8
THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, Saturday, MAY 21, 1938.
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The
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SATURDAY, MAY 21, 1938.
The Leaflet Is Mightier The The Bomb
the
SOME TYPICAL CHINESE
SUPERSTITIONS
By
T. PAUL GREGORY
Superstition seems to be com- mon to the majority of mankind regardless of race or nation- ality; for every one observes It taboos of some kind or other. is in the East, of course, where the belief in the potency of the supernatural holds the widest away amongst the musses of the people. And as China is perhaps the oldest nation of the Orient, there has been built up through the ages
a wealth of curious notions regarding things of the necult that are of peculiar in-
terest.
El
"A rainbow in the morning,
Is the shepherds' warning: "A rainbow at night,
SEATT
1
Haunted House Belief
The belief in "haunted" houses also prevalls in China, and may be sald to assure proportions us truly gar- gantuan as that In the West, where habitations popularly supposed to be "haunted" by ghosts are said to be legion. In fact, there are, in prac- ticully every community, habitations which owing to the occurrence of some tragedy are stated to be under the sinister spell of some dire curse. and on this account are studiously avolded by the masses.
The Cantonese expression for a
to be
"haunted house" is ta-cha-ule which literally signifies an "unclean habita. don." Indeed, there is said n large number of auch dwellings in the Colony, which were extremely the unill dimcult to rent-at least
refugera Tinkl the present influx of consequent shortage of accommoda- Lion.
n hote 10 be the this und
A time I occupied for
ninted Wwx which
of fa "ghost" abode account was spoken of by certain of the Chinese in the neighbourhood as undesirable on account of its being la-cla. The t'eng or parkour of the place was and to be the place where an this the "ghost" appeared, and account none of my servants could he persunded to sleep there. At length, the into 1 determined bo boltom of the thing and being parti- cularly intrigued by the "ghost in the parlour" version of the story stoyed there myself Although I slept in that room for weeks, I did not detect the slightest sign of any visitant, or perhaps I was not at all say, my anginative. Needless to
muted chamber seened to harve so-enlled
had the calming effect of "laying" the
once and for
all-o pe haps us it was a Chinese host it did not bother Europeuns-for now the house is said to be kon-iseng or "clean" and does not suffer from Jack of occupants,
presence in fhe
GRIN AND BEAR IT
By Lichty
United Pieter Kineserie, DRA
"Splendid work, saving the banke's mancy, Snodgrass—you're.
Just the man we need for our loan department,"
MR. PEPYS in
HONGKONG
May 12th-Up very betlines and
17th-Up betimes and I doc order my mails, ns this day I doe go to the did break my fust upon a dish of tea and two boiled eggs, a thing I have Clubbe for five days while wee doe nat done there many days; but my play the plece at the China Fleet it seems, hath dis- Play House. For to journey up and house-keeper, Povered a mighty good purveyor of down the Penke for It may be five or eggs which, if not so bigge as those six hours sleep goes mightily ngninst in England, doc put to shame the the hair with me--and indeed I count mighty fortunate to have So, much heartened, Chinese type. So,
and myself to my office where 1 dos read in the found a room where I may lay my newes-sheetes that the Japanese have head. This night we did play the Indeed landed on Amoy Island, great Dress Rehearsall whereat the though what I shall profitt them troops are our guests. And I had thought I was like to dle of an know not, though Mr. Povy says it the is because the Navy is jealous of the apoplexy, and when after I do take Army gaining it the glory. At which off my black dinner jacket I, can i sardonich jeste I did auth very wring it out! To the Clubbe where henrilly, in London I
the doe endeavour to restore some of the Hospilails doe join together to hold moisture my body hath lost-and se one single flag day. And I doc most to bed.
1
see
heartily wish that the many appel- 18th. Very busy at the office which
tunts here would take some such
Many of the commoner superstitions relate to the phenomena of nature. such as the rainbow, lightning, ele The former is especially interesting as it alleged by the Chinese massCU to be not caused by rain falling op- posite the sun, but is due to the in- proper connection of the two great principles of nature the Yeung and WESTLAKE: At the Queen Mary the Vam the moteuline and feminine
Hospital this morning. Henry Frederick Westlake, son of Cap-
tlements, and is therefore symbolical 1212 and illicit love between tain }1. Westlake, formerly of II.K.V.D.C. Aged 31. The woman" Consequently, it is regard- funeral will pass the Monumented as rather an unlucky sign, and its presence in the sky is to be ignored at all costs. Indeed, should one be so heedless of propriety as to point at it. "an ulcer is able to appear fortir- with upon the offending hand ̈
not superstition, however, is general one, and there ᎥᏝ many Chinese who have never heard of it. On the other hand, the rainbow is considered an almost Infallible means of forecasting the weather, and like the old-fashioned English farmer and shepherd who were accustomed to
ghus! which rely upon the homely facts of the For
confusion
couplet: inaccurate Chinese apparently reports of the Hsuchow fighting
order with each other as they doc is mighty irksome secing, that it bee make the streets horrid with myrlods the first night of our play. At five caused among newspaper staffs
Dined to Mr. Mackintosh's where they tell of brats who doe pester one.
mee I did take until late afternoon and readers, the Chinese
carly at the Clubbe and after to a
for my dinner jacket to dry, before rehearsall.
they could iron and press it. To the a rule Government will probably be
Although the Chinese es
any 13th-Drinking
morning Play House and thanks bee to God we discourse freely upun almost forgiven. But there is no doubt
I topic, there are, of course, frequent draught at the Krickett Clubbe I doc doo the Play pretty well, though not
watch them relaying the pitch which exceeding. But of one thing that if authentic news of the
"A rainbow in the morning means examples of individual taboo, such as
for example that of la-cha-uk or I belleve to have been done every year fully assured and that is that wee wind Hauchow developments was
"haunted house." There are, more-
this long time. But now I am in must have all fans on, even if wee A rainbow in the evening foretells over, other subjects which are tacitly
hopes that wee may better the matter, must play through their noise. But I have played before in this House tually suppressed it was unwisc.
avoided in conversation as far as
as Mr. Flippance tells us our drainage and moreover have many a time been ΟΙ which
that Such tactics only serve to shake
unpleasant one of uct- was too deep, and so the soil is all
soured. And he shows us how to in charge of the front of the house" the faith of the press and the pregnant source of information re-
in childbirth." In fact the tople is drainage wee do put down a layer of sured that, so bee the House is full, public in official sources of in-garding the trend of the weather, and in
against the fans. And I doubt not formation; so much so, in fact, there is a common vernacular saying considered as the name of inausplashes, and so roll them in, and then voices can bee heard in all parts ever
ciousness so that it is avoided like the put earth and turf. But I in this connection which states:
plague;
que; for such an occurrence is just wish that England were this that Mr. C. Burton was misted in this by his experience of an empty that when the news of yester-
ly esteemed as being baleful to the
as sure of recovering the ashes as house, when the volees do lose them- extreme, as the unfortunate mother
la the Hongkong Krickett Clubbc. on day's astonishing air raid
Is believed to become one of those This night to rehearsall and mighty selves most sorrily. But Lord! how the flashed into
uneasy ghosts whose souls can never Japan
Irised that I did miss a rout but when hee has worked! And after wee all did ring upon the electrick, tele- dog congratulate him and it may be -drink a glass or two of strong be appeased, and who must cons Telegraph's offices Hongkong
phone quently spend all eternity as carth-
to express my regret, my waters, and so to bed. "If lightning flashes in the north, 1 bound spirits flable to cause harm hostess doth tell meet being past eight of the clock) that the rout doth signiflice a long continued down to the living. Likewise, another taboo is the avoidance of the men-
but just begin and I am to come. Which I doc and dine there to my tion of death in the first moon of the new year; for so doing, would
do and my journey, home, be the height of folly and imply that greatest possible content. Later, on the speaker in his secret heart
Hankow Road to my come from If lightning should appear in the wished for the advent of the grim house upon the Peake, where I can south, then there will be pleasant spectre. Still another is that placed get no hackney couch within a southerly winds
quarter at a mile, in forty-five utterance of the word ma- is considered If lightning should be noticed in the lau or "monkey" which
minutes which is, I believe as quick as ever I did it in my life. east, it means that the sun will by many of the rural population in be cery hot,"
certain districts as unlucky, especial- ly so if the word is flippantly men- loned before the partaking of the morning rice,
was
ac-
there was some hesitation be- fore the story was accepted as fact.
Is the shepherda" delight" the Chinese are wont to quote the following:
"Chin kung fund Man kung Jate"
rain"
Inappropriate Topics
ITLY
The lightning, too, is esteemed as a poh er "women who have died fashion matters so that with shallow as they doc style it, and I am well as-
"Pak ship ch'eung law shut Sat ship yue ch'ung-ch'ung Naam ship ha näam-fung Tung ship it-t'au hung"
pour
If lightning should be seen in the west, then there will be an ex- ceedingly heavy rain.
The air raid was a stroke of genius, and whoever is responsi- ble has struck a shrewd blow for China. Whoever is respon- sible for forbidding the drop- ping of bombs on Japanese -----
cities is deserving of even fied and industrialised areas
and higher commendation: Веспине the counsel of these
"We
would
upon
long "L" believed to possess
amenities
and
of
the
My
tourd
am
No Defence Pact With Great Britain
14th. This morning I did read in
that they did Netherlands Will See To the newes-sheetes practice a new air-raid alarm in the central district, but Lord! I did hear Own Protection In East nothing of it and it is in my mind
The Hague, May 20. that they would be better advised to in
A denial that a military and naval harbour. For all this bobance of
fre
of his lady, Home to my nuncheon
Mr. Welter said that contact and
Furthermore, various domestic ob- without detection, how very
ill-omened considered jects are
The masses. uncertain are the air defences amongst the Chinese
common broom is a good example, ree guns In quick succession just men prevailed both China of to-day! True, the Japanese and its baleful influence is said to be saluting can be heard every where pact exists between the Netherlands and Japan can be thankful. A would scarcely be expecting due to its vernacular nurne---so-pa Very busy ordering my business so and Great Britain regarding the East that I was in fear. Mr. Caldbeck Indies was given in the Senate to- as a comet stellar bombing attack
body such have such a visitation. But it is un--suggesting that of the unlucky
many guests and so drink a glasse Mr. C. J. M. Welter. of sherris-sack to his health and that meant death and terror for likely that no watch was kept, which is popularly called so-7x-sing would bee gone, but I find him and day by the Minister for the Colonies, Japanese people against whom since the bombing of Formosa or the "broom star" on account of its
a thing which upon a week-day 1 co-operation with the authorities in China has no quarrel: it would must have taught the Japanese power of wreaking havoc upon mor-
mighty seldome doe and so slept a British Malaya in civil police affairs that they are vulnerable. One als by literally sweeping away the existence"
plece and wrote letters and ordered was quite natural, but had nothing have meant reprisals; but above realises that the warnings often and is therefore regarded with the
my room, which God wat it did need, to do with defence. Consequently, the
Dined at home with the children,
He added that the Netherlands wos all it would have deprived heard to the effect that a huge utmost dread.
whom these days I doe seldome sec, considering strengthening the Navy nud so to bed. woman is to say: "Ngoh pei so-pa China of the opportunity of invading air fleet might strike at most direful malediction of a Chinese
and would buy a third group of 30 Glen Martin bombers for tile army 1501 (Lord's saying, with justified pride: Britain, or France, or Germany s'aat ucl""I will sweep you out
Day)-Up very
in Java.-Router. betimes and E doc pack away do not use our bombers or Russia or any other power, with a broom".
that However no article upon such a
winter my
garments send them to my Taylor, against defenceless women and undetected until its bombs be-
after they bee pressed And no-one can say gan to shatter homes and fac- complex subject as Chinese supersti- children.
tories. arc not empty. Antons would be complete without my
mentioning the prominent part played had not the opportunity."
could by the foo or "magle chatme" in the In daily lives of the Chinese people. More than ever this restraint on strike, without a warning word, fact, the number and variety of such the part of the Chinese Govern-a blow which might be paralya-devices are almost beyond conjecture,
an there is apparently at least charm for use on every ment will earn the world's ad-ing. miration and respect; and, it is
As for the Japanese, they celvable occasion from childbirth to death and burial. Some of them aro possible, may win from the will not sleep any more soundly of more than passing interest, such as exorclsing evil spirits Japanese people
small because of the fact that the the charms for
and dispelling the baleful influences
ce Chinese raiders did not drop wrought by enemies. Such tollimona response.
There is another aspect of bombs on them yesterday mornare pasted up in prominent places, often, too, on the walls of a room. the air raid which strikes one ling. If the raid has done generally beside the door posis, or It must have Other types of charms are those used with some force. If the nothing else
Linguished from others of their kind Chinese can send their bombers shaken very considerably the in religious werchip, and may be dis- out against an enemy many faith, of the civilian in the by the fact that they are printed In country's green and bear the figures of the
luk-nia or "lucky horse" or the kwal hundreds of miles away and efliciency of
yan or "noble gentlemen." cruise about over highly forti.defences.
we
80mc
unscrupulous enemy
his
one
con-
to
Bandits Active In Mexico
I avoid moth. I also doc pack my the Cold Storage. For no alone may mails fur the Play House where at 3 of the clock we do play a dress re- hearsall. But Lord! It was holli After to the Clubbe when I doc revel In a long bath and utter into cool cau
eun garments and to sup with Mr. Caldbeck who sends his motor coach for mee and another and so very plea- santly up the Penke to a mighty good supper and so home and to bed.
18th-Very busy in the Office and at night to rehearsall where wee doe work very hard but do sup very plea-
The report states that the railway santly tipon sausage, bacon and fryed a flaggon of ale. And so back to boen eut.
Aeroplanes machine-gunned the eggs, all of which I wash down with between Tampico and San Luis has work, but Lord! how painfull it hee
no. Importance to doe my fall-and I doubt not Ibandits. Military authorities attach to the incident.-- shall beo black and blue ero comes
United Press. Saturday night.
Mexico City, May 20, The Railway Union his receiveil a telegram reporting that fighting has flared up at San Luis Potos! between bandits" and the Government air
forec..