Intellectual enlightenment, You say that the exchunue of perishable commurdities is cess y and valuable how much more sv is the interchange of imperishable ideas between nations? Also you nak can ithe sharon that the missionary enterprise in China is an intellectual movement and that the missionaries are, by connecting the higher enrvents of thought, Uuus bringing the east aul west closer Nowallowmeto urgeuponyou to ask youre self conscientiously whether in China the improved astronomy of this age with the ress of science began with the missi rities or nor Commercial intercourse is for profit, Missionary agency leads the heart, to higher morality. Do not missions then tend to bring the east and west closer together? Tusk you in your conscience, is it nots?
You state that it is unscientific to assert the standing still of the sun and moon at the bidding of the Hebrew general Jushua, and that this ought not to be taught, Riy this T answer that times resemble exch other in a remarkable way and events repent themselves marvellously in the east and in the west. Thus Lu Yang-kung fought: with the army of Han. When the cun was far towards evening he held " spear aloft and waved it towards the sun, Lhe sun went buck three sigus.* Also it very frequently happens as an astronomical fact that the thickens and the Jight of the evening sun returns. Hew much more will auch things happen if we remember that the purpose and meaning of the cts of a sovereign ruler are often not known to the ordi" nary people? The astronomy of the past may be called in question by the observer of to-day, and how do we know that to-day's astronomy will not be questioned in the same way by the observer of the future? Laws underlie all events and records have their own intention, If we do nct lift those laws to view and fail to detect that intention we just deceive ourselves and confuse our ideaa. Ancient books and histories relate events and principles, The events are thuse of the age referred to. Howcan they conflict with the understanding of this ge? Moral law isin the mind. Itis concerned with that This remarkable passage is in Hwainantsz on the second page of the 6th chapter. The incident is one of many examples adduced by the original author to show that wind, rain, snow and thunder are under providential control, and that heaven always assists the ideal Taoist. Hwainantsz died B.C. 122. Translator.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.