The times., 1901-05-17
The Golden Rule.

d
9 relation to some recent happenings ir
China. He began his address by say
l ing that when he received the invita-
6 ton TO speak, he asked the gentleman
: who invited him what he should talk
about, and the gentleman sugges, ed
that he might talk about the Golden
, Rule, which he accordingly did. He ex-
plair ed by the way, that the Golden
Rule was not the exclusive possession
of this country. but that they have one
2 in China, negative in its form, but
meaning practically the same thing.
II is:
THAT which We would not that Others should
do unto you. DO ye not to them
1t would keep most people quite busy
if they were to try TO obey this rule
perfectly, even if they did nothing at
all with the American edition of 1t.
There is a certain irony, all things
considered, in the suggestion OF Mr..
Wu's friend that the Chinese Minister
should discuss what we call the Golden
Rule. In the first place, the theory on
which missionaries are sent to China is
that they are to carry the Gospel to
people who have not got it. The Foun-
der Of Christianity explicitly stated
that the two commandments which in
Guided all others, and were the essential
features Of his faith, were these:
Thou shalt love the Lord thy, God with all
thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy
| mind
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.''
Observe the command refers to
the Lord thy God"-not necessarily
| somebody eIse's conception of God.
! When we say TO Americans, "Obey your
| laws" we do not mean that they shall
go hunting after the laws of France, or
! Russia, or Kamchatka. and obey
those. If that commandment means
anything at all it means that every
man has a right to his own God, that ;s,
his own conception of a divine being,
his own ideal; and If he obeys that God
to the extent of his ability he is quite
likely in time to arrive at higher con-
ception. This is shown by the fact that
the highest types of religious thinkers
in all civilized nations and some that
are uncivilized practically come to
much the same conclusions-that is,
proximate truth. Yet here we are ar
rogating to ourselves the exclusive pos
session of a Golden Rule" which was
promulgated by Confucius in the first
place. and subsequently given forth in
Palestine, not in any Anglo Saxon
country, and assuming the right to send
out to a country that had that golden
rule before we were civilized mission
aries to explain what it means to the
natives 1t is d comic opera situation;
and when Mr. Wu was invited to ad-
dress an American conference on the
subject Of what Americans suppose TO
be their private and particular religion,
il must have appealed to his sense of
humor
An additional comic feature of the |
situation-comic in the way that world |
events are apt to be, with a grim and |
saturnine humor-is the way in which /
American missionaries have been dur
ing the past year illustrating this same |
Golden Rule in China Mark Twain |
has brought down upon his devoted |
head the wrath of most Of the religious /
organizations Of the country by object
ing to it. They simply do not see any
reason why he should object. The thing
against which he launched his gentle
sarcasms was the action Of DR.. Ament
and other missionaries in demanding
from Chinese supposed to be sympa-
tniZers with the Boxers, not only an
amount of money equal to the loss Of
missionaries and converts, but thirty
three and one-third per cent of that
amount besides. which was used for
church expenses" according to the
statement Of DR.. Ament himself. Mr..
Clemens enquiries, in a bland and
childIike manner, worthy of the late All
Sin. what this one-third extra is sup
posed to be-theft or robbery, or what?
In America or Europe it would certain
ly be that Is it supposed to be any
different in China, when people engaged
in propagating the Golden Rule are
in it2 What would the good
people Of this country think If there
should be a raid on the Chinese quarter
Of New York some day, and Minister
W1 should demand not only indemnity
for all losses, but one-third extra to be
used in teaching the tenets of Con-
fucius? That would be doing as as we
have done the Chinese, certainly, but is
that supposed to be the version of the
Golden Rule taught by the American
Board of Foreign Missions?
The fact is that though the doctrine
that might makes right may occasional
ly be used because of necessity. in in
ternational politics, it is not supposed
to be exactly appropriate TO the teach
ing of the Christian religion When
Christ issued the command to go into
all the world and preach the Gospel to
every creature, he did not add with
gatling guns If necessary nor did he
authorize the collection of bills from
the creatures thus introduced to the
GOSPEL. China did not ask for mission
aries; there is nothing in the world that
she has been less inclined TO accept with
aordiality. unless 1t is the opium trade,
which was forced upon the country by
England in spite of all that Chinese Off
cials could do. When the people of {
country welcome foreign traders, they |
are In duty bound 10 protect their lives
and property. and If this is not done II
s inst that redress shall be made. But
when the foreigner forces his way ,
where he is not wanted, under the pre- q
tence of giving the people a religion
that they do not want, it seems as if