Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-12-15
SERMON BY MINISTER WI.

SERMON BY MINISTER WU.
Gut Of the Mouth Of Christ the Chinee Con-
demns Christians.
WI Ting Fang, the Chinese minister
to the United States, spoke before the
Society for Ethical Culture, at Carne-
gle Music Hall last Sunday morning on
1.-THE Teachings of Confucius." In part
he said:
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 Confu-
cianism is not than what it is.
THE Immortality Of the soul Is a
beautiful doctrine, admit. I wish 1t
were true, and hope 1t Is true. But all
the reasoning of Plato cannot make it
more than a 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-extraordinar 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 spirits?' 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. Confu-
cius was intensely human and practi-
cal. He did not spend time speculating
as to what will happen after DEATH =.
The minister then compared the prac-
tical teachings Of Confucius with those
of Christ. He read passage from the
New Testament, directing that evil be
not resisted with evil. and that If a
man smite you on one cheek you
should turn the other cheek. OF this
doctrine Mr.. WI said:
This, it seems to me, is meeknesss
with a vengeance. I am inclined to
think that no sensible man has ever
followed this injunction faithfully. A
man who will smite you on the cheek Is
a dangerous man and needs no second
invitation. The man who will take
your coat, is thief, and would doubt
less take your cloak, too, If he could
lay his hands on it,"
Love your enemies. Such a stand
ard of excellence is too high for human
ity. There Is no likelihood that many
people will follow 1t. At this very min
mute Christian missionaries are calling
for bloodshed and vengeance, and
Christian armies are devastating the
land, sparing neither age nor sex.
There is indeed a vast gulf between
doctrine and performance. Could you
love one who had killed your father
or destroyed your home? Confucian-
ism does not require such thing. It
enjoins that kindness be requited with
kindness. and an injury with justice.
It does not sanction retaliation in a
indicative spirit, such as, I regret to
say, is shown by some persons profess
ing to be governed by the tenets Of
Christianity
1.-THE most striking instance in which
the teachings Of Confucius and Of
Christ meet is of the Golden Rule. Con-
fucius put 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 follow that rule, either
way it is phrased, will be a thorough
ly good man.
"a good Christian Is a good Confu-
clan, and a good Confucian is a good
Christian. I do not believe that heaven
is an exclusive place. The advocates Of
various religions are trying to make
private park Of it for their own adher-
ents. Whatever Heaven may be, be-
lieve it is place for all good men, ire
spective Of dogma. The Chinese are an
eminently practical race. Confucius
did not run away from the world. but
did it's duty in it. He teaches men to
do good for the sake Of good and not
for any promise of reward, or through
any threat of punishment. The world
is gradually coming to Confucius. One
of the signs is the growth of agnosti-
cism. 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 pro-
claimed from the pulpit"
--------S-S-s ----------