Page:The Chinese Repository - Volume 01.djvu/91

1831. mont. '—"How laughable!" exclaims Mr. Barrow in satire.—What is there laughable, in rational men's managing their affairs by a general council? The fact is, we fear, that a great deal of the enmity of visitors to the Islands of the Pacific, arises from the inhabitants being no longer the silly dupes of the covetous, and the licentious.

Shing-shoo jih-ko, tsoo-heo peen-yung;—Scripture lessons for schools.

A second edition of this most excellent compendium of Sacred Scripture, has recently appeared in Canton. The blocks for this work were cut, and a small number of copies struck off, last year; the expenses of which (about $500) were defrayed by the subscriptions of several English and American residents; this second edition has been published at the expense of the British and Foreign School Society.

The work is in 3 volumes, octavo; averaging something more than 200 pages, or 100 leaves as the Chinese reckon, per volume; and is executed in the style of the Chinese classics. Several sets of the work have been distributed in and about Canton; some have gone to the north of China; a quantity of them, were put into the hands of Mr. Gutzlaff for Japan and that neighbourhood; and small parcels of them, have or will soon, be sent to Batavia, Siam, Burmah, and other places, where demands for them have been made.

Heun-nen San-tsze-king: Ma-teen Neang-neang choo;—"A three character classic for girls; by Miss. Martin."

We hail with much pleasure, the appearance of this little work;—the first book, so far as we know, ever written liy a Christian lady in the Chinese character. Educated Chinese ladies, who appear more few and seldom than even angels' visits, sometimes write ditties and love songs. But "woman is incapable either of evil or good; if she does ill she is not a woman; if she does good she is not a woman; virtue or vice cannot belong to woman;" these and other similar dogmas of the ancient wise men of China, have blighted and degraded, for a long succession of ages, the fairest half of this Empire.

The Scriptures inform us of certain persons, who, because they received the word of God with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, were more noble than those who did not thus obey the gospel. Honorable women which were Greeks, are spoken of in the same connection; and are, no doubt, accounted thus hon- Mr. Barrow is rather a clever man, and being secretary to the Admiralty, it was a point of honor with him, to defend the two naval Captains against the Missionaries. He is, moreover, one of those "able writers," who abound in the present day, who labour, not from love to facts or principles, but for the love of pay; who supply the great Book manufacturers with their material; who must consider as of greatest importance in all they write, what will sell best. The boasted public Press is, we fear, very generally mercenary; and the beverage supplied is more analogous to "drams," than to good water, and the pure blood of the grape.