216 A BUDDHIST CONGREGATION. Chap. XIII. 
July a small temple, adjoining that in which I 
was located was daily crowded with natives who 
came to worship at its shrines. The wheat and 
barley had been gathered in, the rice was planted, 
and I suppose the object of the festival was to praise 
Buddha for an abundant harvest, and to petition 
for a continuance of fine weather for the young 
paddy. Be this as it may, the people assembled in 
considerable numbers, for several days in succes- 
sion, to take part in the worship. Here, as in 
other countries, the female portion of the com- 
munity seemed to be the most numerous and the 
most devout, for certainly nine-tenths of this con- 
gregation were women. Many had their teeth 
blackened and their eyebrows pulled out, showing 
they were married, while others were still rejoic- 
ing in white teeth and single blessedness. Jolly- 
looking farmers’ wives with their ruddy-cheeked 
daughters were there, mingling with the courtesans 
of the tea-houses in gay dresses and painted faces. 
In China the priests perform the public services 
in the Buddhist temples, and, if any of the people 
should chance to be present, they are there as 
spectators only. Here, however, the case was 
entirely different. Each worshipper was furnished 
with a cushion or hassock on which to kneel during 
his or, I should rather say, her devotions. A bit 
of round sounding brass was laid upon the cushion, 
and was struck by the devotee at certain times as 
the service went on. The priests led off, and then 
the whole congregation joined, striking their brass 
