74 



KEV. ARTHUR ELWIN ON ANCESTRAL WORSHIP. 



which return from the other world, and do so much harm. 

 The Christian religion is often called hy the Chinese the 

 Foreign Devils' religion, and the people, when they become 

 Christians, are in their opinion no longer Chinese, but Foreign 

 Devils. The evils which, the Chinese say, are caused by their 

 own destitute spirits, are caused by the foreign destitute spirits 

 also. If plague, pestilence, or famine break out where foreigners 

 are living in the interior of China, it is almost sure to lead to 

 trouble ; indeed some months ago an outbreak of cholera led to 

 a rising among the people, in which two foreigners lost their 

 lives. 



It has been already remarked that the Chinese think that 

 the spirit world is very much like this, and this belief leads to 

 some strange results. In this country if a man is angry with 

 another man, it is not uncommon for him to do him some 

 injury, and in some cases even to kill him. In China a man 

 very often, instead of killing his enemy, kills himself. He 

 knows if he goes into the other world and becomes a spirit, he 

 can do far more harm to his enemy than he could by remaining 

 in this world. The number of suicides in China is very 

 remarkable. All the mission hospitals have many such cases 

 taken to them every year, with the hope that those near death 

 may be saved. It has been found that a large percentage of the 

 suicides are caused by quarrels. Many years ago the speaker 

 was called in with a friend to try and save two Buddhist 

 monks who had taken opium with a view to pass into the other 

 world. Upon inquiry it turned out that these men had been 

 quarrelling, and one had taken opium, with the intention of 

 getting into the other world that he might injure his enemy. 

 The enemy heard of this, and at once took a larger dose of 

 opium, with the hope that he might get into the other world first. 

 It may be mentioned that neither of these men succeeded in 

 their object. The " judicious use of the bamboo, and the 

 administration of a mixture composed of mustard, yellow soap, 

 and hot water, had the effect of bringing them round, and 

 restoring them to their wonted health and spirits. 



Shortly after the troubles were over in China two years ago 

 the Powers demanded that two mandarins high in ofitice, who 

 had taken a leading part in the slaughter of the foreigners, 

 should be put to death. In the telegram which came home, 

 announcing that these men had been executed, it was stated 

 that as soon as their heads were struck off' they were sewn on 

 again by the assistant executioners. Probably very few readers 

 of this last sentence realized the importance of this statement. 



