while the spirit is free in the ether. The spirit is beneficent, and those of their ancestors are
worshipped by the Chinese throughout the whole empire. The souls of the dead, on the other hand, may
do injury, and are therefore placated with food and offerings, and are asked to grant prosperity to
their descendants.
The high officers of state (Mandarins) are also priests of the state-religion, and it is part of
their duty to take a leading part in its ceremonies. The people are devoted to the worship of their
ancestors as well as of the powers of nature. Widows still sometimes kill themselves, to be buried
with their dead husbands.
The Ta'oist priests are very numerous and they assist the people in ancestor-worship and
encourage them to adore many other things, such as tigers, snakes, trees, rocks, mountains and
rivers. Images are found not only in temples but in every house. Yet the people have so far
forgotten the one Supreme God whom their earliest ancestors worshipped that His name Shang-Ti is now
sometimes used to include hosts of other deities.
It is plain, therefore, that neither Confucianism nor Taoism can give any satisfactory answer to
the question which often rises in the thoughtful man's heart, 'What must I do to be saved?'
A third religion which is believed in by many of the Chinese is Buddhism. This religion was
introduced from India many centuries ago. Its founder
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