Page:Chinese Life in the Tibetan Foothills.djvu/96

84 called hsien p‘ai (閒排) ta yeh or "leisure-grade brother." Another term for such is mao ting (帽頂), or "cap top."

The entrance fee for one and all is 1,280 cash. A candidate, hsin fu (新福), must find some one to introduce him and also a guarantor for his good faith. All recruits first enter the grade lao jao, but those with ability soon get promoted. On entrance the introducer and guarantor must have presents, and all along the line superiors must be honoured and humoured with gifts. The rank and file of the Rectitude Lodge on meeting the elders of the Benevolent Lodge have to show respect by a three-fold kotow. This is called "one shot with three reports" (一炮三響), i p‘ao san hsiang. If the knocks of the head on the ground are not distinctly heard it is considered a lack of reverence.

Meetings are generally held in out-of-the-way villages or in some large secluded temple. They are called k‘ai t‘ang (開堂), "to open the hall"; shao hui (燒會), "meeting to burn (incense?)"; tso fang shou (做方手), which probably means the "crossing of the hands to the four points of the compass"; tso hsien shih (做賢事), "practising the acts of the worthies."

These gatherings are generally held at the time of some festival such as the Single Sword Festival (單刀會), the 13th of the 5th moon; the Ch‘ing Ming (清明) Festival, about April 5; the Yü Lan (盂蘭), Festival in the 7th moon; and at the New Year. In this way Society business may be done in better security and the officials are deceived. Expenses are met by contributions and entrance fees from novices, by fines for misdemeanours, etc. An elder brother of the Benevolent Lodge is generally invited to preside or "sit on the dragon's head" (坐龍頭), tso lung t‘ou. He is treated with great respect and formality.

On a dais in the centre of the meeting place is a tablet to Kuan Yü, which is worshipped by all. Before the tablet swords are hung from the roof, and it is supposed that the fear of a sword falling on them will prevent people from worshipping with wrong motives.