is_ nevertheless provided in unconscious witness to the persistence of ancient practices of the Giurp Creadh order.
In the Highlands of Scotland, however, we find the practice in more than survival, two or three decades back. A writer in the Lancet (23rd June, 1872) says that "neatly half-a-dozen instances have been met with in this district, in which women have fashioned clay images representing the person to whom they desired ill, and then subjecting the work of their hands to slow destruction. Sometimes an old sword-blade was thrust into the side of the image, which was then placed in raining water. In most cases the image has been stuck over with pins. And in une cise the victim complained during his illness, which was fatal, that he had pains as if all the pins in Dingwall were stuck into hin Not a few references to euch a practice occur in Chinese tale books. In the twelfth century B.C., a certain philosopher (Chiang 'P'ai-kung) descended from the K'anlun mountains to assist the Martial Monarch (Wu Wang) of the Chou dynasty, by means Of various magical artifices Jearned upon that Olympus of Taoism.
But the enemy had learned the uso of potent, if unorthodox, imagine arts too. One of these foes had graduated in_wizardry upon Mount Omei, in mo-lem Szechuan, His name was Tso Kung-ming. He rode on a tiger, and was armed with an iron whip, on lifting which with both hands, a magical light, as of a lightning fash," bewildered the beholders. 1 philosopher from K'unlun being attache by this weapon, was thrown wounded off his steed, and his comrades in arms were routed.
Whereupon another orthodox: philosopher (orthodoxy, my-doxy; heterodoxy, your-doxy) suggested Ciurp Oreadh. "A straw effigy was made of the heterodox magician, Tsao Kong-ming, with his name written thereon, and potent invocations besides. The effigy was then pierced with arrow three bows were placed 80 as to k ways "under ire." At this the original fell il, nor was he restored until the plot was discovered, and the effigy secured by the enemy.
Then in the T'ang dynasty books, largely used by the orators of the tea-shops, we read of an intriguing favourite of the third Emperor of that dynasty, who coveted the position of Empress, which she afterwards gained (684-710), She managed to bring the rightful Empress into disgrace by making an image of the Emperor with his unspenkably-sacred personal name, and date of birth inscribed thereon. She then stuck five large nails of peach-wood (BK—t'qo—the tree of omen) into it, and secreted the effigy in the apartment of the Empress. Then coming in tears before the Emperor, she besought him to go thither at once, as his lifo was in danger. The image was found, and the guilt of the Empress seemed fully proved.
In the Tuoist Book of Rewards and Punishments, the modern Taoist "Sermon on the-Mount," we find among the list of sins the words, which refer to the practice of Giturp Creadh.
And very recently, it was my lot to hea witness, and to some extent an actor, in a present day instance of the same thing.
Just over our garden wall there is a yard common to a number of small Chinese houses. The inhabitants are as friendly as they can be with the foreigner, more so indeed, than they are among themselves. And it is rare for a week to pass without fof great deal elocution of an exceedingly violent nature, directed against other occupants of the little row of. houses, or against persons unknown. For garments and chickens seemed to be ina chronic state of disappearance.
These elocutory performances often Inst a day, and give an interesting, if sad, exemplification of the facility with which Oriental folks of an uneducated order are capable of Iapsing into rhythmic utterances and that impassioned metrical declamation which is at the basis of all ancient poetry, from the time of Lamech's Song of the Siword to the Magnificat of Mary, the blessed among women.
One night, thenew familiar strains began, Another chicken had disappeared. The declamation Iasted-far on into the night, and commenced again before dawn next On looking from the upper verandah,.a straw effigy was seen to have been fixed upon some palings. The head was of cotton-wool, and round the body was a piece of white paper which had been stained with blood. Beside it, in solitary anguish only relieved by the presence of modita~ tive youngster, and thres chickens, leaned the vocalist with her head tied up in a black rag, the Chinese equivalent to our nautical ™ inverted flag" signal of distress. Tu one hand she grasped a kitchen chopper, in the other the board for counting out cash, which also serves the purpose, when reversed, of a chopping board for greens and the like. It was half chopped a for her extemporised poem was being punctuated with blows from the chopper.
Her poem does not readily lend itself to translation, but this is the style of its milder stanzas Chicken-stealing rascal Chicken-stealing burglar.
You have stolen one You have stolon many.
Know then, that they-are inedible also, that they will poison you.
is judgment for the sinner There are curses for the thi May you be devoured as you devour May your wife be plagued in her time of need.
May your children be monsters May they dio untimely deaths.
The portion of burglars will be thei They will end their days at the headsman's hands," etc., etc., etc.
Then turning to the first of the neigh-hours who had emerged, she said quite have incense and candles in turned to fetch them.
The incense was lit in front of the dummy, and producing a needle, she dag it into the. paper in several places, saying: As Latick this in here, and here, and here, may the thief be pierced in like manner. do to you (addressing the effigy) may it be done to him or her.
Then, quite coaxingly: You'll have it done, won't you? And if you will, I'll burn quite-s lot of incense and worship you. D'ye hear?" And she went in.
Here was a chance for the camera, Everything was prepared, a native attendant was called and we sallied out into the yard. In reply to the inevitable questions, T answered that here was a Western antiquity now disused, which I wanted to photograph. There was no opposition whatever, but everyone tried to help.
The photo taken, the woman emerged looking poorly enough after her night's wakefulness and excitement.
"I'm very sorry your chicken has gone. So many have been lost lately, have they not? Ido not happen to have the price of a chicken on my person. but this hundred cash will buy an egg or two at any rate."
The woman took it and was profuse in her thanks.
Then, from the verandah, a conversation was over-heard: He's spoilt your charm."
"Not so, he's done a good deed."
**T''m not so sure."
"Yes, he has. And the matter ought to be taken as settled now."
"To be sure. These images do frightful harm, And only a chicken lost. Would
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.