The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-02-05

to suffer al their faith, or their fate.
as they may call it, imposes upon
them. To as the sight Of finger.
closed with the nails growing out
through the back of the hand. or the
arm held above the head until its
muscles and sinews refuse longer IN
act, appear bafbarous and unnatural
and contrary TO the will OF any being
of superior intelligence. Yet thew in
their phrenzy suffer cheerfully .uch
fortunes in this life, in homes NJ
greater rewards and happiness in the
next life. The suttee, who IN timaa
past. threw herself upon the funeral
pile, oi her husband accepted it "a her
duty and mark of superior honor
as neither suicideal, nor sinful. but "A
q religious and moral obligation dna
from her to the departed. and a.
necessary to his and. her exaltstion
hereafter The same may be said of
the frantic wretch who cast himself
beneath the wheels Of the car Of the
hideous god Juggarnaut and he
thinks mis- terrible suferings are a
sure passport TO the joys and bliss
OF q sensual heaven, which will well
repay for every pain nd misery
| here.
We thus see that a false morality
is as subversive to virtue as a false
faith, asd that q true one Is just a.
necessary as q true faith, to make Us
happy, or to gain us salvation, They
who smile at little faults and flights
of temper have need TO be very care.
ful that they are not led. II an IN
guarded moment to commit some
great wrong, for evils increase in
greater ratio than virtue, when the
mind is once weakened end the judg.
ment warped By prejudice. or by per-
verted, or impure desire. To be
ofhcious. or iussy, abont technical.
ties, is tuhing; and to allow small
faults to pass uncorrected is giving
way 20 a thoughtlessness that may be
ruinous ami end in disaster and
gloom.
Faith and morality partaks of The
national characteristics of different
peoples to greater or lesser extent,
and arr interchangeable, acting and
rescting one upon the other. In no
people 10 this TACT more exsmplified
and proven than in the Chinese.
Coniucius, their great law giver,
contemporary with Ezra, laugh.
many precepts admirable in princi.
pie and purer than sny advanced ex-
cept to the Jews, in that early age OF
the worlds history. They were for
conduct in human afAirs, for he
seemed to have but little conception
of an after life and immortality. The
golden rule OF Christianity "As ye
would that men should do to you, do
ye also to them likewise" Confucius
had taught in a negative form five
centuries before it was enunciatad BY
Jesus. Do not unto others what
you would DOT have them do to you,"
said he to his disciples. Buddhism,
which may almost be called their
national religion, though not strictly
so, wss introduced into China about
A. d. sc from the west. L. ap-
proaches nearest Christianity In its
of the religions OF heathendom; yet
it is passive in its nature, while
Christianity is active. Buddhism sub.
mlts TO evil and allows tradition anil
legend to hold sway ard all rankg
and kinds OF believers can worship in
its temples, while Christianity is ag-
gressive and progressive. There is
no country where parents are more
reverenced and where infanticide is
80 common, as IN China.
The believer in Christ and his
Messianic message vas told to do good
for the love of it, to seek active exer-
else in we'll doing. hoping good
might be done to hun in return. The
Buddhist was to forbear to do, evil lest
it be returned to him again in kind.
One taught energy of action, active
benevolent and the seeking for opor-
tunity 10 do good, the easing of pain
and suffering, and the doing away
With ain and wrong. from the fact
that they were Elm and Wrong-the
other taught passive suffering, and q
spirltless resignation to whatever fate
has in store for them. Christ taught
frmness OF purpose, perseverance, Of
effort IN well doing, the constant ap-
plication of principle ia all the con-
cerns OF life; the seeking OF opportun.
lty to do good, to teach truth unde-
6led, to relieve distress and to incite.
by every energy of goodly counsel,
others to do so likewise, with a pure
worship of the Diety. The others to
bear and suffer but not tc 90 out OF
the way to do good Or to seek for
farther light and guidance to its foot
steps. One has led the believer
onward and upward, opened up new
worlds and conquered difficulties of
every kind and character, advanced
civilization, increased temporal bless
Ings and caused believers to frater-
niZa and to q great extent to do away
WITH national distinctions, binding
remote natieRs with a sympathetic
bond of similar hopes and fears and a
similar destiny and eternal reward:
while the other has remained station.
airy in its desires and practices, being
to-day no farther advanced and differ.