There is another religion in China besides the religion of Confucius, and a much worse religion.  About the same time that Confucius lived, there was a man called La-on-tzee.  He was a great deceiver, as you will see.  He pretended that he could make people completely happy.  There were three things he said he would do for them:  first, he would make them rich by turning stone into gold; next, he would prevent their being hurt by swords or by fire through charms he could give them; and, last of all, he could save them from death by a drink he knew how to prepare.

[Illustration:  THE PRIESTS OF LA-ON-TZEE.]

What an awful liar this man must have been!  Yet many people believed in him, and still believe in him.  There are now priests of La-on-tzee, and once a year they rush through hot cinders and pretend they are not hurt.  You will wonder their tricks are not found out, seeing they cannot give any one the drink to keep them from dying.  It is indeed wonderful that any one can believe these deceitful priests.

Their religion is called the “Taou” sect.  Taou means reason.  The name of folly would be a better title for such a religion.

There is a third religion in China.  It is the sect of Buddha.[7] This Buddha was a man who once pretended to be turned into a god called Fo.  You see he was even worse than La-on-tzee.

Buddha pretended that he could make people happy; and his way of doing so was very strange.  He told them to think of nothing, and then they would be happy.  It is said that one man fixed his eyes for nine years upon a wall without looking off, hoping to grow happy at last.  You can guess whether he did.  There are many priests of Buddha, always busy in telling lies to the people.  They recommend them to repeat the name of Buddha thousands and thousands of times, and some people are so foolish as to do this; but no one ever found any comfort from this plan.

The priests of Buddha say that their souls, when they leave their bodies, go into other bodies.  This idea is enough to make a dying person very miserable.  One poor man, when he was dying, was in terror because he had been told his soul would go into one of the emperor’s horses.  Whenever he was dropping off to sleep, he started up in a fright, fancying that he felt the blows of a cruel driver hurrying him along:  for he knew how very fast the emperor’s horses were made to go.  How different are the feelings of a dying man who knows he is going to Jesus.

He can say with joy,—­

    “For me my elder brethren stay,
    And angels beckon me away,
    And Jesus bids me come.”

The Buddhists are full of tricks by which to get presents out of the people.

Once a year they cause a great feast to be made, and for whom?  For the poor?  No.  For beasts?  No.  For children?  No.  For themselves?  No.  You will never guess.  For ghosts!  The priests declare that the souls of the dead are very hungry, and that it is right to give them a feast.  A number of tables are set out, spread with all kinds of dishes.  No one is seen to eat, nor is any of the food eaten; but the priests say the ghosts eat the spirit of the food.  When it is supposed the ghosts have finished dinner, the people scramble for the food, and take it home, and no doubt the priests get their share.