CHINESE IDOLS & SHRINES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17236, 16 April 1930, Page 9

CHINESE IDOLS & SHRINES

A MAN’S HOARD TEMPLES TO CONFUCIUS MANCHESTER, March 3. An Englishman who liked to live as> ft Chinese, and quna.ssed a. collection of gacred Chinese Measures yt tfie , risk .of religious vbngefiiice, died from heart failure at his home nerg yesterday. tie was Sir. John titold itch, one of tfie besl-kmiwn collectors of Chinese art iii, the. country.,. If is claused that his collection, of, nearly Kjo,ooo objects is worth £2,500,{)00. . , f . s i Mr. t tiilditci) was the .great mystic of Manchester, He had two large houses, Miglahds, in C'heetham-liill, and Pekin Villa, in Victoria. Park, where most of his treasures were stored, .Adjoining! the, latter, was a jiiaghificeqt temple, said to be the great* erf .outside .China, it contains beautiful shrjnes, .which lie claimed to have qeiptj takey , from the most, sacred temples of China. , There Mr. Hildityh, tfiysipl in Oliiiiejse costume,, regularly conducted services according to the ritual o.f . .Confucius. Visitors would marvel,at the mysticism of the proceedings—the sounding of 50 goiigs, the burning of Oriqntal spices, and the gradual passing from darkness to light as the service progressed. NEARLY BURIED ALIVE, tie had many stories to tell of his adventures in forbidden temples and palaces. One of, them described how lie was buriqd alive by priests, and rescued after lie luid been in the earth with only his head projecting for many hours. . . , . Seventeen years ago lie "hoaxed” Manchester into according a. civic inception to a party of distinguished "Chi-, n’ese niandarihs,” who were in reality some of his friends dressed up to deceive the authorities. The “mandarins” were welcomed by the Lord Mayor and siiown over the various places of interest in the city, Mr. Hilditch acting as interpreter! The hoax v was only revealed by him a few years ago. tor. 20 years Mr. Hilclitcli had waged a fiejrce controversy with, the Manchester Art Gallery Committee, in an unsuccessful, attempt to secuj-e recognition, o! bis collection. His idols, porcelains, potteries, bronzes, tapestries, and f.intings have not beep, shpwn in.,,th e . ty Art Galleries find Museums, though e.authpritifis ,oricq jnade an offer , to pxhibft, a small selection. This was rejected. , . u As a result .of,lffs .dispute with the Art Gallery 'Committee, he revoked a decision, to,, hand over, to the city, a £2SO,OQQ selection Jrom his treasures, and announced.,that ; he, would divide the, legacy . between South Kensihgtori gpd Stratford* whjgli had giyen him facilities fpr (l ey}ub l itihg )0 tiortipns of his collection have (beep, shojvn ip .Salford, sach'dale, Leigh, Bailey, and other towns- . p tit ■ *i,.a > ■*,' pi . The,.value of the collection ,has been tl»„ r .subjfl#. ,of ..pitucK, controversy, and Wpen ( fxpi?f'ts.engaged.by the Art G,all(ery t . Coii\mitiJ» bad gjireri ~a low estimate, Mi;. .Ipiditch produced a .letter from a Japanese syndicate making him an offer of £2,5$, OCR