This spring's drought brought out two methods of the Chinese in praying for rain, the one which might be termed in{tial and the other final.
1n the first, the eounsry-folks coming from different directions parade, the main thoroughfare of the city to, the noise of beating gongs, each wearing a willow branch on the head Tid. carrying an incense stick or sticks and piece of paper in the hand.
These companies of rain makers proceed to the dragon temple and algo to the city god temple wher the heathenish rites are gone Yhrough: contemporaneously, shall Tsay, all classes of the male popula~ tion in the city turn out to mak their petitions known to the rain god.
"Kangs" or earthen jars filled with water anq_with willow branches, therein are placed in fron:
ps, while ropes to which a alled "ta. Tet, ips of paper containing rain prayers can be seen stretched across the principal streets.
The school boys in the procession sing a song as follows:— uth w Ti Cheng Huang, Tut rian uh ko lien Sheo na liang lin Sah tao tien hai assembled crowd, due to beating of cymbals, drums and a small instroment called cheng-tsi coupled on to chantings of the performers} make the night hideous, for these fare nocturnal efforts. In all this the people also assist.
1 The orthodox time limit for secur-results, ie, rainfall is, seven 1s, but there may be an extension to nine days.
This, then, Anishes the programme for inducing the u Huang-ti to give rain—even should there be only a alight amount of rain, nevertheless there is a finis.
When one comes to ponder the monetary side if the affair, one sees! that. these gentleman of the rain-making art rake in the cash, in the Instance above referred to, an} amount of 900,000 cash was donated.
'The donators consisted of the Defence Commissioner, county magistrate, all petty officials, busi-uncas people, ete.—in fact, as some tone' remarked "all outside of the Protestant mission." I did not hear of the Moslems of this district conducting any rain procession.
The ordinary custom of prohibiting the butchering of animals was indulged in for a considerable time and even the South gate of the city "was ordered to be shut, but the latter proved to be a farce—only for an inconsiderable time was the gate partially closed.
A ludicrous cast wag given to this dramatic exhibition in that a certain renowned idol goddess - styled "the golden flower goddess" ensconced in a temple about 110 Li from Hochow {is supposed to have acted the part of suppliant in behalf of the people Yor rain before the Pearly Emperor. This chief Chinese god not only refused to grant her petition, but factually resolved to kill her. La, fand behold the superstition of the people evidenced itself when a prayer wag written out and distributed s0 that the populace could Long a helping hand in sonding up petitions in order to rescue her from being, i prestige, consigned to limbo on account of the stirred up wrath of her superior and chief.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.