Rensselaer Republican, Volume 16, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 July 1884 — Chinese Science. [ARTICLE]

Chinese Science.

From ancient times the Chinese have taken note of natural phenomena. Their record of Solar Eclipses is perhaps the most ancient and accurate in the world. They have more or less elaborate works on astronomy, mathematics, botany, zoology, mineralogy, physiology, and many other sciences. Yet there is scarcely any true science in them. Classification, even in regard to plants .and animals, there is none. Mineralogy is mainly a description of curious stones. Nor is there any progress, for the ancient works are generally the best, and as a consequence the Chinese of to-day are as their fathers were thousands of years ago. The superstitions respecting natural phenomena, which are as living, active truths to-day for all classes in China, remind us rather of man in his state of barbarism than of the ancient culture and civilization of the Middle Kingdom. The sun and moon are to the Chinese as they were to primitive man, living things, gods to be worshipped, The stars in their courses the powerful influence, is they do not absolutely determine, Will human events. In them the wise may rea i as in a book the destiny of man and |he fate of empires. Their combinations make lucky and unlucky days, and we shall do well to note carefully their signs and silent warnings. Comets are the precursors of famine, pestilence and war—prognosticators of the wreck of the empires and the faH of kings. Eclipses are the periodic efforts of the dragon fiend to destroy the lights of heaven, and every notice of an approaching eclipse sent by the imperial astronomer to the provinces is accompanied by a Government order to employ the usual method of gong-beat-ing, and so forth, in order to rescue the threatened luminary. Again, thunder is the roar of the anger of heaven, and to be smitten by a thunderbolt is to be marked as a thing accursed. Wind isborn|in the heart of great mountains, whence it issues at the command of the wind dog. Most districts have their wind mountains. That at LungShan, in the northern province of China, is the most remarkable. It has a cave at each of its four sides. The Spring wind issues from the cave on the eastern side, the Summer wind from the southern, and for the others. Wind eddies or whirl-winds are raised by the hedgehog in his rapid passage from one place to another, the dust serving to screen him from the vulgar gaze. Rain is produced by the dragon god, who carries up vast quantities of water from the lakes and rivers in his capacious jaws, and pour it down in showers over the earth. Every mountain has its spirit of genius, every valley its nymph, every spring its naiad. Hence mountains and rivers, old trees and curious rocks, become objects of worship.— Na ture.