Tenghsien, Sung, Fob. 18.
'The people have' settled themselves quite "resignedly to necept the Western calendar as ofelal, but the jobservanee of the Chinese New Year {will never cense Ul all superstition, ancestral worship and worship of false gods have been done away. Nearly every day of the yenr fre the last week of the old to the Jclghteenth of the new is dedicated to special worship, The use of fire~ [works and burning of incense have "The new year is.a time for cleaning jup houses and "even cobwebs are often swept down, The Chinese have superstition against the removing Jot cobwebs ax they are a sign of good Tuck. "Something like killing—the jericket on the hearth, No. matter how Jong a servant may remain In the best ordered household his atten-lon will have to be directed to the Jeob webs.
Tt is also a time for now clothes.
is touching to notice how a family will serape enough together to buy red cap for the baby when too poor, for new apparel. This is the rst year since the new calendar was adopted that stores have dared. 10 close up for the new year.
At Tenghsien the eighteenth of the forst month is observed us the day for worshipping the god of riches, This fod Is worshipped constantly and every day but on this day he specially remembered. "Travelling fon a canal boat no matier how poor, About dusk will be heard the steleing of a bell, and on investigating a shrine will) be "seen" and incense [burning before this od.
Wedding Ceremony No change is more noticeable in the last twenty years than the wed iding ceremony. The conventional Fed Is rarely worn now by Christians Jand the element of society that wale feomes new fads. Formerly a bride was met as she stopped from her chair by two women who were the "Ata recent wedding a widow with no son was In ate tendance, Paychologieally, not considering the religious side, the church has been a wonderful help to the Chinese people specially the women, by giving them something definite to plan for, a5 attending church on "Sunday. The routine is Inid. aside, the children cleaned up and the mother gets away from the humdrum of the home, hears the musie, sees her friends and els an uplift of soul whether she understands much of the sermon oF
The church people are now preparing to receive Dr. Song, China's rear evangelist, A tara Inge 1.000 0 more is in preparation,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.