native produce, the bulk, and the most popular, appear to be those displaying on their counter the curious medley of foodstuffs which appeal so irresistibly to the Chinese palate. But even more noticeable to the foreigner are certain shops which are to be seen in every town and in almost every village in Ssŭch'uan, in which are stocked paper models, of considerable size, of horses, houses (perhaps 5 or 6 feet in height), men, and animals, and millions of imitation paper coins. What can be the use of these paper toys, you wonder? But they are very far from being toys: they are, on the contrary, important adjuncts in the most important ceremonies connected with the strongest and most universal religious doctrine of 400,000,000 of Chinese—the worship of ancestors. All these things are burned on the dead man's grave in order that in the spiritual world he may be provided with the spiritual essence of such things as he has been accustomed to in his materialised state.
The thoughtful may learn much from contemplating these symbols. In these paper
