The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1906-02-03
CHINA, TOO, HAS
GOLDEN RULE.
Rev. Or. Arthur H. Smith, a
Missionary, Spoke at Trocadero
DINNER TO MISSION BOARD
Prominent Church Representatives Assem-
hled 10 Hear Closing Presentation Of
Needs OF American MlssIsns
DINNER TO MISSION BOARD

1T is not by taking the constitution OF
America and turning II into Chinese and
talking about the great and glorious re-
public that we are going 10 elevate them.
! We are going TO elevate them by saying
we believe in the Golden Rule. They
have one. too. IL is, do not unto others
what YOU would not have them do unto
you,'" said Rev. Arthur III. Smith last
night at the concluding session of the
board of missions last evening at the
| Trocadero. where about 200 Of those inter-
! ested were seated.
The United States has not often lived
| up To this" he continued. we want in
| our international relations 10 have tho
| Golden Rule and TO implant in the Chi
| nese people the idea that God. the Su-
preme Ruler. is the Father of mankind:
| that we are all His children and must do
| His work in His way, and illustrate it in
! our life. II we want 10 be influential In
| China we must do that"
| The speaker Is reckoned the profoundest
| living student and exponent of Chinese
character and institutions Undoubtedly
! this is due TO DIR. Smiths well-known
| books. Chinese characteristics, vii
lage Life in China" "China in Convul-
| SION DR.. Smith has been connected with
! the American board since 1872. and since
1880 has been located at Pangchuang The
/ board has sent for him for the sole pur-
! pose of addressing this and other like con-
ferences which are being held I'M 30 cities
/ As a speaker he is forceful racy and con-
| vincing.
| INFORMAL RECEPTION.
Just previous 10 the banquet an informal
/ reception was held SO that the speakers
for the evening Rev. A. II. Smith D. D.,
| President Samuel b. Capen. ID. D.. and
! Cornelius IL. Patten. and the prominent
members Of the board might be met Fol-
lowing the reception was the banquet.
which lasted until about s o'clock
| Rev. Frank ]. Goodwin. the pastor OF
| the FIRST Congregational church OF Paw
tucket. was the postmaster. and he in
! troduced as the first speaker OF the eve
/ ming Rev Arthur II. Smith, d. D.. OF
| China, who prefaced his address by telling
OF the difficulty there was in Christianiz-
| ing the Orient on account OF the false
standard OF civilization which had been
! held up TO countries Of that part OF the
world by European countries. False pres
entation has been cherished OF the orient
| ais by America for centuries. and the
| barriers that these false impressions had
raised are hard TO storm and batter down,
| he said. because OF the fact Americans DO
! not take time to study them, but are
He then told OF the successes OF the mis-
| sionaries In China and related many
| things OF intertst as TO the Chinese
! character. He has made such n minute
| study Of the character of the Chinese that
he furnished interesting side lights that
were new to most OF those present.
MERCHANT LOWEST CLASS.
He told OF some OF the military opera
tions that had recently been put into be-
Ing in those countries and made a fore
cast OF the future OF the nations OF the
Orient particularly the Chinese.
! One OF the strongest features OF the
! Chinaman is his love of home and his In
! dustry. He said that they TILED their
land with indefatlgable zeal and obtained
| from ii ell that was possible by the means
| at hand. Another feature Of the Chinese
life was the manner in which they classi-
fed men. There are four classes. OF which
the merchant is the lowest for the reason
that he produced nothing with his mind
The Chinese could go to the North Pole (:
he would get there and camp down and
survive It does not matter where he goes.
the difficulty with him is that he always
| survives We are a nation OF las years
and we speak OF ourselves as an old peo-
pie. What a preposterous adjectivel Go TO
| China to see an old country. II has one
NTH, and possibly one-fourth OF the hu-
man race. How long have they been
there? They have always been there.
ONLY RACE NOT DISLODGED.
or course they came from somewhere,
hut it is n remarkable thing that the earl
lest settlers I'm a country find some people
were always there before them. But the
Chinese have pushed out those people.
and they themselves are the only race in
the history OF mankind that has never
been dsodged from its primeval state
every other race has been pushed out
The Chinese have been like n great
whale. n great inert body. with a back
bone that was not In operation, and which
did not connect between the head and the
tail Quite number OF harpoons have
been run into the tail Of this whale He
felt sense OF uneasness and thought
there was something the matter.
People went 10 him and said. Sign n
treaty and some OF these harpoons shall
be permanently located I'm this part OF
your tail" And soon number OF treat
les were made. But now things are differ
ent Ten years have made a great differ
ence i'm Asia. There has been more devel-
| opment In China and Japan than I'm the
| United states. and China is moving faster
than any other country on the face OF tho
earth II you wish TO get the trade OF the
orient you have got to go there for IT.
| RELATION HAS BEEN SHAMEFUL.
The relation of tho United States with
| China has been shameful We have made
! a treaty with China and have not kept Il.
! Our relations have not been what they
ought 10 be. We are confronted with the
| great Asiatic problem. the greatest since
tho time Of Napoleon because IL involves
| not only Europe but the whole world.
| Asia is going 10 the front.
The Pacific ocean is now a great Medlt-
erranean. Formerly people settled along
| the Euphrates and the Nile: then along
the Mediterranean: then the great centre
! OF trade was the Atlantic ocean and now
| the Atlantic has been abandoned for the
Pacific. Where will YOU go after that? No
! where. The world is all discovered
GO We into all the world and preach the
! gospel TO every creature" IL is your bust
ness and mine to encourage the preaching
OF the gospel 10 the Oriental people. not
only because God has commanded it. IN
| you do not do ~. The nation and the
/ Kingdom that will not serve God. they
/ ahall ucrlch " Il "A uuestion pf the