A Clever Sermon.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 177, 2 August 1888, Page 3

A Clever Sermon.

A Wellington journal is givitg a series of sermons from “ other pulpits,” ltd the first is a clever one devoted to the Celratials, but with a subtle meaning running through it that it takes some thought to canprehend. The writer goes on in this strain — The Celestial can ko-tow to 'is joss in a palace or a hovel. The smell of incense

overpowered that of the adjtcnt manure heap-, the noise of prayer drovned that of the neighbors throwing stones on the roof, the genuflections and varied posture of adoration proved that the hunble growers of “greens” were ardent in iheir worship. At last the Bonze, the Revered Mr Ah Prig, ascended the pulpit of empy apple cases and gave out that glorious hynn—- “ Ching Chong Chinanin Washed his head in a tying pan.” While this was being sung bjthe devotees, I marked Mr Ah Prig balanoiij himself firmly on his anything but solid pupit, with an expression on his face which mght denote either that he was contemplating frging some natualisation papers, whether hicould palm off a bad shilling on Deacon Too lute, or pondering over the fact that it waaiecoming risky to smuggle cigars. Tho holy mlo of the Evangelists beamed over his brot as he announced his text, that beautiful verse,rotn the Precepts of Koong-fu-tze (whom weJaa qui, or foreign devils, misname Confucius) “ Me No Savee.” As he spoke in Chinese andrather rapidly, I was unable to catch everytHng he said, more especially as he used the di.leet of the Pekoe district, while I was only fltnnt in that of DamLie ; so he kindly repeated a portion of his address tome afterwards in pigeon English as followsAh, you muffiee baddee Chinamen, you no gib me as nuchee as top-side galow ob bojv.wqw, ohowohow, lee-ohee an' allee oder nice tings; wiy, 'me no savee.' Dlagon will coma ehop-ihop, takes yo soul sway to de hot place, aai Buddha askee me why you go, an’ I say dem coolies no gibbee opium to me, an' no kowtow to der ai.c-.-,t ora and I ask him why, an’ Buddha he say. 'Me no savee.’ Den you say to ma ‘lf no catohee, how can habbee; if nv” &li Lsa, how can gibbee? I laugh and Isa”-'°i' Me no savee.’ w en y 0 play game fe-' lan for leatle cash an’ Defective Clistal c-^ aee y? and puttee yo on yo handcuff 7*5 po Py° 1” jaffisa and dan Clistal go an see the Mandarin

ranVn W t 'J UP ' IjOO , “ Uoh eash i an ’ he no K Un >’?iT lanisann ’ an yo ael<ee wI V no, me say back Me no savee. - If two women oalTee eaohee eaohee names in de stleetee de bobbee Hnn!e n'f l" “ Way t 0 ChO,CGe ' but ho Usten t° de House of Representatives callee eaohee eachse : a a v T e S ; h rl ™ ™ tbem , - -why -me no J f _ Chmaman ’teal one pennv. twn thing else, he get walkee off to chokee ; but white man 'teal banana from Harbor Board shed, and he no took up. Why, “me no savee ” Now, the white man who hab got this fine countlee by swindling the blown man say we yellow man shall no lib here because the land am hire’s; so many of him dlink, lazy, 'teal, go jail; why he keepee us out who wantee woke hard and lib peaceably allee samee as good white man. “Me no savee.” Him big fool allee same. An’ now blethren we passee plate for um collection ; if no thlee ponn' there pay Levelend Ah Prig him wages, callee down Dlagon he eatee you up, he gleat hungry dlagon, den you no will say more “ Me no savee.” The congregation, thrilled by his spirit stirring appeals, rattle the cash into the dates till they were so filled that they could lold no mo e ; and I sauntered home wishing that my lodging house keeper, to whom! owe four months rent, would fill my plates that day at dinner, till I o 'uld hold no more. Then I reflected on the late solemn scene, and saw again the descendants of Mongol and of Mantchu bending before the unseen, the unreasonable, the ineffable ; and I wondered whether, in spite of the cruelties of bigots, and the juggleries of charlatans, true religion did not rather consist in obedience to the golden rule of Buddha, and of that greater One. But I who have b-en present at the religious festivals of all sorts and conditions of men, who after the manner of men, have run away from beasts at Ephesus ; who have sat by the side of the King of Dahomey when celebrating his annual “Customs”; who carried the bddacohino under which the Tzar was crowned at Moscow; who was present at the last great Obeah festival among the negroes of Jamaica ; who led the Salvation Army through the hasnars of Benares, and banged the big drum under the windows of the Blenheim banker ; who as Ah Sintyche Hadji have performed the pilgrimmage to Mecca; I feel that these overwhelming subjects are too serious to discuss here, that where men and women have willingly died for every religious fad invented, it becomes not the jester to intrude. Let me conclude with the first lines of Pope's “ Universal Prayer.” “ Father of all ! in ev'ry age In every olime ador’d, By saint, by savage, and by sage, Jehovah, Jove, or Lord,”