, 1864-01-20
CHINA AND the CHINESE.
Second Lecture In the North Presbyterian
Church By Rev. VIM. Spear.

SECOND Iectufe ID the North Presbyterian
Church By Rev. Vim, spear.
The second lecture BY Rey. VIM, Spear at III,
Nosth Presbyterian Church, on Indiana street., las
tvcniug. was somewhat more largely attended thar
that Of the preceding night but far less than tn,
importance OF the subject and the cha,acte. Of Ii.
lecture demanded. It was unfortunate th.t thi,
shouid hare been appointed on the evening Of Dr.
Halsey's Lecture. -
The lecturer said: In China theirs is almost a,
much tolerance Of religious belielas Ia this coua
IT,: There arc three sec.s In China-the learned
he Ths fol!oMers q confaeas xos sas
ship fonr primitive ob}ects-Heaven, Earth, ances
TON, and departed tpirits. The Emperor Il called
Of worship that Ii paid to The most imporisni
gods At the full Of the moon, the people gathei
IN their temples and listen to the moral essays oi
The latter is particularly lie object Of acvoat
reverence, from sentiment intimately connected
with ancestral worehip. The Chinese are pecu-
Every epoch in a Cbinaman's life is designated by
9one new appellAtion. TINS at birth he Ia called
II ~ Pa. proper name; when he enters upon
and when ono 1naridcs I'D taIes upon aiasef ths
ff 1sffponm1ilea ct 1nanhood snotLcr, and still an
one inscribed On his tombstone and Is thr one ~ hr
Which the deceased IL known and worsapoad e p
~ {as;fea1 1hg friends and
clothing, and maze offerings Of Hnita end fana sna
They send theee presents to the dead In fhe bcIsf
have left. The economically disposed. tnstead dae y
nnit and rich presents present pafntlnps Of init
upon tables which last ioE successive festivals,
ing clothes A long train OF boats, beautifnlIy
decorated with paper 1ante1ns OF brilliant coinrsy
ie padded up and down the rivers, richly laden
and garments sac11fced to The spirits Of tho d.
pa1ted This festival he represented as exceeding
In California the worship Of spirits ia car.io tn
great lcngths. The only other object Of worshin
In San Francisco is the God Of War. whose porer
they invoke to protect them against oppression
coniucus lived four centuries before Christ
Confnc1us WIS man Of excellent wisdom Ue
did not pretend TO originate the precepts he pub-
ancestors. His works consist Of fonr books
These are placed in the hands OF every school
child. he spoke in extfaEagsnt terms Of the NOR
them 30 unohjectlonable, that while missionary,
he was willing that they should be used as q text
book In the mleaton echools.
The priests Of the Nationalist mar7y urlikr the
Bndhists. They wear their hair In Knot on the
top Of their heads and engage in business like COM
mon people, H. one 81 .hs pes1l'a5itts. q these
aner nches- Thr Philosopher Stone vhieh turns @
everything to gold and the elixir Of life which con-
feta perpetual ycuth-lfe the objects OF ihcF e.ser
search.
The great popular relieion Of China is Rudhfst
religion. This originated In Indla, md was brought
thence during the latter part Of the nrst century
The peeularity Of this system Of belief Is Its PAN
theism. They believe In the transmfgratton OF
suula They bc1feye in thrcc generic conditions Of
eustence-eagth]y, heavenly and Internal. They
also teach An intinity Of hels and torment. Mn
arc rewarded and punished for the good and oril
done IN this life. and pass INTO u state of bliss and
torment hereafter according as their. deeds arc
good or esu; They Keep q debit and credit az
keep tho prcponde1auee In t6eir favor. They arc
Ereat believers In lucky days and nercs commence
any undertaking, however trivial, without first
The BadAist religion inculcatcs a system OF
mcnkety for the priests. not unlike the monkish
system prevailing In the Catholic Church. Priests
Of the Wcat they manage to eyade their VOWS.
Nunnerfes are also set apart for the women which
are conducted upon the same general principles
many mI Budh1sm rcserabes ths Gs,hoic r.
ngion. In China religion is left to the priests.
There is such thing 80 the profession Of religion
sose a9or e may gpi At he 1ny laoant siak qe os
desirable. Their religious exercises asc often ae
eompanied by theatrical exhibitions. given In
e The sesa ilS Ras ss b sas sa
arc attended By rich and poor alike.
The emigration Of the Cinnamon to California
began In 1-4E and continued to increase slowly un-
til 1859, when large number sought the Pacific
coast. There are now between 10000 and 3d.
in California all speaking the same dialect and
I'LL 1lnWlTTdulB lIQn 1uE Ql6LIlCI QI C40L0u.
They are easily reached By the missionaries Of
the Gospel. They are cruelty oppressed. and
made to bear the most outrageous burdens A
tax Of four dollsrs is imposed upon each China.
man who works in its m.nes, and this ID enforced
without mercy upon all sick or well. The couu-
ties IN the interior dec1tf upon this tax to doay
their expenses and to pay the interest on their
debt. With Ill tEtse ;1ppsitions, they arc treated
with Ices consideration than the negro slave, arc
robbed and murdered with lmpucity. because the
oath Of Chinaman IL not tnken In the courts
against white man. The Chinese and Americans
lire apart At first they adhrre to their own style
Of dress, but in shorl time theyris themselves
ont by degrees in the dress Of the country aad e1
cept In color do not differ from well bred Amcri-
cans. They are industrious and thrifty. are
never scen drunken public and take care Of their
own poor in q most commendable manner. Few
Of them bring their wives to California, a1d 1t is
rare to Chinese child upon the streets Of any
city or Village. They do not look upon the COM
try a. their abiding place, and will Eot even allow
their bonee to rest In its inhospi:ahle soil. The
dead are cent to China. At the expense Of the or
ganfzat1nn Of Cinnamon to which the deceased be.
| longed.
In the opinion Of the lecturer. the dag would
| come whca the Great Wcai would be the pIsce to
| which future generations OF Chinamen won1d cnli
grate, and that the time ae not fur distant when
even here, they would throng our streets, and per
form the seET1le duties which appertain to civilized
! life. He thought also. that the result OF this wal
for the suppression OF the rebellion. would be th'
| opening up Of the fertile regions Of the South t,
Chinese immigrants, and that upon them the coun
try would be compelled to rely for the production
Of the grent staplce-rice, cotton and tobacco.
Rev. Dr.. Elliot closed the exercises with prayer
and the audience dispersed