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“I Am
The Way,
The Truth, and
The Life."
A Chinese Funeral.
By S. C. Todd, Macao, China.
Some one lias well said that the Chinese consider
being well buried the most important event in life.
It is a fact that the people groan under debt con
tracted either for burial or marriage expenses.
Near us is a large house, with spacious flower
garden at the back, owned by a Chinese lottery.
This gambling institution sells chances on the suc
cessful candidates at the literary examinations. The
house is rented from time to time to rich Chinese
for either wedding or burial festivities. Last year
the funeral of one of the wives of a wealthy gen
tleman was held from there. Being within a stone’s
throw of us we had opportunity to see the affair
at the best.
Our attention was called first to it by the con
tinual heating of gongs. Sleep to some of us was
impossible; the continual noise, the deep toned
sounds jarred terribly on tired nerves. Next day
servants frequently passed bearing paper figures
in many shapes, such as the stork, devils, women
servants, etc.
The gathering crowds on the morning of the
funeral told of the importance of the day. The
small boy with unkempt hair, and wardrobe not
too elaborate, was much in evidence. He is a prime
factor in funeral processions, for it is he who car
ries the lanterns, the banners and other parapher
nalia. Women bearing varied and sundry ornaments
were on every hand; here and there were Buddhist
priests with their closely shaven heads and flowing
robes; while the street was lined with open stands
made of kingfisher feathers, an indispensable ad
junct to a funeral procession.
No doubt the family heart beat with pride over
such an important day, for did not all this stir set
forth in vivid picture their wealth and importance?
To be sure, a woman is dead, and custom does not
decree that she shall be signally honored, but Chin
ese. like other people, are sometimes better than
their customs, and in this instance a husband is
heaping honors upon his wife.
By the doorway stands a bamboo pole some twenty
feet high, which is topped with a large paper stork,
uuon whose wings the spirit of the deceased is
supposed to have taken its departure. Over the
door are suspended two large white globular lan
terns with large characters in blue, these colors be
ing the mourning emblems in China. On the wall
are passed large sheets of paper which tell of the
deceased, describe the route her spirit has taken
and warn the people not to cross Ker path lest dis
aster come to them.
Standing in the street one can see men and wo
men in coarse sack-cloth moving hither and thither
within the house, while amongst the crowd is to be
seen a servant woman with one of the little ones
astride her back, the little mite garbed in cap and
coat of the same.
In questions of mourning the Chinese are past
masters. The deepest is sack-cloth, which, after
seven days, is discarded for white. White shoes,
white robes, are worn, while a white button adorns
the cap instead of the proverbial red one and a string
of white braided into the queue. Blue is still a
lighter mourning, there is a blue button for the cap,
blue shoes, and blue appears in the queue, while the
earrings of the women are of the same color.
A son mourns a parent for three years, during
11® IHil BSIRf is
The Golden Age for April 26, 1906.
which no silk can be worn, and if he is an official
he must resign and retire to private life. Upon the
death of a sovereign, the whole nation goes into
mourning for a hundred days, and during that time
no one can be shaven and all go unkempt.
The hour of the procession has arrived. A long
line is formed, while on either side the crowd is
dense, being held back by the police. Heading the
procession are large lanterns inscribed with the
family name, borne by small boys. Other dirty
street arabs follow bearing upright red boards which
carry inscriptions describing the family virtues,
men on small ponies ride in single file; others car
ry large silk banners which are embroideried with
the deceased’s name in large velvet characters,
while quotations from the classics are worked into
the top folds. A dozen or more upright stands fol
low, each borne by four men or women. These are
of open work, and have many figures done in king
fisher feathers, describing Chinese life and scenes.
Their bases are left open, being used as recep
tacles for foods and other offerings to the departed.
Often you will see in these a roasted pig, with a
red paper star stuck in his forehead; in another will
be a complete meal, others carry oranges and va
rious kinds of fruits.
In one procession I saw a pyramid of oranges
with a paper man standing on the top. These foods
are in some way supposed to be transferred to the
spirit world where the departed will have need of
them. Then came Buddhist priests, friends carry
ing lighted incense sticks, while numbers of Chin
ese officials followed in their flowing robes, beaded
necklaces and tasselled caps. The mourners in sack
cloth followed the coffin; they walked beside an
empty sedan chair to the back of which was sus
pended a large picture of the deceased, while on the
vacant seat incense is burning.
What a contrast a Christless burial is to the
Christian! 0 that they might know the true Savior
and His presence that hallows in such hours.
Dr. Chapman’s Dallas Meeting.
By Rachel Kollock McDowell.
Rev. Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman, corresponding sec
retary of the General Assembly’s Committee on
Evangelistic Work, has just closed a three weeks’
series of revival meetings in Dallas, Texas, which,
according to the local pastors and the prominent
Christian people generally in that city, haa been
the most wonderful revival in the history of the
city.
Dr. Chapman, with a corps of assistants, includ
ing eighteen evangelists and singers, came to Dallas
direct from Mobile, Ala., where they conducted a
two weeks’ evangelistic campaign, March 15, and
the Dallas meetings closed Tuesday night, April 3.
This last day was set apart as one of thanksgiving
and prayer, and it is estimated that 25,000 people
paused long enough from the toils and strife of
everyday life to go to one of the churches, revival
halls or tents and devote at least a few moments
to prayer. At the request of the Dallas Pastors’
Association, Bryan T. Barry, mayor of the city of
Dallas, issued a proclamation requesting that all
the professional people of Dallas close their offices
and places of business from 11:30 to 1:30 o’clock
the last day of the campaign in order that they and
their employes might during that time attend one
of the mass meetings conducted by Dr. Chapman’s
corps. Over 225 business houses had consented to
close before the mayor’s proclamation was made
public, and the result of the latter was that business
generally was suspended for the two hours, and the
city had the appearance of Sunday. At 10 o’clock
in the morning of this eventful day, there was a
thanksgiving service in the First Methodist church
at noon. At noon there were two great mass meet
ings, one in the Dallas Opera House, led by Dr.
Chapman, and the other in the Majestic Theatre,
led by Rev. Dr. Henry Ostrom.
This wonderful day was but a fitting ending to
the wonderful campaign. In many ways the simul
taneous movement, of which Dr. Chapman is the
originator and exponent, was an experiment. This
was thought to be due to the fact that there are
so many uneducated evangelists who rise up and in
vade different parts of the 'South, that there is a
certain prejudice against the profession. Dr. Chap
man said that for the first ten days he and his as
sociates felt there was a barrier in the way of the
progress of the work, but that at the end of this
time there was a sudden ami remarkable change.
There were always crowded houses, and the last
week the churches would not contain the crowds.
Aside from the nightly meetings in six churches,
various daily services, in Bush Hall, the Dallas
Opera House and the Majestic Theatre, there were
meetings of an unusual character, among which were
several midnight theatre meetings.
This is one of Dr. Chapman’s methods for touch
ing “the masses” with the Gospel. The last Mon
day night Dr. Chapman preached to a vast audience
of colored people, at the Bethel African church after
his regular district meeting. Rev. Robert A. Wal
ton addressed working men at noon-day factory
meetings. There were several services in Welsh
for people of that nationality, led by Owen 11. Pugh,
a native of Wales. Rev. and Mrs. William Asher,
“the saloon evangelists,” reached over 1,500 persons
in their saloon revival meetings, most of whom
never attend church. They included lawyers, poli
ticians, business men, cleiks and men of the world
generally, and through services in the county jail,
conducted by Mr. and Mrs. Asher, fifteen prison
ers definitely decided to turn from their sin and
live Christian lives.
Mr. Schaeffer held numerous children’s meetings,
and Dr. Ostrum conducted a special service for
old people. At Oak Cliff, one of the districts, the
meetings were held in a big tent.
Among other expressions of opinions as to the
results of the meeting, Hatton W. Summers, the
County Attorney, said:
“These have certainly been great meetings. I
speak not so much from the fully religious stand
point; others are in a better position than I to
express an opinion as to that. The effect upon the
body of our citizenship has been most elevating. I
believe that Dallas will have braver, truer, better
citizens by reason of these meetings having been
held here.”
In 1896 there were 22 members in the Baptist
church at Kiehyand, China. To-day the church has
200 members. It is not only self-supporting, but
maintains two missions in other parts of the city
and two places of prayer. A revival began in Ran
goon which has spread to the villages around. Such
reports are coming in from every direction.—Ex
change.
“The Entrance
of
Thy Words
Giveth Light."
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