92 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



work comprises in many large volumes about all that is known 

 of the writings of the Sage. 



The bulk of this extensive work consists in obscure allusions 

 to things no doubt familiar in his time, but now obsolete ; and in 

 meaningless fine distinctions and references to the " Rules/' 

 " Forms/' and such things that have but little significance to the 

 modern reader. But the gist of the matter may be summed up 

 in one short sentence : " Walk in the old paths." And when we 

 come to define the old paths we find what he called the " Five 

 Relations/' under which he defines every known duty of man. 

 These " Relations " had been defined and enforced ages before, in 

 the books called the Classics, perhaps for the reason that they 

 were so old that no one knew when or by whom written. It is 

 these five propositions that have called forth dozens of folio 

 volumes to elucidate and enforce. And it is these that constitute 

 what is known as Confucianism, although he never originated 

 them nor claimed to be other than a teacher of the faith of the 

 ancients. 



These five relations have in them an entire code of political 

 and social economy of the highest order. 



First Relation; King and Subject.— Kung, in harmony 

 with the established form of government under which he lived, 

 was an advocate of absolute monarchy. The fact that he had a 

 tinge of royal blood in his own body may have unconsciously in- 

 fluenced his judgment on this point. At all events, he left no in- 

 dication of any disapproval of the system. He favored paternal 

 government, both for the nation and in the family. The patri- 

 archal plan has always been followed out in China to the fullest 

 detail. The Emperor is as the father of the big family, and there 

 is no appeal from his authority. The question of how the reign- 

 ing monarch attained his position is not taken into consideration. 

 The fact that he is on the throne is sufficient to secure the most 

 absolute and abject obedience to his mandates. Kung set forth 

 certain wholesome rules which should control his actions in the 

 belief that the subject as well as the ruler had rights. He sought 

 to supersede kingship by force with kingship by fitness. The civil 

 government being a counterpart to the family government, the 

 rules or principles obtaining in one should be equally applied in the 

 other. The subject should love the king as the son loves the 

 father, not for the enemies he might have made, but because of a 

 righteous administration of the affairs of the country. He gave 

 no countenance to a divided household. No rival political parties, 

 appealing by bribes of office, nor threats of non-support at the 

 next election, could disturb the serenity of the rulers or ruled. 

 No penalties for treason, where a government was so good that 

 none could find fault, were needed ; and, in the event of Individ- 



