Canton, (China,) Oct. 20, 1831.

MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS,--In my letter, yesterday, I forgot to tell
you of some very high buildings, called pagodas. These are found
in almost every part of China. They were introduced soon after
the religion of Buddha, in which they seem to have had their
origin, in this country. These lofty buildings present every
where nearly the same appearance; but differ in height from three
to thirteen stories. They are usually hollow, with stairs
ascending up through the centre; and are usually built on the top
of some high hill. They are believed, by those who build them,
to be a defence against evil spirits, pestilence, misfortunes,
&c. One of the finest pagodas in China, is in Nanking, and was
built about 400 years ago. It is called the porcelain pagoda. It
is 200 feet high, divided into nine stories; and is, at the base,
122 feet in circumference. It was nineteen years in building, and
cost more than three millions of dollars; more than three times
as much as the American Board have yet expended for foreign
missions.

I will close this letter with some account of idol worship, as
it is performed here, all around us, every day.

The Chinese never assemble for religious worship as Christians
do, who go to the house of God, there to worship him, who is a
Spirit, in spirit and in truth. Their worship is very unholy, and
offensive to God, and injurious to man. They have no preaching;
their priests never set as public, religious teachers. Their
worship consists of prayers and offerings, made to their false
gods, and to their departed friends, to the sages and heroes of
antiquity, and to their emperors--both living and the dead. All
their acts of worship are accompanied with a great many, and very
tedious ceremonies.

Some of the priests make very long prayers. In a temple near
Canton, I have seen more than 50 priests altogether, at one time,
engaged in their devotions. At the appointed hour, they assembled
in a large hall where were a number of idols, and altars for
offering incense, and also a drum and a bell to wake up the
sleepy gods, and make them listen to their prayers.

As soon as they were assembled, they took their places in ranks,
and commenced their worship. One of the oldest priests acted as
chief, and took the lead; and the others, with loud voices, all
joined with him and chanted their evening prayers. Sometimes,
they all stood erect, with their hands all joined with him, and
chanted their evening prayers. Sometimes they all stood erect,
with their hands clasped before them. Sometimes, in files, they
went round and round their altars. At one time, they all kneeled;
and again, they all bowed down their heads, and placed them in
the very dust. All the time they were doing these things, which
occupied about an hour, candles and lamps were kept burning, and
incense was offered on the altars.

The Chinese never pray in their families and closets as Christians
are taught to do. Individuals sometimes go to the temples to pray,
and pay their vows, and to make offerings to the idol gods. I have
repeatedly seen women, sometimes with their young children,
bowing before the altars in the temples. The Chinese observe many
times and seasons, in which they make religious offerings, some
of which are very expensive.

There are appointed seasons when the Emperor of China worships
his ancestors, and the heavens, and the earth, and also some of
the great mountains and rivers of the empire. Early in the morning
on the first day of the year, all the people worship their gods,
praying for riches. In the spring of every year, there is an
appointed time, when every body goes to the hills--some travel
hundreds of miles--to worship at the tombs of their fathers, and
mothers, and uncles, &c. While at the tombs, they offer costly
sacrifices of fish, fowls, sheep, goats, swine and the like, with
oblations of wine and oil, to the names of their departed
relatives. On the first and fifteenth of every moon, they have
some special religious rites to perform, such as firing off
thousands and thousands of gunpowder crackers, beating their
gongs, or drums, &c. This they do to keep off evil spirits. Every
day, especially at evening, offerings of paper--a kind of gold
paper--and oil, and fragrant wood, are made to the household
Gods, to the gods of the streets, shops, boats. Indeed, there
seems to be no end to their superstitions. And thus, alas! all
this numerous people are given to idolatry, and offer sacrifices
to devils. They worship they know not what.

And now, my dear young friends, do you think all this vain and
wicked worship constitute a cheap and easy religion? Think of
the priests and priestesses devoted to idleness, and to
abominable rites and services. Think of the hundreds of temples
and idleness, and to abominable rites and services. Think of the
hundreds of temples and pagodas, and thousands of idols which
cover and fill the land. Think, too, of all the times and seasons;
all the costly offerings and sacrifices employed in this idol
worship; and again I ask, and I wish you to give an answer,--Do
you think this a cheap and easy religion? I think it a most costly
religion, and most grievous to be borne. Oh, how unlike the
religion of Jesus Christ! His yoke is easy, and his burden light.
But the service of Satan is hard service. The expense of this idol
worship must amount to many millions of dollars annually. More,
I am constrained to believe, is expended every day, and every
year, by the Chinese alone, in idol worship, than is devoted by
all the true Christians in the whole world, to the worship of the
true God.

These things ought not so to be. And if all good people could
see how miserable these heathens are, and could feel for them,
as Christ Jesus commands them to feel, the things would not be
so much longer. There would be a great change immediately. The
Bible would be distributed; the Gospel would be preached; and then
would the heathen cast away their dumb idols, and serve the true
God.

And now, dear children, farewell. Think of these things and
remember and pray for the poor heathen always. I hope to write
to you again; perhaps, several short letters, but I may be
disappointed. Endeavoring to cast all my cares on Him, who
careth for us all, and to serve him with singleness of heart, I
still remain your true friend, E.C. BRIDGMAN.

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