The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-23


had heard Of the substitution OF Christianity
for the native religion by Pomars in Tahiti.
Rhoriho simply wanted 10 ave bis wives
and other women from the cruel pressure
OF the taboo system and todivert the priests
rsvenues to secular purposes: and he 40
tualIy had some strong support on the
part Of the more enlightened members OF
the priesthood. Our author In convinced.
however, that, had not the missionary
propaganda soon followed. the old worship,
which had been desperately defended In
battle at the instisation Of the more con
sentative priests, would In all probability
have grown up afresh, though perhaps
with notifications. Mr.. ,Robertscn's con-
clusion is that the savage and semi-savage
social conditions. taken AZ a whole, are
fatally mpropitious TO rationalism. All
the facts together entitle us TO decide that
religion, though itself only q variation, 10
yet the variation that has chiefly hourishcd
by reason Of It's adaptation TO the prevail
ing environment. This l. . decision Jar
ffom equivalent 10 the acceptance as SCI
enti6o Of the formula which, even In the
face Of the rapidly spreading ~rationalism
Of the more civilized nations, still anirms
supernaturalist belief to be q universal
necessity Of the human mind.
III.
In q chapter dealing with the progress
OF free thought under ancient religions
the author points out that Of all the ancient
Asiatic systems hat OF China yields the
first clear biographical trace OF a practical
nationalist. albeit q nationalist stamped
somewhat by Chinese conservatism Con-
fucius (B. c. '65l-47s) IL q tangible person.
despite some mythic sccretions; whereas
Z~arathustra and Buddha are but doubtful
possibilities, md even the less legendary
Chinese sage Lao-rsze (said to have been
born B.. C. eo4) il elusive. MI. Robertson
holds IL to be evident that before Confucius
there had been in China a s~lackening In
religious beliefs among the governing
classes. As regards the worship OF an
ceetors, indeed, there Ia extant a record
Of a display OF disregard for It by the
lords Of Lu in Confucius's time and. ac-
cording TO Legge, the general attitude Of
Confucius himself, religious only In his
adherence TO old ceremonies, IL incom-
patible with a devout environment. II has
been disputed whether he makes a 'sceptio
denial Of any relation between man and q
living God; but the came authority Oegge)
who disputes this, complains that his
avoiding the personal name OF II, or God,
and only using the more indefinite term
Heaven" suggests "a GOODNESS OF tempera-
ment and intellect in the matter OF religion
He was, indeed, above all things a moralist
and, concerning the spirits in general. he
taught that 80 give ones self TO the duties
due to men and. while respecting spiritual
beings, to keep aloof from them, may be
called wisdom" He would never express
an opinion concerning the fate Of souls or
encourage prayer; and in his reduction OF
the old records he seems deliberately to
have eliminated NEUROLOGICAL expressions.
In the slightly earlier Lao-Tsze cold
Philosopher, the founder Of Taoism, our
author would recognize another and more
remarkable early free thinker OF a different
stamp, In some respects much less con-
sentative and Of an intellectual cast mark
eddy more original. where Confucius was
an admirer and student Of antiquity, Lao
Tsze expressly put such concern aside,
seeking a law Of life within himself in a
manner suggestive Of much Indian and
other Oriental thought. So far as our
records 90 he Is the first known philosopher
who denied that mon could form an idea
OF Deity, that being the infinite; and he
| evolved, avowedly by way Of makeshift
only, the idea Of a ~primordial and governing
reason, closely analogous to the Logos OF
later Platonism.' Mr.. Robertson goes on
TO say that: since the same idea is traCeable
in more primitive forms, alike in the Baby
lonian and Brahmanic systems, It Is argu-
able that Lao-Tsze may have derived 1t
| from n Of these sources. The problem,
however, is very obscure. In any case
his system Is ~rationalistic pantheism.
The Golden Rule, IA formulated by Con-
fucius, do not that whichrye would not have
done unto you, " ia, we are told, q condensa-
ton on his part Of doctrine he oun in the
older classics. As against Lao-Ts9e, he
maintained the practical form OF the prin-
ciple Of reciprocity. The older man, like
some later teachers, preached the rule Of
returning kindness for evil; but C~onfucius,
dealing with human nature as 1t actually Is,
argued that evil should be met by justice,
and kindness with Kindness; else the evil
were as much fostered as the good. A
regret is expressed in the book before US
that Christian writer's should keep up the
form Of condemning Confucius for a teach
ing the practice OF which is normally pos
sible, and as a matter Of fact is never trans
cended in their own Church, where the
profession Of returning good for evil merely
constitutes one OF the. great hypothesis
OF civilization. OF Mencius (B. c. 972-2so),
the greatest disciple of Confucius, We are
told that -ip his teachings the religious
element retires still further into the back
ground than in his masters; and he Is
memorable for his insistence on the re-
markable principle laid down by Confucius
that the people are born good that they
are the main part Of tho State, and that it is
the rulers fault II they go astray. More
over, Mencius, h as a sociologist excels
In our authors opinion not only Lao-Tsze
but C~onfucius, put his finger on the central
force in Chinese history when be taught
that: 1T Is only men Of education who,
without a certain livelihood, are able to
maintain a fixed heart. As to the people, IL
they have not a certain livelihood IL follows
that they will not have a fixed heart.
Lao-Tsze on his part had gone In the oppo-
site direction &c the length Of prescribing
that the people should not be instructed.
LN A. n-L- A---a. "a