THE CHINESE AND COMETS.

Colonist, Volume LIII, Issue 12956, 22 November 1910, Page 1

THE CHINESE AND COMETS.

In spiet of the progress of astronomy there is still much superstition among the mass of the Chinese people as to the dynastic changes and othei calamities which ajre believed to be portended by comets. In an article in the "Contemporary Review" foi October, Mr Donald M'Gillivray describes what has been done to enlighten the Chinese with regard to these phenomena. It was suggested that missionaries ought to bestir themselves, and prepare special literature for wide distributiqa. At that time in November last Mr M'GiEivray . was visiting some^ cities in. the interior, and in the course of aai address, which was listened to attentively by many officials and students, he referred to the comet as to appear shortly, visible to th& naked eye. Excited inquiries were made for further particulars, the allusion gave rise to a. wide comet propaganda, and, on the writer's return to Shanghai, a striking poster was prepared by the Christian Literature Society. Letters were at the same time, despatched to six Tract Societies, pointing out. the importance 'of preparing the minds of the Chinese people, lest secret' societies shoald work on their feelings and cause unrest, and, perhaps, riots, in different places. Tracts were also prepared in'BJaiikpw,, Shanghai, and Western China, and were on sale at a v^ry low price long before the comet became visible to the naked eye in China. The Chinese •newspapers reprinted -the tracts, with •amments agreeing with the views set forth in them. Copies were also sent to the high officials of the empire, and 33,000 wore distributed in the- province® form Yunnan to Manchuria. The Christian Literature Society had its tract posted tip at about 3,500 post and telegraph offices throughout the empire, and. in many schools. '"' The missionaries of Eansu issued a special poster, which they report as having done much to quieten the people. The comfet leas come and gone, and never before lli Ohlllfl; was it possible to grapple, with superstition in this fashion. When Halley's comet came in 1835 China had no newspapers, no telegraph offices, no post offices, ho modern schools. Correspondents now report that when the comet did appear, everybody, was prepared for it. The 1 ' knowledge that on if ay 19 China jvas to pass; through its tail had less effect upon: the Chinese .than it had upon some people in Russia and the Western States " of America. There is greater respect shown than before for the'-'forcigrifr's knowledge, and superstition of every kind has l^eceivcd a severe? blow. The qomet tract pointed out .that the heavenly bodies generally have no influence on mankind, and the pseudo sciences of astrology, geomancy, and horoscopy have been sensibly weak^ ened. Finally, to multitudes of Chinese have come their- first ideas of the solar system, and fresh; attention has been called to Christianity.