The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-07-05

II
continuing their explorations during the pre-
sent year they would have had vet one more
devilish analogy to describe and account for. |
For Buddhism has not only it's Scriptures, its
councils, its creeds, its asceticism, and its
ceremonialsm. 1t has also its infallible
Pontiff. Nor is the way in which the Graud
Lama acquired his ''prerogative of inerrancy'
in any way secret or mystery. He OBJ |
tanned it party no doubt through the decline
of the more spiritual forms of Buddhism. aud
through the consequent general tendency, to
the grosser kinds of superstition: but the
chief cause of his elevation was the decay Of
councils. India had revolted from the faith;
China had grown careless and contemptuoBs;
there were great political difficulties in tho
assembling of councils, and even when got
together, they would not have represented
what was conventionally regarded as the world
of Buddhism. Accordingly the substitute
for councils which presented itself to the
comparatively small part of the Buddhist
community in which devotion remained fer
vent was to take priett and to believe. or
make believe, that he was infallible. That
there is a real analogy between the infalible
peIsouages at Rome and at Lhassa will not be
denied 10y anybody whose faith does not go
the length of belief in magic. The other re-
semblances between Buddhism and Christi
anity may be superficial or accidental, aud
certainly it would be q mere couceit to affect
to see in one creed the principles Inherent in
the other. But, in presence of the tremen-
dous assumption that a particular humln
beipgcan commit noerror of opinion whatever
concerning the things of the other world, or
concerning morals and politics in this life,
all other differences disappear. All systems
of belief which include such an assumption
are essentially identical
From this point of view, it is curious to
observe how much more sensible and better
adapted to its object is the system of select
ing the Grand Lama than the system of
electinq the Pope. A few years ago the in
fallible Pontiff of Thibet died, and the news
papers contained despatch to the Emperor
of China from his ambassador at Lhassa,
giving an account of the mode of obtaining
a new spiritual chief for Buddhism. A sort
of competition was instituted between all the
infants born in Thibet who presented certain
si9ns-signs which were obviously supposed,
according to a sort of rough phrenology, to
indicate intelligence and gentleness of char
acter. The child who exhibited these signs
most distinctly was determined to be the
Grand Lama, and was taken under the
care of the heads of the Buddhist
priesthood to be educated for his posi-
ton. 1t seems to us that, if a religion is to
be subject to the DEGREES of an infallible
Pontiff, this is a particularly rational mode
of mitigating the inconvenience which may
be expected from the system. In the first
place, the Church is saved from liability to
an infallible sentence during the whole period
of the pontifcal homage. Next, by the care
ful education of the child, and his lifelong
seclusion from the world, the utmost security
is taken for his rejecting the corporate
spilit which he lis supposed to embody. If
an individual is to succeed to the functions
of Gcumenical Councils, he had much better
be brought up to no duties except the
exercise of these functions. The dangers
which the Roman Catholic Church has to
apprehend from an infallible chief arise
from the great part of his life which he will
inevitably have passed in the world outside.
| The days of the incestuous, lascivious, wildly
ambitious, and grossly covetous Popes have
| perhaps gone by. But there are many types
of character produced by the long practice of
particular ecclesiastical functions, or by a
! peculiar intellectual training which if found
! in future Popes may well spread dismay
through the whole Roman Catholic Church.
An infallible Oxford convert would be a ter
rible danger, particularly if he had given his
youth to weak poetry and his prime to
effeminate sermons. An infallible Irish
patriot might wreck the fortunes of the
Church, and SO might Frenchman not fully
weaned from belief in the glories of France.
Perhaps an Itelian who has been little out of
Rome is the safest depositary of these start
! ling powers; but even with him the Church
is not safe from the consequences of vanity,
obstinacy, and garrulity in old age, and its
tendency to contract its society within the
limits of cliques. By adopting the dogma OF
infsllibility the Church has probably made il
inevitable that the present history of the
! Popes shall take the place of tradition as an
overruling ecclesiastical influence.
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