World Parliament of Religions Scrapbook 003

              #003 World Parliament of Religions Scrapbook, p. 020

Imams Hanife, Shafi, Malik, and Hannbel. The
Prophet recognized the Christian and Jewish
Scriptures as the word of God, although it can-
not be proved that he had ever read them. It
has been formally decided by various fetvas that
the Koran requires belief in seven principal doc-
trines, and the confession of faith is this: "I
believe on God, on the angels, on the books, on
the prophets, on the Judgment day, on the eter-
nal decrees of God Almighty concerning both
good and evil, and on the resurrection after
death." There are many other things
which a good Moslem is expected to
believe, but these points are fundamental.
It would have been pleasant to speak here today
only of the broad field of sympathy which these
two great religions occupy in common, but it
would have been as unjust to the Moslem as to
the Christian, If I have represented his faith as
fairly as I have sought to do, he will be the first
to applaud.
The truth, spoken in love, is the only possible 
basis on which this congress can stand. We have
a common father; we are brethren; we desire to
live togetner in peace, or we should not be here;
but of all things we desire to know what is
truth, for truth alone can make us free. We are
one in our hatred of evil and in our desire for
the triumph of the kingdom of God, but we are
only partially agreed as to what is truth, or
under what banner the triumph of God's
kingdom is to be won. No true Moslem
or Christian believes these two great
religions are essentially the same, or that they
can be merged by compromise in a common
eclectic faith. We know they are mutually ex-
clusive, and it is only by a fair and honest com-
parison of differences that we can work together
for the many ends which we have in common, or 
judge of the truth in those things in which we 
differ.
     Comparative Theology Discussed.
The paper of Prof. T. B. Thiele, of Leiden
University, Germany, on "Comparative
Theology" was read by Dr. Frank Bristol, of
Chicago. A synopsis follows: 
Theology is not the same as religion, and to me 
comparative theology signifies nothing but the
comparative study of various religions in all 
their branches. Comparative theology is to be 
understood to mean what is now generally called 
the science of religions. It may be even said the
right method for the philosophical inquiry into 
religion was defined by Scheller more accu-
rately than by anyone else. Hegel even
endeavored to give a classification of
religion which it is true hits the nail
right on the head here and there, but as a whole
distinctly proves that he lacked a clear concep-
tion of the real historical development of re-
ligion. It is not even within the bounds of
possibility that a man should master all
languages to study in the vernacular the religious
records of all nations, not only recognized sacred
writings, but also those of dissenting sects and
the songs and sagas of uncivilized peoples. So
one will have to put up with translations, and
every one knows that the meaning of the
original is but poorly rendered, even by the best
translation. But if on account of these objections
the comparative study of religion were to be es-
teemed impossible the same judgment would
have to be placed upon many other sciences. Two
things must be required of the student of the 
science of religion. He must be thoroughly ac-
quainted with the present stage of the research
—he must know what has already been, and also
what questions are still unanswered; he must
have walked, though it be quick in time, about
the whole domain of his science; in short, he
must possess a general knowledge of religions.
He must then select a field of his own and probe
to the bottom of everything until he knows all
about it,and then he must try to give to it a fresh
impulse.
          Creates a Sensation.
Mrs. Ormiston-Chante of England created 
the sensation of the morning with her talk on 
"The New Religion." She stirred up laughter 
and applause at will. Some of her points were:
It may be a relief if we leave the science of relig-
ion and think of religion itself. That religion will
last which makes men most happy. We have
learned that religion is the principle of spiritual
growth. That religion which goes most bravely
into the dark corners of life is the religion of to-
day, by whatever name you call it. The religion
of the ancients dealt with those who least needed
it. The religion of today deals with those who
need it most. Out of that has grown a faith
which will not admit that God may do what I
may not do. Today we are asking what is God's
duty towards us. So I can come to him and
throw my whole being into his arms and be
sure that he will do his duty by me.
We have been listening this morning to
profound papers, and I have been thinking what
marvelous intellectual jugglers theologians are.
These papers have been mostly about words, 
but underneath it all has been poor humanity.
And we, who have been educated in the creed of
the Master, who taught no creed, feel that no re-
ligion can satisfy if it does not reach out its lov-
ing arms to every man. Today religion is calling
for art to take its place as a teacher; it is calling
for nature to take its part in the great work. It
is the deepening of all this that is to be the out-
come of these parliaments. They will mean the 
deepening of the religious feeling the world over.
I believe that this parliament will teach the the- 
ologians some courtesy which it would have been 
good if they had learned years ago. It will teach 
us all to listen in silence to what we do not ap-
prove. It will teach us that we cannot convince
an opponent by hurling an argument like a brick
bat at his head. It will make us all more relig-
ious and more liberal.
   Prize Essay on "Confucianism."
At the afternoon session the Rev. Dr. Noble
presided. The first paper presented was the
prize essay on "Confucianism," written by
Kung Hsien Ho of Shanghai, China, for which
the prize of $150 in gold was awarded by the
congress. The essay was read by William
Pipe. A synopsis follows:
The most important thing in the superior
man's learning is to fear disobeying heaven's
will. Therefore, in the Confucian religion a
most important thing is to follow the will of
heaven. The book of Yih King says that in the
changes of the world there is a great supreme
which produces two principles, and these two
principles are Yin and Yang. By supreme is meant
the spring of all activity. Our sages regard Yin
and Yang and the five elements as acting
and reacting on each other without ceasing, and
this doctrine is all important like as the hinges
of a door. The incessant production of all things
depends on this, as the tree does on the roots.
Even all human affairs and all good are depend-
ent on it. Therefore it is called the supreme,
just as we speak of the extreme points of the
earth as the north and south pole. The choicest
product of Ying Yang and the five elements in
the world is man; the rest are refuse products.
The choicest among the choice ones are the
sages and worthies, and the refuse among them
are the foolish and the bad. And as man's
body comes from the Yin and man's soul from
the Yang we cannot be perfect. This is what the
philosophers call the material nature. Although
all men have at birth a nature for goodness, still
if there is nothing to fix it, then desires arise and
passions rule and men are not far from being
like beasts. Hence, Confucius says, men's
nature is originally alike, but in practice men
become very different. The sages, knowing this,
sought to fix the nature with the principles
of moderation, uprightness, benevolence,
and righteousness. Heaven appointed rulers
and teachers, who in turn establish
worship and music to improve men's disposition 
and set up governments and penalties in order to
check men's wickedness. Nowi because the doc-
trine of the five relations is to be carried out
everywhere by all under heaven, the ruler must
be intelligent and the minister good—then the
government will be just; the father must be lov-
ing and the son filial, the elder brother friendly,
the younger brother respectful, the husband kind,
and the wife obedient—then the home will
be right; in our relations with our
friends there must be confidence, then
customs will be reformed and order
will not be difficult for the whole world, simply
because the rulers lay the foundation for it in
virtue. As to the doctrine of future life, Con-
fucianism speaks of it most minutely. As to the
great aim and broad basis of Confucianism, we
say it searches into things, it extends knowledge,
it has a sincere aim to have a right heart, a virtu-
ous life, so as to regulate the home, to govern the
nation, and to give peace to all under heaven.
In our present dynasty worship and religion have
been wisely regulated and the government is in
fine order ; noble ministers and able officers have
followed in succession down all these centuries.
That is what has caused Confucianism to be
transmitted from the oldest times until now, and 
wberein it constitutes its superiority to other re- 
ligions is that it does not encourage mysteries 
and strange things or marvels.
     Advice for Chicago's Mayor.
Advice for the Mayor of Chicago and an in-
dorsement of the establishment of Moham-
medan missions in Chicago were the features
of the address of Mrs. Eliza R. Sunderland
of Ann Arbor, Mich. Mrs. Sunderland showed
a wide scholarship and a command of vigor-
ous English that stirred the great audience to
enthusiasm. A synopsis of her address fol-
lows :
The study of religions has given us a great
body of scientific truth. Will it ever come down 
to the masses? Yes; in two directions the study
of comparative religifins will prove beneficial to 
all men and women. The study is as invaluable as 
a part of general culture. If we are to know the 
workings of the human spirit, we meet with a
great body of literature, the central idea of
the world in which humanity has given its ten-
derest thoughts and aspirations. Not only liter- 
ature but art and philosophy as well demand a 
knowledge of religious life. All great religions 
are today ethical religions. The study of com-
parative religions teaches us love to God
and love to man. Let him who would 
elevate the world by morality put behind it
the motive power of religion; let him who would
build a religious temple make the corner-stone of
morality. We need to study religions so that we
may classify them. What right have I to say
that my religion is the best until I have studied
the others? A few weeks ago the nations smiled
at the newspaper paragraph which said that the
Mohammedans were to establish a temple in New
York. People seemed to think that we were so
much superior to the Mohammedans both in
morality and religion that it was preposterous
for them to come over and preach to us. Are you
sure that the Mohammedans have nothing to give
us? There are two great evils which Christen-
dom has been unable to meet—the drink habit
and the gambling habit. Mohammedanism is the
greatest total abstinence society in the world.
The Mohammedans will not allow the testimony
of a gambler in the courts. I think it would be
a good thing if the Mohammedans would begin a
campaign right here in Chicago and Mayor Har-
rison should instruct his policemen not to arrest
them for blockading the streets even though 
they should preach their doctrines in the saloon 
quarters. I am a Christian, but I want to know
what my religion means. I meet an army of dif-
feront sects all claiming to come from the same
Christian source. The only thing for us to do is
to follow the stream back, locate all the tributa-
ries, and find out how we came by our differences.
The glory of Christianity is that it can change
its conditions to suit the growing civilizations.
It is the one religion which preaches an ideal of
universal fatherhood and universal brotherhood
     Study of the World's Religions.
The Rev. Father Riordan was introduced
and read the last paper of the day, the essay
submitted by Mgr. C. D'Harlez of Louvain
University on "The Comparative Study of
the World's Religions." Among other things
he said:
The comparative history of religions on the
minds of its originators was to be the exposition
of all the vicissitudes of human thought, imag-
ination, and, to say the real word, folly.
It was to be Darwinian evolution ap-
plied to religious conditions that were gen¬
erally held as coming from God. Naturally
then a large number of the enlightened faithful,
some of them eminent minds, seeing only evil 
and danger in the new science, wished to see its 
study interdicted and to prevent the creation of 
chairs in our universities from which it might be 
taught. Today the most timid Christian, be he
ever so little in touch with the circumstances of
the times, no longer dreads in the least the chi- 
merical monsters pictured to his imagination at
the dawn of these new studies and follows
with as much interest as he formerly
feared the researches, the discoveries,
which the savants lay before him.
Religion is not a creation of the mind of man,
still less of a wandering imagination deceived by
phantoms. There is no people without religion,
how low soever it may be in the scale of civiliza-
tion. If there be any in whom the religious idea
seems extinct, though this cannot be certainly
shown, it is because their intelligence has come
to that degree of degredation in which it has no
longer anything human save the capacity of be-
ing lifted to something higher. Religious senti-
ments and concepts are innate in man,
they enter into the constitution of his
nature which itself comes from its author.
Are some of our brethren in error? If they are
sincere let us pity them, love them with our
whole heart. If they are not—if they resist con-
science—let us pity them yet more, let us strive 
to enlighten them, but by efforts which spring
from the heart and go straight to the soul. The
heart once gained, the last redoubt of the fortress 
of the soul is captured. Let truth, love, the
service of our common Master and Father who
is in Heaven be our common good, whilst we
hope that one day may be realized the words of
the divine teacher of men, that the earth will
have but one tongue to praise its creator and but 
one sheep-fold, where its children will find them- 
selves bound together in a union of thought as 
well as of heart. 
      Princes Speak in the Evening. 
Royalty prevailed at the evening session.
Two Princes of the blood royal, one from the
great Empire of the Czar, the other from the
land of the white elephant, commanded the
attention of the great audience that filled the
Hall of Columbus. The royal orators were
his Royal Highness Prince Chandradat Chud-
hadharn of Siam and Prince Serge Wolkonsky
of Russia. "Buddhism " was the subject upon
which the Siamese Prince based his discourse.
He said in substance:
Buddhisin as it exists in Siam teaches that all
things in the universe are made up from the
dharma, a sanscript meaning the essence of nat-
ure. The dharma presents the three following
phenomena, which generally exist in every be-
ing: The accomplishment of eternal evolution,
sorrow, and suffering according to human ideas,
a separate power, uncontrollable by the desire of
man and not belonging to man. The dharma is
formed of two essences, one known as matter,
the other as spirit. These essences exist for
eternity; they are without beginning and without
end; the one represents the world and the cor-
poreal parts of the man and the other the mind
of man. The three phenomena com-
bined are the factors for molding
forms and creating sensations. To all things
alike, whether superior or inferior to ourselves,
death is the suffering. The only means by which
we are able to free ourselves from suffering and
death is to possess a perfect knowledge of
dharma and to realize by will and act that nat-
ure is only obtainable by adhering to the pre-
cepts given us by Lord Buddha in the four noble
truths. One should cease all heavy longing for
personal happiness and remember that one life is
as hollow as the other and that all is transitory,
sad, and funereal. The true Buddist does not
mar the purity of his self-denial by lusting after
a positive happiness which he himself shall en-
joy here or hereafter. The first noble truth of
Buddha is suffering; it arises from birth, old age,
illness, sorrow, death, separation from what is
love, association with what is hateful, and in
short the very idea of self is spirit
and matter which constitute the dharma.
When poverty, accident, or misfortune befalls
man the Buddhist is taught to bear it with
patience, and if these are brought on by him-
self it is his duty to discover their cause and try
if possible to remedy them. If the causes, how-
ever, are not to be found here in this life he must
account for them by the wrongs done in his for-
mer existence. Temperance is enjoined upon all
Buddhists, for the reasons that the habit of using
intoxicating things tends to lower the mind to
the level of that of an idiot, a madman, or an evil
spirit.
In a masterly manner Prince Wolkonsky
discussed the "Social Aspects of Religion."
He spoke of the effect of religion for good in 
his own country, of improved social and moral