Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-07-06

About the Religions of Other Lands.
| Buddhism and HindoOism.
A very amiable and lovable man, Mr..
Mohammed Webb, is in this country
| looking over the field to decide whether
or not the United States is a promising
| field for the exploiting of the Moham-
| medan faith. He does not undertake to
make proselytes to his religion without
| giving the faiths already in the field fan
notice of his probable intentions. This
is certainly reasonable, though it is more
than we of the Christian churches do
when we send missionaries to India and
Central Asia The Mohammedan reli-
gion has probably 1876 100000 believers
and has many very charming features.
| There are objections to it likewise that
we shall not attempt to defend 1t is
| true that in our highly civilized land we
| do not prohibit a man from marrying
| four or five times, but we insist that he
shall have been legally released from
previous matrimonial obligations. The
religion of Islam, mindful of the uncer-
tainties of life and the vagaries of human
! happiness, winks at polygamy, while it
| does not enjoin it. To employ the simile
synthetically, we drive tandem, while the
| Mohammedan harnesses up four or more
in hand.
| Among the features that ought to COM
mend Mohammedanism to a large pro-
portion of our citizens is its stanch de-
votion to absention from strong drink.
| Belief in God is admitted and enjoined.
AS in Buddhism, kindness to all animals
is commanded. Its conception of pur-
| gatory is picturesque, for good and bad
| souls alike have to cross the bridge Al
STRAIT, that spans hell and is described
as finer than hair and sharper than the
| edge of a sword. Many a believing
| Christian will take considerable comfort
| in the thought that the Mohamnredan
! finds it quite as difficult TO attain the
kingdom of heaven as does he. Predes-
| tination was cardinal doctrine of the
prophet, but we Christians have been
wont to ascribe its PRONUNCIATION to the
political motive of rendering his follow
ers contemptuous of danger and suffer
| ing.
The Mohammedan religion is simple
| enough and is divided into faith and
! practicable latter including PRAYER,
almsgiving, fasting and pilgrimage to
Mecca. Taken by and large, it is thor
| oughly practical religion for the races
| who lead nonadic lives, and one pre-
eminently calculated for propagation at
the swords point. 1t is the latest of all
the great faiths of the world, only dating
| back to 629 A. D., while Buddhism is
| probably of l 200 years earlier origin and
| -
There is just one field In this country
| for the introduction of the simple and
| trusting faiths of the east, and that is
| the great negro population of the south.
| The hearts of the lowest types of the col
| ored races are receptive and naturally
religious, and any faith new to them that
will supplant Voodooism ought to be
| welcomed by the stanchest Christian.
| There are today 100000 of believers in
that strange and disgusting mysticism
The southern negro must have re-
ligion of pure credulity, with plenty of
| rewards and the mildest possible punish
| ments. Buddhism, whose adherents to-
| day number more than one-third of the
human race, might suit him did it only
| promise a heaven or some equally at
] offers nothing better than extinction: no
God, no soul, no hope-save annihila-
| ton! 1t is dream of peace--of eternal
sleep, Nirvana coming to the believer
| like the shutting out of taper Bud
dhism never has been are igion of fanati-
| cism, but has always been charitable
and tolerant.
If the millions of negroes in the gulf
| states, who are today in the grossest in
| tellectual and moral ignorance, could
have formulated for their use new
creed uniting some of the beautiful
| teachings of Gautama and Mohammed,
| they might be guided in the direction of
purer and nobler lives. Christianity
| could come later if they felt the need of
it, but we do not believe that any man
| or woman who knows the facts regard
ing the class to which we refer will deny
| that Mohammedanism or Buddhism,
| properly introduced and preached, would
advance the condition of that part of the
negro race Great schools like the Van.
| derbilt and Lincoln universities ana the
| institution at Raleigh DO not reach the
ricefelds of Georgia, the cotton pIanta-
| lions of South Carolina or the swamps
| of Mississippi and Louisiana.
Here are great missionary fields. and.
without prejudice, they can be honestly
recommended to the advance guard of
the benefcent missionary hosts that may
be expected to flock to this country if "a
Mohammedan or Buddhist propaganda
be decided upon.-Julius Chambers in
New York Recorder.
The Discovery of Glass.
Though the Egyptians claim to have
1,ea, 10, J. H..