The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1875-02-05
THE COLUMBIAN, VOL. TX, NO.
COLUMBIA DEMOCRAT, VOL XXXVlu, NO. D

aged is according to the laws OF praprlety
We are also preudictd against all foreigl
nations who violate the mandates of pro
priety. Yet, according to Confucius' laws
we should love foreigners, Tor does he no
say, as it not good to have these people
come from afar and bring into your lane
their industries and their improvements ant
take away with them your furniture, YOU
products, your silks, to learn you their use
ful arts and to acquire from you information
on your own ?" The reason we are preludic'
ed against these foreign nations is because
when they first came among lis, they DISC
beycd the laws of proprety. We never let
people come in who violate the laws Of pro-
pricty.
The next of Confucius principles is sim
cerity. According to translation from his
work sincerity" says Cenfucius, 'is that
whereby ,elf-completion is affected, and its
way is that by which man must direct him
self Sincerity is the end and beginning of
all things, without it there would be moth
ing. BY the practice of sincerity he does not
merely complete himself but with that quality
he completes other men. To complete him
self shows his perfect virtue, the completion
of other men shows his great knowledge" -
In China we must be sincere. Whatever we
do we must do it sincerely. When we make
friends we must be sincere above all things.
There is no nation where you can find
friendship so well developed as in ours. They
do not say in China "when you have money
you have friends" but they say "when you
have friends you have money When we
get acquainted with one another, and find
our tastes similar; when we find we want to
be friends all the time, all our lifetimes, that
we may be agreeable and kind to each other,
we go through solemn ceremony. We have
two glasses of wine, and each one of us takes
a knife we cut our wrists, and let the blood
fall into the glasses When this is done we
write out our wills, such as this: "When |
shall die, you shall take care Of my family, of
my children, of my property. If you go to
Jail | must go there too, and if you get your
head cut of | must do the same" This is
written on visiting card. This is perfectly
safe, as our visiting cards are about q feet
long and half foot broad. This common
visiting card thus written upon, states that
we will have no other friend but this one,
for third friend might come in and destroy
our unity. When this is done we burn the
card and offer up a sacriiic of roasted duck,
roasted pig or roasted fowl. We sacrifice
what we love best. When we
have this paper burned we make solemn
vow, saying, "Let the heavens witness our
words this moment if there be any one Of
us who utter an insncere word, let lis die
before we drink this cup" We embrace
each other and drink the cup down
Gravity" is the next of Confucius' prin-
ciples. Confucius says man must be grave.
You have all noticed the grave, thoughtful
expression on the faces of all Chnamen.-
These they wear according to the law of
gravity. Ifa man wants to be respected by
everybody, he must, of necessity, wear q
grave c0untenance. Coniucius, no matter
what was the time or what was the occasion,
always wore countenance- as if he was in
great thought.
The next principle of Confucius is "vir-
tue" According to our understanding, there
are five different classes of virtue--modesty,
industry, hospitality, economy and meek
ness. All these qualities are practiced by
the Chinese: the latter particularly being
the cause of their receiving injuries without
resenting them.
Filial piety is the fifth and last of the
principles of the great Confucius. There is
no country in the world where this great
principle is so beautifully carried out as in
the Chinese empire. Not only do little child
rem of four and five years have to obey their
parents, but great big men and women of
forty and fifty have to do so also, and in cases
of disObedience are spanked by their parents.
And again. if their elder parents disregard
the laws they are spanked by the Emperor.
This sentiment of filial piety is so strong
and so important with us, that if man
says anything against his parents he is pun
ished for violating one of Confucius' most
important laws, When Confucius was asked
what was filial piety, he replied, "think Of
your parents when they are sick" This
principle teaches us that we show our par
ents the same kindness they have shown us
When our parents are dead they are not for
gotten. For three whole years after oul
mother is dead we have to stay in our houses
give up our business and mourn our loss
Families who have lost their mothers should
deny themselves all luxuries and should live
ten times worse than their servants. Fila
piety is one of the greatest things we have
in China, and it is on this account that the
order is so great in that empire. There il
no nation of $50, 100000 people on the fac,
of the globe where there are 40 few robber
and so little crime of every description.
The following are few Of the sayings 0
| Confucius
When asked by his students how to be
come great man, Confucus, who yer,
seldom spoke, but when he did speak, spok
to the point, replied by saying, "Let you
ears be open andyou tongues sealed. Thin
twice before you speak once, so that you hav
no occasion for repentance"
When asked with regard to the future, h
said BE true to your consciences. IIcaye
will not forget you in the future"
Confucius tells us to obey the laws of cor
science ten times more than anything els,
as he considered them of the greatest impor
ancc.
| When asked by his students in which wa
to succeed, he uttered his celebrated golde
rule, saying "Do ye not unto Others as yo
would not have others do unto YOU"
| The lecturer spoke clear musical Eugis
iuently and rapidly, His style was sprgh
| ly, and marked by a keen sense of the humo
Gus, and at times it was fervid, earnest Al
impassioned. lie spoke extemporaneous
and exclusively, and but few of our lectu