Page 92 - Chinese Porcelain Vol I, Galland

60 CHINESE PORCELAIN.

the children of the under sixteen of
representing family years
age, are also put on it. A glass lamp and two candles are placed
on the rice, and incense and mock-money are provided.
Generally a Taoist priest is employed to officiate. His prin-
business consists in a short formula and in
cipal reciting ring-
ing his bell. The few sentences he repeats are in praise of the
Mother of the Measure.' At the time of the
'
proper perform-
ance, the head of the family, and the children belonging to it,
kneel down and in the established manner before the
worship
table. The object of all this is to procure the favour of the
goddess in preserving the children of the family to old age.
The rice in the bottom of the measure used, if made
deposited
into congee and eaten by the children, is thought to be very
conducive to their lonpevitv."
The Chinese say rice is the staff of life, so the rice measure
" '
is the measure of life. The Chinese word for measure has
the same sound as a constellation, which accounts for
probably
the connection between the two. of the rice
Kepresentations
measure seldom in with one of the
appear except conjunction
two gods of literature, who seems to be kicking it into the air.
211 : "Besides affairs which relate
Doolittle, p. superintending
to literature, this god is believed to take cognisance of the
merits and the demerits of men, their virtuous and their vicious
actions. Some of him as the or the ruler of
speak governor
"
thunder, fire, and the pestilence (see No. 332).
It may be well here to quote the following tale, to which
the Chinese trace the origin of " Worshipping the Measure."
98 "A while a certain lad, on
Doolittle, p. : long ago, going
into the street one day, met an old man, who proved to be a
celebrated fortune-teller, named Kuan-lo. He addressed the
* What a that
lad, saying, You are a fine boy. pity your life
is to be so short.' The lad at once asked him how long it was
to be, and he told him that he was to die at the age of nineteen.
This the lad, who was near that and he went
frightened age,
home and told his mother what he had heard.
crying, She, in
turn, was made very sad also, but told the lad to go and inquire
further of the fortune-teller. He did so, and was instructed to
take a of venison and a bottle of wine, and
plate preserved carry
them to the of a certain mountain, where he would find two
top
old men He was told to the venison and
playing chess. place