The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-03-01

cradle OF man. Man migrated IroHl
Asia to Europe and America. China is
the oldest civilization known. In the
attempted reformation of China is the
world to return to barbarism.
] These thoughts came to my mind the
other day as 1 stood in an immense
joss house, filled with worshinning and
] devout Cinnamon, kEeeIing before huge
gods, fiAf-made, man-carved gods; I'M
| loving. malignant, hell-visaged gods;
horror producing gods; gods at least
thirty feet in height, made of wood, OF
stone. of metal, incrusted with gold,
studded with precious stones, mined,
| according to Chinese history, ages be-
fore the birth of Moses, the flight of the
Children of Israel, the birth of Solomon
and the building of Solomon's Temple.
The Monaghan photographer who
accompanied me, said that there were
gods of war, of peace, of storm, of wind,
of calm, OF the chase, of the arts, of
the sciences, of letters, of the sea, OF
the air and of the heavens. Ye gods,
never saw so many gods!
In propinquity to each god was
small fire. On these fires silver-incrust-
ed paper, made to represent blocks OF
bullion, were placed by the devout, in
Offering. AS the flames from these
blocks shot upward, the oblate would
cast himself on his face in front of the
god he wished to propitiate, and from
which he desired favor, informing weird
language which, to me, and I also think
to the god, was unintelligible. How
ever, in saying this, / don't wish to be
thought sacrilegious, and, if l an,
wont say it.
The god of war seemed to have the
biggest MONOPOLY trust, as it were
I stood several minutes in front of the
god Of letters in meditation, fancy free.
Here in this so-called dark land of
the Far East, peopled by countless
millions. was the cradle, not Only of
man, but of religion, of mythology.
sudden impulse seized me. 1 motiOned
the boy, attired in brown-colored vest
ments, who had The cilve--incrusted
blocks for sale, and bought a string of
them threw them on the fire, ST.
p''II.aneosuly falling on my face, in
toning, 10 Anderson, My 10, john"
AS arose, my Mongolion companion
whispered: ''Yo' wlite now alice samee
Clonfucius!"
In acquiring the ability, through fire
and worship, to write like Confucius
obtained additional evidence of pro-
nounced trait in Chinese character.
which is cupidity.
In the purchase of the consecrated
paper blocks, 1 paid ten cents. Mexican
money; monaghan worshippers paid five
cash, got a bigger lot and considerably I
more string. In a Mexican dollar there
ale $50 cash "a brass coin with square
cut in it,.
1t will thus be seen that in the tenn
pies OF the gods, the lust of greed is not
stayed, either by the Chinese or by
their gods. What moral there is
attached to this incident!
The reformation of China! How is
it to be accomplished?
For the last two months and
more have been studying the Chinese; :
in fact, l have studied them for twenty
years. But for more than two months
have studied them in their native
land, in one Of their most populous
centers, alive, surging with humanity |
have seen the Chinaman at home in |
his pack yard, as he is. And l want
to say, and l will say, that there is no
reformation for China. The Chinese do
not want reformation; and what is
more, they will not have reformation
Lne, TO them, possesses no value; but
their traditions and their customs are
priceless They are more stoical than
the Greek philosophers who enriched
mans learning with sublime thought.
China wants to be let alone. She is
dead tc every Establishment of so-called
western civilization. Countless ages
ago China forged and was wearing the
chains she is wearing today. She is
grounded in her faith.
Little 30 Peep has lost her sheep,
And doesn't know where to find them:
Leave them alone, and they'll come
home,
Wagging their tails behind them"
And that is the way with China.
accidentally they are lost. Leave them
alone, and while they may not wag
tnelr tails, they certainly will be behind
tnem; and if they won't, I'm a red
parrot, cracking hickory nuts with my
voice
in the attempted reformation of Chi
ma, is the world TO return to barba-
rlsm? The student of sociology sees
IN the Chinese a remarka BILE race of
peopIe-Jhe hardest race of people in
the world; race that can and does
Withstand all climates, torrid heat and ;
frlg1d cold. The Chinaman is a beast of
burden, and at the same time is pos
sessed Of acute mental powers Where {
ne has come in contact with white civ
ilIzation that civilization has gravi-
tated, alarmingly grayitated. toward the :
Chinaman, which has been downward:
the Chinaman has never gravitated