The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1867-02-27
China, the Great Missionary Field White
Unto the Harvest. Nc ai
ny BISHOP THOMSON.


I. The Chinese Language. Whenonc
you have mastered The written language
you eommaad comfnen unedicm Of thuugh
tor the empire Tor although, from The nj
ysrsity VI the local dialects, The people 1
uiGerent provinces cannot understand eac
others lar guage, they can each ether
writing. IN this respect Chm. IA. the al!
Sanrsgs Of ladis, where t@en,y.nlne Ian
gaages are spoken. No other | anguag
puts man incommunicatios with so lars
portion-s the hnmxn race, Alexande
conquered the world, oarhe could not con,
municate with IL. Rune laid her brat OF
Thousand miles arosndi dithe. editerranean
bat her empire was Bstei. England put
her arms around the globe, bu, her tongu
eannst resch hundred .nillioa soufs no
can the french. or the German. or the scia
we. The Arabic possibly ssys hai ,h
Chinere nay reach hundreds sf millions
Indeed, the human race may nG very ane
qualls be divided into two poftionse
The Chinese; 9. All other natior. 4,
reach the latter you need three thousant
and sixty-three languages; To- reach the 6rst
only one. Happy The geniu, who shal
write psrables for the heast of this mass
ihriee happy he WIN shall write songs d
Zion Tor the choir of three or four hu DIRE,
millions oi haman tongues
?. The character Of The religion. TAes,
are the Confucianism, Tauism. Buddhism :
Conlucius was AZ once statesman, moral
l.t, reiormer. and great as each. Aristot.
tls ruled learned mind in the East for !
thousand yearss Coniucias has rsled learn.
cd mind in the West Tor two thousand, sad
sill he rules. Mshammed won his con.
quests by his swerds Coufucius by his Wis.
dom Buddha maintains his sway by pre-.
teasio,s 10 aspiration. Coniucias by his ap.
peal 10 reason and moral sense.
Ill. .ystrm Is tue established religion oI
The enpre. whose high priest is the empe.
ron whose rites are eniorced by Law, and
whose srrnaf and autunnal festivals are
observed By dl the people. Though It de-
nies human deprasity. and limits attention
10 the prrseat life. yet by slfording slinp
scs OF Eden aud the jeluge, OF 4 divine Re.
desmer aud universal empire, hy ac-
knuwledg,uy the true God, and giving a
cads Of morals ia harnony with the golden
rule, u presents avenues 10 the divine ten
pic. even aa index to its gates af light.
Tsuism deihes and incarnates resson,
teaches the doctrine OF the absoreti.n ul
the good into the eternal oae, aud Of sue
eessire transmigralions nf the bad. and ex.
hurts to moral purity by lile Of seslu.
Sion. austeri,y. cel,bacy, and meditation
upon virtue.
Buddhism. though last introduced into
China. was. under the Mogul dynasty. the
religion OF the empire il il now that of the
common people, whose houses are filed
with idols. and whose ninds are crowded
with supersti:ions.
All these systems have deteriorsted. The
followers OF Ccnfacius have temples erect.
I'd to his name. and offerings 20 his spirit.
and they worship earth, water. and many
~ther objects. The Disciples of Lau.,se
originally aichemists and medit.tiye mrs.
llrs, have become astrologers aud exorei.ts.
Those of Buddha have corrupted their avs.
lem, Of which even their priests have i'm.
perirci knowledge. not being acquainted
"lh The Pail language. in which iheir sa.
cred bvoks are written. These systems are
falling. Their different priests drink and
gamble together as if they had nothing left
worth contending about, and their respec-
tive followers may be Confucianists at
morn. Tauists at noon, and Baddhists al
night.
The gods Of China have run up TO s0.-
'o0, aud the god makers advertise their
wares with ss little reverence .. the po,
lers do their pitchers.
they cannot bear examination. The
idol.,ry Of Coniueianism is an exerescenee
Which the caustic Of free thought will con-
.ame. The errors and superstitions Of both
nsuism and Buddhism will vanish before