XVI

WHAT OUGHT TO BE DONE WITH THE TEMPLE BUILDINGS?

nPHERE is little doubt but that at present, if X missionaries chose to act as missionaries did in Russia, when the Emperor and his people were, if memory serves, baptized together en masse in the rivers, or as missionaries acted in the early Apostolic days, they would be baptising thousands now, where they are baptising tens. The wisdom of their forbearance may be unquestionable. Times are different now, people also are different. Some Chinese are desirous to be enrolled as Christians doubtless from the highest of motives, others possibly for reasons of different degrees of holiness, or weight, till one comes down to that most miserable of all wish for help in a lawsuit. It seems high time to consider what is intended to be done in the event of the Chinese becoming as a nation Christians, with regard to a matter of considerable importance, whether looked at from the artistic standpoint, the antiquarian, the sanitary, or the religious.

Whenever the great ingathering comes, what do the more cultured amongst the missionaries, those who have had the advantage of an university education, purpose to do with those oases among the great waste of sameness of Chinese life the Buddhist and Taoist temples and the wayside shrines, that not only decorate so many of the most picturesque retreats in China, but also recall a higher life than the merely material? Many of these temples are exceedingly beautiful architecturally, dating from ancient days, they are also as a rule the guardians of trees at least as beautiful, indeed are not rarely surrounded by groves of fine trees. I recall now a temple with at least two Nan-mu trees dating from Kang Hi's time. Their tall trunks for thirty feet without branches ; the grandly-grooved boles at their base, and the strange effect of some of their branches going upwards perpendicularly across the fine spread of their generally horizontal branchage, all inspire a feeling of gratitude towards the holy men of old, who planted them as the great adornments of truly magnificent courtyards, imposing in their proportions. In an adjacent temple court there was a Salisburia adiantifolia, in the autumn season a flashing mass of golden leafage of like magnificent proportions, probably dating from about the same era. And both temples were alike the centre of beautiful groves. In this most utilitarian country in many parts there is not a tree left but that which shades some ancient temple's walls. The temples are also the great gathering-place for enjoyment of the village, much as the public-house is with us in England. People meet one another there, drink wine, eat hot cakes, send up crackers, play with sham dragons or with lions according to the time of the year, hold their club dinners, settle their clubs and other village affairs.

第十六章

寺廟建築應該如何處置？

目前毫無疑問的是，如果傳教士選擇像當初在俄羅斯那樣行事，當時皇帝和他的人民一起在河裡集體受洗；或者像早期使徒時代那樣行事，他們現在會在數以千計的人中施洗，而不僅僅是十幾個。傳教士們的克制之舉或許是明智的，這點無可置疑。現在的時代不同了，人們也不同了。一些中國人渴望成為基督徒，毫無疑問出於最高尚的動機，其他人則可能出於不同程度的神聖或現實原因，直到最卑微的願望，例如在訴訟中尋求幫助。考慮到中國作為一個民族可能成為基督徒的情況，無論從藝術、古物、衛生，還是宗教的角度看，似乎是時候考慮應該如何處理一個相當重要的問題了。

當這個偉大的收穫來臨時，那些受過大學教育的傳教士中更有文化素養的部分，打算如何處理這些佛教和道教寺廟，以及那些路邊的小神龕呢？這些不僅裝點了中國許多最具風景魅力的地方，還喚起了一種超越物質生活的更高追求。許多這些寺廟在建築上極其美麗，始建於古代，它們通常也是至少同樣美麗的樹木的守護者，甚至常常被茂密的樹林環繞。我現在回憶起一座寺廟，裡面至少有兩棵南木樹，樹齡可以追溯到康熙時期。這些樹的高大樹幹直立了三十英尺，沒有樹枝；其樹基上的大溝槽，以及它們的某些枝條垂直向上，穿過通常水平擴展的枝幹，這一切都讓人對古代的聖人心存感激，因為他們將這些樹木作為真正宏偉庭院的巨大裝飾，這些庭院以其宏大的比例給人留下了深刻印象。在相鄰的寺廟庭院中，有一棵銀杏樹（Salisburia adiantifolia），在秋季這棵樹的金黃色葉片閃閃發光，同樣壯麗，可能也是來自同一時代。這兩座寺廟都位於美麗的樹林之中。

在這個極為功利的國家，許多地方只有在古老寺廟牆壁的遮蔽下才會留下樹木。寺廟也是村莊的主要聚會場所，就像英國的公共酒館一樣。人們在這裡見面，喝酒，吃熱糕點，放鞭炮，根據季節玩弄假龍或獅子，舉行社團晚宴，解決社團和其他村莊事務。

As a rule now when a man becomes a Christian his missionary teachers at once order him to discontinue his contributions towards the upkeep of the temple, as also towards the various festivals more or less loosely connected with it. This withdrawal of subscriptions, and consequently from much good-fellowship, is probably at the root of most of the bitterness against Christians. Let the members of a country club consider how they would feel towards member after member who gave up club membership because of having joined some anti-club sect! If the same men had also conscientious objections against paying municipal rates, they would probably be very vigorously admonished. And all rates are voluntary in China and connected with religion.

As more and more people become Christians it is evident the temples, both Buddhist and Taoist, must become increasingly impoverished. Is it wished, is it designed that they should fall into ruins, and so gradually crumble away ? Are we to look forward to their being supplanted by neatly colour-washed chapels, the deep-toned Buddhist bells by tinkling European bells ? Where, then, are the social reunions of the village to be held ? Are we to build publichouses or drinking-places, as we do for our sailors up country in China ? As the element of sacredness is eliminated are the trees, the last beautiful survivors of the ancient forests of China, to be allowed to perish beneath the woodman's axe ? Are all these witnesses to the ancient life of the oldest civilisation still surviving to be swept from the surface of a world, that yet mourns the fall of the Venice campanile?

Of course, if the temples and the groves are in themselves sinful, or so mixed up with things sinful as to be inseparable, better they should all alike perish than continue to contaminate a world already so spotted ! The temples certainly contain images, were indeed built to contain them, and to these images, or idols, worship of a certain kind is paid. Of what kind precisely it is hard to estimate. " With my body I thee worship," says even an English husband to his wife. The word for worship in Chinese is precisely the same word as is used for paying a visit. " Reverentially entreat " an image, or idol, and "reverentially entreat" a guest or friend, says a Chinese. There must be differences of degree in these divers kinds of worship, differences whose shades it requires skill to distinguish. Is it not possible, even if these temples and images be evil, yet to find the soul of goodness in them?

一般而言，當一個人成為基督徒後，他的傳教士教師會立刻要求他停止為寺廟的維護及各種與寺廟多少有關的節慶活動捐款。這種捐款的中斷，以及隨之而來的從許多友好交往中的退出，可能是對基督徒產生敵意的主要原因。讓一個鄉村俱樂部的成員們想想，如果一個個成員因加入了某個反對俱樂部的教派而放棄了會員資格，他們會對這些成員抱有怎樣的感情！如果這些人還對繳納市政稅費有良心上的異議，那麼他們很可能會受到強烈的譴責。而在中國，所有稅款都是自願的，並且與宗教有關。

隨著越來越多的人成為基督徒，很明顯，無論是佛教寺廟還是道教寺廟都將日益貧困。這是否意味着我們希望或計劃讓這些寺廟最終陷入破敗，並逐漸消失？我們是否期待這些寺廟被整潔的、上了色的教堂所取代，讓深沉的佛教鐘聲被歐洲的叮噹鈴聲所取代？那麼，村莊的社交聚會將何去何從？我們是否要像為我們在中國內地的水手們建造公共酒吧或飲酒場所那樣，為這些村莊提供新的社交場所？隨著神聖性的消失，這些古老森林中最後倖存的美麗樹木是否會在伐木工的斧頭下消失？這些見證了最古老文明的生命是否會像威尼斯鐘樓的倒塌一樣被這個世界掃除殆盡？

當然，如果寺廟和樹林本身是罪惡的，或者與罪惡如此緊密相連以至於無法分離，那麼讓它們全部消失總比繼續污染已經滿是污點的世界來得好！寺廟裡確實有神像，這些寺廟本來就是為容納這些神像而建，對這些神像或偶像也確實進行了某種形式的崇拜。然而，這種崇拜的性質究竟如何，卻很難準確估量。「以我的身體來敬拜你」，即使是英國丈夫對妻子也是這麼說的。在中文中，「敬拜」這個詞正是用來表示「拜訪」的詞。「敬拜」一個神像或偶像，和「敬拜」一個客人或朋友，在中國人看來是一樣的詞彙。這些不同形式的崇拜之間一定存在程度上的差異，而這些差異的微妙之處需要精細的辨別技巧。即使這些寺廟和神像本身是邪惡的，難道我們就不能在其中發現一些善良的靈魂嗎？

For it is a terrible picture to contemplate that of this most practical people with their temples and their groves razed, no reminders by the wayside of things spiritual, their pleasures to be taken in the theatre or the restaurant shall we call it ? their provisions for funeral expenses, savings clubs, &c., all to be anew thought out? The flatland and the dull sameness of some parts of the South of London, of the suburbs of some of our English towns, come back to mind together with the text, " and the last state of that man shall be worse than the first."

Is it not becoming high time to think out some grand scheme for so transforming the beautiful, and in many cases dearly-loved temples of China to their original uses? We have already the edict bidding schools to be held in them in certain provinces. This is already now very largely done. But many temples are in solitudes, some on the very tops of mountains. Instead of regarding them and the images they contain as alike accursed, requiring to be exorcised with bell, book, and candle before they can be fit for Christian use, can we not see a way to utilising these existing institutions, as they were meant to be used for worship, for instruction, for rejoicing, and for all the other social and philanthropic purposes, including possibly lending libraries, for which they would seem so eminently adapted ? And might not the wayside shrines in like manner be adapted for what surely this crowded nation must sorely need, places for prayer and recollection? Does not the Church of Japan or the Church of England in Japan already forbid the burning of images, esteeming it no right way to enter into a holier faith by treating with disrespect of any kind objects up till that time held in reverence ? And if so, does not this indicate the Christian line of action of the future ?

These questions are thrown out as a possible help towards gradually forming a healthy public opinion upon the subject.

若這個極為實際的民族失去了他們的寺廟和樹林，沒有了路邊那提醒人們精神層面的存在，這將是一幅可怕的畫面。他們的娛樂將只能在劇院或餐館中度過，這是我們想要看到的嗎？他們對葬禮費用的安排、儲蓄會等，所有這些都需要重新思考。這讓人聯想到南倫敦的一些平原地區，以及我們英國城鎮郊區的一些單調相似之處，並讓人不禁想起那句經文：「那人末後的景況比先前更不好了。」