The Chinese Recorder and Missionary Journal, March, 1899. Shangiai. American Presbyterian Mission Press.
It has been remarked of the thorough critic who was practically the founder of the Atheneum, that he made such references in order to criticise " new book, that he generally ended by knowing more about the subject than the author. Never having been through India we find it impossible to adequately criticise Mr. MeGillivray's ar ide on "China and India Compared," which forms the first contribution to this month's Recorder; and as there are palpable hindrances in the way of such a trip for gauging purposes, we will content ourselves with pointing out some of the main features of the comparison. 'The first striking inet noted is the vast variety of races and languages to be found within the bounds' of India.. Reference is made to the fact that in a popular manual of the Christian Vernacular Suciety 157 Native States are described, and "there ure said to he over two hundred, nut counting those entirely under British rule. This exceeds the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces of King Ahasuerus, and babel of spoken languages. The University of Calcutta names twenty different lanzuages for which it sets papers at its culation. When Queen Victoria was proclaimed "Empress of India, the decree ran in more languages than the decrees of King Nebuchadnezzar, for there are one hundred and forty-two non-Aryan tongues chief Aryan vernaculars." In Chin: ever we have a homogeneous ra stantially the sumo in dress, laws, custom and civilisation. Chen as to her long mandarin is the speech in teen out of the el ices, whilst one written long ed everywhere. ting contrast is made in connection with he numbers of 14 into pleasing minence the altruisun of the British gov ment in India as against the destructi forces which are allowed to operate China.
As is to be expected the subject of caste crops up in various eunnections. Although railways and waterworks cannot altogether he arranged to suit the ideas of caste, we find for instance, that im some' cities, the hydrants have four spouts. Across the threshold of the Kitchen of the foreigners in India no foreign cooking stove has been allowed to pass by the tyrant who is the pre genius. And by the way, on the sub of food there are some interesting com parisons. In Indin it seems that excessive reverence fur life makes the inhabitants vegetarians. The Chinese, however, are such only "because they cannot afford to eat pork three times a day, though a time of drought will drive them to make tem porary concession to Buddhism by an osten: tations fast. Wheat, rice, and miller are the staple food-grains, but unlike the Chinese the Hindoos are very fond of milk and butter in various forms. A sea of glass in heaven does not appeal to his imamination, but to the Hindu" it would not be heaven butter. When we with his fingers we immediately rte him lower the Chinese with their chopsticks, the Hindoo's brightly polished dish indeed he always carries about with is more inviting than the dubious earthen: ware of the Chinese The ascetic practices of the Hindoos and the necessary expuryation of sacred books before appearing in English dress, are ref-red to; but on the subject of differences in we had het-er from Mr. McGillivray: "The Hind practising more elaborate rites than ever Jewish laws required. He bathes, recites mantras, paints his forehead with caste marks, sometimes becomes a fakir, and is always a fanatic. The Chinese, on the other hand, is stolid and materialistic, without the most rudimentary idea of logie, simple and perfunctory in his religious observances, his commercial instincts colouring his religious views, The Hindoo worships the cow; the Chinese works her. 'The Hindoo worships his rivers; the Chinese makes his the channels of commerce and irrigators of his fields. the Hindoo widow longs for sulted; the Chinese widow is supremely virtuous if she remain unmarried.'
Tu these days of many mngazinos, new books, and accessibility to the thoughts of great men few will take time to read Recorder sermons, but those who take time to read the Rer, G.'T. Candlin's Or. dination Charge," the second contribution, will be amply rewarded. The preacher's high purpose, his careful scholarship, his desire to search for whut is worthy of appreciation rather than what deserves depreciation is apparent all through; but possibly to general readers the most interesting parts will be the occasional asides, as for instance his reference on page 120 to the four-faced sphinx-like problem, we have in the Chinese people, their language, their literature, and their religions," My brethren here will tell you toa man," he says, that your estimate of the Chinese people will change, radically, at least ones every decade of your' residence in and it will never be final. A chnracteristic bouk on Chinese Characterist has, I incline to think, left out their chief chatacteristie,—a marvellous suppleness and subtlety of nature which defies one penetration, and by virtue of which any theory ay formulate will be cone fronted with adverse facts. You can mako any statement you like about the Chinese there will be ground for it, there will also be evidence against it, Not missionaries alone, but ministers, and consuls, and merchants are, at least as much, at " loss."
Tue educational and review departments are of special interest, but we have only space to note the significance of some of the statistics published in this number, On page 136 are some figures showing the results of the work f the Protestant missions in Shantun; the number of com. municants being 13,362 a' 31st December, Pages 144 and 145 give statistics for all China, the number of communicants being put down at 80,68:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.