70 



■REV. ARTHCR ELWIN ON ANCESTRAL WORSHIP. 



a few extracts from the Confucian Books. Do the dead," 

 asked one, " have knowledge of our services, or are they without 

 knowledge ? " Surely this was a most important question. The 

 Master answered : " If I were to say that the dead have such 

 -knowledge, I am afraid that all dutiful sons and gratidsons 

 would injure their substance in paying the last offices to the 

 departed. If I were to say that they have not, I am afraid that 

 un filial sons would leave their parents unburied. There is no 

 urgency on. the point; one day you will know for yourself." 

 One of the most celebrated of the disciples of Confucius speaks 

 thus : " When parents are alive, they should be served according 

 to propriety ; when they are dead, they should be Iniried 

 according to propriety ; and they should be sacrificed to accord- 

 ing to propriety ; this may be called filial piety." The same 

 ■disciple also said : " Let there be careful attention to perform 

 the funeral rites of parents, and let them be followed, when 

 long gone, with the ceremonies of sacrifice ; then the virtue of 

 the people will resume its proper excellence." 



Confucius sometimes seemed rather doubtful about the 

 spirits. On one occasion in answer to a question he said : 

 ■"While you are not able to serve men, how can you serve their 

 spirits ? " Yet we are told it was his practice to sacrifice to 

 the dead as if they were present, and to the spirits as if they 

 were before him." 



Interesting as the historical aspect of Ancestral Worship is, 

 time will not allow us to pursue this part of our subject further. 

 We must now leave Confucius and history, and coming down to 

 ■our own day inquire, what is Ancestral Worship as practised 

 by the Chinese at the present time ? 



The practice has been thus defined : " Ancestral Worship 

 includes not only the direct worship of the dead, but also what- 

 ever is done, directly or indirectly, for their comfort ; also all 

 that is done to avert the calamities which the spirits of the 

 departed are supposed to be able to inflict upon the living, as a 

 punishment for inattention to their necessities." 



The belief of the Chinese with regard to the dead and the 

 future world may be briefly stated as follows : — 



1. They believe that the spirits of those v/ho have died and 

 passed into the other world require food, money, and clothes, 

 just as they needed them in this. 



2. They believe that these necessary things cannot be 

 obtained in the other world, but must be sent by the friends 

 who are left alive in this. 



3. They believe that as the dead have become invisible, 



