The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1913-10-04
is Not Worship but Merely a
System of Ethics.
IsIamism Is an observation-disclosures In
Republic Are Very Numerous ana
Oevout-Faith in Their Be-
lief Is Strong In Them.

I
of the Chinese are ConfuclaIls's.
They follow the ethical teachings OIL
Confucius, the great sage OF 'hIl"'
who lived from 500 to 4I' b. l. lue
doctrine of Confucius deals Win man
relations to man, and not with MS
relations or responsibilities to God. IL
can therefore not be considered re
ligion. but a system of ethics. Inc
true followers Of Confusius can prop
erlv he said to be irreligious, using
the word in its best sense.
Besides the doctrines OF the sage
most Coufucianists have religious no
tions, borrowed either from the buuu'
hist or Taoist religions, or from Dolh.
These religious notions DO not lenu
to become convictions influencing the
lives Of the believers nor TO blhu lheni
together in religious communities,
Worship, with the great majority OF
the Chinese, is an individual matter
One does not see people gather 'o-
gether in the temples for ensempie
Worship. This condition of affairs &C
counts in part for the strange manner
ence which the Chinese show to"aru
their own religious systems lhere
| are very few fervent Confuslanlsts'
Taoists or Buddhists. The vast ma
jority of the Chinese do not take rellg-
ion seriously.
In this respect the Chinese Moham-
medans present a striking contrast 10
the rest of their fellow countrymen'
Executing the Christians they seem 10
be the only Chinese who are conscious
of having a religion and whose lives
are shaped by religious convictions
They stand more or less apart ano
aloof from the rest Of the Chinese
Firm In their conviction that they
alone know the true God they desplse
their idol worshipers. Many Chinese
especially those who have been ecu
Gated. are ashamed to admit that they
have any religious convictions.
The Mohammedans, on the contrary
affirm with pride their adherence u
the doctrines of the prophet. An Amer
lean professor in the Chinese govern
ment university tells Of an inclden
which illustrates the frank and cour
ageous way in which the Chinese Nc
hammedans profess their faith. IN
professor In question was conductin
: a recitation in western history. IN
topic of the day was the rise an
spread OF Islam. The professor aske
J one OF the students to state the Leaf
] ing features of the Mohammedann n
t ligion. The student made good rec
3 tation and enumerated the elements
t strength in the Islamic faith.
+ The professor then asked the ST.
+ dent to point out some OF the faul'
and weaknesses OF this religion. tn
d student answered firmly but respec
@ fully, 81 know of none: | am Mohar
medan." Needless to say the prote
. sor marked the recitation perfect.
the same class Of fifty students II
Mohammedan was the only one WI
was willing to admit that he had al
:, religious convictions. The hdellty
the Chinese Moslems to their religit
- and the proud and manly way In whi'
:. they profess their faith are refresnli
:. TO any one familiar with the indint
ence and callousness which the ave
>. age Chinese manifests towards
m things spiritual.
Mohammedanism in China dat
from the year 757 A. D., when the e
n. peror Hsuan Tsung Of the Tang dyn'
"A ty invited 1000 Arabs TO come to |
"A assistance in a war against the Turl
% BY the assistance Of the Arabs the e
"a peror was able to recover his two ca
tails Sianfu and Honanfu, and to dri
the enemy back to their home on
northwest frontier The Arab troo
DIS who had probably come from sol
~ garrison on the frontier OF Turkest;
Ill, never returned home, but remainn
ed in China, settling at Sianfu. wh'
at thew married Chinese wives and II
In became the nucleus OF Mohammed
ire ism In China. This Mohammedan
Is: ony not only maintained itself,
he grew rapidly and became the par
in Of other Nohammedan colonies
ats western China.
IT. These colonists we're greatly
creased after the conquests OF Jeng
Khan had opened up highway
tween the east and the west. His s
ing cessors Ogotai and Kublai Khan W
re, probably the most tolerant rulers
for their age. During their reigns a n