The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1900-12-19

them, smells the sweet SAVIOR of their
offerings, and blesses them and their
people with abundant and general pros
perity. When they become impious and
negligent of their duties, He Furnishes
them, and takes away the throne from
them and appoints others in their place.
His appointments come from his fore
knowledge and Denomination. Some
times He appears to array himself in
terrors, and the course is altered. The
evil g. e., calamity in the state is as
cribed to Him. Heaven is called un-
plying But this is his strange work
in judgment and to call men to repent
ance. He hates no one, and 1t is not
He who really causes the evil time;
that is a consequence of forsaking the
old and right ways of government. In
giving birth to the multitudes of the
people. He gives them good nature,
but few are able to keep it and hold out
good to the end. Such is the
testimony of the History and the Odes
as TO the views entertained concerning
God during the many centuries to
which the histories and pieces belong:
they do not contain a sentence incon-
sistent with those which / have woven
into my description; nor is there a
word in them about the sacrifices To
other spirits implying that there was
one among them equal or second to.
or more than minister Of, Shang- ii,
or the Supreme Ruler OF Heaven
The word Heaven was undoubtedly
used to signify the great Power above.
1t is true that sometimes the phrase
Heaven and Earth" is employed in
these ancient writings, but this does
not prove that two powers are intend
ed. for the Emperor of China ie also
called the Father and Mother of the
Chinese people, and even the macistI ate
of county is so designated at the
present time.
en-" was to Confucius the name of a
personal being, for he said, HE who
sins against Heaven has none other tc
whom he can pray" On another oc-
casion he said: Alas, there is no one
that knows me-" but he at once added
But there is Heaven; it knows me-"
In the Psalms we read; Thou hidest
thy face and they are troubled" The
Chinese poet says: God has reversed
His usual order of procedure and the
lower people are full of distress" Ir
the Book of Job (ch. xxxvii.) we read
with God is terrible majesty;
men do therefore fear Him." The
Book of Odes" says: Revere the an
ger of Heaven, and presume not to
make sport or be idle"
! These quotations give us some of the
ideas of the ancient sages. concerning
God; now only to be worshiped by EN-
peror. The great bulk of the teachings
of Confucius, however are in regard
to man, his actions and relationship
We have not the time now to consider
this part, but will mention a few of his
remarkable thoughts in the closing
part of the paper. Let us hasten to
the next system.
TAOISM.
The philosophy of Tao, or reason.
Literally, the word means The Way,
or The Word" In the seventh cen
tury, B. c., lived Lao-tsz, which mean:
the 'old philosopher He was the
great sage of his time. He claimed t,
have found the hidden secrets of tn
universe. He taught men to return
good for evil and to look forward t,
Immortality. DIR. Chalmers thus speak
of him:
Il venture to call Lau-tsze the phi
losopher of China, because, while Con
fuciuS has obtained the greater name
he is indebted for it more to circum
stances than to deep thinking. Confu
cius no doubt excelled all his contem
poraries as a casuist, a ritualist, an
, litterateur, but not more than Lau
tsze excelled him in depth and inde
pendence of thought. That Lau-tsz
went further astray than his more eau
, tious rival is only what might hav
been expected from his independence
He scared away into regions an
, heights, where others could neither 70
: low him nor see him; and, while +
I sometimes lost himself in wanderin
4 maZes, 1T must be confessed that
n other times, he had better success. an
: came back with a jewel in his bosom.
$ Extracts from his original teaching
@ snow that he was deep thinker, an
his own words, better than any RI
L
: clear his views.
D Lao-tZe* said, the bad and good fo
IT tune or man are not determined in az
If vance; man brings them on himself |
IS his conduct. The recompense of go,
IS and evil follows as the shadow follow
l. the figure"
o 1t is for this that there are in hea,
lie en- and on earth spirits whose duty
l. Is TO search out the faults of men, al
= who, according to the lightness or gra
ity Oh their offences, reduce the leng
% OF their lives by periods of a hundr,
n Gays. When a period of a hundr,
Ill uays mas been once diminished power
=. preys upon them little by little; tn
In are exposed to numerous miseries al
! ,'n",u i'ies' men all nate them; punis
Id inents and misfortune accompa,
4 mem; good fortune and happiness fl
lg from them; evil stars pour down G
e, iainitles on them; and when all the n
n riods OF hundred days are exhaust
they die"
u advance along the right way. a.
p retreat from the evil way"
or DO not walk on a crooked path -
Is DO not betray the secret Of {,
b. household
K Accumulate virtues, and hoard
Of merit"
I'd Be humane to animals"
re practice righteousness and filial n
ne ~, De affectionate towards your youn
d. er brothers and respectful towar
e. your elder brothers"
ID 'Rectify yourself and convert mel
Of Have pity for orphans, and sh,
le compassion to widows"
ID Respect old men. and cherish
Of fants."
n. DO no injury, either to insects, plar