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Show HOW THE CHINESE 0ET RAIN. recullar I'raelleM In Togtt la the r,lallal Kingdom. It Is one of Hie peculiarities of the Chinese that, while they have developed develop-ed elaborate phllosophlea, none of them has led to any conflilonce In the uniformity of nature. Neither the people nor their rulers have any fixed opinion aa to tho causes of rain-fall. Tho plan In sumo province when th need of rain Is felt Is to borrow a god from a neighboring district and petition peti-tion him for the desired pisult If his i answer Is unsatisfactory he 1 returned j to hi borne with every mark of i honor; otherwise ha may b put out In , the sun, ss a hint to wake up and do bis duty. A bunch of willow la ' usuully.thruiit Into hla hand as will b sensitive to inolrture. Another plan In extensive use Is the building, of special temples In which are wells containing con-taining several Iron tablets. When (hero la a scarcity of rain a messenger starts out wllh a tablet, marked wllh tho ditto of (he Journey and the name of the district making the petition. Arriving nt another city he pays a sum of money and Is allowed to draw a new tablet from tho well, throwing In his own by way of exrhnngs. On ,' (he return Journey he Is supposed to eat only hran snd travel al top speed i duy and night. Prayers are usually madu In (he fifth and nlxlh month when tbo rainfall Is always due, and a limit of ten days I set for their effec-tlvo effec-tlvo operation, t oiler such cnudKlong rain usually falls during the pre- I scribed time. When prayers ar In progress tho umbrella, among other objects, comes undur tke bsn. In some provinces foreigners are mobbed for carrying this harmless article at that time. Detroit Free Press. |