The National tribune., 1901-07-04

honesty in transactions representing mil,
lions of sterling. The famous Asiatic
foreign house or hong of Jardine, Mathe
son IL Co. declare that they have lost
more money to 8 per cent of foreigners
than to 92 per cent. of Chinese, in total
trade OF 100 per cent, covering period
OF nearly 60 years and representing one
hundred million pounds sterling!
Aiencius was scholar, thinker, and
philosopher second only TO Confucius. His
time is placed about 800 b. G. His teach
ngs, moral deductions and precepts, cpl
grams, and wise sayings are studied ard
committed today by every native in China,
| and, next to Confucius, he has eXeFted
mighty influence on Chinese development.
OF the personal LaOtze we know but
little. He was a man of profound learn
ing, but there has been handed down ne
such historical record or collection of his
| writings as we have of his colleagues,
Confucius and Mencius. His religion,
Taoism, has at all times exerted pro-
| found influence on +Ghina's history, but
has never stood with the continuous
| strength of Confucianism. Some mon
archs were entirely under its sway, while
others decreed death to all who followed
it.
The original Taoism was perverted and
changed, it was even assimilated by the
| Buddhism of China, for this variety is q
| corrupted branch of the old Indian stock.
4
suggested thoughts and ideas akin to
| Christianity. The Immortality of the soul
was partially pictured, though in ma
| terial, rather than in spiritual, sense.
In later days TaOism became the super
stitiOus theory of magicians and of kings
| who would seek perpetual life through
| extraordinary elIXlrS and decOcuonS. 10
| day it has many astute and devoted fol-
lowers, but it is decadent as a religion
and has passed long ago the day of its in
fiuence and power among the great re-
| ligions of the world.
THE IMPORTATION OF BUDDHISM FROM
INDIA.
Buddhism in China is a transplanted
product. 1t was brought from India as
a sprig of one fruit might be grated on
the tree of another. Buddhism was graft
| ed, in a measure on COnfucianism- 1t
would never have thriYed in China if Con
! fucianism had been an actual religion like
Christianity or If Confrcius had been all
inspired being like Christ. .,..'
Sixty years after the crucifXion of
Jesus Christ the Emperor Ming-ti, of the
| Han dynasty, dreaming of il gigantic
image of gold, dispatched an embassy TO
| India to find q new religion. They. re
| turned with Buddhism. The doctrine of
| the transmigration of souls delighted the
mighty Ming-ti. The rewards and pun
ishments it outlined seemed reasonable,
and the possibilities it pictured of fu-
| ture life supplied to him and his people
what was lacking in Confucianism.
Ming-ti was q practical, business-likc
| monarch and went about the prOmulga-
ton of Buddhism as he did the promul-
CATION of new laws and The collection of
additional taxes. In that way it was
given an impetus that enabled it TO spread
throughout all China. 1t undoubtedly
tended to raise the moral standard of the
people and nation, and hence had direct
influence on the growth of the kingdom,
The Buddhism of today in China bears
little resemblance to the purer Buddhism
of Ceyion or SIAM
The King OF Siam, who is the ex-officio
head of the Buddhist church of the world
and one of the ablest and most progres
sive statesmen in Asia, often told me
while ! was the American Minister at
his court, that the Buddhism of China
was such only in name and was mex
tricably mixed with Taoism and Confu-
cianism. The Chinese emigrant TO Siam
is at home in its Buddhist temples, but
the Siamese who goes TO China is not at
home in Chinese temples.
There is a passing thought in this con-
nectiOn that almost staggers us. Sup
posing Emperor Ming-ti's embassy in
search of a religion had journeyed to
Palestine instead of to India and brought
back Christianity? 1t taxes the imag gina
ton to picture the effect on China, on
Asia, and on the world at large, if it had
come in its purity. On the other hand,
we are forced to ask with equal aston
ishment at the possibilities: What would
have been the effect on Christianity if it
had been taken in those early days by
the Chinese as their official religion? .
THE COMING AND EXPULSION OF
CHRISTIANITY.
But Christianity did con. TO China long
befOre the day of modern missionaries.
Christianity was taught and fOStered for
l50 years during the middle ages of China,
between 600 and 500 A. ID. The Nesto-
rians, who taught the new religion to
China, thriYed for nearly two centuries,
or until IS1 A. ID. About 1925 A. ID.
the famous HISTORIAN monument was IN
earthed in the province of Shensi. Will
Jams, in his Middle Kingdom" holds
that the HISTORIANS came as early as 500
A. ID. He says that the monument is ''the
only record yet found in China itself of
the labors of the HISTORIANS" and yet il
is one Of the most perfect of the ancient
monuments of China. The inscription
tells us that a priest named OlOpun came
from the distant west, guided by the
azure clouds" Of China. bringing with
him the True Scriptures" The Emperor,
one Of the most powerful of the Tang
ordered the Scriptures translated and pro
mulgated. In an official edict he said:
Let it have free course through the en-
pire."
Unfortunately for its lasting influence
it came under the ban which the TaoiSts,
about A. ID. $50, proclaimed against
Buddhism through the agency of an hos
tile Emperor. The effort to crush the
Buddhists included the HISTORIANS, and
only the monument remains. II sufficient
time had passed for Christianity to have
spread itself as had Buddhism, this one
attack would not have ended its life in
Cathay until again revived by American
and European missionaries. 1t is an in
teresting coiDcident that the HISTORIANS
were apparently most severely prosecuted
in the same section Of China where many
American and European missionaries were
recently massacred.
Before leaving the subject of religions
] would add, in response to the general in
quiry about missionary work, that | hon
estly believe, after six years experience in
Asia in both official and private capaci-
ties, and after spending much time in
China, not only along the coast, but in the
distant interior, that the missionaries are
doing far more good than harm, and that
they should have the moral support of the
American people in the continuance of
their labors.
There are incompetent missionaries as
there are incompetent business men
They have faults. They should and win
be corrected and the work will go on.
rino will ha a boI =