Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-11-10
TUESDAY EVENING. NOVEMBER 10. 1919.
EENGSHUI AND FENGHU

China is a country Of a vast population in a state Of
arrested development. Until the Chinese began to respond
o the influence OF western civilization. which has barely
touched the masses. they were stationary in very many
Of those departments Of human activity wherein other
raccs show constant advancement. Their forefathers had
long ages ago attained a high degree OF development for
the time in which they lived. and later generations had
remained content with that development, repeating the
performance of their ancestors with the painstakinsIa &C
curacy Of the bird which builds its nest precisely as It's
ancestors built nests long ago. and, like the, bird, utilizing
40 new principle and never varying the pattern.
These characteristics of the Chinese are familiar. We
are less accustomed to regard China as a country Of vast
ind almost untouched natural resources. Estimates have
been made that of the enormous available mineral wealth
Of China not more than one millionth has been developed.
Vast deposits Of coal. or iron, Of precious metals. Of al
most every form of mineral wealth exist. and lie, for the
most part, untouched.
The reason for this amazing state Of affairs is found
in the peculiar beliefs of the people. which have filled the
whole land with a multitude of invisible spirits, some be-
aerolent, some malignant, able to bring happiness and
prosperity or sorrow and disaster. These spirits are known
rs sengshui and a very large part Of the time and effort
Of the Chinese masses is devoted to placatng these spirits
In order that i'll may be ayerted and good may be brought
about
This demonology has been reduced to a science whose
devotees gain a livelihood by applying their professional
knowledge to the. affairs Of ordinary life. They teach
that barriers, natural or artificial, can provide protection
against the evil forces, and among these are such objects
as bills. rocks and other landscape features. These are
dedicated to the protection of cities and villages. and are
not to be profaned by human hands. Such defenses are
known as fenghui and the fact that they are immune
from disturbance of any kind prevents the utilization of
the stores of natural wealth which many Of them cover.
With our superior knowledge and advanced civilixa-
ton We smile at the superstition Of the Chinese. We re-
(ject both fengshui and fenghui. We have discarded the
belief in witches and laugh at the idea Of spirits which
have power to work evil in the affairs Of men. We dig
into tho bowels OF the earth at will and extract therefrom
ARE fcnsshui and fenghu1 so foreign as may appear on
the surface? -,
We do not recognize the things that the Chinese tear
but are We entirely reasonable and logical in the tears
that we have The Chinese attribute ill-fortune to feng-
shut, to the invisible forces of the cir against which they
have not erected adequate barriers. And to ward off fur.
ther evil they dedicate new defenses and perform more
prone to attribute whatever i'll befalls us to government
to society, to something entirely apart from individual
skill and effort? And how many Of us in the effort to
avert evil place our reliance on acts of congress, and
methods of court procedure, and social theories, when
all that Is needed is the exercise Of the very ordinary and
commonplace qualities Of industry and thrift.
We recognize neither fengshui nor fenghui, but W.
have counterparts which serve quito as we'll to keep q l0
Of noses everlastingly on the grindstone, just as in China