REV. AKTHUR ELWIX ON ANCESTRAL WORSHIP. 



71 



everything intended for their use, except food, must be made 

 invisil)le, by burning. 



4. They believe that those in the spirit world can see their 

 friends in this, and that they have it in their power to return 

 to this world, to reward or punish, according to whether their 

 wants have been attended to or not. 



5. They believe that nearly all sickness, calamity, and death 

 is caused by these neglected and destitute spirits, returning 

 from the spirit world, taking vengeance on those who should 

 have helped them, but have not done so. 



6. They believe that every one has three souls : at death 

 one remains in the coffin ; one goes into the ancestral tablet : 

 and one is arrested and imprisoned in the spirit world. 

 Offerings must therefore be made at the grave, before the 

 tablet, and at the temple of the city god under whose 

 jurisdiction the man is supposed to be undergoing trial and 

 punishment. 



7. They believe that the spirit world is very much like this, 

 and is governed in the same way. 



AVe will now notice some of the practices and customs of 

 the Chinese with regard to the dead, which will illustrate what 

 has been already said. 



AMien a member of a family becomes seriously ill. tlie 

 relatives and friends at once conclude that the illness is caused 

 by some destitute spirit, and without dtlav offerings are made 

 before the ancestral tablets. If the sick one does not get 

 better, they conclude that the sickness must be caused by some 

 spirit not connected with the family, and in this case paper 

 money and other offerings are burned before the door in the 

 street. 



While the man is alive, there may be a little doubt as to 

 what is best to be done for him. but as soon as he dies all 

 doubt vanishes, and the path is quite plain. The following 

 things are deemed absolutely necessary to be done in order to 

 settle the spirit comfortably in the spirit world : 



1. The first thing to be done is to place a cup of cold water 

 at the door, in order that the spirit may take a last drink. 

 This is one of the many customs which have been handed 

 down from antiquity ; the Chinese can give no explanation of 

 it. This custom is the more strange, because the Chinese do 

 not drink cold water, they prefer hot water or tea. 



2. The next thing is to clothe the deceased in a good suit of 

 clothes. This is generally done, if possible, before death. The 

 idea is that the spirit, going into the other world, well clothed, 



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