But it is not on such mere sentimental grounds that the Chinese nation has condemned in this wholesale manner the clergy of China.  Did the latter carry out even to a limited extent their vows of celibacy and Pythagorean principles of diet, they would probably obtain a fair share of that questionable respect which is meted out to enthusiasts in most countries on the globe.  The Chinese hate them as double-dyed hypocrites who extort money from the poor and ignorant, work upon the fears of, and frequently corrupt, their wives or daughters; proclaim in bold characters at the gates of each temple—­“no meat or wine may enter here”—­while all the time they dine off their favourite pork as often as most Chinamen, and smoke or drink themselves into a state of beastly intoxication a great deal more so.  Opium pipes are to be found as frequently as not among the effects of these sainted men, who, with all the abundant leisure at their command, are rarely of sufficient education to be mentioned in the same breath with an ordinary graduate.  Occasionally there have been exceptions to the rule, but the phenomenon is seldom met with in modern times.  We have read of a lame old priest so renowned for self-denying liberality that the great Emperor Ch’ien Lung actually paid him a visit.  After some conversation Ch’ien Lung presented him with a valuable pearl, which the old man immediately bestowed upon a beggar he espied among the crowd.  His Majesty was somewhat taken aback at this act of rudeness, and asked him if he always gave away everything in the same manner.  On receiving an affirmative reply, the Emperor added, “Even down to the crutch on which you lean?” “Ah,” said the priest, “it is written that the superior man does not covet what his friend cannot spare.”  “But supposing,” said the Emperor, “he was not a superior man.”  “In that case,” answered the priest, “you could not expect me to be his friend.”

Cleanliness, again, is an especial attribute of Buddhism, and in a few temples in the south there is an attempt to make some show in this direction; but as regards the person, priests are dirtier if anything than the humblest members of their flock.  It is laughable indeed to hear them chant the Ching, ignorant as ninety-nine per cent. are of every word they are saying, for of late the study of Sanskrit has been utterly and entirely neglected.  Their duties, however, in this respect are as much curtailed as possible, except when wafting with their prayers some spirit of the dead to the realms of bliss above.  In such cases it is a matter of business, a question of money; and the unctuous air of solemn faith they then put on contrasts curiously with the bored and sleepy look apparent on their faces as they gabble through a midnight mass, in the presence of some such limited and unimportant audience as a single and perhaps a red-haired barbarian.

It is pleasant to dismiss from our thoughts this lying, shameless, debauched class; and we do so, wondering how Buddhism has retained its hold so long over an intellectual people possessed of an elaborate moral code, which has been for centuries the acknowledged standard of right and wrong, and which condemns all fear or hope of an unknown and unseen world.