The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1923-11-27

school girl teachers and myself. start
ed for the Golden Top. 1t had beer
raining ever since we reached Shir
Kai 81 but cleared up in time to give
us one of the most wonderful trips
any one ever made to the top.
We went down the mountain Is
Ii to a big temple where we had our
dinner. Here there is a thousand
handed Buddha among many and va
rious other idols. But more interest
ing than idols were the pilgrims who
had come to worship them. Men and
women, young and old. rich and poor,
educated and ignorant. in countless
numbers came streaming into the tenn
pie. prostrating themselves in homage
to these images that other mems hands
have made OF mud and stone, and
burning candles and incense to them.
As the people came the attending
priest must strike the bowl-shaped
gong with his hammer to call the at
,ention OF the god to his worshippers.
Most foreigners prefer to wait until
the pilgrim season is over before go
ing on this trip to the top because it
is pleasanter to not have the roads so
crowded with such a motley mass
but we chose this particular time be-
cause we wanted to use our vacation
to spread the gospel to many OF these
people as possible Here at this first
temple we had good opportunity to
give out tracts and to sell gospels and
other little booklets at less than a
half cent each. At this temple there
is cold spring and this is considered
holy water The pilgrims come to it
and battle their foreheads and eyes
in it, but we foreigners come to it
with a great desire for drink of real
water. That is the second time
have had a drink Of water without
first boiling it since | came to China.
Can you imagine always drinking
warm. tasteless. land you can be
thankful it is tasteless) water'
After dinner we went on 10 Ii to
Flying Bridges. so named because
the bridges over the two streams when
viewed from a distance look like the
wings of 4 bird spread in fight. Here
the little mountain stream, clear as
crystal. has cut through a canyon OF
rock and makes very pretty pic
ture as il tumbles into white foam |
over its rock bed. OF course there is |
a temple here. All such places must |
have building in which to worship |
the gods. We travelled up this Black
Dragon river all afternoon stopping al
a lovely little pool for a cold plunge.
the first / have had in China. 1t was
great sport. In one place we went
through a canyon, a high solid wall
Of rock on both sides, where the water
was too deep to wade and here there
is a sort Of scaffold built on one side
overlaid with two planks on which
we carefully stepped lest they should
brake or we should fall. From here
we crossed and fecrossed this stream
on stepping stones" until finally we
eft it to climb long hill at the top
of which we found a big, wel-built,
airly clean temple in which we were
o spend the night. The priests were
'ery friendly, bringing US tea to
rink and hot water to wash our faces. Z
Being unused to mountain climbing
We were glad to tumble into our beds {
nd slept the sleep OF the innocent i
lot knowing until Weakened in the c
morning and saw them crawling up r
ny net that there were certain little a
rown creatures feasting on me in the /
light. G
We had breakfas. before we started IS
nd then travelled all day over most S
eautiful road, with mountains ever 4
owering above us, climbing up. up, t
p. and then sometimes down for a a
"
ream or ravine One hill we climb Il
d was the ''o9 corners" and the turns t;
ere so abrupt that we could not be II
arried even in our mountain chairs. e.
OF far above the top OF this we saw c
lie monkeys. They are running loose d
the forest but they have little fear tt
man. We stopped to watch them. v;
p in the trees above the road were
he mother monkeys busy picking hi
:ooties' off the heads of the little W
ie who chung to their breasts. These n,
tie monkeys were just like children. 90
hey would not mind their mothers fr
Id stay where they belonged but b
ould wonder out on the branches BIZ
nj they would get frightened and w
EN- how they would scamper back he
the protection of their mothers W,
ms. One dignifed old gentleman We
,flad L.. +