New Year's Day
In Faroff China
Greatest of Festivals In the Celestial
Empire, a Happy Time Foi
Pigtailed Creditor*.
I
OF all Chinese festivals that, of
New Year's day is the greatest.
Helng a peculiarly contradic
tory race, the Chinese do not
reckon time by the sun, as we do in
America, but by the moon, so that the
Chinese New Year's day may come at
any time between the middle of Jan
uary and the middle of February.
When the time approaches, creditors
arc happy, for by the last day of the
old year ail debts must he paid. The
Chinaman who cannot pay up must
hide his head until the festival is over.
Another preparation is a general wash
ing up. Household belongings and per
Bona I attire are put through a severe
course of soap and water In order that
ihe new year may be begun with clean
liness.
When the night of New York's eve
approaches, the sound of the firing of
crackers begins and is kept up with an
incessant din until dawn. The first
business in the new year Is the saerilice
to heaven and earth. A table is spread
with offerings of food and drink, can
dles and incense, and crackers are let
off again just outside the front door.
Then the father of the family comes
forward and kneels down in front of
the table, holding a stick of Incense in
his hand and knocking his head three
times on the ground. Rising to Ills
feet, he places the Incense in the censer
on the table. More crackers are let off,
and paper money is burned.
After this ceremony the household
gods are worshiped in the same way,
and then the ancestral tablets, after
which the "liviiiß idols" linve their
turn. The father and mother sit down
side by side, and all their children and
grandchildren kneel before them and
do them reverence, but offerings are
rot made to the liviiur. as tlier are to
J is
~S = 1 ICTU I! ES = #
I Gall and See ||
I My Fine §
| Art Display. 1
\ Oil Paintings, Water Colors, Pastells, Carbons, Etchings,
Photographs, Sepias and Oliographs at all prices
) II
1 Pictures for Every J
Room in 5
the House. jlj
It will be a Pleasure to show them whether you buy or not Igjjj
W.G.B AIR'S AnSiudio I
the dead. Then the servants conic for
'.vard, dressed iu their best, and kneel
down, bowing their head'' to Hie
ground before t'oir Kinder and mis
tress, receiving' pres.- its wli 11 they
rise.
I.onir before all these eereiiiouies are
finished It is quite lifrlit. but in the
early hours of New Year's morning the
streets look as deserted as if no one
"KCNO SHI, KUNO SHI!"
was living in the city. The shops are
all shut, and the busiest streets are as
quiet as if It was an ideal Sabbath of
rest.
But the quiet does not last long. Oc
casional crackers are let off, and
strings of beggars soon appear on ev
ery hand. They are far inore numerous
than usual and more importunate.
They know they will reap a rich har
vest on this happy day, for it ' lucky
to begin the year with good deeds, and
It is not loiiß before the streets are
filled with a well dressed multitude
starting out to pay New Year's calls.
Custom requires tlnit ;•'! the men in
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1905.
('lilrin shall call on their relations,
! teachers anil friends, anil for three
I days (110 visiting goes 011. Women are
j not expecte I lo pay New Year's calls or
; to see the visitors who come to their
houses. As (hose are men, of course
; (hat would Vie highly improper.
1 When friends meet in the street for
( the lirst time in t lie new year they
j stand and bow very politely; they put
j their hands together and shake them,
1 saying, "Kung shi, kung shi," which
i means "I respectfully wish you Joy,"
I liui they often add, "May you grow
; rich," for that is the Chinese idea of
J happiness.
For three days the New Year's re-
I joicing goes on.and then all the poorer
i classes begin to work again. Large
! shops and places of business are closed
j for a month. Brooklyn Citizen.
j- of Vonr'd lull*.
Not many years ago it was the cns
! torn in all countries to visit one's
friends <>n New Year's day, and In this
j country open house was kept all day
: unti. a matter of some ten or fifteen
1 years ago. It is questionable whether it
j will ever become fashionable to set
i New Year's day aside for calling aguia.
j The ancient Romans made much of
1 their New Year's calls, and after the
I empire of Home had passed away the
I custom lived in England, France and
! Germany.
I
\Vli«* 11 Women Smoked.
In a copy of the Old Farmer's Alma
; nae, printed about 18<X), we find the
j following article 011 "the prevention
j and extinction of tires:" "Never read in
! bed by candlelight, especially If your
j bed be surrounded by curtains. Strictly
forbid the use of cigars in your family
at all times, but especially after night.
There is good reason to suppose a house
was lately set 011 fire by a half consum
ed cigar, which a woman suddenly
threw away to prevent being detected
in the unhealthy and offensive practice
of smoking."
Free will Is not the liberty to do
whatever one likes, but the power of
doing whatever one sees ought to be
done, even In the face of otherwise
overwhelming impulse. There lies
freedom Indeed.
JgO TO THE FAIR!*!
For Ladies Coats, all Styles, Furs, Suits, Shirt Waists
and Skirts, Children's Dresses and Coats.
I A full line of Facinators, Shawls, Belts, Fancy Stocks, (Cloves, Handkerchiefs, Hosiery,®
Saqnes and Toques. Fancy Lamps, Gold Clocks, Gold Picture Frames, Gold Framed Mir-I
rors and small Gold Novelties. Fine line of Cut Glass, Silverware, Jewelry, Pocket Books, ! 9
I Wrist Bags, Toilet Articles, Fancy Goods of all descriptions in Baskets, Birch Bark, Cellu
loid and Stag articles. Vases, Picture Books, Ja r Jineves and Umbrella Stands. Umbrellas, |.g
all styles from 48c to <l2. Thousands of Doll' and Toys.
The Largest Display oi China Ever Shuwn in k Gounly |
I A ]\T IVJ p? V" Our store rooms are crowded and we have secured space at the Misses Lud- ■
lams'store for our COATS and SKIRTS. We shall sell f.om now to .Jan. I
Ist, l!>0(i at a reduction of one-half and one third. Bj quick if you want to get in on these bar- H
gains.
THE FAIR STORE. I
LH. A. ZARPS Sc CO., PROPRS. |
Mow Is Your
! Complexion?
t Do you realize that you can
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skin l>y simply using
flosmeo
| The Beauty MaKer
M. A. ROCKWELL,
lCiuporiuui, Pa*
HUMPHREYS'
Specifics cure by acting directly on the
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the system.
No. 1 for Fevers.
No. 2 " Worius.
No. 3 " Tei'thing.
No. I " Diarrhea.
No. 7 " Coughs.
No. H " Xi uridgia.
No. 5) " Headaches.
No. 10 " Dys|if|isin.
No. II " Siippmsned Periods.
No. 12 " Whites.
Nt>. 13 " Croup.
Ni . 14 " The Skin.
No 15 " Uluumiit isiu.
No. 16 " Mulnria,
No. l'J " Catarrh.
No. 'J" " Whooping Cough.
No. 27 " Tli« Kidneys.
No. 0 » TU Uliuldi r.
No. 77 " I< 1 Oripjs-.
la iiiudl l*o of tit .. m lit t tit the
prH-ka-t. At l'i 11 ■ M I.' il< d. Me. *ui b.
•1- M, .11 r ■ ,< 11 .
Iluiiiphrt-t oliu s»rwl«,
;«v Vu«k.
FIRE SALE!
Sweeping Reduction
SIO,OOO worth of Hardware of all
kinds must be sold during the
next Ten Days, regardless ol cost
in order to allow repairs to be
made on building.
Bargains For All. |
I MURRY 4COPPERSMITH CO. |
Why Buy McClure's?
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FIRST—THE PRICK It coats but one dollar a year, or less than ten cent 4
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ren, but at the same time, there is rever a line in it that any young girl might
not read. Its advertising pages are as clean as its editorial pages
McClure's Magazine.
in your home is intended to work only for good Send %l 00 t<>-day for one
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cember free with new sidmcriptions for ltssj
8. S. Mc CI.I RE COMPANY, 47 East 83d street, NEW Y«>HK
Veil i»« <»m a H""<l ti»< >!•«- bv ukiiiK up the buaiut -» of fcwtirmu kutwrrthvr.f, rMi l lnr« tt
t-lvau mi«l Mil ii -|.tiUiiK I 1/uhlimliiiii any luaii or «.»»ioi Would lik«lVnpn-«M Ut The ur
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