New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-05-25

| "Did jou never read TIE Chinese Cot No
Did not your wat c. reading IN t'ios's i'V AXE
, yotr Judicial du;iss oterOus N.
perhaps voc were Assisted by g,-,l ,'>'.stlr's -
| Sonet,u es / wa sometimes Dot "
lie there any clsss 10 Chlrs wLo ,or "a IA -
Tic-e Who fail 10 our hsner ex suin a.oD- ot-a spy
| then selves 20 study law and other msis?' IGsy
sometime- become Or s.cretaries.
lie /, proper question 70 SAX you' ESc e-l;y Toy
m nosG ' '@ g SSs' your secretaries - ''
Gard what did they make by psrqu.siss 300 3r
400 more" He after9ard Withdrew iris rep !, aaj
substituted 80 or TO-" but this WA az sa-tacusht-
| The fret wss the true estimate.
"Ycur Fxcelen cy will excuse my importantly for
we are taking upon matters foreign to Our Weste.,
ideas. Mag behave that man who understand "a
four books sno the five classics Is thereby AMI With
out sny other study, fitted for every public Off e ia
China l-Frcm the very commencement Of the Cain,se
Empire it has been the custom to depend entirely 90
| the fsui books"
"Do you never, upon becoming az officer, read
Up the duties Of the otfcel-Tbs high officers often
use secretaries to look up such matters"
Itock up M.ntchou book. Can your Etcslisncy
speak CT read Mantch0u No"
I" Nor the Cantonese da.ect No
"YOu speak you own native dialect of Hcpeh =
No. was educ sted at Peku. az my ancestors were,
sId speak only the language OF Pekin.
II would be mpertnent IN me to point the mors OF
this conversation II tells more Of the inne. workings
OF the Chirese stem than al That has hitherto been
written on the subject
The question remains, what ia this Taoi,' which
ia the cole knowledge Of the governing classes of Chi
ma? DO not ask what is the exact English word
which viii convey the meaning OF the compound CHI
nese word 1t is Of small importance to humble prae'
teal inquirers whether We to translate it trus
doctrine" truth, or treason" or the ultimate
principle" or the way of the universe, or "the rule
Of right" All this has been sufficiently fought out by
dreamy phiss ard scholisst pedants Ny inquiry Is
whether this word "Tsoli" is term comprshendng
q cycle of knowledge which will tend to make the
student an honest man, an intelligent officer and an
efficient magistrate.
Vhst ~ "a ou- Prcaencv ma An nv Tsoli wis al
you are to do is TsO what you ought not to do is
not Taoli;"
the most comprehensive meaning-it comprehends
"bots Tsoli teach of Creator There are many
Taol. There i. Heavens Taoli and esrths Taoi,
ard mans Taoi."
"Are thee Tso distinct NO: they are all pats
of one Taoii."
"Can you explain to me what you mean by
Heavens Taoi If the sun shines out it becomes
hot"
cit has relation only to the materisl heaven =
Iien means properly only the material eaven but
it sliC meas Shspsti Upper Spirit for rs it is
his residence, which il in Ten"
zone Of our Christian sects the word Tisnchu,
is that Chinese word 1T is not word known in
"Your Excellency used the word ShsDgti what
does that word mean Our people dispute about it
-Shangti ia Shun, but Shun not necessarily Shsng-
ii for the Shun are very macy.
{" Have Shargt and Taoli any connection when
yen ciscoune about Shangti you discourse about Iao
Shsngt ard Tso one and the same thing"
els Taoli q coporeal being I'm things that are
done by it it IL a thing having body; but when you
di course of it it is thing having no body-ltis
principle.
form Different people have notions that 1t has differ
aid DO those people worship those forms Yes"
" Has Shargti any visible form i,Shangti IL pro,
duced by the Yin and Yang the Ta:chi-the maleand
f. male principle II has no visible FORM 1t has never
been Represented unte any FORM"
"Were there in existence before this produc.
ton Of the Shapgti There ere men,
"Is there authority for this That IS what every
body says from ancient time; it is said 80 III the
books"
cius. but not explained. B,angti is TaOuist Tso
(Which is the superior, Ta;.chi or ShaDgti?-Tai-
CHI ,
being emanating rom the ultimate laws oil nasare =
Yes" $3.50
"what produced Tai-chi 1T came of itself"
deduce from this that the Roman Catholics have
chosen the best word for God. They have made
new word, whereas our Protestant missionaries have
adopted word known to the Chinese as the name OF
created being
Iasked, "Ilas Tsichi any form '-lts form is
circle divided into two paits-mals and female
HAS any seen Tai-chi NO.
Glow then, do you know that 1t Is OF that form -
Men have agreed to represent it by that FORM
The Confucan philosophy. therefore, recognizes
only nature self prod uced active but wess and
intelligent The Disciples of Confucius tolerate the
idea of the existence Of ruling spirits born OF the
operations of nature--the crestures, aud not the
creators, Of the universe. In this way they are able
10 il graft Taou:sm and Buddhism upon Confucansm.
When Yek turns to the east and remains in contem-
pation be is adoring nature, an not the Spiritual ere
atoms of nature He is coate nplatng nature IN her
be ct aspect. .-,;,
was anxous to learn something OF the pracAc'
:. If mar who has learnt to talk Tao does not do
| Taoli, does any punishment arise to him such
man would be very bad. ,. r
"Would Shapgti punish him The things oil
Heaven how can we tell !"
"Dces your Exeelency recollect saying OF Confu,
| Gus That which you would not that another should
do TO YOU that DO not to him Ut is Confucan Iaoh
| f,ro.t the exact expression in the four books
| " In our Western Taol We have more extended
Tao which commands a duty as well as lot an
oflepse II runs, Do unto others everything thal
YOU would wish Others TO do to YOU. Is there any
thing equivalent to this in your four books such Is
| not said in the four books.
as not bepeyoepce spoken Of in the four books =
| Yes.' 49,,
"Wbat is Der violence III you desire men to love
Won Won must love them. If you do not wish men to
| hate YOU you must not hate them.
"Would rot the saying of Confucius before referred
to forbid punishment to criminals The Iaoh does not
mean that"
| cor revengipg an injury That would depend gu
| the man."
| would it not he wrong Yea"
"Does not this Taoh give an advantage TO BAD peo'
pie who commit injuries The knowledge OF Iaon Il,
| ne We rheleSs, the better.
| "Why The object Of our wishes is 10 come 10
| knowledge of Tsol
| care murder, robbery and adultery forbidden IN
the four books Not directly but It results from the
Tsoli"