National Republican., 1876-04-01
ORIENTAL RELIGIONS.
Kesirg Of the Unity club-colonsl Flint's

kesGrg Of the Unity Club-Colonel Flints
Lecture.
On Thursday evening the regular cspversa-
tiOpal meeting Of the Unity Club was held at the
Residence Of Mr. Crandell, No. 6lO H street, and a
very large number of the members Of the club
and invited guests were present to listen to the
essayist for the evening, Col, weston Flint, late
Consul to China upon the subject of "Religions Of
the East" The speaker, in q very concise but
but clear manner, took up the various religious
systems OF China and the East in their historical
order and by his Illustrations made these strange
beliefs better understood. His Investigations led
Linn to take new views upon the ancient forms Of
worship prior to the ascendency of the three later
predominant forms Of Coniucianism, Taoism and
Buddhism, and to believe that the present system
OF ancestral worship among the Chinese is the
remnant Of ancient tradition engrRfted upon the
later forms by the teachings Of Confucius as we'll
as being embodied in great measure, In the
tenets Of the disciples of
LAo-KUNG AND BUDDHA.
twas this ancient system of faith that gave
rise TO the worship of the elements, OF the sky
the clouds, the mountains and streams, and the
origin Of the present superstitions OF yeomsnry
in their belief in fuHSShHi, the influence of the
good and bad spirits in the location OF graves and
and the strage belief the Chinese have IN the
three htcun, or spirits, that belong to man, one
OF which at death migrates into another body,
giving rise to their doctrine Of Metempsychosis;
9 secOod remains with the family, which is the
domestic SPIRIT or h;cuH, and the third reposes in
the tomb. II is TO tRis last that sacrifices are
offered, but the second is reverenced as abiding
in the ancestral tablets, and is supposed to be
the guardians Of the living friends and relatives.
the symbol Of the ancient belief in the worship OF
fien, or heaven and its form as expressing In the
even number Of angles or sides and the odd num-
Der OF stories in height, the idea Of perfection
the odd and the even Of ancient philosophy.
Confucianfsm was explained as
AsYsTEN OF ATHEIsTICAL PHILOSOPHY
q theoretical belief among the higher and more
educated classes, rather than q system Of faith,
and this was illustrated BY the severe simplicity
Of its temples, where there are no images what
ever, but simply the name and titles Of the great
character of his people led him 70 incorporate the
doctrine OF flal piety in his system, and this has
made his teachings controlling power in China
cal doctrines OF the Taoists were compared TO the
Grecisn systems Of PythRgorss and Zeno, and
the want OF the human element given as the rea-
son why it has but little hold upon the masses OF
the people. The explanation Of the beautiful
legend Of Buddha was given, and the strong ele-
ment of sympathy shown as q reason OF its power
in China and all the East to-day.
THE MYTHS OF THE LOTUS FLOWER,
as compared with the ancient Egyptian belief in
this plant as the symbol Of creative power, was
explained, and its conservation 10 the Buddhistic
worship much the same as that to Oserts and Isis
among the dHellers On the Nile, as found in the
old Vedic hymn:
Lord OF the Lotus, father, friend and king,
oh, Sun, thy powers sing"
The speaker also gave some very curious Incl.
dents Of the effects Of these beliefs upon the
people, especially that OF Metempsychoss and
the fear the Buddhists have Of taking animal
life; He said that often gardener would refuse
TO destroy worm, lest in this way he might un-
Willingly cause suffering to some deceased ances-
tor who might be in this low form of being. The
whole lecture was most instructive, and showed
the result OF careful thought and close observa-
uon. We should be glad If the speaker wo1ld at
some time give the larger public the priyilez ze of
| listening to his entertaining address.