Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-04-04


sciences and languages. Scientific ant
popular magazines circulate among the
lteratt and the ruling portion of the
people.
| The people are divided into three classes
~ Mandartns-the officials who represen,
all that is most brilliant in administrative
ability and literary culture. (2) Literata
who are not officials but lead a scholar.
life. (S) Tho working classes, whicl
embrace all from the slick, enterprisine
tea merchant to the filthy, diseased
beggar.
The language is monosyllabio and each
word expresses complete idea or mean.
ing. Chinese writing is picture writing
with the addition of a limited number OF
symbolic and conventional signs. These
signs or characters, each of which
expresses a word or idea, are divided into
six classes. The first class comprises
simply pictorial representations of sensible
objects, such as tho sun, moon, mountains,
etc. The second class includes such
characters as are formed by the combina-
tion of two or more simple hieroglyphs; !;
which together convey some other idea
For example, hieroglyph Of sun combined
with that for moon conveys the idea of
light; mouth and bird that of song. The
third class indicates certain relations of
position. as, above, below, the numerals,
etc. The fourth class are characters
inverted, thus expressing an opposite
Specification.
The fifth class are derived characters,
the characters used to express physical
objects, is transferred to mental, or to
other physical objects with which they are
associated; e. e., the hieroglyph for heart
signifies soul, that of room, wife. The
sixth class includes those which are COM
posed Of sign and sound. Names of plants,
birds, ETC., and many objects difficult TO
represent hieroglyphically are described
by compound characters of the sixth class.
The total number of characters is 1926,
which with their combinations form the
written language. This written language
is understood by the educated classes in
all parts of the empire, but the people
speak, in the various provinces, dialects
for which there is no written language,
The missionaries have found great diff :.
Guilty in translating the scripture into the
common dialect for want of characters.
Again from the standpoint of her relig-
ious system, China is great nation. This
system is complicated, being the blending
of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism.
Many of the Chinese hod,a consistently.
each of them. Says DR.. Edkins-"Confu.
cianism speaks to the moral nature.
raoism is materialistic. It's notion is that
the soul is a purer form of matter. and
physical discipline. sort of chemical
process, which transmutes it into more
ETHEREAL essence and prepares it for being
transferred to the regions of immortality.
1t deifes hermits, physicians, magcians,
etc. Buddhism is metaphySicaI. 1t appeals
to the Imagination and says the world of
sense is altogether unreal. Its gods
are pcrsonified ideas. Contucianisna,
established over 800 years before Christ,
is the Oldest religion of China. 1t
is the religion of state, and is the
ore mighty religion throughout the
empire. Prof. Legge says,--"Of all
systems Confucanism, perhaps,
has the greatest following, then Christian
ity, then Hindooism, then Mohanmedanism
and we would place Buddhism in the ifth
place" 1t has been pre- eminently the
power that has moulded the Chinese
government and the Chinese character for
twenty. four centuries. Rev. j. Il. G.acev
9 ,ys-"Confucius has exerted the greatest
influence, when time and numbers are
taken into account, of any MN that ever
lived"
Rev j. l.. Nevns said, I'VE NAV gain
a general idea of this system from the
five relations and the five virtues which
he made the basis of them. The first is
between tho emperor and his officers,
which developed, gives their system of
government and political economy. Then
follow the relations between father and
son, husband and wife, brothers and
friends. The five virtues are love, right
eousness, property, knowledge and faith"
Mans relation TO God is entirely ignored.
Contucianism is more properly code of
morals and political government than a
religion. 1t fails to give what mans
nature demands. something TO worship
This defect has been in part supplied by
ancestral worship, which antedates Confu-
but was adopted by the great
Filial piety he taught 10 be the
highest duty, and the most fearful of all
punishments were inflicted for its violation.
Its chief duties are to the dead, and as
worship it is the most powerful
religious custom affecting China to-day.
Still it does not satisfy mans desire to
worship the Infinite, and Buddhism came
TO give the heart and the imagination an
ideal perfection. Then came Taoism to
satisfy the craving OF the heart for some
being TO whom it could 90 for help, when all
earthly means fail. Thus the complicated
religious system of China is mighty one,
mighty in its influence over the people
and in its hold upon their hearts and lives.
has to meet and conquer it in
its triple form, but, thank God, it is
proving itself able to do this, and China,
great in natural resources, great in the
number and character of its people, and
great in its idolatrous worship, is yet to
become the grandest II iumphs of the
,onquerng cross of Christ.
To-day she sits in darkness, fast bound
n fetters of sin. Her great religion
wretchedly fails to purify her life and
'edeem her to God. Some of the gospel |
iced has been sown. Already it is begin
,ipnr tn t.. -