are the local patrons of the place, the Earth Lord and the Township. God. Our illustration represents the former in the shape of a Taoist wearing the priestly cap and gown, the latter as a mandarin with a

helmet and dressed like a magistrate. Both hold in their hands the ju-i or magic wand, the possession of which ensures one to obtain his desires.

The temples are surrounded by two walls, and the worshiper passes two gates before he approaches the shrine. In the court of the temple of the Earth God we see an artificial pond which is spanned by an arched bridge. The same custom prevails in other temples, and both the pond and the bridge must possess an ancient meaning, but our sources do not give any indication of its symbolism. It is possible that the bridge possesses the same significance as the drum bridge in the Shinto temples of Japan, which, as Mr. Aston suggests, represents the rainbow, which is called "the floating bridge" over which Izanagi and Izanami passed at the time of creation. Or can the pond be a reminiscence of a more primitive age when the deep, or the waters of the ocean, called by the Babylonians "Tiamat," were figuratively represented in the temples. which is related not only of Babylonian temples but also of the temple of Solomon at Jerusalem?

The shrines of both the Earth Lord and the Township God are usually supported at public expense, and their festivals are officially celebrated with parades and joyous processions around the fields.

One of the most interesting divinities of China is a goddess. whose worship closely resembles the worship of the Virgin Mary among the Greek and Roman Catholics, and also the Buddhist Kwan Yin. Her official name is "Heaven's Queen and Holy Mother," and in our picture she is represented as accompanied by female attendants while two warriors serve as guardians.

The original title of this popular goddess was "Holy Mother," but Emperor K'ang-Hi bestowed upon her the high dignity of Tien Hou, i. e., Heaven's Ruler," translated either "Heavenly Queen" or "Empress."

As is customary in the mythology of China, the Queen of Heaven also took up her abode upon carth for a time, and during the period of her incarnation she was Miss Ling, the daughter of a respectable man and sister of four brothers. While her brothers were at sea, she fell into a deep trance from which her parents who thought her dead awakened her with shouts of lamentation and cries of grief. Soon afterwards her youngest brother returned and told how in a terrible storm he had been saved by the apparition of his sister, but the three other brothers were drowned because she had been called back too soon from the scene of the disaster when her parents awakened her from her trance. Thus her power to help travelers was practically proved through this tale which is firmly believed by her devotees.

Miss Ling's father was afterwards drowned in the sea, and she in her filial devotion was so much grieved that she threw herself into the ocean and followed him in death. She has remained, how

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QUEEN OF HEAVEN, THE HOLY MOTHER.

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ever, the guardian of seafaring people in distress, and many stories are told of how she appears to the shipwrecked and guides them to places of safety.

Two festivals, one in the spring and one in the autumn, are celebrated with great rejoicing as official holidays in honor of the "Queen of Heaven." They are announced by large placards bear

ing official proclamation such as those in our illustration. with the inscription "Heavenly Queen and Holy Mother" on the right, and on the left in small characters on top, "By order" and in large

characters, "Spring and Autumn Festivals." The sacrificial animals for this occasion are as usual three in number, the pig, the ox, and the sheep.

It is perhaps redundant to state that the Queen of Heaven as a deity has no connection with the religious conception t'ien, "heaven," which plays so prominent a part in the religious and