The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-02-25
coNFuclANlsM AND CHRISTIANITY

| The Literary Digest says that Min
| lister Wu's speech on Confucianism
continues to attract attention. 1t has
been supplemented by his lecture on
l"Confucius and Mencius" delivered be-
fore the Society Of Ethical Culture in
Philadelphia, of which the following is
an extract:
DIR. lWaylandl Hoyt and some other
clergymen from their addresses, seemed
to think that 1 charged all missionaries
with crying out for vengeance. Let me
read the exact words / used: Love your
enemy, is Christ's command, but at this
moment some Christian missionaries are
crying out for vengeance and bloodshed.,
Note that 1 used the word some
81 am inclined to think that the reason
why some clergymen-and am glad to
say that there are not many-took Of
Tense at what 1 said in my address on
I'Confucianism' is that 1 took the liberty
of instituting comparison between Con-
fucianism and Christianity, which they
| supposed was done to the disparage-
ment of the latter. There was certainly
no intention on my part to make an at
tack upon Christianity Surely, 1t is no
discredit to say that Christianity Is too
high and elevated for frail humanity,
and that all Christians are not acting
up to it's tenets, just as it is no dis
grace to acknowledge that the Confu-
cianists in China do not live up to the
teachings of Confucius. 1t seems strange
that some clergymen should resent any
lattempt to compare Christianity with
other systems of belief, while they
themselves do not scruple to attack 9TH
er religions. In other words, they do
just what they do not want others to
do Since my address on Confucius was
delivered 1 have seen Confucianism con-
demned right and left. 1t has been called
Ia f1illIra haan AI1hhad spffQta .
vague. unworthy of attention, rotten
to the core tottering to its fall and
| the like do not, however, quarrel with
those who apply such opprobrious cpl
thets to our creed. If Confucianism were
as bad as its detractors try to make it
out to be. it is strange that after twenty
four centuries it should be able to count
millions and millions of people as its
ladherents. The noble and sublime teach
ings of Christianity need not fear criti-
cism, much less friendly comparison.
II believe that all religions teach men
to be good. If every man would really
| try to act up to the doctrines enjoined
by his religion the world would be far
better 1t would be well If priests and
c1ergymen of every faith and creed
would do their best to promote this de-
sirable end. Thus these words of Com
fucius will be fulfilled, Let us all live
!, in peace as brothers."
Prof. Felix Adler, leader of the So
ciety of Ethical Culture in New York,
in an address at Carnegie Hall, dealt
with some of the ethical questions
raised by Mr.. Wu's speech. Referring
to Mr. WI as that strong, upright
man who represents the most pepulous
nation upon EARTH" he pointed out 1--WE
quote from the Tribune. February ~
that through the whole Sermon on the
Mount there runs single purpose-ti1e
teaching of the work of man. If
| thine enemy smite thee on the right
cheek, turn to him the other Also .
What does this mean? The meaning Is
not that we should patiently bear in
jury at the hands of another. or that
If a man strikes you you should give
an opportunity to strike you again. but
is simply that the only way to resist
attempted indignity effectually is to re-
fuse to acknowledge it, even by resist
ance. In this Jesus is teaching the
basis of true self-eSteem.
In connection with Mr.. Wu's speech
much has been said as to the moral
status of the Chinese people as COM
pared with the European races after
nineteen centuries of Christian ascend
lency. DR.. E. ]. Dillons article in the
Contemporary Review (January) and
one on Punishment and Revenge in
China" in Scribner's Magazine (Febru-
ary), detailing the unspeakable and in
most cases wholly unprovoked atroci-
ties of the troops of the Christian pow
ers in China, atrocities in which the
pagan japanese troops took no part.
have attracted wide notice, and one
writer has remarked that after these
terrible revelations of European "hea-
thenishness, missionaries can hardly
continue to say much about the great
need of evange1izing Asiaties