The daily comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1850-1856, 1855-06-15

In the April Number Of that sterl
ing monthly. the Edenburgh Review
the dats for the following view Of TN
Religious condition Of the Celestiak, il
taken. There are $50, 100000 In
fidels 10 China:
According to tho recent work Of n
Hue. who Las been travelling fourteen
years through the Chinese Empire .,
q Christian Missionary, that vast EN-.
pire. tho most populous on the globe,
and whose civilization dates far anteri.
or to any living nation. has At the
present time reached . state Of CON-
pIete In6dslity. after the almost end
less struggle Of different systems Of
faith. Religious skspticism is com.
mended from the Imperial throne
Says N. Hue. "oue Of the points on
which the princsly commentator par
ticularly insists. il tho propristy Of
cherishing an aversion to al false
sects, that is to say. in fact. for al re.
Igions. Ho passes them in review
and condemns them oil without ex-
csptiop but that Of Buddhs-the
most widely diffused in Cbina-is es-
pecially the object Of bis reprobstion.
He speaks of the dogmas ON which it
rests with contempt; be turns it.
practices into derision +" 1.-THE chris
tiau religion is not spared he says Of
it: THE sect of the Lord of Heaven,
. sect that is perpstually talking about
heaven and earth, and beings without
substance or shadow; this religion a.
70 is.perverted and corrupt. )" Such
instruction - this, coming from 20
high aqusrter, could not fail to bear
fruit, ard all belief IN Spiritual things
and . future life has been accordingly
sxtinguished.
The religious sentiment has van
ished from the national mind the
real doctrines have lost oil authority.
md their partizans grown skeptical
Ind impious have fallen into the
'byss Of indiffersntism. in which they
rave given each other the kiss Of
'escs. Religious discussions have o.
irely ceased, and the whole Chinese
nation has proclaimed this famous for.
nuls. with which everybody is salts
led.
Sam-k;ao-y kiao. that is. "The three |
eligions are but one" Thus al the |
>hinsse are At the same time psrti.
ans of CONTIGUOUS, Lso-tss and Bud
he. or rather they are nothing At all.
hoy reject al faith. all dogma. to live
y their more or less dspravsd
nd corrupted instincts. The literary
lasses emily have retained . certain
sste for the classical books and moral
receipts Of CONTIGUOUS which each ex-
lains to suit bis own fancy; invok.
g always the "leg. or principle Of
ltionalism. which has become the on.
! one generally recognized.
Nothing more clearly indicates
'is desolatipg skepticism. than . for
'ula Of politeness exchanged between
nknown persons on their first meet
g. It 10 customary to ask to "what
,blime religion you belong. Ono
erbaps, will call himself Confucian,
mother q Buddhist. . third disciple
Lao.tse, a fourth, q follower Of Ma
Ommed-of whom there are many in
hina, and then every one begins to
ronounce panegyric on tho religions
} which be does not belong, Is pc.
tsness requires, after which, they
! repeat in chorus. "Pou-toun kiao,
unly." Religions are many. Rsa-
% il one. We are al brothers. i" This
,rase is on the lips Of every Chinese,
ID they handy It from one to the
her with the most exquisite urbani I
!. 1t is indeed. clear and concise
preston of their feeling on religious /.
'estions. In their eyes . worship is 8
erely an affair of taste and fashion,
which no more importance is to be j
tached than to- the color Of your gar ,
ents. r
" The government, the classes, the n
,ole nation, in fact. regards al reli-
ons, Is things futile and of no inter-
!, and it may therefore easily be
pPo'sd that there reigns in China a
4 n |