The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-05-20

and Boephorus by re- affirming of the con-
vention of July Is. 1S41. It has it's history,
and curious one il is.
CHINESE SETTLEMENT IN CALIFoRNIA-Ou
last letter from San Francisco, published else .
where, describes the opening of the temple of
Buddha, in that city, by the Chinese residents.
They imported q statue and other paraphernalia
from China, and inaugurated their worship
with the orthodox ceremonies.
The policy of this country requires liberty
Of conscience to be cardinal point in the le-
gislation Of every member of the confedera.
ton. The constitution secures to every citi-
zen the right to worship his God in his own
way. Therefore it would be idle aud impolitic
to talk Of interfering openly and legally to
suppress the practice of the Buddhist faith in
California. At the same time it is not to be
disguised that the establishment Of this new
religion in the rising city of San Francisco is
phenomenon grave in all and alarming in some
aspects
No man, except professional teacher of
Christianity, will waste time, at the present
day, in discussing the respective merits of rival
systems of religion. 1t ufices the secular
press to know that each system has its adhe-
rents, who cling to it from generation to gene
ration; who rarely-not once In three or four
centuries, and then under very peculiar cir
MISUNDERSTANDING it; and whose attach
ment to their sectarian principles is pretty
certain to increase in intensity in proportion
to the violence Of efforts to combat them. 1t
is also within the knowledge of lay observers
that, independently of the abstract merits
Of rival creeds, their professors are likely to
entertain bitterness Of feeling toward each
other which grows in proportion to their prox-
unity, and which is liable to epgender
chronic hatreds often inconsistent with public
progress or social order. For an illustration
Of these principles, we may point to Ireland,
where the Scotch Protestants Of the North and
the Celts of the South have done nothing but
cut each others Threats for couple Of centu-
ries, and made their country proverbial for dis
order, bloodshed, anarchy and backgardness
The inference from history, as written thus
far, is that tolerance ought to be the rule Of
law; but that every rational and legitimate
effort ought to be made by States to prevent
rival creeds growing up beside one another.
Not perhaps that the principle should be car
ried as far as it was in the old Bay State, where
non-conformity to the Puritan church involved
exile or still harsher penalties: but merely
that no encouragement should be held out to
men of one creed to settle side by side with
men of another, but rather that persuasion AID
moderate inducements should be held out to
each sect to plant itself where it should not ct
each step in it's career be forced into conflict
and collision with its rivals. Where the pro-
fessors of the rival creeds are men of different
race, the principle becomes doubly imperative.
Prejudice of race combined with religious ami
mostly will keep nations divided for centuries.
If these principles be applied to the case of
the Chinese in California, the establishment of
the Buddhist faith at San Francisco will at
once be seen to be matter of regret. It is
not likely that the Chinese will ever prefer
Christianity to Buddhism. It is certain that
any attempt to crush out Buddhism by force
would strengthen it. And it is equally certain
that in that vale of time which is opening be-
fore US, Christianity and Buddhism cannot
walk hand in hand; at oil events without aa
Improvement in the human mind which it
seems utopian to expect. Collisions, strifes,
jealousies, querrels and civil war appear to be
the natural consequence of the domiciliation
of the Chinese race and the Chinese faith in
California.
The discovery of . remedy devolves upon
the Legislature of California. Theirs it is to
find out some middle path between intolerance
and neglect of the public safety-whsther by
taxing foreign emigrants generally, plan
worth consideration, or by loading the passen-
ger trade with China with encumbrances, or
by some other plan. The task is difficult; but
the prize is worthy; the fate Of California
most certainly hangs in the balance.