Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1877-02-22

BOZEMAN M. T.. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY
Morality Without the Bible.

"How does tn, society of the city
h which you havelived, in It's moral ,
IS poets, compare VIII your own?'' I'll
question was adeessed to one who f
ten years past hi been resid' 'ng in t
d heart Of one Of te largeet of So call
,e heather Cities,
n "Very favorabIy' r,pltd he. ''The
Is are not so many muders or suicides;
IS more thefts, ard th.se generally on
small scale; no drunkennss and not
=. much licentiousness in tat city as
II your own" That judgmer. formed NJ
: hy flying visit, but by yes of observ
lion. is the verdict of the lost of tho.
s who reside within the bouB of heather
: dom. Exception may he rr'e as to par
< of Africa, Australia and some OF tl
islands of the Pacific, WIRE society
s rude aud savage; but of Ida, the MAY
~ layan Peninsula, China andapan -whic
I represent immense teiritties, and NOR
than One-halt the race-te above state
q ment is true.
1t would be easy TO gsher testimon
from such men as the Abe Hue, Cap
tain Tobes, who residd eleven years il
Ceylon. Vincent, autIor the "Land O
the White Elephant, o. 'Iinsep in hi
works on the ''Social anPolitical Con
EDITION of Thibet. Tarary,f ,f Mongolia.
Mrs. Leonowens, for twOears a residen
at the Court of Siam. p'lishes to thu
world the following beaut,l testimony:
Il was thankful to fin even in thii
citadel of Buddhism, menand above all
who were lovely in their yes; who amid
infinite difficulties, in th,bosom of cor.
rupt society. and enslavcb capricious
and often cruel will, yedevoted them
selves to an earnest scare after truth
On the o her hand have' confess with
SO row and shame how + we, with all
our boasted enlightcnmt, fall short
true nobility and piety some of our
6 enighted" sisters Of East. With
many Of them Love, Tru anu Wisdom
are not mere synonyms, at living gods,
for whom they long wi,h,ely ardor, and
when found embrace wi1oy."
Of the City Of Bankokwl,h popula-
ton of 400, QUO, fOrein esident writes
"Thefts are not so 'cnent here IA in
England. and cases murder so seldom
that for year somenes there will not
be one"
The sooner we diDuse our minds of
the impression :hatn dealing with g
state of society utterl degrad ID, where
moral obliS ,tion IS 'thig, and where
impurity causes no hsh and awakens
no condemnation, tn snOner we shall
rightly estimate thetrue condition of
those to whom the m';Onsries are sent.
But how about theIrst chapter of the
Book of Romans? That is the glass
thro ugh which we Re persisted in look
ing at the hes then. -nj snce man can
see almost anything aong people if he
sets out with precGeival opinion, and
y resolution to presee it intact, our mis-
s;onaries have seen mone the heailel {
only vices. But Jusr views of hcahen
society are leadinHo a modification of :
this opinion. We arcoming to see inthe
first chapter of Roms description of 4
every heart by nature We are cominkto /,
admit not only that te ieathen have he
guide Of conscience ad be dawnin. s,f Il
a nature allied to Col, ut also that / e 4
Spirit Of Grace is not ,onhed to so.cslle.| I
Christian lands, but 'ligleth every mani
that cometh Into the wfld,' ana that
it is possible that some fit cf the Spirit
may be found amid he irkness Of hea
thenism.
A modification of our ews of heathen
religions is Inevitable. Te baye been nc
custOmed 10 distort antthen to ridiculeI
their doctrines; to mai sport of their
forms of worship, an to ascrlbe theh
origin of them tv Saan: mischief. BUS
a mass OF facts has ber gathering from 1
the labors of OrienM scholars and the
of unbised raveers, whaLh
sets these religions ina different ligl.. T.
ProfesSr Whitney afr carefvstudyt'
of Buddhism, which h. more Siiowers
than any other reIgics sys'm on the ia
globe, lay this boo vscharg'at Its door. W
.'It has coupled the guud to the exciu- 'w
sion OF better influsccs wbin might a.
otherwse have had pre- cfficitcy." But fr
if thareligion is, as claimed he best of th
all th, heather systas; if its noral code
is. a,Max Muller sap, zone { the most h.
perfect that the vol has tv known. cd
an. if its tr,umphs were lately before
lie birth of Christhity, an' since that IN
lme have BEEN inthat quter of the r,
lobe where Christ nityhas Ide scarcely HI;
M effort at evanYlzatiOn, ON whence
v.re The better innences iGoEe?
Would it not be carer thrruth to say u,
hat Buddhism stead ov nearly all '"
Asia at time WIN thereIas nothing
,etter, and has occpird thlround, saw oe
ng the millions wO embed it from u"
he depths of bararism. iutallty and
,elfishness till hiher and liter system kn
should be offered. 1t Jlism was a 10!
10 KEEP oneAnch of the 10
human family from dolatrhnd prepare
hem to acc, pt Chrit, whysy not God IS
have used other sy srms. i'm feet as they it
are, to do the sane wopn anothefl 4
s. Tjdd, in California gu
Christian Advocate 't's
---
The following Was senp our friend th,
Elias, by young lady; tht
Sarah Briggs (reading tPlice repor t thu
-.Sakes alive / would more name . "