Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 June 1893 — HOW THE CHINESE WORSHIP. [ARTICLE]

HOW THE CHINESE WORSHIP.

A Description of Tlielr Temples and Curious Customs. Every Chinese temple is a house of prayer or worship, but no sermon is preuched, no priest installed, no religious instruction given and no seating accommodations provided, according to a recent census bulletin. There is always at least one shrine, the more frequented temples having several, eo that a number of persons can perform the usual ceremony, each for himself, without being obliged to take turns. The worshipers do not meet in a body, nor is any particular time set for devotions. When about to enter upon a new enterprise or to take a journey, or when in doubt concerning any particular course of action, the Chinese are careful to consult their gods and patron saints. Every worshiper provides himself with incense sticks, candles and sacrificial papers, which are generally to be had of attendants at small cost. Offerings of wine and meat are added on special occasions. The candles and incense sticks are lighted and placed in their proper receptacles. If wine is used it is put in minute cups scarcely larger than thimbles, and these are pluced in a row before the shrine. The meat offerings may be roast chicken, roast pig or any other table luxury. When everything is properly placed the genuflexions begin and the request is presented. If the answer required is a simple affirmative or negative the worshiper drops a pair of lenticular pieces of wood on the floor a number of times and calculates the answer from the number of times each face turns up. Another method of obtaining responses, particularly when fuller responses are desired, is by shaking a box filled with numbered slips of bamboo, one of which will fall out, and then consulting a book containing numbered answers in Chinese verse.

The interior of Chinese temples is often highly decorated. The walls and ceilings are hung with tablets having inscrptions in the Chinese character, and there are often row’s of lanterns and embroidered silk umbrellas. Fine wood carving is also to be seen. The decorations are the gifts of worshipers. Most Chinese temples are free to all. No register is kept of members. Of the four temples in New York city, one, Chung-wa-kung-saw, claims 7,000 worshippers; Chap-sing-tong, 700; Hok-san-kung-saw, 1,000; Lung-kong-kung-saw, 1,000. Chung-wa-kung-saw is an organization in which every Chinaman in New York is supposed to be interested. Chap-sing-tong admits laundrymen only, and the other temples are supported by those who come from Hok-san and Lung-kong, respectively. A laundryman from the district of Hok-san may, therefore, be a member of three of the temples. For this reason no statistics of members can be given. Chinese temples are usually well supported. The revenues are derived largely from the privilege, sold at auction to the highest bidder, of selling the articles ol worship, which every worshiper must have. Thus the privilege of selling foi the Lung-kong-kung-saw of San Fransisco brought in 1890 $12,365.50, and that for the Ilow-wang-mew in the same city $3,861.60. According to the returns of population there are 107,475 Chinese in the United States, of whom 72,472 are in California, 9,540 in Oregon, 3,260 in Washington, and 2,935, the next largest number, in New York. In view of the fact that one of the four temples in New York city claims 7,000 worshipers, while the whole state has a Chinese population of less than 3,000, there would seem to be a large discrepancy. If that one temple has 7,000 worshipers, the number of visitors must be greater than the resident Chinese population. Doubtless 7,000 is the number that worship in the temple in the course of a year. In other words, the same individual is counted many times. A considerable number of the Chinese are members of Christian churches.—[Wash ngton Star.