The St. Petersburg Correspondent of the "Globe" writes :

Seeing that the strategic railway, which Russia has been engaged in laying down steadily during the recent war, will enable the military authorities to transport troops from Orenburg, in S.E European Russia, to Tash- kend, the capital of Russian Turkestan and the military headquarters, in the space of 96 hours, or four days, this new line of railways running right into tho heart of Russian Central Asia directly from European Russia deserves no little attention outside Russian circles. Since January 14 (new style), the railway has been open to regular passenger and goods traffic. Until that date trains had been run- ning since the end of July, 1904, on the northern section of the line 1 between Orenburg and Kaaalinsk, on the north-east corner of the Sea of Aral, and since the end of last September on the southern section from Kaaalinak to Tashkend. From the end of next January the mails will travel by the line. The total length of the line is 1,734 versta, or 1,160 miles ; the northern section is 698 miles in length, and the southern is 689 miles in length. There are 78 railway stations and 104 sidings. The principal stations are Orenburg, Kasalinsk, and Tashkend, and then Aktyubinsk, south-east of Orenburg, in the Khirgiz Steppe, Chelkary, Fort Perovaki, on the Syr Daria in the Syr Daria Territory, and the town of Turkestan, farther southwards, near the Syr Daria river, and on the eastern most fringe of the desert of Kisil Kum. As in tho case of laying down the trans-Caspian Railway, now known as the Russian Central Asian Railway, so in the present instance the technical difficulties that had to be overcome were by no means trivial, for, in avoiding the southern spurs of the Urals, the line had to be taken across a waterless steppe for a long distance, and thus a supply of water had to be found. Although artesian wells were sunk in many places, and often to a depth of over 600 feet, vary little water was found, and, when it was found, the water could not be used by the locomotives, because it contained so much salt. Thus, in order to supply such a supreme neces- sity, water-pipes were laid down for a distance of 84 miles, and water s»as obtained from Lake Makpatsa, which is connected with tho Syr Daria, and six stations were equipped with large reservoirs built of iron and concrete. Fur- ther south, water becomes the dreaded foe of the undertaking, for the railway runs along the right bank of the SyrDaria, and every precaution had to be taken to protect the line from being flooded, as tho Syr Daria's level is higher than the surrounding country, and tho river over- flows its banks in the spring and floods the country for a distance of seven miles. Thus it was necessary to build an embankment and bridge , lay down drainage works, for carrying off tho water supplied by tributary streams and build dams.

The Orenburg and Tashkend Railway was taken over by the Government authorities and thrown open to regular traffic at the end of last July on tho northern section, and full regular traffic will be opened on the southern section on November 97 next. On that day a new branch line of the Samara and Slatoust railway will be thrown open between Vinzl and Orenburg in connection with the railway thence to Tashkend, and thereby the length of the Orenburg and Tashkend Railway will be increased to at least 1,340 miles. The "Russki Invalid," the well-known offi- cial organ of the Russian War Office, asks very opportunely : Of what value to Russia will tho Orenburg and Ta*h!,end Railways be from a military aspect, and how great is its importance. The journal referred to then replies with the following observations : — "For maintaining its influence and for pro- tecting our possessions in Central Asia, as also with a yiew to paralysing certain . mani- festations unfavorable to us, which have cropped up in the sphere of international politics, Russia is compelled to maintain an immense body of troops in the General'Go- Vernment of Tarkestan. In the present state of the development of the defensive strength of every nation it is difficult to count upon win- ning decisive victories by means of the Tark- estan troops, in spite their excellent soldierly qualities, so that they are to be regarded as being only an advanced detachment, whose duty it is to keep the line for, and to support, the main army on its way to the front. As a result of the great distances which separate out Central Asian possessions front European Russia as a base the timely dispatch of rein- forcements from home into Central Asia is of very great importance. If the importance of the Orenburg and Tashkend Railway is consi- dered from this aspect then we must arrive at the condoaion that Russia's tasks in Centras Asia are rendered now so much earner, that we can look into the future with absolute composure. At every season of the year large bodies of troops will be able to be conveyed quickly into the heart of Central Asia by Means of the Orenburg and Tashkend Railway whenever such a step shall becalled for by the march of political events. This it is which represents the great Advantage of having sad a railway as that between Orenburg and Tashkend. We hope that circumstances will not compel us to let the consideration expressed above become an actual fact. It remains to be pointed out that this northern section of the railway sugared las winter severely from snowdrifts, with which the authorities were enable to cope and the trains could not run for many days at a time This, with snowdrifts in the northern section and inundations by the Syr Daria in the southern section, the immediate successful working of the railway it ly no means full; assured during the winter and spring sea- sons. But Russian railway engineers won the day in laying down the Trans-Caspian Rail- way against great odd-, and they may be suc- cessful again in the snow swept steppe and low lying region of Syr Daria. As to the real object of the railway there can be not the Smallest doubt.

A VERY COSTLY JOURNEY.

In the city of Fungtu is a temple which is regarded with unspeakable awe, for under this shrineiiapaMagewhi.hu supposed to lead ( far down beneath the surface of the earth. No native would care to investigate this subter- ranean way. Here is tho traditional avenue from the Flowery Land to Hades. Of course, there are very various doctrines about this Avenues, but it is astounding how positive they all are. My missionary friends have given me different versions of the Chinese beliefs concerning the realms below. .All agree in certain particulars, while in different pro- vinces details diverge. From the Fungtu Temple of Hades tho descent is through about twenty levels, in each of which are many ramifications leading to subterranean cities, presided over by gods who once were great, rich, and good men. These were able to buy the highest Hadean dignities with what was paid for them by surviving relatives, to whom they left large sums for the purpose. The idea that every position of honor may be gained by bribery is, in the Chinese creed, applied to other worlds besides this. Indeed, it is evident that bribery flourishes far more in the subterranean spheres than in this sublunary region.

Accordingly, if a citizsn of the Middle King- dom is wealthy, his journey,to Hades will be expensive indeed.He will be able to secure there everything that he wants if he can take with him the cash. He will be able to practice "graft" on a stupendous scale. He will find it easy -to 'bribe porters, gatekeepers, demon guards, torturing fiends, and gods, if he can command as a ghost the funds needed. And he needs immense resources as soon as he leaves this world, for he has much to encounter. The nature of his experience we will consider presently. For the moment we may take special note of the grotesque but really formidable financial aide of his extraordinary phase of life throughout the whole Chinese Empire. All the millions of the people, from the Imperial family downward, are affected by the considerations involved.

An American missionary of my acquaintance, who has resided many years in China, had a long conversation the day after Li Hung Chang's death with a highly educated China- man living next door to that famous states man's palace. It is we'l known that Li Hung Chang was one of the wealthiest men in the world. The missionary asked this member of the literati how much it would cost for Li to get into Hades so as to find favor with the subterranean powers. The answer was given in precise terms, without the slightest hesitation. "The cost for that great and very rich man will be five millions of taels." Now, 5,000,000 taels would be about equivalent to £600,000. "How much," continued the interrogator, "would it cost for an Emperor or Empress " "Not less than ten million taels." "How mach would bsbe the passage to the other world of a Viceroy" "About three million taels." As a missionary from Southern China said to me. "There are three great religions in China, bot this does not mean that some of the people are distinctively Confocianists, others Taoists, and others Buddhists. It means this, that every typical Chinaman is a Con- fucianist in his everyday philosophy if he is at all educated ; but is a Taoist at his wedding and at all the great functions of his active life and is a most earnest Buddhist at his death. The three cults are inextricably mixed. At Li Hung Chang's death the Empress Dowager contributed munificently towards the paraphernalia of the funeral, and also towards his journey to the other world. She gave a million taels, a golden shovel as an em- blem of the grave-digging, a gem hoe, a baton a dragon-embroidered gown, a wonder- ful coffin cover, and a string of the most august titles. Dr. Macklin, the American missionary from whom I have already quoted, who knows the Chinese intimately, and is a most accomplished scholar in the language, says that the universal notion of the people is that only when money can be used in the next world are the departed happy, and accordingly only the rich can enjoy felicity there. For the poor the outlook is infernal indeed. What, then, can be done on behalf of the poor with regard to their fateful journey The answer to this question throws vivid light on the curious and universal use of paper money for the dead, and of all sorts of articles manufactured in gold and silver tinsel, which are need in funeral ceremonies. Great officials leave elaborate directions and large sums of money for the for the erection of their temples after their death. In these their tablets are placed, and offerings of incense and paper money are burned. Dr Mioklin "I have seen the funeral of a Tartar General when the people placed tables in front of their doors, with pots of incense burning. Possibly the idea is that a great man has gone, and that ho may say some- thing evil against them to the devil, and so they do something to secure the goodwill of the great man."

According to popular belief the poor cannot get into Hades at all unless the charitable supply the neccesary where with hal in sacri floes of paper money. They are ghosts wandering in the gloom, and may be sent back to earth to haunt the places where they lived, and where they may play all sorts of havoc. Large numbers of people to all parts of China gain their livelihood by makeing the paper money for the use of the spirits. As the work is easy it employs thousands of women and of people who are not strong enough for hard manual labour. The gifts of paper money are most elaborately regulated by the psychological doctrine prevailing. A homes being is supposed to prossess three spirits, and so has a triple immortality. The three spirits are imprisoned in the body in this earthly life, but they part company entirely at death. One remains by the grave. This it the largest spirit of the three and it sometimes reckoned to be twelve feet tall! For its use copions quantities of the cheapest sort of the mock money are supplied at the annual family visit to the grave. These coins, sprinkled over the tomb, are merely circular bits of tissue paper. The second spirit looks hospitality in the old home, and every son is axious that all due courtesy should be displayed to this permanent guest The accom- modation is supplied in the ancestral tablet The little wooden structure which is regarded with such boundless veneration. The third is, of course, an exile from this world, for it 3 goes to the lower regions. Now, as all three spirits exact punctilioos respect is it wonder- ful that the people are incessantly engaged in attending to the wants of their defunct rela- tives.

The mock mint is abundant in its make- believe commodities. Though the grave spirit of the departed is contented with tissue coin, the ghost in the ancestral tablet must have silver coin put before him with the incense. This is made for the most part of course yellowish paper, a square of tinsel adorning the centre of the disc. But the spirit is not supported to distinguish between this rubbish and real silver dollars. For the spirits in Hades gold coin must be expended, and this species of spiritual pocket-money is also a very cheap cheat, as it is made of exactly the same stuff, varnished over with vivid gamboge. It can only be conveyed to the Hadean bank by fire, so that it is burned with the incense. Many authorities have to be; propitiated in Hades, and this is the reason why so much money is needed there. Yen Lo Wang, Em- peror of the whole lower world, is avaricious enough, but his two assessors, the cow headed and the horse-headed divinities, seen seated one on each side of him. in many of the pictures the Buddhist temples, are about as covetous. Then there are ten gods who guard the various chief gates. He ask for money. The white and black demons who act as marshals all exact tribute. And so do the many demons of torture, for they are all open to bribery, And as the rich on earth have generally prac- tised the art of "graft" on a very liberal scale indeed, they have nothing to complain of when they become the subjects of it in their ghostly shape. There it nothing in all the philosophies or religions of the world so fantastic or grotes- que as this doctrine of the mammon of Hades, cherished tenaciously by the Chinese mind, And the general testimony of my missionary friends is that the wonderful fidelity shown by in the converts, as heroically proved during the Boxer tribulation, is largely, due to the joy they feel at their emancipation from this fright- ful tradition.

William Duncan

The production at tbt Coliseum Music-hall of "Joseph and His Brethren" is a noteworthy „ event. The title suggests I believe, correctly that the familiar story of Joseph, with the n incidents of the well, the temptation by Poti- Phar's wife, the interpretation of dreams, and the reconciliation, is given upon the stage. The presentation is contrived partly by per- formance in dumb show and partly by stage tableaux, whilst more or less explanatory music is sung by Mr. Franklyn Clive and the Coliseum chorus. Perhaps it is advisable to state at once that I have not seen the enter- tainment. The important aspect is that for the first time in London the general paying public has been permitted to see upon a stage representation of Script oral characters deemed by a large number of people to be sacred. It has long been understood that the Censor has a fixed law that personages named in the Scriptures shall not be presented in the the thea- tree under his control, and it is a curious feature of oar licensing system that a piece; the performance of which presumably would have been forbidden in any London playhouse, is permitted at the music-hall in St Martin's- lane. Perhaps an even stranger aspect lies in fact that whilst nothing may be presented in a Metropolitan playhouse that has not been considered in advance and approved by an official, dramatic works are offered to the patrons of variety theatres which have never been considered officially by anybody, the only material check upon the managers of the halls being the fear if trouble at the yearly application for the renewal of licences. It is notorious that, owing to a fantastic compro- mise between the Theatrical Managers' Asso- ciation and the owners of music-halls, dramatic pieces of a certain length, and requiring no more than a specified number of performers are given in the halls, though forbidden by law. A lawyer might wonder why the L.C.C., when the applications for renewal of licences are made, does not concern itself with the fact that these illegal entertainments are given. No doubt the L.C.C. adapts a judicious hide-your- head-in-the sand kind of policy, hot the result is amusing.

The singular fact emerges that a piece which may not be performed at His Majesty's because of its nature is presented at the Coliseum illegally and yet without fear of - inconvenient consequences. The result is the breach of an old tradition in the English enter- tainment world—that Scriptural personages shall not be presented for the sake of gain as dramatic persons of a play. Some people will rejoice at this gain of freedom; to me the advantage seems doubtful. The Censor, the abolition of whose office I would hail with joy, has adopted a very safe working rule. It may be the foot that the Coliseum entertainment will not give offense to anyone. Certainly Scriptural characters and subjects might be presented—and are—under extraordinary cir- cumstances in such a fashion as to shook nobody ; but the task of deciding upon the reading of a M.S. or even after a dress rehearsal, whether a particular work would be offensive or not to persons whose feelings ought to be taken into account is one of such terrific difficulty that the Censor w y be well excused, for shirking it Presumably his arguments can be summed up in a few lines : he would say that there are plenty of other subjects for treatment which, under the circumstances of the stage, would have quite as great a moral effect, if any, as Scriptural subjects; that there is always a real risk of offending many people, and certainly of grieving some: that no exercise of judgment by an individual censor can prevent errors of judgment that would involve disrespect to religion ; and that in cases where such entertainments are intended to be given primarily for the sake of filthy lucre it is better to run the risk of erring on the side of intolerance than on the side of licence.

On the other hand, it will be said that many persons are in favor of the production of Scriptural plays and that I am plus royalists que le roi; indeed, I understand that one of the cloth assisted at the rehearsals. Of him personally I know nothing, but I am aware I that many persons possess very little judg- ment, and that not a few are very simple, minded and can be induced to lead the sanction of theory status to very questionable entertain- ments. For instance, in my opinion, "Thieving of the Cross" was a very harmful work. No doubt the lesson it preached was sound, but the methods were deplorable. Many people who had never been before to the theatre went to see it, and either were (booked by the revels of the young women in rights, not being case- hardened to the indedency of each "xhibitions as ordinary playgoers are, and never visited the theatre again; or were shocked and delight- ted and injured. To me, though it is quite possible that the result was unintentional, there seemed a most adroit combination of the world, the flesh, and the devil, in which an ingenious catoh-penny method was adopted of providing an exouse for going to the theatre and seeing a fleshly ballet, to those who other- wise would have kept out of the way of temptation, Nevertheless dreams of parsons, simple-minded creatures, were induced in- nocently to co-operete with the management In rendering the work popular, in attracting to the sense-exciting spectacle young men and young women lacking the training of the ordinary playgoers, who after seeing pantomime ballets from childhood are able to look upon the most daring efforts of the costumiers and stage director without a blush or an extra throb of the pulse. I, of course do not pretend to be shocked by ballets And the like, since I belong to the case-harden- Ed and to me performers, whatever their costumes, are more puppets whose movements, and forms sometimes, but too rarely, are beau- tiful It appears to me that a relaxation of the Censors rule would result in many unsavoury combinations of the Scriptures and step dano- g, of Biblical stories and ballets which must prove injurious; and that the utmost vigilance licensing would not prevent scandal. For What object is the risk to be run. For the sake Of drama. Surely no ; there are plenty of subjects for treatment without trespassing on These grounds, and the time has gone when man could write such a native work as "Every- man." To the real dramatist everything draatic in the Bible is available if he but change Names and locality. The real object of relaxing the rule would be to enable managers and shareholders to make money by exploiting the scriptures. Why should they, seeing there would be no gain to art, and much offence to any people entitled to respect 1 On this aspect of the theatres versus halls question, I think the theatres have a real grievance—not A grievance because they are prohibited from giving scripture plays, bat in having to con- teud against adversaries permitted to use such dangerous weapons.—E. F. S. in the "West- minster Gazette."Censors rule would result in many unsavoury combinations of the Scriptures and step dano- g, of Biblical stories and ballets which must prove injurious; and that the utmost vigilance licensing would not prevent scandal. For What object is the risk to be run. For the sake Of drama. Surely no ; there are plenty of subjects for treatment without trespassing on These grounds, and the time has gone when man could write such a native work as "Every- man." To the real dramatist everything draatic in the Bible is available if he but change Names and locality. The real object of relaxing the rule would be to enable managers and shareholders to make money by exploiting the scriptures. Why should they, seeing there would be no gain to art, and much offence to any people entitled to respect 1 On this aspect of the theatres versus halls question, I think the theatres have a real grievance—not A grievance because they are prohibited from giving scripture plays, bat in having to con- teud against adversaries permitted to use such dangerous weapons.—E. F. S. in the "West- minster Gazette."

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