The Daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1845-1850, 1846-05-23
CHINA.


.
variety of Information the fruit OF a long residence
IN Ch'na We copy the following from the sketch Of
his remarks given in The New York Tribune
China, he said, possesses an extensive terrific
ry. Their boundary in circumference extends
1880 miles, which In straight line would
extend half round the globe. Their extent of
territory is in one direction $500 and $500 in an
other containing of $500 900 square
miles, onetenth of the habitable globe Their
numerous population differed from that of every
other heather country in this they had no caste
IKE that OF the Egyptians and Hindoos. He
looked upon the Chinese as living exemplifi.
cation OF the command-Honor thy father and
thy mother-for they reverenced and Worship
PED their ancestors. The Chinese were re-
marka0ly industrious and very peaceable peo-
pie With one or two exceptions had had no ag-
gresslve wars, and these exceptions happened in
regard to the Mongal and Manchou dynasties.-
both foreign dynasties. The Chinese had the oldest
treaty IN existence it was made with the Rus
SANS 100 years ago. They were the most civil
ized oil all unchristian nations Prescott in his
history OF Mexico says the civilization of the
AZtecs Is to be found not in their buildings or
temples, but in their institutions and in their life
Here, too, is where Chinese civilization is most
conspicuous it is in their institutions their lit
erature and their laws. The Emperor rules in a
paternal character. His government is as nm.
SS9POtiohi a. the WOTlQ mas
ct IL is not severe one in practice, and in the
application OF its principles in detail. it is mild
andJust. There is one remarkable fact con.
nected with Chinese institutions, thew have no
standing army-no aristocracy of wealth or birth
no oppressive oligarchy between the Emperor
and the people. All officers even the Emperor.
rules by the will of the people The Emperor ia
the vice erent OF Heaven-Heaveni is his father,
and the earth is his mother. In the name of
Heaven he rules all the earth below the heay-
ems. There is not Office hereditary excent
that OF the Emperor. Their public men are well
educated They are all obliged to 90 through
with strict literary examination before being ad
mitted to any office, and this examination is a
strict one-they must be well acquainted with
the writings of Contucius the best in all heath
en- literature The government has stood as il
now is since the thirteenth century, and the same
that applied then apply now He thought that in
addition TO the invention of gunpowder, porce
IAN, and the compass, we were indebted to the
Chinese for the printing press. AT any rate by
their blocks they printed books very cheap
eighty pages for cent. Their literature was
greater IN extent than that OF any other people
yet it was of little value.
He said that if we succeeded in persuadine
them to abandon their idols we had made no ad-
vance ldolary was not their worship The
speaker here exhibited some halt dozen little
bronze images human likenesses, which would
be esteemed by children for playthings. One
little fellow was called the King of Heaven and
another the Queen of Earth, These were not
the Gods OF the Chinese. Though they worship
idols they do not depend on them-they use them
as an anchor 70 windward. They think they
will be safe with them They are disposed to
take all gods they can get, but will at the same
time laugh at them with you. Their religion is
different thing-it is the worship of their an
cestors They, the spirits OF the dead, come back
to their protection, and they pray to them as in
tercessors between men and the King of Heaven.
The religion of the Chinese is subtle. refined
and intellectual. The youngest child in the
family is the high priest who offers prayers and
worship at the shrine of their departed ances
tors. Every year they repair their tombs and
have general meeting OF Thanksgiving and
feastng.
We are yet to have great struggle with the
Chinese. The Jesuts were expelled bv the
Emperor when they began to interfere with the
religion OF the people. Yet he now toIerates the
Ronanists, and all he knows of the Christian re-
ligion is through them. But of that religion.
whose disciples love the God that died for them.
the pure religion of Jesus, he knows nothing.
TO introduce this religion shall have great
struggle. The Chinese win oppose great ohsta
cles to the gospel. Their intellectual superiori
ty was a height from which we must look down
on their moral debasement
He had examined the ruins of Pompeii. and
could say that the civilization of the Chinese was
superior in regard to the comfort, education. and
condition of the masses, and in her institutions
and government, than that OF the ancient Romans
and Greeks The Chinese had called us FOREIGN
devils, and when he once reproved a boy for adj
dressing him by such epithet the bow replied
that he did not know what else TO call him. He
would look upon missionary preacher sent 10
them as we would look upon Black Hawk coming
to tell us-of the Great Spirit When Commits
sioner Lin came to Canton he nveigled awav one
of the most learned foreigners who translated
Murray's Encyclopedia OF Geography for him,
and it was published as Lin's Geography. Be-
tore Thu they were entirely ignorant of our Ge-
ography.
The Chinese alone Of all the heather nations
had not encouraged yice-they had no bloody
sacrifices like the Egyptians and Hindoos. IN
regard to inianticide, he thought there had been
great exaggeration. He had heard nothing OF it
except in the province of Fuhkaeen to the North
East oil Canton. He concluded by dwelling on
the prospects of missions in China, now it had
become accessible to the missionary.
The gentleman who rose to second the resolui
ton, said Mr.. Williams was good authority for
what he said, as he had been twelve years in
China.
The Rev. Mr.. Doty, Missionary Of China, sec
onded the resolution He said that inlanticide in
the province OF Fuhkaeen was in the ratio OF three
per cent II was also common in other provin-