Portland Chinese Joss House
By BISHOP M. WRIGHT
I chanced to be at Portland, Oregon, recently, at
the time of the Chinese national festival. On my way to the post-office, I saw on the
sidewalk of First street, in the Chinese quarters, hundreds of these celestial sojourners
of our land on the sidewalk and along the street, in the Chinese business portion of the
city, in front of, or near, the Joss House.
Yes, Portland has a Joss House, a heathen temple, with
hundreds of worshippers in our Christian land! Not too soon have the American churches
began their Chinese mission schools in the cities of the Pacific coast. The United
Brethren, the Methodist Episcopal, the Presbyterian, and perhaps, other denominations,
have their Chinese schools in Portland, all of which are doing good. I visited our own
school, the evening of October 7th, heard the recitations of some of the
Chinese pupils, had some conversation with Superintendents, Rev. G. Sickafoose and wife,
conversed with our Chinese teacher, Moi Ling, evidently a noble and influential Chinaman,
an intelligent Christian and a power for usefulness in the school. At the close, by
invitation, I made a brief address to the school, encouraging the pupils, recommending our
holy religion, and assuring them of the good will of the better class of American people.
The building occupied by the school is a good one, well
worth its cost, as I am told by citizens of the place, and the school-room is a real nice
one. May the Mission School continue to do much good under the support of the Woman’s
Missionary Association of the Church.
But I began to tell of the Chinese Joss House in the
city of Portland. Going forth from my hotel, the forenoon of October 7th, I saw
hundreds of Chinamen, mostly on the sidewalk in front of the Joss House and neighboring to
it. Some of them were coming and some going. The annual festival which they were now
celebrating, lasts, as I was told, four nights and three days, culminating in the
"killing of the devil" toward the morning of the last night, when the rush and
general snatch for a piece of roasted chicken, the token of good luck, occurs, with a
Chinaman would not miss for a whole week’s wages.
The Joss House is on the west side of First street, near
the center of the block. It is not large nor fine. About ten feet high, above the
sidewalk, in front of the Joss House, were several hanging boxes, front open, filled with
images about the size of large dolls, made of paper representing Chinese men and women in
oriental costumes. One or two in each box were of rather hideous visage and mien. Some
beautiful Chinese clots were hung up on high at the front of the sidewalk, before the door
of the Joss House. Outside the building, on either side of the door, was a paper image,
ten or twelve feet in height, gaudily ornamented. The one on our left showed the white of
his eyes conspicuously, and that on the right presented a more downward and sever look.
Upon entering the outer door of the Joss House, I beheld
to the left a small paddy horse of white, rough cloth, and beyond, his rider, sitting
against the wall, whip in hand, he being a paper image. Then, on either side of the
second, or partition-door, is an image, about life-size, with an uplifted small sword. And
beyond this partition-door is the main lower room. To the right are two curtained images.
On either side are inscriptions in the Chinese, and insignia of metal on rods of wood,
etc. In the room are two or three counters, or altars, the sides of one of which are
covered with brazen figures and images, and vines, and leaves. At the west end is an
image, nearly the size of a two year old child, which is evidently the chief image of the
house, and before which tapers and lamps are burning. On ascending the stairway, which is
to the right of the outer room, I found myself in the upper room, which is without
partition and which has counters, inscriptions, different from, yet not dissimilar, to
those below. Here are pictures of men of large size on canvass, spread on the walls. The
brazen ornamentation serves alse as a sort of wainscoting along part of the walls. In this
upper room, at the further end, there is a sort of curtained pavilion, at the door of
which, on our first call at the Joss House, sat their chief image, and tapers and lamps
were burning before it. But later in the day, this image had been transferred to the lower
room, as already described, but the taper and lamps above were still burning. In the
evening, in a box above head in the front of the upper room, were tow musicians
discoursing Chinese music, with instruments which sounded some what like our cymbals and
violins.
I called at the Joss House three times in the day, the
last time about dusk in the evening. I saw the devotees moving along among the objects to
be seen in the Joss House, much like other spectators of this heathen show. Others than
Chinamen entered freely and moved along, in and out as they saw fit.
Of the mysteries of the Joss House, I could learn
nothing from the Chinese themselves, and little from others whom I chanced to meet. I took
it to be more a festival than an occasion of worship. There was little of marked
solemnity, and none of direct worship, in the appearance and actions of these Chinamen.
But as Romanistic festivals satisfy the tastes and cravings of papistic worshippers, so do
these exhibitions gratify the tastes and aspirations of these oriental worshippers.
Indeed, the Romanistic worship is only a little more tangible, and takes the palm as to
grandeur, though there is little less of tinselry in it.
There are many thousands of Chinese on the Pacific coast. So far, there
are only a few converted to Christianity. Nor is it so wonderful, when the treatment which
they receive is considered. The rabble they come in contact with, which jeer and hoot and
mob them, are poor representatives of Christianity. And the better class should make their
influence felt, to dispel this prejudice and to produce a better impression. The heathen
are not only at our door, but in our midst, and self-preservation, as well as the spirit
of missions, calls for their speedy evangelization. The success already attending the work
show that missionary effort is not in vain. If the Christian churches of America are
faithful to their duty, concerning the heathen in their midst, not only China, but America
also, will be greatly benefitted [sic] by missionary work among the Chinese on the Pacific
coast. The grain of mustard seed now cast into the earth will become a great tree and the
fowls of heaven shall lodge in the branches of it. The temple of Jesus must take the place
of the house of Joss among the Chinese in America. God Wills it, and let the people say
amen, in heart, in word, and in action.