In case there is no son a married or affianced daughter leads the company. During the period that this “bridge-ladder” is thus made to revolve, all of the party join in loud lamentation and wailing. Their outcry, taken in connection with the chanting of the priests and the noise of the cymbals, make a very confused hubbub and tumult of voices and sounds. These, together with the sight of so many lamps and candles burning brightly in broad daylight, produce a very singular spectacle for the foreign beholder, which, once seen, will not be quickly forgotten. The object of this performance with the bridge-ladder is to lighten and assist the deceased on his way. It is called “_bridge-ladder_” because it is fancied to resemble a bridge and a ladder. The bridge would aid the dead to pass rivers, and the ladder would help him to climb steep places, should he meet such impediments in his journey. With this extreme reverence for the dead, of course, there can be no question but that the Chinese hold most determinedly to the belief in a future life. In reality, the whole character of Buddhism in China is shaped by this. Buddhism has no distinct teaching of an immortal life; and when it was brought to China, it gained no acceptance until the blank, despairing tenets of the Nirvana was changed into a bright, cheerful Paradise of the Blessed Dead. Examination will show that the Buddhism of China and the Buddhism of India very little resemble one another, and, if we mistake not, the difference grew out of the belief in a future life, which is a prime teaching in the Chinese faith. The worship of ancestors enters into all the home life, manners and customs of the entire Chinese people. WORSHIP OF ANCESTORS AT A WEDDING.