The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-08-11
THE WORLD
OF RELIGION
The Spiritual Aspect Of
Chinese War.
FAITH HELD BY CHINA
Rival Of .0ber-Ammergau Play
Roman Catholic View of
Cuban Conditions.

China are likely to remain for some time
an interesting subject of speculation. One
of the latest expressions of opinion is
that of Mr.. Ho Vow, the Chinese Consul
General in San Francisco, diplomat Sec
ono in Importance only to the Chinese
Minister in Washington. Mr.. How, who
is man of culture and a contributor to
American reviews, agrees with those who
believe that religious causes are to blame
for the native upheaval. In the report of
an interview published in the New York
Tribune July 81 he says:
THE origin of the whole trouble is in
reference with our religion. in China.
do not question the worthy intentions of
the missionaries who have gone there,
I 10 convert people who are not educated
as race even to the point of religious
Iteration. Good missionaries merely
wa ste their energies and incense the peo-
pile Studying the history of the world,
we find that almost every great war has
been brought on by differences in relig
/ ion.
There is another cause for the present
uprising aside from the purely religious
work of the missionaries In PROSECUTING
the Chinese to their faith. 1t has so hap
pened in China that whenever a mission
airy has been injured or killed in the coun-
try, the nation which he represented has
made the tragedy an occasion for asking
grants of lands from the Chinese Govern
ment. 1 do not mean to say that they
were not right in demanding indemnity
for such misdeeds, but this course, which
has seemed peculiar in the eyes of many
of our people, who are extremely suspi-
cious, has been misconstrued and misin-
teIpreted.'
Another observer, Mr.. NJ. J. Scruggs,
who has somewhat recently returned
fire. m China, believes that the trouble has
been precipitated by an outbreak of ma
tive superstition, which has been stirred
Icp by the aggressions of the missionaries
and other foreigners. Superstition, says
Mr.. Scruggs, is as invaria.Ie an attach
n.ent of the ChiDaman as is his cue; and
of all his superstitions, the "fung-shue"
is the most influential Says the writer
in the Boston Transcript, July 81
'Fung-shue' is a mystery, an Tt which
becomes more and more so the China
lrteI themselves endeavor to explain their
hay notions to you. Literally translated,
. funS-Shue' means 'WlHQ anC. water. AS
unGer stood by the Chinese it corresponds
tn what we mean by terrestrial magnet
ISM i once asked a district mandarin to
explain to me the origin of this strange
doctrine of 'fung-shue.' He replied with
some hesitation that it was as old as the
country itself, intimating thereby that its
oil gin was beyond the memory of man.
Ano when asked why the two symbols or
characters in his written language which
r represent wind and water should when
combined represent this mysterious faith
; known as .fung-shue,' his reply was, Be-
cause wind exists unseen, and water car
not be lad hold upon
He probably meant that the term
fung-shue' was an allegorical representa-
tion Of an invisible and intangible, but all
ipervading force, which is as real to the
mind of the Chinaman as is the air he
[ Teathes or the water he drinks.
I For two doors, or two windows, or {
:, dec or and a window to be directly oppo
:, site, thereby causing draught, is yer!
, lunpropitious to fung-shue.' Therefore
u this arrangement of windows and doors
: seldom occurs in Chinese house. Whel
t. of a necessity it does occur, the China
" man makes peace with his fung-shue' b.
1 putting up screen. This was doubles
!. the origin of the screen, thus used, no
: for the sake of privacy. but to keep gu
: evil influences and to be in harmony witt
7, 'fUng-shue.'
n "At any rate, 1t seems to be perilou
) thing indeed to disturb a Chinaman'
p 'fung-shue.' Some years ago the Frenc
Jesuit missionaries erected tine cathe
&c dra' near Canton. Soon afterward a mo
he threatened to pull 1t down. a mis- was no
h because the common people were intoler
" ant of the Roman Catholic religion, bu
If because the spire of the cathedra
= was very tall and they feared the disturb
ance of the 'fung-shue.' This sfung-shue
like electricity, is supposed to be attract
> ed by high points, such as pagodas, ia
he buildings. and the erests of high ridges.
se This superstition, says the writer, is ne
d. Ironfined to the common people, but pei
II vades every grade and condition of socis
:, ty. from the coolie to the highest maj
~ DARN Indeed, the Chinaman is a CON
10 pound of superstitions, and to the disturb
u arce of these by the foreign devils M
Scruggs attributes the surprising anti-fol
, eign revolt which has risen like a sudde
q fire throughout the Chinese empire. +
says:
u Some have called all this undevelopt
ne religion, anu certainly what is religion
nd one may be superstition to anothe
ry Whatever it is, it takes strong hold u
in Z. on the Chinaman. 1t is part of his civil
=, zaticn- Is it strange, considering his 10
:. atty to tradition and the tenacity wi
IL which he holds to the customs of his a.
e- oestors, that there should arise distur
ay their new religion and establish ther
re selves around him? Doubtless fun
10 shue' has much to do with the uprisn
-, of the secret orders. 1t is impossible
Iui Chinaman to be anything but peaceat
al and happy when his .fung-shue' is undi
turbed and propitious."
,er THE RELIGION PREFERRED IN
res CHINA
go Religion in China, according to {
oh me st accurate observers, appears b ha
"a resolved itself largely into a worship
spirits, and the practice of magic. T
VI SPIRITS, and the practise of magic. 7
er- Indigenous ConfHcianism. oversrown
It'll some extent by the later system of Hin
-th Buddhism, seems eventually to ha
be- shared with it a tendency to degenera
,rp into lower religious forms. Mr.. III. Y
LsTson, writing in the London Telegram
gives the following picture of Chinese
iigious customs as he lately saw them.
lit says:
err I'm the course of centuries the great
18th ligious systems have become utterly
he based and have had to accommods
themselves to the encrusted superstitlo
OF the masses. Buddhism, which In
loo 20 f,,1I ,f