The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-07-02
NEWS OF THE BOOK WORLD
American Society and Religion as Seen by
fetal View That Has Important Les
sons for the Occidental MInd-Fourth
Volume OF History OF North America.

The Asiatic, who, after spending few
years In America, attempts to set down
his impressions. is very sure to show he has
received only Impressions The obstacles
to his coming into complete sympathy
with tbs western spirit are insurmount-
able. The very deep-rooted conservatism
and ancestral pride Of which he boasts
are In the way. Then there Is always the
barrier Of preconceived beliefs which can
be compared only favorably, from his point
Of view, with first impressions Of beliefs
In corresponding fields of a new civiliZa-
ton, a civilization which beside his own
must seem to him to lack in trustworthi-
ness in an amount commensurate with
the difference in age. Keeping these things
III mind, one can read AS q ChInaman Saw
Us without any unpleasant disturbance of
his temper. The Chinaman in the case
is withal Kindly, and his condescension
can be overlooked when it Is remembered
that he was writing letters home and not
for publication.
He would have made better impress
sion at the outset had he not begun with
wrong premise. His first two sentences
are these:
Many Of the great powers believe themselves
to be passing thru evolutionary period leading
70 civic and national perfection. America or
the United States, has already reached this state;
1t Is complete and finished.
He says he got this from the Ameri-
cans. He may have got it from Ameri-
cans, but he did not get it from .tthe
Americans that thoughtful class, which
thinks first and speaks afterward He
probably got it at some social function
Che seems to have been thoroly function
lied during his stay in this country
where it was necessary to talk and the
takers were not SO careful about what
they said as about the fact that they
said somethlng-"any old thing almost.
One is compelled to believe it was a half
playful remark, but if it was such he
should not have based his opinion of
America and Americans so completely
upon it,
This is his view, hguratively speaking,
OF the way in which Americans are
evolved:
Imagine coffeegrinder into which have been
thrown Greek, Roman, Jew Gentile and all the
rest and then let what they call Uncle Sam
heroic, paternal and comical figure, represent
Ing the government-turn the handle and grind
out the American who is neither Jew, Gentle,
Greek Roman, Russo or Swede, but new prod
uct. sui generis, and mostly Methodist
Mention Of Methodists suggests this OBJ
serving Chinaman's opinions OF the relig-
ions Of the Americans. In these he touches
a tender spot, or several tender spots, to
be exact. Speaking Of a New York lady,
he says:
This same lady, when some one spoke about
laxity Of morals, replied: ut is not morals,
but manners that we need; and I can assure
you that this high-church lady, a model Of pro-
priety, Judged her men acquaintances by that
standard.
AS indicating further the kind Of com.
pany into which this Mr. Chinaman fell,
the following bit of recorded converse
ton may be quoted from his letters:
Heather Chinee-It is very dull this week
Young Lady Tremendously Bum.
Heather Chtnee-I hope 1t will be less bun
soon.
Young Lady-It's all off with me- all right, Il
1t don't change soon, and don't you forget it!
But, to coma back to our religions hi
puts his finger on an inconsistency thai
must strike forcibly any non-C Christian who
Is familiar with the Christian doctrine OF
Immortality. He puts it in this way:
Their religious customs are beyond belief
AS an Illustration, their religion teaches them
that the dead, If they have led good life, 60
at once to heaven. . Now, the simple
Chinaman would naturally believe that the rela.
tives would be pleased at the death of friend
who was Immediately transported to paradise
and freed from the worries Of life; but not al
| ALL at the death Of relative the friends are
| plunged into such grief that they have beer
| known to hire professional mourners, and In
stead Of putting on clothes indicative of Joy
| and Thanksgiving, array themselves in sombe
| black, the token Of woe.
| However superficial this Chinaman's i'm
pressions are, 1t will be seen that they
at least give us a glimpse of the Ameri
can front" as it appears to an intelligen
! Oriental.