Chap. V. 
TEMPLES AND WORSHIP. 
69 
to rebuild it, or put it in a state of repair : the Chinese 
seemed to consider that the touch of the barbarian had 
polluted the sacred edifice. The Budhists' temples are 
crowded with painted wooden images of their gods. The 
"three precious Budhas," the " past, present, and future,'' 
are generally enormously large, being often thirty or forty 
feet in height. To these, and to the numerous small 
images, the poor deluded natives bow the knee, burn 
incense, and engage in other exercises of devotion. The :•,^)J^J■' 
traveller meets with these temples, or jos-houses, as they 
are commonly called, in all the streets, at the gates of 
the city, and even on the ramparts, and cannot but ad- 
mire the devotional spirit of the inhabitants, although 
he may wish that it was directed to a higher and purer 
object. I have often looked on when these simple 
people, — the women more particularly, — seemed actu- 
ally, like Jacob of old, " wrestling with God in prayer/' 
and using various means to ascertain whether the mind 
of the Deity had softened towards them, and granted ^ 
their requests. Two small pieces of wood, flat on one eJf^ 
side and rounded on the other, are generally used to ac- 
complish this end : these were thrown up in the air, and, 
if they fell on the desired side, it was well ; if not, some 
more incense was burned, and again and again they 
prostrated themselves before the altar, and seemed en- 
gaged in earnest prayer. Many of their religious cere- 
monies have a great resemblance to those of the Roman 
Catholic church, and I remember being much struck on 
a Sunday afternoon, when passing out at one of the 
city gates, by hearing the sounds of prayer and praise, 
not unlike those of the Christian churches of other lands. 
