To the Editor of the "Norru-Cama Datty News."
Sin.—May I call the attention of the Chinese Church as well as the missionaries through your valuable paper to a new religious institution known as the Tao-yuen (SHBE) that is now springing up mushroomlike in the provincial capitals and the important business centres? It claims to be a combination of five religions:—Christianity, Mohammedanism, Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism and its chief god is known as Old Amcestor St. John's tablet is one as the representaristianity. Those who enter the Tao-yuen can at the same time remain a believer of his own religion. This is regarded as the beauty and the comprehensiveness of this new movement. But how can a Christian worship Old Ancestor and the lesser gods? This is idolatry.
There are five altars in every Tao-yuen and each altar has a ouiji board. Two are in: frequent use; jone is an oracle and the other, a healing medium. One who wishes to consult the boards can write his question on a piece of yellow paper and then burn it or kneel down and pray. As nobody. else knows his question, the answer must be the proof of the existence of the particular god and his power. There. is this much to say about the answer, that it is capable of being interpreted to fit in with the question. The healing-board gives prescriptions what an ordinary doctor will prescribe for the patients. These boards often draw pictures, write poetry and good penmanship, ete., and yet the two men who are the medium are often times ignorant and uns educated. Men are admitted to the Tao-yuen by one of these boards and when admitted are given new names. Those who come to answer the questions and te give the prescriptions through the onuijiboards are either gods or famous men And one can ask for an appointment with any one with whom he wishes to have an interview.
The great majority of the members are prominent men-—-the Tuchuns, the civil and the military officials. the wealthy merchants, men educated in mission schools and even Cristiani and a missionary. The Hupeh Tuchun is the head of the Tao-yuen at Wuchang, the Shanghai Defence Commissioner is the head of the Tao-yuen under his jurisdiction, and the Shantung Tuchun covets very much the honour to be the head of the Tao-yuen at Tsinan, but Old Ancestor does not think he is good enough for the position. All the office-bearers of a Tao-yuen are appointed through the ouiji-board.
A few months ago, a national conference was held at Tsinan
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.