air about them Is filled
with all sorts OF little spirits that float
about like the meats in the sunbeams
and have TO be supplied with food and
clothing and the necessities Of life just
as II they were material creatures Of
| flesh and blood. In addition to the
ordinary tribute which they expect from
all passers-by upon the streets. they
levy special taxes. as it were upon all
special occasions. such as festival pro-
cessions, weddings, funerals. etc. This
is what the people resent and the IRE
cracker Is their means Of showing II
and OF securing immunity from the
unjust demands. whenever a process
sion starts down the street. the spirits
flock together and attempt to block the
way. This means that they must be
| got rid Of and pushed TO one side and
the fre-cracker does II most effectively
/ by stunning them with its short sharp
report, and rendering them temporarily
powerless, thus clearing the road and
the air and allowing the procession to
! pass in peace"
You mean the crackers knock these
little demons senseless. but don't actu-
ally kill them7 Is that the idea. Mr..
wang?"
Precisely So"
We'll" interrupted the Consul. what
| kha hfy "a that
every now and then they set OF one Of
these"
"Ah, that brings up a very interest
ing point" replied the host, as he leaned
over and deposited his cigarette ash
on the tray. regarding the organiza-
ton Of the forces Of the invisible world.
In the religion Of the Western world.
angelic forces-both good and bad
-have their ranks and their degrees.
have they not? The demons in the
Christian Scriptures when asked their
name replied. Our name is legion 1t
is exactly so in the Chinese concep-
ton. The spirits OF the air are divided
into regiments and companies exactly
as the soldiers are in the native army.
They are similar to the grades in the
armies OF Imperial Rome, having their
hundred men under a centurion and
their thousand men under a chiliarch.
Now inasmuch as an officer is much
more important and valuable than a
private, II will naturally require-so
the people reason-a larger and
stronger fire-cracker to stun him. That
is why at every hundredth cracker they
insert a large one to stun the CEN
turion and at every thousandth a still
larger one to stun the chinarch."
80 they really knock the whole regi-
ment down nat, do they not? Ohicers.
privates and all? And when they re-
cover consciousness again it's too late
to catch them. That's the idea, Is II
. not?"
/. Exactly so. And that explains why
they do not set them OF in the little
square packs that you use in America
Those are only made for export; we de-
not use them here. Those 'fsh-poIes,
as you call them, enable US to hang
whole string Of crackers in the air and
y weave-in the oficers in their proper
7. rank and places. That is why we cal
it Fang P1en' or Cracking the whip,
don't you see? Now. tell me how many
American boys who use fire-crackeri
Il have ever heard Of the Chinese idea o
using them7"
, Wang" replied his friends in unison, a
for his explanation.
Q The Consul drew forth from hi
pocket a handsome silver cigarette cas-
and, offering one Of its perfumed Tur
u l<ish rolls to the detective, said as h
l. did so, Il want you to try one Of these
sir; they are the very genuine thins
just arrived from the sacred city o
Mecca and made by the most famou
manufacturer in the city Of Mohame
y the Prophet, sir, not one of them to b
- had for love or money in all Hon
&c Kong, can guarantee that Thes
= were presented to me by the Capital
a Of the British surveying ship, just bac
- from n cruise in the Red Sea and alon
le the shores Of Arabia Light one Of thcr
n now. sir. and ~ you enjoy It as muc
re as I do. I will ask you to accept
% small box Of them with my compli
Of ments"
" Wang Foo reached out his hand an
D. drew one OF the delicately perfume
Al rolls OF Turkish tobacco from the cas-
As he did so. he suddenly started an,
VI looking at the case intently, remarke
J. to Its owner. why. that's rather
~ singular coincidence, isn't It? You ar
Ut seem to carry our little smokes in IL
no identical kind OF holder, do we not
op Just let me make sure Of II" he adde
ay smiling and Rawing his own out Of h
ng sleeve. "Yesi' Absolutely the sam
no size, style. engraving, everything. Al
s. see here" he exclaimed, as he point,
4 to handsome oval piece Of red cor
set in the cover. "the inlaid Jewel corr
q spends exactly to the other"
cS The Consul took the two silver cas-
ch into his hand and holding them 81,
ed by side and comparing them. remarke
g We'll. Mr.. Wang. II they were hum,
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