The Washington times., 1901-09-15

title Of a collection of essays by various
authors, intended to serve a study in
comparative religion. There are eleven of
these, each being the work of some prom
inent student or representative of the re
Egion in question. The subjects taken
up are Confucianism. Buddhism, Mo-
hamme danisin. Brahmin!s:ll, Zoroastrian-
ism, Sikhism, Positivism, Babism. Juda-
ism, Protestant Christianity. and Cathol-
icism.
1t should be matter of regret to Pro
testants that their interests are not bet
ter repre- scnted In this collection of stud
les. The essay devoted to this subject is
by Washington GLADDEN.. and is entitled
The Outlook for Christianity" At first
sight 1.-THE assumption of the author to
speak FOR Christianity. when so eminent a
Catholic as Cardinal Gibbons follows this
essay with one on Catholic Christianity"
seems somewhat out of taste; but when
one comes to read the essay it is found
that DIR. GLADDEN. condescends TO admit
that there is a great deal of good in the
Catholic church, after all. Still 1t seems
as If, in a symposium of this kind he
would have done better to stick to his own
preserves and let those of his Catholic
neighbor entirely alone
This, however. is not the worst fault
In the paper. The SNUG self-complacency
and glib facility OF assertion which it ex-
hibits is in rather striking contrast to the
carefully chosen language and dignified
attitude of the Oriental scholars and the
reverent and scholarly work of Cardinal
Gibbons. The following paragraph is
characteristic. in tone and language. of
the entire article:
1T may be assumed that man is not
only political but also a religious
animal; that religion is an everlasting
reality. Some kind of religion men
have always had and always will
have; things unseen and eternal enter
into their lives, and will always form
an integral part of their experience
We can hardly look for the invention
Of a new religion. Are any of the other
existing religious systems more likely
than Christianity to satisfy the needs
of humanity? Each of these religious
systems contains great clements of
truth and power. Is anyone of them
the wants of the human soul?'
One gets the impression that Dr. Glad
den is presenting his religion as "a good
business proposition and thinks faith
is not a hard-won and invaluable attri-
butte of the human soul, but commodity
which is good to have in the house, and
is found most satisfactory in the brand
for which he is soliciting orders. one can
see, in such essays as this, where the con-
victfon is born, that a native Hindu whose
forefathers have owned one religion for
hundreds of centuries can be led to ac-
cept an Occidental creed in a revival"
DR.. GLADDEN. might have been the Rev
Joshua Carroway, of John Luther Longs
Fox Woman" The crudeness of his
ideas and the commonness of his phrase
ology are painful. 1t is not necessary to
be commonplace and commercial in order
to be practical Christian. DIR. Gladdens
style is long way from that of either
the Gospels or the stern old Puritans who
lived and died for their faith. There is a
great difference between the man who
lives for his religion and the one who uses
1t to make a living, and while 1t might
be unjust to say that the author belongs
10 the latter class, this essay suggests
the idea.
Most Of the other essays are well worth
anyones reading. The volume begins
with .'Confucianism In the Nineteenth
Century" by Herbert A. Giles, Professor
Of Chinese at Cambridge. Buddhism, by
Rhys Davids, follows; the authors name
fs too well known to need other introduc-
ton ''Mohammedanism in the Nine
teenth Century is disc Issed by oskar
Mann, Orientalist in the Royal Library,
Berlin Sir A. c. Lyall, X C. B.. c. S. l.,
writes of 'Brahminism, and d. Menant
of '-Zoroastrianism and the Parsie. TWO
Oriental religions not so well known are
'Sikhism.' which is treated by Sir Lepel
Griffin, and "Babism,' a Persian faith of
somewhat recent origin, of which E. Dem
ison Ross writes the history. ''Positivism
is discussed by Frederic Harrison, and
Judaism by Rabbi NJ. Caster
The essay on Mohammedanism con-
tains some information which is especial
ly interesting in view of the growing
problem of civilizing savage countries.
Herr Mann unhesitatingly aftirms that
Mohammedanism is better suited to the
savage tribes of Africa than any other re-
ligion and that its propagandists go to
work in an uncommonly sensible way. He
says:
let us hear the eloquent description
of R. Bosworth Smith, one of the best
judges of the African races;
The worst evils which prevailed at
one time over the whole OF Africa, and
which are still to be found in many
parts OF II, and those, too, not far
from the Gold Coast and from the
English -cannibalism and
human sacrifice, and the burial OF liv-
ing infants-disappear at once and for
ever. Natives who have hitherto
lived in a state of nakedness or near
natives who have neve. washed before
begin to wash, and that frequently,
for ablutions are commanded in the
Sacred Law. and it is an ordinance
which does not involve too severe
strain on their natural instincts. The
tribal organization tends to give place
to something which has a wider basis.
In other words tribes coalesce into
nations. and, with the increase of en-
ergy and intelligence, nations into en-
pires. Many such instances could be
adduced from the history OF the Sou
dan and the adjoining countries during
the last hundred years. Elementary
schools, like those described by Mungo
Park century ago. spring up, and
even If they only teach their scholars TO
recite the Koran, they are worth some
thing in themselves and may be a step
TO much more. The well-butlt and
neatly kept mosque, with its call TO
prayer repeated hye times day, be-
comes the centre of the village in
stead of the ghastly fetish or Juju
house. The worship of one God, om-
nipotent omnipresent, omniscient, and
compassionate, is an immense advance
upon anything which the native has
been taught to worship before. The
Arabic language, in which the Mussul-
man scriptures are always written. is
q language of extraordinary copious-
ness and beauty: once learned II be-
comes iingua franca to the tribes of
half the continent Manufactures and
commerce spring up. not the mute
trading or the elementary bartering |
of raw products which we know from
Herodotrs to have existed from the
earliest times in Africa, nor the cow
rie shells, or gunpowder. or tobacco, or
rum, bat manufacture involving con-
siderable skill and a commerce which
is elaborately organized. As regar6s
the individual. II is admitted on all |
hands that Islam gives to it's new
negro converts an energy, a dignity, a
self-reliance and a self-respect which
Is all too rarely folnd in their pagan
or their Christian fzllow-countrymen.
And If we enquire the manner In