The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-09-23
HEATHENS AT HOME.

Ill LIN lI1E4NG "A i 1lVWLs
Now THE CHINESE HAVE BECOME TO !
RE A NATION OF pAgszvEs.
yyTsat TMefP wise Men Have Taught Them
I'm Philosophy and Religi0n-Engaissal
ana Russian Policy-soEne National
Characteristics. |
Washington Post.1
'erhere is no doubt in the world !" said ex-
Consul General Murphy to the Post reporter,
Yesterday, "that If the Chinese government
would open to it's people an equally certain
path Of advancement. and crown WIFI com con-
1nensurate honors achievements 10 tne lhlll- III
tary line, not many years would elapse be-
fore they could dictate absolutely the policy
OF Asia, including India.
"And yet England is threatening them
through India, and the Russians by their ad-
yanees along the Amoor"
sYes; that seems to be Beaeonsfelds pol,
ICY Itewas doubtless a deeply considered
step-that OF making the Queen Empress OF
India The first result q q i faIdn Tas the nons
1,siSss 6ofSs i sss,Ila u
"How many troops could England get out
Of India?"
"She has now an army of 100000 in India,
| principally natives, and there is no conceiv-
able limit to the number she might put in the
| field, except the limit OF her treasury chest.
| Inc SHIIb lS LEuS VI SiliHtb SlA uCl hFO Aa1A-
dred millions OF people. # she were war. |
like nation and had ambitious leaders, 1t
would be difficult to set bounds to her DroWess.
The question is, who will utilize these vast
armies OF Asia-Russa or England /"
"What about the religion Of China ?"
"Their religions are Buddhist, Tauist and
Confucian, the latter, however,, IS purely
moral, and has none OF the paraphefnaalla pe,
longing to the others, consisting OF rules and
ceremonies pertaining to sects and local re-
ligious communities"
TWhat are some Of their practices p
swell, for example, the Buddhist priests
q thin piece Of sheet-lead: These pieces they
take out with them to the fishing grounds,
fifty or more miles at sea. When the large
sea mussels common to that coast are drawn
up by the nets they manage to place several
J, OF these lead impressions inside the SHELL
, and then throw them back into the sea.
, Every once in a while the fishermen draw
some OF them up Ii tneir M @ nets ana IL llnd r Inc sne
they exclaim, Buddha is god. We found hlm
!. in the bottom of the sea- They, have thou
sands of titutar deities, great and small, one
for every conceivable thing. For instance,
out OF wood, nicely jointed, dressed richly,
and placed upon the counters OF the merchant.
It trade is slack the merchant attributes it to
the neglect of joss to attend to his business,
t and SO puts him out in the rain. This he
l repeats If necessary; but if trade still con-
+ tinues slack he will put rope around his
6 neck and drag him a square or two and thus
Il will he continue to punish him until trade
o revives, when the merchant concludes that
# his God of Wealth has at last begun to attend
u to business,
d "If they have an official who answers to ou1
q John J.; Sherman the idea inst such bad one
"That is hardly a fair question. The
Chinese are very practical, even in the11
religion A Hebrew in San Francisco entered
the store of China merchant and seeing 6
| rod cf 1vaalth the counter knocked 1T over
> John remarked with his accustomed smile
4 You no Mclean man, you killed that MelicaI
Q wv Ilo 5 & Isl the Supreme 5ehovahss p
~ "Chang-ti is the Supreme God Of all; tn
> principle of all that exists. He is eterna
T. and immovable; alI-powerful, omniscient ant
r. omnipresent. Heaven and earth are under
% his government He is pure, holy and i'm
- partial, wickedness offends his sight. He Il
good 1nercifuL and full Of piety, he forgive
on the repentance OF the wicked. He suffers
Irregularities in the seasons to occur in orde
to induce men to amend and reform. Th
l. governing class though are imbued with tn
to philosophy OF Confucius and Mencius VIII
ID wrote the four books Menciuss, only tn
it last one All scholars are expected to know
o. the three by Confucius by heart. From then
'e they derive their principal oracles and wha
e. they believe to be eternal verities. The lHera
r, follow them and they hold in their hand
IN the employments Of the nation. Confuciu
and Mencius appeared at time when thei
people were much given to idolatry, and Whe
the morals Of the whole race were at q yer
low ebb. To raise and elevate them was wha
., called from Confucius his system of morals
y. " They are sublime; drawn from the puress;
y fountains of natural reason. Certainly phi
-, -, osophy destitute Of the divine revelation ha
- - never appeared exhibiting SO much brillianc
~ ~ and power. He has been compared to Zoroas
~ ~ ter, Mohammed and Socrates. Hewas not a
he great a legislator as the first; nor as good
no religious teacher as the second, nor as pre-
found a metaphysician as the third, but as
moral teacher he has no superior among tn
legions of philosophers who appeared befor
the time Of our Saviour"
cd "What do the Chinese know of hiLn?'
to ssHis family is the oldest in the world: Hi
al descendants are. yet residing in the d1str1t
es Of his birth, and have often since the death (
IN, their great ancestor been the recipients {
n special favors. They pay no taxes and hay
sn) at various times held trusts of important
er under the imperial government. Many ten
pies still standing were built in commemor'
tion of him. An instance OF their practice
way Of dealing with religion, such as taugf
to by Western nations, occurred at Shangha
he Kintee-yuen,. man educated to mercantl
n pursuits, seeing Shanghai increasing rapid
So In foreign trade, inquired what branch he ha
lb- better establish himself In so as to secul
'se I.some of it. He was advised to join the EN-
on lish Church and to set up a store for Il
sss sale of silk piece goods, manufactured
ce- SoochoW. He did SO. At once the missio
all aries relieved him Of the care and expense
the education of his children. Foregne
bought largely on nlm One day MS Sto
he was ablaze with candles, and he, dressed in
snow-white suit his queue plated with ii
same (the mourning costume), was receivin
ed, gated as to the unusual apDearance Of b
ne store, he remarked, he had lost his No.
led wife your No. wife; have you more tha
ast oneT 'Oh, yes; have four more, 'Fo'
nd churchY iOh. ves, was the ranIv. 'The
he how 10 vou reconeile fhe nossession Of !
lck many wives with your religion? Oh sa,
Kintee-yuen,. you foreigners do all the sam
GO you, eat beef one day, mutton another al
49, chicken another day."
"But, as general thing, they are stolid, a
to they not ?'
rth ssYes; uneontrollably So Their stolidity
The the greatest obstacle foreigners encounter
on their efforts to imbue them with our MOTTO
re- in morals, manners and customs. They lo
nat with suspicion on all that is new. They use