'A pile of broken chairs and tables stands in one corner with a bunch of old feather dusters and the priest's broad brimmed summer hat. Alongside is the coffin. which every self respecting man in China buys early in life and keeps ready, ing it an extra coat of lacquer! each year. What strikes us for-elbly in this dusty sanctuary the curious Chinese familiarity with the dead." This tablet represents in the eyes of the priest an actual person, a clan superior, a living soul. Any irreverence towards is unthinkable. Yet there is noth-ang unseemly in Chinese eyes in sturt ing personal belongings in the! sanctuary, any more than—there! would be in asking a friend for permission to put some of your things in his cupboard because you had not enough room in yours. Few foreigners ever fathom the attitude of these Orientals toward their dear departed. Some of us believe it to be superstitious worship, and are shocked. But in trath it is really a continued loving association which persists beyond the grave. Those who have gone across the "Celestial River," according. their belief, still need those who! remain on earth and ice versa. the Shadowy World the ving kinsfolk and their retainers, listen to'their joys and griefs and, once a year, return to partake.of the feagt prepared for them.. The set out on the offering table, give them sustenance. Without these loving sacrifices made at regular intervals the souls would be hungry and lonely. And that is why the Chinese s0 desire the gift of sons that there may be a. male de-seen dant to care for the souls of the ancestors. Though women may share in the cult, they cannot maintain it.
We are permitted as a. great favour to watch the service that the little prince, a boy of eight years, last descendant of an illust-Ficus line, holds every autumn honour of his forefather. He comes at the beginning of the cold season bringing with him food and bundles of winter clothes,—that is to say paper.models of waded garments Which are burned in the huge iron brazier near-the shrine, The underlying idea is that the clothing as ends in smoke to the "Beyond" to keep the "Ancestor" warm. We suggest that the founder of the family must have been a very good man to deserve 30 much attention. "Good or bad," replies the priest, "it is not for his descendants to judge. These sacrifices are the custom and not to make them would be disgraceful. It so happens that the First Prince was indeed a good man, is lifetime people called title was Prince Yi. Beat beloved of the 18 turbulent brothers of the Emperor Yung Cheng whom foreigners remember Lecause of the beautiful monochrome porcelains made during his reign, Prince Yi also knew how to endear himself to the peasants of this neighbourhood, most of whom were tenants of his lands. As a tribute to his charity and wise administration they gave, at his death min 1730, from their precious grain, fields, land to build this One ing yonder on the terrace records the contribution of the Emperor Yung Cheng himself in lumps of silver for these buildings. The other is a list of village fail who gave a few coppers each out of their meagre savings for the same noble purpose."
Prince Yi and the Fo ers the priest who, like all has a keen sense of humour, added with a twinkle in his eye. "You foreigners must have heard of Prince Yi, He was the man who, when certain missionaries, suspected of stirring up factions among the too-numerous Imperial clansmen, came to him to intercede for them with his brother the Emperor, replied: "What would you say if we were to transport ourselves to the western world and act as you have done here? Would you permit it for a, moment? In the course of time T shall master this business, but I declare to you that China will want for nothing when you cease to live in it, nor will your absence cause it any' los Here nobody is retained by force; but nobody will be permitted to remain who breaks our laws or ignores our eu We smile in reply as at a hugo joke, and wonder if our servants have been bringing out newspapers from town and lending them to the priests, Only yesterday there were editorials, echoing Prince Yi's remarks.
Meanwhile the tablet house is ceremoniously closed up again and we spend the rest of the day full of thought about the new China and the old under the trees, Now some very wise gardener, worthy to collaborate with the architect who gave the splendid sweep to the roofs ofthe "Great Awakening" and planned the elegant proportion: Mis courtyarde, id. the planting here. First he must have set out the magnificent white pines with their ghostly trunks and branches that stamd alone in two separate little gardens on either side of the tablet house. It takes natives of North China 50 years to put on their white shrouds and, only after a century of growth, do they attain their full splendour. The darkskinned umbrella pines spread their green arms over the roof of Buddha's sanctuary in the course of a man's lifetime. Like green aeolian. harps they play in every breeze, answering with soft, low notes the tinkling wind bells' hanging from the eaves.
'A Precious Tree The: flowering crab-apple, that ip spring sends @ soft snowied -of pet vine, whose scarlet blossoms glow against the wall, has flower. ed a hundred times in honour of the "Harmonious Prince." For more than two centuries the splendid Ginko in our living courtyard—~ this strange tree species, oldest of its race and known to botanists as Groping them like golden coins on the pavement. But it seems to me gardener loved the Catalpa best, for he planted it beside the pool, a precious tree, since the wood of its species was always chosen for Imperial coffins, friendly tree too, lending its, trunk and branches to. the climbing wisteria vines and soctably dropping its sweet-scented pink blossoms with the purple tassels of its guest into, the water of the. spring.
Perhaps it is because the trees in China have been so long and lovingly tended by the hand of man that they seem to become almost human, and sometimes half divine, We have seen incense burned bee fore a thousand year old Ginko in a neighbouring temple and solemn worship paid to it. We are assure ed that certain trees have Why not? In China so many, tablets, crumbs grave mounds fields, and many stream and spring. As for men and women they each have not on but three souls:—a soul for temporal and temporary use, a soul to hover round the tomb and foul to rest in the tablet.
As we sit in the courtyard under. the big open pavilion with red lacquer pillars and beetling eaves at the sunset hour, as we listen to the soft chiming of the wind bells and watch the young acolyte going his, evening rounds with lighted incense sticks for Buddha, the Tablet and the Dragon God, we hear a strange unearthly cry from the village and, fon inguiry, learn that someone 8 "calling a soul."
Tt seems there is a child who is very wick, unconscious in fact. The nest explains that the little soul has left the body and that, the family must try to get it back oF the boy will surely die, Hence the weird unearthly ery, reserved for such occasions, The voice woman's voice, and a mother's, Tt is heartrending. Suddenly there ig silence followed by a burst of What han happened now, The soul would not. turn, they tell us. The child ts dead. "Filled with pity we inguiry if there is anything we can do to help the stricken family, "Your charitable intention docs you credit, Elder Brothers" says the priest with that unconscious air of pleasurable surprise. that an educate ed Chinese. assumes, quite unintentionally whenever he finds that the rude Barbstian Foreignar shows a sense of real propriety. "The family is indeed very miserable, Undoubtedly a little contribution for the funeral would be weleom The Etiquette of the Funeral Our minds fly to wreaths of white paper chrysanthameums the satin scrolls with gilded ideographs that the Chinese send on such occasions, and we are puzzling how to get them out from town in time. ° Somehow the priest divines our thoughts, "The "dead parton Being of young age the funeral wil take place very soon. 1 shall' ba asked to consult my almanac and choose the first lucky day. There must be one within a week or two. Of course in the case of an adult decency would require a longer me terval perhaps of several months, Buta child having no descendanta needs "no labarate ceremonies. Stilt if the Elder Brothers graciously desire to help, a contribution of a silver dollar would be generous," We deside to rend two silver dole Jers thatthe poor litle soul have a fine funeral and the mathe heart be soothed, "Your munific cence will be remembered forever in the village," comments the priest as he instructs us how to wrap our tiny gift in white paper and when to send it to moke the most effect, The gift of the foreigners must arrive when the neighbours ara assembled in the house of mourn-jing. Thus' will, great "face" ho given to the poor little weeping Imother and her social position be vastly. increased. May "this cone solation, so dear to the heart of woman help: to-dry her teare, In the" servants "quatters we overheat a Biscussion.";"Now why" saya any.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.