The morning times., 1896-09-07

"Opr Oriental Guest, Ii Hung Chang"
| was the subject Of a very interesting dis
course delivered fast evening by Rev. 8.
| j. Smith, pastor or Central NJ. p. Church,
| corner OF Twelfth and n streets north
west
While Mr.. Smith based his remarks on
the text taken from Job, i:3. $50 that the
man was the greatest OF all the men OF
the East his discourse was more In the
nature Of placpcal talk with reference
to the recent, visit of Earl Ii and his in
vestigations.
In reviewing his method of investiga-
ton and what ne actually saw, Mr. Smith
said II was u Lity that some one had not
the forethought and courage to suggest
Ia the 1.s.i. Suished visitor that he was
Sc, king IL tnd wrong direction If he were
endeaN uring TO find out the foundation OF
the Laucns real greatness.
He. however, paid the Earl the compli-
ment. In a measure, OF compa ring him TO
job, referred to I'm the text, but approved
Of the refusal OF the police to carry him
out OF the railway station to his carriage.
Such action, he said, would be n-Ameri-
can: 1t was not their duty, and he himself
would have refused IL called Oh to act ON
that occasion.
GREAT MEN OF ASIA.
nbegipning hisremarks the speaker asked
his hearers if they had any personal feeling
to lay 1t aside well as all race pre- judice
and consider the subject personally. He
then requested the congregation to consider
for a moment the vast extent of Asia and to
think that as great as was this glorious
and free country of ours, that Asia was
more than five times as large. He then
referred to the great event In Bible history
which has taken place In that land. Next
lie gave a brief history OF the great mcn,
Noah, Abraham. John the Baptist, and Christ
who had been born and lived and worked
there. He also included Moses, who, though
born IN Africa, had spent most OF his life in
Asia.
When speaking OF Ii Hung Chang, and not
intending to parallel him with Job, he still
acknowledged him the greatest man
IN all the East. In this connection, too.
lie referred to the opinion expressed by
Gen. Grant, whom. he sal1. waSan excellent
Judge of men, clas,ed him with Bismarck
and Gladstone.
Earl Lii" he said ..from what he had
seen in the papers, was Inclined TO give
instructions, aud had an exceeding high
opinion OF Chinese civilization, but there
was no doubt that the world would &C
knowledge that American civilization WIS
on a higher plane.
When Earl LII visited Russia and Ger
many and England he was shown the great
and was no doubt Inspired with the great
ness of those nations. Here, too, in New
York, he was shown our great men -of-war.
and when he caIne to the Capital he was
taken to see the navy yard aud the
capitol.
lit would have been much better had
he been taught our greatness as Queen
Victoria once taught the cause OF the
greatness of England to a visiting African
ha hn, ,Is.h m a nd
told him it was there and in her institu
tons of learning was found the greatness
of civilized countries
BROKE THE SABBATH
Again. -he said. that in his haste to reach
Niagara, Earl Ii LA d commenced his journey
on Saturday. thereby ha Wing to violate the
holy Sabbath. There are Thousands of
Americans VINO do the same thing every
Sabbath. but1that in norway lessons the
sin or Is any excuse for 1t. 1t was in con-
nection with this that he said the police
at the railway station did right when they
said to him that ne would have TO walk
for they would not carry him. Such talk,
lie said, sounds proper in country like
this. u -
In referencesto Lis visit to the Congress-
ional Libraryit was stated that he took
greater interest in Librarian Spofford than
in all the books. This was as it should be
for in him he saw an immortal soul, which
was better than all the books.
"A great deal" he added, had been
said about the customs and habits OF the
distinguished visitor, but ii is safe TO say
that IL any Of us were to go to China. from
their standpoint we would not have acted
more intelliGeptly. When he returned to
China, however, it was to be hoped that lie
would not attribute our greatness to the
number OF our great warships or our beauti-
full public buildings but report IL a founded
on the Bible, our public schools and free
institutions