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Show 116 WESTERN WILDS. The California Chinese ( and I include in this class all in the Far West,) seem to me to have the coldest, most gloomy and repellant religion, the most chilling philosophy, of any race in the world. There is but one redeeming feature in the case ; they are all in a skeptical state, and do not more than half believe their own faith. I once witnessed in Sacramento their great " devil- drive," which includes nearly all the ceremonies of their religion. At least four thousand Chinese were present ; and with the blowing of horns, beating gongs, talking and yelling, by Mongolian courtesy called singing, and open-air theaters and bands, they made the evening lively. Nearly all the Chinese in America are orthodox Buddhists, who reason the matter thus: " If God good, why pray? Tend to the devil." Hence this ceremony of driving out the latter. We found the devil " out in the cold" a hideous black figure, easily recognized as the evil one, set upon a pedestal just outside the door. Within were two enormous " Joshes," ten feet high, one in each corner, and over them a shelf filled with little household gods, two feet or so in length ; while behind the altar the Buddhist priests and attendant boys were going through a ceremony very similar to High Mass. The Buddhists, like the Mormons, believe in a regular gradation of gods, rising one above another to the great head god, whom the Mormons call Eloheim, and the Chinese " Top- side Josh." Outside, booths with open front were erected, in which various plays were being performed in choice Tartar, the view free to the crowd. This continued till midnight, when a general chorus of priests and bands announced the close of the festival (?) and a torch was applied to the devil. The figure, which proved to be full of fire- crackers, " went off" in brilliant style till nothing was left apparently but the hideous head and back- bone; these then shot upward like a huge Roman candle, leaving a trail of blue fire, and exploded high in the air with a loud report, followed by a shower of sparks and insufferable stench. And that was supposed to drive the devil away fora year! Turning away with a feeling of relief that the devil was gone at last, I encountered Ah Ching, our Mongolian laundryman, at the Pacific Hotel, who spoke somer English, and had an intellect that was " not to sneezed at," of whom I sought information, and received it thus: " Hallo, John, do you believe in him?" " Oh, velley, Melica man, me believe him." " All Chinamen believe in him ? " " Oh, China like Melica man. Some believe him, sahvey ; some tink him all gosh damn." And I felt that I was answered. |