The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-10
WAS PRACTICAL
HE SAYS, WHILE JESUS, TEACH.
INGS ARE OVER HUMAN
ITY'S HEAD
NO GOSPEL TRUST Is POSSIBLE
Celestial Empires Ambassadors
Does Not Think Heaven a Pri-
vate Park for Any One
Church.

NEW YORK, Dec. 9.-Wu Ting Fang,
the Chinese minister to the United
States, spoke before the Society for Eth
cal Culture at Carnegie Music hall this
morning on the Teachings of Confu-
cius.'
Mr.. WI said, in part:
I'm the strictest sense of the word
Confucianism is not a religion. 1t is not
a system of doctrine and worship. 1t is,
perhaps, easier to say what Confucian-
ism is not than what it is.
1.-THE Immortality of the soul is beau
tiful doctrine, 1 admit. 1 wish it were
true and 1 hope it is true. But all the
reasoning of Plato cannot make it more
than strong probability. And all the
light of modern science has not brought
US one step further. Now, Confucius
would be called an agnostic if he were
alive today. There were four things
that he would not talk about-extraor-
binary things, feats of strength, disorder
and spiritual being. How are we to
serve spiritual beings?' he was asked.
When you do not know how to serve
men, how should you hope to serve spir-
its?' he replied Horace Greeley said
that those who discharge promptly and
faithfully their duty to those who linger
in the flesh, have but little time to peer
into the affairs of those who have passed
away. Confucius was intensely human
and practical He did not spend time
speculating as to what will happen after
DEATH
CONFUCIUs VS.. JESUS.
The minister then compared the prac-
teal teachings of Confucius with those
of Christ He read passage from the
New Testament declaring that evil be
not resisted with evil, and that if man
smite you on one cheek, you should turn
the other cheek. OF this doctrine Mr..
WI said:
'"This, it seems to me, is meekness with
a vengeance. L am inclined to think no
sensible man has ever followed this in
junction faithfully. A man who will
smite you on the cheek is a dangerous
man and needs no second invitation. A
man who will take your coat is a thief,
and would doubtless take your cloak, too,
if he could lay his hands on it.
TOO HIGH FOR HUMANITY.
Love your enemies Such a stand
ard of excellence is too high for human
ity. There is no likelihood that many
people will follow it. At this very mo-
ment Christian missionaries are calling
for bloodshed and vengeance, and Chris
tian armies are devastating the land,
sparing neither age nor sex. There is, in
deed a vast gulf between doctrine and
performance. Could you love one who
killed your father or destroyed your
home? Confucianism does not require
such thing. 1t enjoins that kindness
be requited with kindness, and an injury
with justice. 1t does not sanction re-
taliation in a vindictive spirit, such as,
1 regret to say, is shown by some per-
sons protesting to be governed by the
tenets of Christianity.
BELIEVES IN GOLDEN RULE.
''The most striking instance in which
the teachings of Confucius and of Christ
meet is the golden rule Confucius puts
it negatively, to be sure-'do not do to
others what you would not wish them
to do to you-but any one who will fol-
low that rule, either way it is phrased,
will be thoroughly good man.
"a good Christian is a good Confucian,
and a good Confucian is a good Chris
tian l do not believe that heaven is an
exclusive place. The advocates of va
rious religions are all trying to make a
private park of it for their own adher-
ents. Whatever heaven may be, be-
lieve it is a place for all good men, ire
spective of dogma. The Chinese are an
eminently practical race. Confucius did
his duty. He teaches men to do good for
the sake of good, and not for any prom
Use of reward or through any threat Of
punishment. The world is gradually
coming to Confucius. One of the signs
is the growth of agnosticism. l will not
say whether people are growing more
callOus or more civilized, but they are
no more terrified when the terrors OF
the next world are proclaimed from the
pulpit