Conservative.
WINTER'S LAUGHTER.
The sleighbells arc the Winter's laughter
That through the veiling snow cornea flowing
When flakes are hither , thither blowing
Like airy sprites in all ways going
Blown on by winds that follow after.
It ripples with a mirth beguiling ,
With gladness in its joyous greeting ,
Fair , bygono'momories repeating ,
To hearts grown old in time's swift fleeting ,
Till sad , grave lips unbend in smiling ,
And with the sound of light hoofs prancing ,
The laughter all its joy is flinging
Now here , now there , in strains of singing ,
Till quick , young feet are gaily springing
And roguish eyes with glee are ( lancing.
It ripples with a sweet intoning
Across the snowdrifts' ghostly trailing
And sends its merry challenge hailing
The voices of the Old Year's wailing ,
And mocks their soft and plaintive moaning.
The frozen forest waits and listens
To catch the laughter , pealing , shaking
In trills , the sleeping trees awaking ,
Till crystals from the branches breaking
Fall ringing where the ice stream glistens.
O sleigh-bells are the joy-bolls swelling ,
When roadsides are with jewels twinkling ,
To rise and fall in chime and tinkling ,
Their showered tones of music sprinkling ,
With Winter's laughter through them welling 1
MARY FRENCH MOKTON.
MINISTER , WU TALKS UPON CON
FUCIANISM.
Mr. Wu Ting Fang , the Ohinese
minister to the United States , last San-
day morning addressed the ethical
society of Philadelphia at Carnegie
Hall upon , "The Teachings of Con
fucius. "
Just now when there is so much talk
about expansion and the extention of our
religion as well as commerce to the
Orientals , it is interesting to note how
the intelligent classes , among the
objects of our unsought philanthropy ,
view our benevolence , and how
they would compare their philosophy
and our religion. THE CONSERVATIVE
doubts if the diplomatic representatives
at "Washington , of the Christian powers
could express sentiments more helpful
to right living than the following from
Mr. Wu , a devotee of heathen philoso
phy :
"In the strictest sense of the word
Confucianism is not a religion. It is
not a system of doctrine and worship.
It is perhaps easier to say what Con
fucianism is not than what it is.
"The immortality of the soul is a
beautiful doctrine , I admit. I wish it
were true , and I hope it is true. But all
the reasoning of Plato cannot make it
more than a strong probability. And
all the light of modern science has not
brought us one step further. Now ,
Confucius would be called an agnostic
if he were alive today. There were four
things that he would not talk about
extraordinary things , feats of strength ,
disorder and spiritual being.
11 'How are we to serve spiritual
beings ? ' he asked. 'When you do not
know how to serve men , how should
you hope to serve spirits ? ' he replied.
"Horace Qreeley said that those who
discharge promptly and faithfully their
duty to those who linger in the flesh
have but little time to peer in the
affairs of those who have passed away.
Confucius was intensely human and
practical. He did not spend time specu
lating as to what will happen after
death. "
L.OVO Tour Enemies.
The minister then compared the prac
tical teachings of Confucius with those
of Christ. He read a passage from the
New Testament declaring that evil be
hot resisted with evil , and that if a
man smite you on one cheek you should
turn the other cheek. Of this doctrine
Mr. Wu said :
"This , it seems to me , is meekness
with a vengeance. I am inclined to
think that no sensible man has ever
followed this injunction faithfully. A
man who will smite on the cheek is a
dangerous man and needs no second in
vitation. A man who will take your
coat is a thief and would doubtless take
your cloak , too , if he could lay his
hands on it.
" 'Love your enemies. ' Such a stand
ard of excellence is too high for hu
manity. There is no likelihood that
many people will follow it. At this
very moment Christian missionaries are
calling for bloodshed and vengeance ,
and Christian armies are devastating
the land , sparing neither age nor sex.
There is , indeed , a vast gulf between
doctrine and performance. Could you
love one who had killed your father or
destroyed your home ? Confucianism
does not require such a thing. It en
joins that kindness be requited with
kindness , and an injury with justice.
It does not sanction retaliation in a
vindictive spirit , such as , I regret to
say , is shown by some persons profess
ing to be governed by the tenets of
Christianity.
"The most striking instance in which
the teachings of Confucius and of
Christ meet is the golden rule. Con
fucius puts it negatively , to be sure.
'Do not do to others what yon would not
wish them to do to you , ' but anyone
who will follow that rule either way
it is phrased , will be a thoroughly good
man.
"A good Christian is a good Confu
cian and a good Confucian is a good
Christian. I do not believe that Heaven
is an exclusive place. The advocates
of various religions are all trying to
make a private park of it for their own
adherents. Whatever Heaven may be ,
I believe it is a place for all good men ,
irrespective of dogma.
"The Ohinese are eminently practical.
Confucius did not run away from the
world , but did his duty in it. He
teaches men to do good for the sake of
good and not for any promise of re
ward or through any threat of punish
ment. The world is gradually coming
to Confucius. One of the signs is the
growth of agnosticism. I will not say
whether we are growing more callous
or more civilized , but they are not ter
rified when the terrors of the next
world are proclaimed from the pulpit. "
OL.lt FRIENDS.
* There are other things in the news
papers besides reports of railroad acci
dents and police-court doings. Occas
ionally one runs upon the continuation
of a story begun long before.
In a nice little tale by Mr. Barrie , now
nearly ten years old , called "When a
Man's Single , " dealing largely with
literary life in London , one character
relates how he is haunted by a particular
piece of work of his own. This is a
story about a stick that bred a disease
in the owner's hand , owing to his press
ing so heavily on its handle. He got
the story of a friend from the country ,
touched it up a little , and made half a-
guinea out of it. Having once put it in
circulation , he never could get rid of it ,
though it was not much of a story and
he was soon weary of it. First the
London correspondents telegraphed it
over the world as an occurrence to a
cabinet minister ; then the Paris papers
told it of Gladstone ; then it came back
to London with Thiers' name attache d.
Then an American introduced it in a
lecture , and showed the stick ; then it
came from the Alps as something that
had happened to a well-known guide.
Since then he had heard from it in
Melbourne and Arkansas , seen it in two
biographies and noted with regret its
growing popularity as a club story. So
he wished his rural friend had smothered
it before it was born.
Having this grievous complaint in
one's mind , it was gratifying to read , in
October , 1898 , in an article from the
Pittsburg Leader , the following : "Wil
liam Michaels , of Armstrong county ,
Pa. , recently returned from New York ,
where he has spent several months re
ceiving treatment for a very remarkable
disease. Mr. Michaels has for years had
a habit of using an umbrella as a walk
ing stick at all times and places. The
constant pressure of the handle upon
the ball of the thumb finally caused a
diseased condition but rarely recognized
by the medical profession. " In fact
there is a half column about it , winding
up with the amputation of Mr. Michael's
arm. It is to be hoped that some friend
brought this too to Mr. Barrio's notice.
Again , an incident reported in the
public prints last August brought forci
bly to mind Little Billee's ambition for
his married life with Trilby , the ever
fair. "I must have her back , " said Little
Billee , among many other things , on
page 202 ; "I can't live without her ; we
were to have lived together at Barbizon
all our lives and I was to have
painted stunning pictures like those
other fellows there. Who cares for their
\