China in the Early Ages.

Hastings Standard, Issue 37, 9 June 1896, Page 2

China in the Early Ages.

LECTURE BY REV. CHEOIv CHEONG. A well filled house greeted the Rev. Cbeok Cheong last evening in the St. Ma+thew's Hall, to hear his lecture on " China in the Early Ages." Archdeacon Williams presided, and the Rev. Mr liobbs briefly introduced the lecturer. Mr Cheong, has a certain intellectuality which arrests attention, and though he does not pose as an orator, his command of our language might be envied by many an English public speaker. During his address he never once betrayed a peculiarity of accent and he held his audience interested throughout. He said there were 46,000 Chinese in Australia, 40,000 of whom were still unchristianised. The object of his mission was to obtain funds in order to train some of the more intellectual of his race in the missionary work and send them amongst their fellow countrymen in the colonies to spread the Christian doctrine. The lecturer in the course of a closely argued discourse maintained the Chinese were not the stereotyped unprogressive race it was the custom to describe them. The Chinese Empire was founded back in the mists of ages. She had seen the proud empires of Greece and Rome boom, flourish, and totter to decay, and to-day she stood alone, strong and compact, the only survivor of the ancient empires. He attributed this to the lofty moral code governing his ancestors in their relations towards one another inculcated by the early philosophers and which prevented liis people from drifting into the excesses of lust and ambition which hurried the other nations to their ruin.

The lecturer rapidly traced the history of his country under the various dynasties from the earliest times, dwelling upon the pure unselfish teachings of the advanced thinkers of the various ages and there effort in raising 4he nation to an almost ideal standard of civilisation. The teachings of Confucius urge many things in common with the Bible, notably rectitude in dealings with fidelity, sell abrogation, love of others, and purity of thought and action. China had withstood Western intrigues and treachery, and in spite of the prophecies of her downfall she stood at the present moment a vast power amongst the nations. Mr Cheong in his lecture did much to dispel the prejudices and illusions which exist in regard to Chinese history, and, as he pointed out, it only required the light of Christianity to raise the nation to the highest pinnacle of civilisation.

Mr Hobbs, in moving a vote of thanks, th#ught that the white man in the colonies had to compete with the Chinese in character rather than in wages. The Chinese were respectable and hardworking, consequently several people preferred dealing with them than with the more easy going and brusque Europeans. He did not think in this age of the world the Chinese or anyone else should be prevented from settling wherever they pleased.

A collection was taken as the audience left, and a good sum was collected in furtherance x>f Mr Cheong's mission.