The Sauk Centre herald., 1939-04-27

TWO or more little CnllQren. Inc
women and men await their turns.
Soldiers like swinging as much as
anybody in this country; they're
not so reticent in their attitude
toward games which they like, even
though we think of some of them
as being childish. you'd get as
much kick out of seeing two big
strapping soldiers strolling down
the street hand in hand as I did,
no doubt. But it's a common sight
on any of the streets.) Another
strange custom of the people at
this time of the year is to clean
out all of the dirt in the houses and
all of the very oldest things which
they do not want and throw it in
pile along the streets. They then
burn paper money and incense and
candles in a rite to the god of
wealth. They call this rite the Shao
Chueng T'u, or the burning of pow
erty. Their belief being that if they
burn up all the old things and ac-
emulation of the past year and
offer new sacrifices to the god that
they will have prosperous year
ahead. What an interesting SYM
bolical rite this is! Yet how de-
pressing it must be to these peo-
pie year after year to go on doing
this knowing that theirs will never
be an improved lot.
ITO show you how religiously
New Years is kept by all of the
people regardless of status in So
ciety, let me innumerate these fol-
lowing observations: The other day
when riding to the new city I met
caravan of carts loaded with
huge bales of cotton going into
Szechwan for the use of the army.
The bales and the carts themselves
were decorated with slips of red
paper bearing the usual characters
for this festival. They had cele-
brated the New Year on the road.
Another incident which is common
at this time is to see men who
carry heavy loads either on their
backs or on long poles. They have
character slips pasted on the poles
or on the cradles of their back
burdens. The peasants not only
feed themselves better, but they al
so give the animals more and bet
ter food at this time. I have seen
oxen on their way to water with
bright colored paper chains about
their necks and strung over their
horns. Even the fowls are fed
richer allowance of grain than at
some other times during the year"
Here I am in Sian midst all
the hell and chaos which has brok-
en- loose in this area. I had a good
trip up through the mountains on
a p. o. truck and then by train to
Sian making the entire trip in two
days. 1 put in with DR.. Glow
where was given warm welcome.
The first day, the 14th (March), 1,
at 500 the first alarm sounded;
but no planes came. However, at
HOO the second alarm sounded;
in about half an hour nine planes
came winging in from the west fly
ing directly over the city. 1 was
in DR.. CLOVIS garden at the time
and could see the planes coming
directly for the hospital. AS they
were over the center of the city
they dropped their load of missiles
and numbered on over us. I thought
surely that we're going to be in
for it again, but the last bombs
burst about block away. In few
minutes, at 11:40 twelve more
planes came droning over following
in about the same path and re-
leased some twenty or more bombs
in about the same place but little
to the south. A good many of the
bombs were of the aereal torpedo
variety which spin at rapid rate
burying themselves in the ground
for some distance before they ex-
plode. AS they neared the earth
one could hear them fall with some
what of a rafting sound and
screech which struck terror to ones
whole body. It's a feeling that
I've never had before. You don't
know where to go for all points
seem liable to bombing; stayed in
one of the trenches in the garden,
but felt like being in trap all the
time that was in it. Yet I know
that I should have been safer there
than any place else that I might
houa coi,Oht rafnoa in Four mora