The morning call., 1894-10-15
BLESSINGS SURE TO COME
Brighter Mental Lights Will
IIIumine the Nation.
A SERMON AT CALVARY CHURCH.
Rev. Gilbert Reid FOreteIIs the Re-
suit of the War Between China
and Japan.


missionary of the Presbyterian faith. de-
livered a sermon. or rather lecture, on
The pTovidential aspects of the present war
between China and japan in Calvary
Church, corner of Geary and Powell
streets, yesterday morning The speaker
took for his text Acts xvii 20: "And hath
made of one blood all nations of men, for 10
dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath
determined the times before appointed,
ana the bounds of their ha bitation." Con-
corning the relations of China and Japan
the speaker said:
'The little Korean peninsula has had
more or less complication for the last
century. The King of Korea, however.
has continued until the present year to paw
tribute to the Emperor OF China. LII 1888
the United States opened up Korea and
made the first treaty with that country.
In 1884 treaty was made between China
and japan, by which both countries stirti-
latedthas neither would send soldiers into
Korea without first informing the other
party. In the spring of this year, as a
rebellion occurred in Korea, the Chinese
Prime Minister, Ii Hung Chang, was re-
queSted tn send soldiers 20 help preserve
peace. Soon after Japanese soldiers were
sent to help protect The subjects of that
country. Neither country informed the
other party and hence came the hostility,
and finally war declared by JaDau and &C
cepted by China. China aud Korea have
both been subject TO famines and floods,
pestilenceS and dr0ughtS, ana now comes
the additional scOurga of war. 1t seems
like Calamity u both people. but in the
midst of the turmoil there Is a chance for
peace, and out of the calamity may come a
blessing.
'The first prOvidential aspect of this
- e. +
1t tends 10 open up the country to her
needs in military line. While it is true
that guns. cannOns and torpedOes have but
little connection with the gospel of peace,
yet what has been impossible of securing
in the past Is now being secured as re-
suit of this war. China is compelled to
learn from the west, and this teachable
spirit Is very desirable In all true develop
ments of that country. The simple fact
that the little country Of Japan with one
tenth of the population of China has been
able to gain victories in nearly every con-
test of the navy and army has aroused
China as sermons and eXbortations could
not Go. The advantage is not so much
that the Chinese navy aud army will be
hereafter trained and equipped according
to the modern methods Of Europe and
| America, but that the intense concuit and
prejudice of the Chinese people have been
| destroyed. China has always been noted
| for her diplomacy and Japan for her skill
| in war. We hear of the Chinese lite.ati
! and of the japanese warriors. Now China
| is compelled not only TO show her skill in
literary line but also in the military line,
| which she has always regarded i'll The past
| with contempt.
The second provdential aspect OF this
war is the great advancement which will
| he made in lines OF material civilization
| Not only will China be inclined to i'm
prove her navy and army, but also TO
adout all those other means and methods
which have brought prosperity to western
nations, and which Japan has adopted and
| by which she has become prosperous and
victorious. The first thing which CHINA
will be inclined 10 adopt will be the rail-
way. When Russia threatened war with
| China. nearly fifteen years ago, the tele-
| graph was started, and when hoStiliteS
| arose between France and China the iele-
| graph line was extended through every
| large city of the empire AS result
| of this war between China and Japan the
! Chinese mandarins have seen the necessity
| of extending their little railroad of 800
miles so that soldiers from the most distant
part OF the empire could be trans ported
in a few days for the defense of tiles that
might be ENDANGERED. The Grand Trunk
road was authorized by the Emperor from
the center Of the empire to Picking. the
! capital. This will now be speedily Quilt
and foreign aid will be called in. Along
with this mines will be opened and the
vast mineral resources of China will be
! brought out into circulation. This will
! bring in foreign inventions and machinery
| along with foreign instructors. Mills, fac
| tories, foundrles, ETC.. Will commence, Il
| postal system will be established, and,
whereas up To the present time 40o, 000, 0O0
OF Chinese have got along in the OLD style
without postage-stamp, she will be CON-
| PEELED now to keep in line with the prog
ress of other countries and to accept some
! thing of the same system of communication.
| The banking system of China will also be
| improved. and ali the signs of material
prosperity will soon he seen in China AS
| they have in the other nations of the
world.
ga third providsutial aspect of this war
will be the adoption of the branches and
methods of western education. Having
| begun to learn already from foreigners in
thu various lines already indicated China
VIII go still further and include all those
| sciences aud studies which other more
| prosperous nations have long since been
accustomed to learn. Already the Chi
nese Emperor has issued an edict in favor
| of few of the Western branches of e6u-
cation. The branch which is most craved
| by Chinese literary man is natural phil
osophy. because the term used 10 Chinese
is an old expression found IN the Chinese
classics. and which means examination
into the origin of things. Every China
| man, therefore, is willing TO take up this
w
| means. Then come astronomy, mathemat-
les, geography and history, information al
law and political economy. The Chinese
| system of education does not need 10 be
uprOoted. but only modified. 1t is one Of
| the most admirable systems found in the
world. A Chinese literary man completes
first in a district examination, then in q
prefectiona, then a provincial, and finally
national or imperial examination. All that
is needed is the Introduction OF other
| branches to those which are already
studied IN the Chinese schools. TO study
| these branches it will be necessary first 10
secure foreign instructors, and this gen.
eral disposition 10 learn from others is one
of the most favorable features of the pres
ent disturbance, and one Of the largest
blessings which providence could bestOw.
Still another prOyidential aspect Of the
| war is more directly in line with mission
| airy operations. 1t will mean the opening
uu of China, not merely to a material CIV
iIiZatioH and Western education. but also
10 what we all regard as the moral and
spiritual foundation of all national pros
parity. At the first China is merely will
ing to learn from US how to get rich and
how to fight in battle. She is not par
ticularly anxious to learn from US anything
in the line of moral character: in fact, she
thinks that we excel in material civiliza-
ton, and TIT at she eXcels in moral civil "a
ton. In this. China 10 only mistaken. as
she has been mistaken in a great many
| Othar WAYS IN tine mast. IL is merely the