The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1877-05-10
STAUNTON, VIRGINIA, MAY 10, 1877

yessel-a man without amy religion-con-
cealed him on board and gave him passage
to Japan. After various wanderings, and
the loss of all that remained Of his property,
he was befriended by Col. G. G. Sheppard,
of Buffalo, then United States Consul at 70
kobama, and through him secured passage
to San Francisco. On board were 200 Chi
nese young women of the lower class, whom
the slave dealers were carrying to San Fran
cisco for infamous purposes. Wong, who
was cabin passenger, protested against
this outrage OIL the poor prisoners in the
steerage, and came near being shot by the
Captain for his pains. On their arrival in
San Francisco he took the case Of the wo-
men before the courts, and the entire 200
were set free and sent back to their country.
He studied nearly year in a college in
Washington, D. c., and during the past year
has lectured in Boston, in the Parker course
Of lectures, in Philadelphia, in the Star
course, and also in Chicago md other West
sern cities. Hehas delivered loser so lectures
during the present sessonand intends to
appear before the New York public at ether
Steinway Or Chickering Hall on Sunday
evening next. ss4 et
In respect to the Christian missionaries in
China, he wished IL distinctly understood
that he regarded the majority Of them as
honest and well-meaning men. As class,
however, they are grossly ignorant Of the
real essence and nature Of the Chinese reli-
gion. The Chinese Worshiped but one true
God-the Supreme and All-powerful Ruler
Of the universe, and Inherited from Confu-
cius and their other sages as pure and noble
system of morals as that contained in the
New Testament. In fact, Confucius was
the originator Of the Golden Rule and many
Of those maxims which were taught by Jesus,
and as Confucins lived $50 years before
Christ, the plagiarism. if any, must be
ascribed to the latter. The images, or
"idols." as they had been called. with a
dozen or more eyes and arms, and similar
accomplishments, were int ndedt to symbolic
those all-seeing and all-powerful attributes
Of the Deity which were common to all ma
tions which believed in one God. They were
adored, Or wcrshped sometimes, by the
lower classes, just as the images of the Vir-
gin Mary and saints are adored by the lower
class OF Roman Catholics. The "idols :"
were simply, aids to faith-symbols-
Gods to be worshiped although among the
more degraded classes this belief had degen-
Grated into, a sort Of half-worship. Among
educated and intelligent. Chinaman such cor
ruptions did not exist, and it was ridiculous
for missionaries to tell them that they must
forsake the pure and lofty faith of their an
eestors for the theological beliefs of modern
Christianity. He would challenge any man
in America any missionary in Asia-to say
that he had ever heard one out of the
45,000,0Og of Chinese take the name of God
in vain. They regarded the sacred name OF
the ALMIGHTY with too deep an awe to men,
ton it, evenSi II worship, without the greatest
Isolemnity kserence. They had no om-
inipotent devil, no red-hot hell with eternal
torture for countless millions of the hum an
race, but they believed in an immortality,
although the missionaries had constantly
asserted to the contrary. They locked up
millions of dollars in wooden boxes less than
an inch thick, though if the missionaries
ever thoroughly converted them they would
probably have to adopt heavy iron safes like
ours to keep out burglars. They were an
honest and industrious people, in all the
walks Of life. The Christians talked about
honoring their parents, but Chinaman
would consider an average Christians love
for his father and mother as horrible neglect.
Their sacred writings said, That man who
eauaes tear to flow from parents eyes,
the thunderbolts of heaven will shake him.
The sea captains and others who visited the
ports, and saw the 'longshore population of
certain cities, knew about as much OF the
people at large and their religion as the fhis-
sionaries. Wong added that great as was
the undeserved reproach which had been
Il up4F his people ~ sthe christian
churc,ess, he would not ke come to this
city to.speak on the subject but for the reso-
LUTON recently adopted by the Baptist min
listers Of this city thate all adult heathens
were destined to hellMre. His reason and
conscience revolted at the idea that all the
followers, of Buddha, Of Brahma, and Of
Confucids, who worship the one, all-power-
fql, and onanipresent Creator, as much as
ever Christians did, and who practiced If
better morality than ting majority Of Cbfis-
fiars should he roaste1 for all etern;tu for
not trampling on the faith Of thelJ fathers
at the command Of foreign priests.& =