The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, July 27, 1900, Image 3
The Religion of China. Buddhism is the principal religious faith of the Chinese. Long as this religion has existed , it Is little under stood by Americans. Its founder , Buddha , was born 623 years before the Christian era. His theory of deity embraced a trinity , known as the Three Precious Ones. The moral code of the religion contains ten prohibi tions killing , stealing , lying , selling wine , charging interest on loans , speaking false of others , self-praise and back-biting , parsimony and scof fing , uncorrected anger and reviling 'the ' Three Precious Ones. The Buddhist church in Thibet has Its pope , its cardinals , its bishops , priests and nuns , exactly as has the Roman Catholic church. And more , it has infant baptism , confirmation , candles , sacred water and processions. The teachings of Buddha were re duced to writing 93 B. C. The entire canon of the faith was compiled in A. D. 400. In this Buddha is described as coining from heaven , being Dora of a virgin , welcomed by angels , re ceived by an old saint , presented in a temple , baptized with water and later by fire. He is described as astonish ing the doctors with his understand ing , was later led into a wilderness , where he was tempted by the devil , and thereafter he went about doing wonders and preaching. He was a friend to the poor. It seems doubtful when Buddhism . was introduced into China. It is re corded , however , that in the year 63 A. D. the emperor , Han-Ming-Ti , had a vision wherein he saw a great gold en image around whose head was a halo , and 'it was believed it meant truth. The emperor's brother , Prince Tsu , having heard of Buddhism from India , said the vision was nothing but the great Buddha. A mission was sent forth , which returned after some years , bringing back a wooden image , a counterpart of the golden one , one book and a Hindu priest. The great temple at Pekin , called the Yung-Ho-Kung , or the Lama temple , is a Mongol Buddhist monas tery , in which , there are some 1,200 acting priests. Here the dogmas of Buddhism are taught under the con trol of a Gagan , or living Buddha. The studies comprise a course of in struction in metaphysics'ascetic du ties , astrology and medicine. Many Chinese are Confucians. These follow the teachings of Confucius , which are the worship of ancestors. One of the provisions of this creed isi that no son shall live more expensive ly than his father < or mother. Chinese Doitlcs. Contrary to general supposition , the deities of the Chinese are not mythi cal. Each of them is supposed to be patterned after and to embody the noble traits of some man who has lived in the past Confucianism is now well understood , and both Bud dhism and Taoism have been so thor oughly explored that it is hard to be lieve that anything of Importance re lating thereto is to be discovered. At least one more book upon this topic , however , remains to be compiled namely , a Chinese mythological dic tionary. Such a work should contain an account of all the principal divini ties actually worshiped by the Chinese , with authentic details of such as are historical , together with a record of the steps by which many of them have been promoted in the Chinese pan theon , until , like Kuan-TI , the god of war , from very humble beginnings they have become "adjuvant of heaven. " The number of these divin ities is very large and includes many that have been continuously worshiped for over 1,000 years. Whether the Chinese have ever at any time in their long history had perception or con ception of one true God , "Father and Creator of all things , " is a question that has been long and learnedly dis cussed by scholarly students of their classical writings. It is still an open question. But there is no doubt at all that for many centuries past they have worshiped the sun , the moon , the stars and a host of ancestral deities. All the gods of China may be said to have been dead men , and , by the right of ancestral worship , It may be affirmed that in a sense all the dead men of China are gods. Temples are constantly erected , by the consent of the emperor , to men who , while living , have in various ways distinguished themselves. It is impossible to say that any one of these men may not , in the slow evolution of ages , rise to the highest place among the national di vinities. There can , therefore , be no doubt whatever that PS & nation the Chinese are polytheistic. Chinese Superstition. Similar in some respects to the cele bration of Christmas in Christian countries is the observance of the devil's birthday in China. On this an niversary many costly gifts are laid upon the altar of the evil one. There are many other superstitions current. In sending the kitchen god to heaven every year , the Chinese housekeeper has to burn it and let the fumes as cend. It reports on. the good deeds of the family for the year and brings good luck. Before burning it the housewife dips her finger in a jar of molasses and smears the upper and lower lip of the idol , so that when he arrives at ihe pearly city he may tell a sweet tale on the family and thus in sure benedictions. A family , when gambling , will cover the eyes of the idol until the card playing is through. A woman in Luhoh city went to the temple to pray for the recovery of her son from smallpox. He recovered , but was marked with the effects of the di sease. She returned to the temple in a great rage , put "a coil of rope around the idol's neck and soused it several times in the river , saying : "I'll teach you to lose your benign influence , you rascal. " Cessions to Foreign Powers. Each conflict in which China has en gaged has resulted in a loss of terri tory. The principal cessions made by tlie Mongol government as the price of peace have been the following : The Island of Formosa was ceded to Japan in 1895 , after the war with China. In 1897 Germany seized the port of Klou- Chou on the east coast of the Shan tung peninsula , her excuse for so doing being a massacre of missionaries which had taken place there. Two months later she received from China a ninety-nine year lease of the port and district. In 1898 Russia obtained from China a twenty-five-year lease of Port Arthur , Talienwan and their adjacent territories and waters. The lease can be extended by mutual agreement. The same year the Chi nese government gave permission for Great Britain to occupy Wei-Hai-Wei for as long a period as Russia shall hold Port Arthur. To compensate France for the concessions given to Great Britain and Russia a ninety- nine-year lease was given her of the bay of Kwang-Chau-Wan , on the coast opposite the island of Hainan , and last year two islands at the en trance of the bay were definitely ceded to her. Hong-Kong was ceded to Great Britain in 1841. The Chinese Treaty. The treaty between the United States and China negotiated in 1S58 and proclaimed in 1860 provided that the Chinese government should guar antee protection to the American min ister in his journeys to and from Pe kin , and should protect him and his suite while in Pekin. The treaty of 1868 , negotiated by William H. Seward and Anson Burlingame , provides for the protection of American citizens , American property , and American trade. In article 1 it is declared : "Nothing in this article shall be con strued to prevent the United States from resisting an attack by any hostile power or party upon their citizens or their property. " technical draining. One of the best testimonials to the value of technical training as fitting a young man to become a successful wage-earner immediately is found in the report of the Georgia School of Technology. The school , which is in. Atlanta , was established in December , 1897. The legislature appropriated $10- 000 on condition that friends of the school would add $10,000 more. This was easily raised , and in 1898 about $20,000 worth of machinery and $13,500 of material was given it. The textile department , which is said to be one of the best in the country , was a new.fea- ture of education in Georgia , and ono that became popular at once. Instruc tion is given in manufacture of all grades of cotton goods , in manual training , chemistry , dyeing , design ing , and engineering. The report of the Institution states that of the nine-l ty-four living graduates all but nine are employed in pursuits for which ! they have been fitted by their training at the school. They are mechanical ] engineers , superintendents of cottod mills , in machine shops , chemical tories , oil mills , and other establishments - ments of the same kind , nearly all ing in positions of authority and manding good wages. No better evin dence of the practical value of practi cal training could be asked than this. The Late Senator Gear. The late Senator Gear was one of the most familiar figures at the capi tal , having been a member of the Fif tieth , Fifty-First and Fifty-Second Congress , and a senator for the last six years. He was re-elected to the Senate by the Iowa legislature last winter , but the present term will not exnire until next March. He wa also assistant secretary - ! retary of thetreas ury under Presi-1 dent Harrison , aft er he was defeated' for re-election to the Fifty-Second Congress. In the House of Repre sentatives he was one of the most benator bear. . industrious mem bers , and also one of the clearest-headed business mem bers. He was a member of the ways and means committee in the Fifty- First Congress , which framed the McKinley - Kinley tariff bill , and his knowledge of business affairs made him one of the valued advisers of Chairman McKinley - Kinley , who intrusted to him the fram ing of the free-sugar clause in that work. The sobriquet of "Old Busi ness" given to Mr. Gear while gov ernor of Iowa followed him to Wash ington , and in the House and in the Senate he was familiarly called "Old Business. " The franchises of nearly 1,000 cor porations in Texas have been revoked because of their failure to pay the state taxes. f ONE OF THE STREETS OF THE NATIVE QUARTER OF PEKIN BURNED BY THE MOBS OF FANATICAL CHINESE. Judge Munger of the Federal Court Ruleto This Effect , REDUCTION Of RATES RESTRAINED Encouraging ICt-ports Tram Counties Throughout the State ICt-giiriling Crop Outlook Kur.-il ITreo Delivery Service in Nebraska Miscellaneous Kotos. Say * the State llourd U Dead. OMAHA. July 20. Judge Hunger lias Isued a restraining order prevent ing Attorney General Smyth and the putting in effect a reduction of freight rates upon certain commodities. The Burlington road has asked the re straining order. In his opinion Judge Munger held that the state board of transportation had no legal existence. He ruled that the title of the act of 1897 creating the state board as signed by the governor , was not adopt ed by the legislature. Confesses to Cattle Stealing. man had been eating. About the State Encampment LINCOLN , July 19. The state mili tary board considered plans for the next annual encampment cf the Ne braska National Guard. As the funds available will not pay the expenses of the encampment it was recom mended that the officers and men ac cept 50 per cent of the per diem in the same manner as during the en campment of 1896 , and that the matter of encampment be submitted to the officers and men on these conditions. Free Delivery for Nebraska. WASHINGTON , D. C. , July 20. Rural free delivery service wilbe es tablished in Nebraska on August 1 , as follows : Blair , Washington county , one carrier , length of route , twenty- five miles , population served 829 , num ber of houses on route 182 , carrier , Joi n L. Tracy ; Decatur , Burt county , one carrier , length of route twenty- three and three-quarters miles , popu lation served 921 , number or houses on route 184 , carrier , John C. Barlow. Nebraska Corn Crop. OMAHA , Neb. , July 18. With the bounteous rains throughout Nebraska , Elkhorn railway headquarters gives out an estimate of 300,000,000 bushels of corn in sight for this year. The same road also furnishes these figures for the past four years : Yield in 1899 was 224,373,000 bush els ; in 1898 it was 158,754,000 ; in 1897 , 241,268,000 , and in 1S9G , the banner year , 298,000,000. Jiulsre Post Starts for Alaska. COLUMBUS , Neb. , July 20. Ex-Su preme Judge A. M. Post started last night , via Seattle , Skagway and Dawson - son , to Eagle City , Alaska , which will be his headquarters , as one of the three attorneys for the territory , to which position he was appointed by the president early in June. He will return home in September in time to escape the freeze-up , and will not go back until warm weather comes again. "Wealthy Farmer Drops Dead. FRANKLIN , Xeb. , July 20. Wil liam T. McClure. a wealthy farmer and stock breeder living about seven miles south of this place , dropped dead while at work at his home. Word was sent into town at once for a doctor , but to no avil. He leaves a large fam ily of small children and a wife. He will be buried at this place next Sat urday. Stabbed With a Knife. GRAND ISLAND , Xeb , July 19. O. M. Crawford , Birmingham. 111. , a brother of E. E. Crawford , well known in this city , is dangerously ill suffering from a knife wound inflicted by a bully whom he was trying to prevent from harming a friend. The wound is in the region of the heart. Et-Kegister Kelley Dead. FRANKLIX , Xeb. , July 18. J. E Kelley , an old citizen of Bloomington and formerly register of tne United States land office at this place , died Saturday night from a stroke OL paral ysis. T\ro Hey * Dro\vned. PIERCE. Xeb. . July IS. The two sens of John Pelt , aged 10 and 14 , re spectively , living north of Hadar , were drowned in a fish pond in the pasture. Their bodies were found. Killed by Lightning. BOELUS , Xeb. . July 1C. At 8 o'clock last night a 19-year-old boy was killed by lightning on the farm of Hans Hansen - sen , four miles east of here. The boy began work Friday. Name not known positively , but supposed to be son of John Cullough of Ansley , Xeb. He c was milking cows. Hansen was stunned. HEID fOR STEALING CATTLE. A runner Itoapectoit Citizen In 1111 Un- plcaiiiint rrrdlruinrnt. SIDNEY , Neb. . July 22.Vllllam , Wntklns of Angora , a small station on the now Burlington route , wua bound over to the district court , the bond being fixed at $8,00o. which was quickly furnished. The examination took place today at the county court house and the building was packed with stockmen , who had como more than seventy miles to assist in thu prosecution. Attorney Robert Noble man of Alliance assisted County At torney Henry Capon in conducting the prosecution. Watklns is charged with the killing of two head of caitlo be longing to the Carey Cattle company and the hides were found buried in a lot of rubbish near ins home ranch. Watklns has always oorne an excel lent reputation and his many friends are surprised at the charge against him. Hiivo it Kick Coming. OMAHA , July 21. Train men and employes of the operation uepartment of the Union Pacific are causing quite a stir over what they consider hard ships Imposed by the company on them. The rigid physical examinations imposed on the men , and the fact that It Is usually oldest employes of the road who are hardest hit. After such examination many of the old employes have learned that they were not need ed longer by the company , and this fact has caused much of the ill feeling. Besides this the employes are required to go to Omaha to be examined , and this causes them much loss of time and Inconvenience. Pounded by Hall. HEMINGFORD , Neb. , July 21. A severe hail storm visited this section Saturday night. The hail stones wore as large as goose eggs and fell thick and with terrific force. , passing through shingled and roofed buildings and in some instances coming through the plastered ceiling , and breaking showcases in stores. The siding on buildings were broken and splintered into kindling. Board awnings were shattered , thus affording little protec tion to the glass store fronts and near ly every building i ntown will have to be re-roofed and sided on the west side. Incendiary "Work at West Point WEST POINT , Neb. , July 22.- The fire bug whose intention it seems to be to burn up the town was abroad ; again Ifere. Two attempts were made to sot fire in the center ot the city , in the midst of a district filled with frame buildings and within a few feet of a lumber yard. ' 1 he coiucr.ts of a shed in the rear of a barber shop on MMU street was set on fire abour u o MorK but speedily extinguished. About twenty minutes thereafter the frame barn occupied by the team of County Superintendent Manning was discov ered in flames and the fire department again called out. Says lie Needs a Guiirdiun. COLUMBUS , Neb. , July 21. County Judge T. D. Robinson handed down his decision in the Barnum case , de claring it his belief from the evidrm-e that a guardian is needed for the aged Hon. Guy C. Barnum , his large prop erty interests not being safe in his own hands while there is at least doubt of his sanity. Gus B. Speice , ex- clerk of the district court , for whom Mr. Barnum had expressed a prefer ence , was named as the guardian. T.rons Creamery nobbed. LYONS , Xeb. , July 22. Some person - son or persons broke into the Lyons creamery , entering the building by ono of the north windows by prying off the window fastener and sliding bar-k the iron bolts of one of the back doors. They took ten tubs of high grade but ter , weighing COO pounds , valued at $100. It is thought by those in charge of the creamery the theft was dom > by parties who have been camping near town in a covered rig for several days. ( Jood Wheat Yield. DAVID CITY , Neb. , July 10. Frank Coon , who lives on his farm one milo south of town , has just threshed twenty - ty acres of wheat which averaged thir ty-five bushels to the acre , mar-him- measure. The wheat is of excelk-nt quality and will test more than this. nirl Attacked hy Ilulldo - . CHEYEXXE , Wyo. , July 18. The little 13-year-old daughter of Henry Hoffman is dangerously ill at her home as a result of injuries rerr-h-pd from two buldlogs. They jumped upon her , and before she could be rescued her hands , arms , legs and face had been lacerated in a terrible manner. The dogs were killed immediately. The girl will recover. AVheat yielding We.ll. SEWARD , Xeb. , July 21. Many of the farmers are threshing their wheat and rye from the shock. Wheat is yielding well , much of it going from thirty to forty bushels per acre , and is one of fine quality. Cats harvest is about over , and is a light crop. The recent fine rains have greatly benefited the corn and the prospect Is good for a big crop. Knd d UN OWTII Life. BLAIR , Xeb. , July 22. Mr. Iliia- bauh. a blacksmith running a shop at Vacoma. a small country place twelve miles northwest of Blair , shot and killed himself with a musket which ho kept in his shop. He had returned home after a ten days' spree in Blair. He was a fine v.-orkraau and did a good business wh ° n sober. Sued for Insurance A'.i FREMOXT. Xfb. . July 22. The Ne braska Mutual Hail Insurance com pany of Omaha has brought suit be fore Justice Hinman against a num ber of farmers of this county who had certificates in the concern for assess ments varying trom ? 12 to 327. Sev eral , others who were insured in the same company1 have paid up in order to save expense , but these six will evi dently resist payment of their asess- ment on the ground that tne company exceeded the powers given it by law. f