To the Editor of the Noxra-Curxa Dalny News, Sim,—In your issue of Juno 23rd there appeared an account of a mooting recently held in Tientsin, at which the Rev. Dr. A.
son of Chiefoo kindly read his interesting paper on "The Provide preparation in China for the introduction of Christianity." Your correspondent, ly mistaken the views of the who ventured to criticiee the teachings of the paper, and has therefore, though I believe nintentionally, given a very erroneous statement of those views. By your permission, Sir, I should like to prevent a fow considerations which ill tond perhaps to correct that error, and do again what lias often been done before, viz, shed a little light on the dai respecting Missionary views and sims, which some of our esteemed ighbours And firat, let me quote the words of your correspondent in which he summonses the supposed sentiments of the Missionaries who took part in the discussion on the above mentioned paper. "They,"—i.e, the Missionaries—"'insiat on a tabwa rasa of all existing beliefs and practices among the Chinese, while he—i.e. Dr. Williamson—would take these as finds them as the starting points of his religious teaching.
This, Sir, is a remarkable statement, and sentiments the ro Dr. Williamson referred to the Shang Ti of the Chinese Classics, as indicative of the knowledge of the true God among the Chinese, and therefore osone of the providential preparations for the introduction of Christianity. of the Missionaries who were present at the meding, if not all, thoroughly agreed with the Doctor on this point, and often make of the knowledge in their daily preaching and otherwise; and one of them very distinctly acknowledged in the meeting, this agreement with the reader of the Pal Then, reference was made in the paper to the widespread belief in the Lau-tien-ye or Tien-lay-ye, among the Chinese, and as this Law is no other than the true Goa, the Shang Ti, according to the Doctor's opinion, this too was deemed preparation for our work as Christian Missionaries. Here also, the Missionaries who at the meeting shewed clearly that the was © measure of agroomen them and the Doctor, but with equal el ness and emphasis they expressed th isagreomont with him, as to the attributes people commonly as-ien-ye, and therefore as that I am right in Tientsin Mi brethren elsewhere, use this term freely have used it for nearly lone s0 gladly. 1 for the belief bol. But th in their opinion that the people do not ascribe to the Lau the lofty attributes which Dr. Williamson was understood to say they dic Similar remarks are applicable to the mission of the other points presented in the paper. The divergence of opinion Detween the Missionaries and the Doctor on those points was chiefly on the value to ko attached to them as preparations for the propagation of Chri On almost every one views were held to be exaggerative, but that is surely very different from insisting on a tabula rasa ete."
Nay, Mr. Editor, the Missionaries do not on a tabula rasa of all oxieting nd_ practices among the Chinese," but they do insist on the necessity of obliterating some of their beliefs and practices, and of correcting and purifying and enlarging others. In this your correspond. ent, 1 guess, will agree with them. The Missionaries, jove, are second to no daas of foreigners in China, ciation of the good there is literature and among ti possibly th forms of t igning among this great people, than most other foreigners in the cotintry; hence, the Misionary's efforts to extirpate the evil may be deemed by some "a waste of energy, and their Iabours to promote the good be all but wholly unrecognized. Nevertheless the irrational exaggerations of the Chinese doctrine of filial duty must go, as table idolatry, though duty of reverencing and parents, and of respec! and superiors, and supernatural, we trust, Uheir faint and feeble doct purified, ged; and the Mis-ned,
sionaries are striving in various ways to do this, The advantages of the Chinese doctrine of filial duty to the propagation of Christianity are doubtful, but its disadvantages are serious and humorous.. But in aiming al jing for destruction of thie tenet, the Missionaries do not "insist on a tabuila rasa of all existing beliefs and practices" among the people, though they and they labour for this more id. distinctive faith, than by direct attacks on the imperfect, and the corrupt, and the false, which they too well know abound in this empire. And those Yerites are presented, not og philosophical, ical, ideas to be admired and adopted, when, and as far as convenient to their admirers, but as laws and principl And though the Missiouari Tientain or elsewhere in China, insist on a tabula rasa of all existing belli and practices among the Chinese, as the starting points of their religious teaching," yet they know ini the part of Chinese is illes to the Christian rel the obliteration of many, though not of all, their existing beliefs and practices,—and will purify, strengthen, enable, and make everlasting, all that is and good and worthy in riem, Hones the remark our correspondent about " the waste of in trying to break down which as well be left standing," is, in no special senso applicable to our Missionary operations in China.
Tam, Tientein, Yours, etc), Evan Bayaxt,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.