em that
according to the _feng-shui_, or omnipotent spirits of the earth, wind, and
water, the situation of the deceased gentleman's grave was ill-chosen and
that if they ever hoped to enjoy good fortune again they must dig him up,
give the customary feast in his honor and have another burial site chosen.

Every village has a "wise man" who is always called upon to select the
resting place of the dead, his remuneration varying from two dollars to two
thousand dollars according to the circumstances of the deceased's
relatives. The astrologer never will say definitely whether or not the spot
will prove a propitious one and if the family later sell any property,
receive a legacy, or are known to have obtained money in other ways, the
astrologer usually finds that the _feng-shui_ do not favor the original
place and he will exact another fee for choosing a second grave.

The dead are never buried until the astrologer has named an auspicious day
as well as an appropriate site, with the result that unburied coffins are
to be seen in temples, under roadside shelters, in the fields and in the
back yards of many houses.

Any interference by foreigners with this custom is liable to bring about
dire results as in the case of the rioting in Shanghai in 1898. A number of
French residents objected to a temple near by being used to store a score
or more of bodies until a convenient time for burial and the result was the
death of many people in the fighting which ensued. Mr. Tyler Dennet cites
an amusing anecdote regarding the successful handling of the problem by a
native mandarin in Yen-ping where we visited Mr. Caldwell:

The doctor pointed out how dangerous to public health was the presence
of these coffins in Yen-ping. The magistrate had a census taken of the
coffins above ground in the city and found that they actually numbered
sixteen thousand. The city itself is estimated to have only about
twenty thousand inhabitants.

It was a difficult problem for the magistrate. He might easily move in
such a way as to bring the whole city down about his head. But the
Chinese are clever in such situations, perhaps the cleverest people on
earth. He finally devised a way out. A proclamation was issued levying
a tax of fifty cents on every unburied coffin. The Chinese may be
superstitious, but they are even more thrifty. For a few weeks Yen-ping
devoted itself to funerals, a thousand a week, an