, 1877-07-14
Physical Beauty...Hillside and
Seaside in POETRY
Modern Greece.
Education Of Idiots---Lady Sterling
Maxwell (the Hon. Mrs.
Norton.)
Flora Round About Clicago.''
The L00sestrffcs and the
Cacti.
lITERATURE.
,EE CHINESE,


iYTrp4Trtrr-
H
,;E CHINESE.
onrrNrA1, RELIGIONS, AND THEIR HELA.
TiON 70 USiVENsAL aELlaloN. ~
sAxuEL JoISaoH; ChIns' moson: H.: james * x.
N.Y. no j. 600. rrJce. Ii,
Tho ,aorrin1 o,1 rc.rurr}, u,,sc1, vos h,ourbt
no 'e",a a''s a.. ~ n... .,,,,,aa y, ~. sIaas
vork-trcating Of the religions Of 1nilta-is ap-
oarent In the present portion, which takes forits
snh,cr, thr mental r.oustItuttnn nnt1 the reltrt-
uus philosophy Of the Chinese. The strange
lulosyncra'tes the woaatt1ul ae'eaopnlent, aau
the singular rescrrc Of tls1s curious race fenuef
study OF them peculiarly interesting. When
.nora,,'-,'s,as" a.s, .nrartto,tv rrhilt,cd by
thoroughness' anu 'hpa..'n'sy sa .s. sa.,s'
the nuttor u this book, tte fesa'ts arc a@''s-
ni. Needless to stato that Mr.. johnson nuds
.,. t., ~. s.saot a. .nd tha cJvlltzat,on of Tho
oen u! 'ae .sa'asS. a1s san,,sa IT. ..,rch.s
onsos .a.s snn ,hctr law, for liaht
uruu their history aud their habits, and Sits tho
rola,,re -, as .tcsr @ ,rnts md morals. The tcsti
mony oi inc .raye'cf' 'no missionary aa' .,, ,"'
trader Ia lulicially weighed, compared, anu
aualyzcd, and its value carefully accredited.
sus'. profound inquiries guided By clear in
sient anu nnesl !uuse.s. ~ . .Ssu ~ ~ aa1s
etahdlnS oi the nature o. toc e.utua,. , uiiu =.
the achievements Of his race, Which, thoughit
sni;oh,cnca. ~ MI, In tho ,nnln 10 be trustcd.
Sir.. ~. ,Jonon, 1,a hcc,, trmntcd tn hrea,,
eeo .''o "ouso n!s as. -. ...p..,s ,,,"sa,t
s.rtctly within his own realm, and llas etn.
bsacc.l the opportunity held out to him bytour
Government ot tl't,igratlng to our country,
1t has bocoue especially Important for tho
Ann 4
posstblo Of the clement which ~ m intfoiuscs .
Into o.ir civilization III ofderto 40 Lin llst'ce,
10 uecord HIN tho pluce anti tho privileges
whici, belong 70 him as so1ourncr tn our
iand. q contributor to our revenues, nttu tactor
III our population, It u recessaFy that tac
Intelligent public should hare r!glt
comprehension Of lbs disposition, hs capat4tcs,
his a'n,s,. and Ills Tendencies. There Is musll
bitter pre3udicc existing a2ainst him III p3rtons
Of our community, and there Is universally pre-,
yalilng On almoat otal ig';of;anse ot las rcsl
character aud Of Ills future influence among us
MI. Johason's book Will eu for towaru dtspel-
ling this ignorance and tals.p1e1nulcc, and tias
Wifi effect moro practical good than In nccoin-
irlntlon Of tho Chlpcso religions to universal
religion. ,....
Thy MonEol 10 peculiarly regarded ~ Pagan,
but Str. Johnson urHues that le Is constitutions
ally Nationalist; that hts principles and con
Duct nra controlled by puro rcasou. Aedeyotes
himself wholly to tho material world. to that
which IL ytabie aud apprcctablc, and dcrtues the
which arc incapable Of disccrn,nent Or Of letnon-
ssrntion. iet his nystcnl Of ct!ties Is tht most
complete ard consiktcnt, according to Atr. john
son, Of that Of any llyug people. To quote
from tho author. " No nation III tho world, Of
whatever religion, possesses literature 60
pure. It hos been said that there Is not a single
Sentences IN tho whole Ut the classical books,
translated word for word, b. read aloud with
propricty In any falnily ly-clrclc tn England: Not
asij:n Of ,.u1nan snc.acc Of the dedication OF
vi NJ 1HRh ftf,tIM III
China: and not MI indecent Idol IL exposed In
any tuIiple."
Although there Is no publtc-school system In
China larGsf propofsoa. 81 ts pouaton lat! NIB Se
nation of modern times, With tho exception,
perhaps, Of Switzerland and PRUSSIA. All classcs
ire admitted to the schoois wltLout distinction,
the mraus Of tho parc.ts. Thu textbooks from
which tic chiltlrpn study arr rlteIly ethical
treatises EXTRACTED froul tho CLneso classics.
Theso they arc required to learn by heart. But,
work In tho programme Of the schooi-systctu Is
respect for moral laws rs eternal aud divine.
AudcHty and humility; reverence for the
cruelty aud conquest; the lovo Of truth, purity,
md sef-SCsttatnt; deltcucy Of feeling, devotion
OF this popular teachtrg, tho very substance Of
@ se;es Rss y ss ai
Of China docs not contain slnglo impure pro-
ftIpn IT Inv sni hHmauitv thot rannnt hs fnnnI
ruprsscutsd In tic DULY fccitatIous OF these
children Ut q grand ethical literature, who arc
taaght to prizu It, not with slayish superstition,
W. ios ~ aatGsaansss .. " uSa! a. na,.o
havn hi1I,er sc,sc of oasit~ AMI, l,,'n.siv linn
thu Cliicso arc gigcn credit Tor bY popular
opinion.
AZ: johnson divides h!s book Into four parts,
entitled, respectively, Elemsnts; Structures