Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1864-09-23
THE ANTIPODEs OF HEATHENIsnf AND
CIVILIZATION.


CIVILIZATION.
| Among civilized men the lightest class doubt
less, comprises those whe are devoted to fash
ion The chief attributes are gaudy ciotsiing.
| light literature and affected manners They af-
ford abundant occasion for the gravest rebukes
Of the wise, and are targets for the satirical to
| shoot at with their most venOmous darts The
severe bewail the folly of those who constitute
the froth on the stream OF civilized society,"
while the fun-loving simply amuse themselves
at their expense.
No characteristic of the lighter classes of peo-
pie has provoked more severe criticism than
their ickleness. Ever on the chase after some
new thing, they are destitute of stability, and
never presentany permanent, reliable qualities
Always more careful of appearances than Of
substantialworth, they are strangers to thought
and wanting in good sense.
man of study and reflection is tempted to
regard people of this sort as good for: nothing
and to condemn them as scarcely having right
to existence. But there is Just one way fcon-
sidering their qualities which may bring relief.
The changeable fooleries of the civilized world
are less worthy of lament and criticism than
the petrified fooleries of heatllenisH. After any
intelligent account of these latter one may turn
with real relief even to the bad features of civ
ilized nations. Twill illustrate Several wears
since was conversing with gentleman who
had resided some years in Syria. He told me of
| the mode of living among the natives, how they
build houses, plow their lands end get Oh with
| their labors generally. They pillow to this day
with the sharp pointed stick, and all their 9TH
er labors are after the same fashion. Knowing
that enterprising men ready to introduce
improvements all the world over, / enquired
whether modern plows could not be introduced
there / learned that American plows have
been taken there. A Yankee went once with
lot of them to SELL He went out into the field
and showed the people how his plow would
work, how superior TO their old sticks, which
at best only scratched up the surface Of the soil
After full explanation of the value of the plOw,
and also seeing it work, the heathen reply was,
"Will this son of three days teach us2' To ex-
plain the question it may be remarked that the
people of that land are very tenacious of all the
customs transmitted to them by their fathers.-
Any new custom, or invention, or method of
conducting business, they contemptuously call
a 'sSon of three days" Their fathers have for
centuries plowed with the sharpened stick.
Therefore that is the model plow, and all im-
provements are worthless. Such is heathenlog-
c Of course society among such people is
merely miserable corpse, apetrifactiOn. New
ideas are secuted at once, because they are not
according TO by-gone generations. The Yam
kee returned without having effected the sale of
his plows. was also recently conversing with
a gentleman who has lived thirteen years in
Western India, received pretty much the
same account respecting the pillow as that above
given from Syria. l inquired also about the
grinding of grain for flour. The reply was
''We hire the natives to grind for u.s. Are
there no mills in the country? "Not any
There are plenty of streams affording good wa
ter power, but the people would not patronize
mills if they were erected" In answer to an
inquiry for reasons, the following statements
were made. The people think they would be
religiously polluted if they were to eat any
thing that came from the COW, whether flesh or
bones. They observe that foreigners eat beef
and they shun every thing of the kind with
great care. They suppose that all the English
and Americans among them are christians, and
wish to make them christians. They associate
the eating Of beef with christianity, and sup
pose that foreigners will try to get them to eat
it SO as to make them christians. They will
not eat flour unless they know where it was
ground and by whom. They fear least the
bones of cows will be ground with the -four, and
! thus be put into their food. So they prefer to
grind their own grain. And there are no mills
but the rude ones that have been used among
them for generations. One of their castles is
composed of stone-cutters. These men dress a
hard kind of stone for grinding grain. Two
stones make mill. One is laid on the ground.
1t has hole in the centre, in which is pin
around which the upper stone is turned. 1t is
turned with a handle, the operator sitting on
| the ground, and putting the grain in a hole in
the upper stone. One of the causes Of the Sc
poy rebelliona few years since was that the peO-
pie supposed the English had ground bones of
cattle and mingled them with the food of the
native soldiers to make them christians The
people are kept back from adopting the improve
ments of modern times, by their religious SUI
perstitions. The English Government is ready
to put all Improvements within their reach, but
they will not have them
These instances present to us fogyism in its
purest form. There are among men no more
complete antipodes in character than these
ionable, shallow brains of christendom One
can hardly help rejoicing that the silliest people
found in civilized society are not the petrifac-
tions of the old world.
Inasmuch as the prejudices of the old world
are found in their ideas of religion, the facts
above stated show the impracticability of the
course often recommended by sundry people
as best to be pursued for their enlightenment.
They say-''Begin, not with religion, but with
civilization. Teach them, civilize them first
then give them the Bible and Christianity
But the trouble is that none but those converted
to christianity are ever willing to accept your
civilization. The most promising point of at
tack is in the matter of religion. They can be
more rapidly reclaimed from their heathen
views Of religion than their heather want Of
civilization. The missionary method is by far
the most eligible method of reaching them
Thus, light and silly as the fashionable are
they are by no means so hopeless as the fogies
of old heathenism. He who changes at all,
even though it be too often, Isl open to new IDEAS
and may begin to live new life. Therefore be
not too severe upon him. t
''f ye love me keep my commandments. -
john xiv:l5.
In all earthly attachments do show the sincerity OF
by true devotedness Ofhear to the doing
Of things which know right in Themselves. Love
is the inherent heart attributes of all the