Show SOME ChINESE d01 > VMES QUA1JTJES CHAKACTtRlS Sirica AND roiuis OF onsmr i J = Everyone lion some j neral MeaR concernlug the flilnio religion cncrlug but inruaia few are even sllghtlx loral Hh its tenets or ibis ak fjuilnteJ wJ is tene t tolls of the wonJilp L11 There are two features of the Ch Thral which distinguish 11 urns religion tlblnbh I nl from the faith of mOt other I Uel nation Three ire the nUeuie of human sacrifices and the noudeifi bumn IcrllC ant Xoweriilclallnim CtttlolI Of vice Sotclcllnun lation of man by his fellows hiss loan found JU II Clilueso annals II I Htich a Iiais as to carry the cn vlction tint it formed art of the Iwlief or iracticis of the 111 Xo Aphrulito or raUIimi oexurx III the list of jlaineeeEtli1t05 j n O weeping fur Tliaminuz no uuarcn riles ul the Durgiiiusi have ever been required or sanctioned bj Ciilnf 1 > IrireLa no aulch gIrls as in InJiaii temples or courtesans ain a-in Cruth kept lu their Sere dwellings nor docs their inytliolo beam with disgustIng relation I of cy lflIt the amours of their eieltie Ou the contrarjhke the Roman tiny net and ilefj ihaMltj inil seolu 1 ion i as i imiiiMof liriuging lIla oiul an J bod nearer In the hijiiit eX exllellee There are three forms of joliglou amollg the Chinese ill tills country jj s tile Sew York Star the Lao r theCliiiiiiTworfonfuclonniid lilt 10 joHe was lilt gnat reformer re-former of the CliiuuHi primitive re lUiou whlih was In a gnat degree It nwophiii of nature Jlewas them the-m IHlhe Mill oft IMX > r aatitthe basis of Ills new teaeliiu s king that man mu t subdue and control his IIOJMOUS if he withe to obtain spiritual and phjfclcal hapinmsg Every faculty and tcntimi was given nb good the manner ofar ranging them being to place on one I ide all those that jieronifj the 1 IrtuuuK ropir j and pleasant with their coneponding antngoulU opposite op-posite them The priests practice and the an epicurean phIlosophy profehsora of this creed are chltily the neb Dud the higher clashes of society Tlie jiuriwH of Confucius was to I etablUh the primitive religion his I oljeet being not ta much to anew I a-new belief as the inculcation of moral principles and to induce lib countrymen to lead a moral lifeHis JilloH > l > hj embraced three grades J Fi F of sacrihci the great medium nud f i l inferior rho oljectt to which tilt treat iacrillces are offered are only four vie Tien the heavens or sky tithe earth tai mialor the great temple of ancwtors wherein the lauleu Ot ueccaseu nioiuueiia LIU dynasty are placed j nud lastly the ahie tstior gods of the land and grain graInThe medIum acnflces are oflered to nine olject The sun or great light the moon or night light the names of emperors aud kings of former dynasties the ancient patrons of agriculture and sIlk Confucius himself and the gcds of h aven earth and the cjcllo year The ui tliologj which Confucius taught was that the mn day warmth alld tire blghr heavens or perfect prInciples were of the masculine mas-culine gender and the imperfect principles comrrMng tIe moon earth night null cold were of the feminine gender He attached no idea of iiersonality to tilt Deity but ordered adoration paid to power pow-er that represented that celestial ruler The Chung To oras it is better known America as Confucianism in the religion of Uie more learned classt The mot popular religion and that which we gee practiced In Molt Street and In factln San Francl co Is that of Fo or liuddh < > m Some of the doctrines of Confucius have been incorporated into 11 but the salient features are tho e of Slams Ism which have degraded It Into a common idolatry Many if not most of the idols to be seen in the various temples of joss house here which are u ualli devoted to the ervicc ot the patron l deIty of someone one jarticubr company are little more than adaptations of Indian deities or the persons of remote an ce toi > invented will the character sUes of gods Of all the KiinU in the Chinese nendar Confucius Is the chief and with him are reckoned tho early kings no and Shun with King tau and hn two ton Kin Vu anti Duke Chiu The highest divinity is > guk Kuong ious Va He Is tiartieu burly prayed to In times of business ilr A 1 troubles financial I depression and w referred to an the producer and governor of all things terrestrial aud celestial Tire common people belie be-lie e him to tie the supreme ruler of all who Is to examine into the merits or demerit of mortals and reward punish them according to their deserts Die custom most in vogue of approaching hh august presence is by nine geuutieetious and three knocking Tai dang or the deity controlling life and dtathis the objcx t of special auoration by the inhabitant of Chinese Chi-nese Tartarj He is the reputed grandson of Xguk Huong SIongTn and reigns over the lower regions He is regarded as lie duty who hat charge of the portals hereafter and it Is tint he might more easily and effectually draw his followers into his terrestrial Mimic that the common queues are so much worn byChimnaeu In the Chinese jo shou eon Molt Street Is a figure labeled HIeng Thug SlonTa who Is regarded by the almondej Celestials the supreme ruler ot tIe heaven He isalsoknowu as the water ruler and U often prated to lo prevent conflagration as wind and rain are believed to lie his fpeciil dlpeiia hoot Joss Clicks iti burned in Ilia honorand during the wiutcrHiUtice which Is a greit day of Chinese worship he Is ornamented will It fcilk cloak cap nut tools When tIle garment are about to be taken off all v or hii < rs lnIlIt express their adoration of the idol npitting in 1U face nine con > eeutie times The dress is then removed I nUll time JCKS stieks are placed at the foot of the water ruler until the coming of this next winter solstice There is but one of the numerous Chinese gods before w hofe presence no red candits or jets sticks are burneJ and that is I llno Sing or tile god of fire He is much re vereueed and feared Lecaue he is I looked upon as the ruler of the southern regions and no people are more enslaved by fear of the unknown un-known than the Chinese They have their clairvoyants fortunetellers fortune-tellers aud sstrologlsti in MotL Irctt and elsewhere reaping pol den harvests from the > a t crouds of Mongolians who flock to their den anxious to get a glance Into tho misty future Strange as it Ctnthe Chinese han day M apart for tho special honor of Kuang Ing Huk or tho goddess of fecundity on whose birthday her worshIpers eat only vegetables She Ion vegetarian and is represented ai half man and half voman Her image in the Melt street jo8 titus I I I is made of coarse clay upon which j 1 U I Inscribed on white paper in large I Chinese hieroglyphics her name Many married men whoM wives i and mothers are in China or three j I I who have married In thIs country are her rpecial wofhippers I I Ma Chu or the goddess of fallorp ii represented in the figure of a fi I I male seated on a barrel and reposing herelf on a velvet cushion under a i i canopy of state Ou cither side kimt II 0J stands two assistant t Favorable I Wind Ear and a Thousand Stile i Eye each of whom are represented I i t dll as half man and half lion Ma Chuh temples are as numerous in Mott Street her title and she Is extensively ex-tensively worshIpped by those whose business takes them Into deepwater VhenevernChtnaman is about to rail for the Flowery Kingdom ho spends three consecutive days Invoking In-voking tho aid of Its Chu for a speed and safe conduct and carries with his the ashes of tlie joss sticks which be burns In her honor as a safeguard from shipwreck or other i marine disasters The form of adoration cooltnonlj paid in > cw York Sing Chin N5 or the goddess of midwifery con HIts In oflering her any and every kind of flesh meat except that ol ducks She is reprcstut l in the form of a female clad In silk robes surrununted by a golden crown anal MatltJ onatlgvr coDlparnUel few orth ChinAmen or cw York arc married Sing Chin > a occupies the most oUcure place among the deities of the Sloth street J i house The mot conspicuous I Idol In the liIOg I Cliliitt 1 temple is bans Among or r i the god of fortune who Is war shipped by n very large proportion of tile common people esiwckV 1lbu JII = the 1 laundrymen aim tradespeople Heisbelieted to male men courageous cour-ageous Dud elariugtas well aswic easeful iii Uielr undertakIngs Not the least interecling and showy god among tilt Stall Street collection Tu Thleng KIng or the god gaiiiMIug Mho is rejirefeiited as a tiger standing on his hind an s and holding etnetn l the fort im toiu > large globe ornamciited nitli fuur iu ikloiis looking Cliln iM characlers Sluice lie Is I the jenefaeU of gambling and lottery melt It is not to Ui wondered at that lie Is sometimes made the occasion o f Very exien > lvo aud uliowy erie rations ierhajis from OhIo deity wegain expression bueklngthv I tiger geroug TIeD Kung who is wor lipjicd for protxtctiun in limes of i Hand for success in busine Dud eiaidy ist er3 IiiilioiMgenlltmau hallIg the fix t of n later I the mouth uf aliuiiand threu eytat one belug ocated in the middle of he fore head which lit I partial euiicealed by Ion Iilker To Kik bills the god of awiiie and a very imjiurtant tailor In Chi su cvouuim He is rtjlt lIl das d-as a deaf luau dressetl 1 in common cIolhlllg aud holjing Mairiu his laud Restaurant keepers anil I enhaiib worship him regularly and he or lis cartouihe is to be found in nearly every eating house In Chinatown Xgn Hien Kung the God of thieves isaccordlng to Tom Seethe exdejiuty sherlll of Mutt street a epcclal favorite not only among the tHieves and Itrofcssional stealerp but also among those who wish to become wealthy He Is the son of Knebing a God literature who Is < tOken of as the giver of ability to write prose and poetry and was n thief himself A miniature image of him carried by all thegamblers nud thieves of Chlnatow I w ns intent on one occasion I ll in oung Lapt McCuIIochs station house ivhen a number of Chinamen were arrested In n gambling and opium olnt While the ringleader of the 1lIy was being tearcheu an image fMr Jvgn Kung fell to the floor All at once there was general commotion com-motion among the Chinamen and it was only when an iutertter who was called into explain the Close of liegemral uneasiness i hSr alled told thecaptain of the nature IIId value of tI Ii relIc Ihat Itn root srnted to restore the much coveted idol toIU owner these are l IItt few of the many Chliife gods Into whose cliaraettr tics und claim 10 dhhiI want of jnce prehibits me from entering The priests of the highest classes of Chinese are educatedbut those of the lower classes are very I nornnt flue idea most Chinamen have of i heaven etuis to Ie I pantheistic I i and in worhii > ping heaven and earth and terre tial gods the cleats to include in-clude and pruritlate all superIor powers The worship of Confucius however how-ever can no more be called the religion re-ligion of the Chlnuae than the teachings of Socrates could Le tinned the faith of the Greeks Cleveland Ilatn Deafer I |