A CASE OF RITUALISM 139 



was only a subterfuge. For as one critic, Dr. Lin, observes 

 there may not be a verisimilitude of the ritual, but the point 

 is that Lu had appropriated the names of the Chiao and 

 Wang. This in itself is a great crime; if a merchant wore 

 the cap of a scholar, or the common people wore the clothes 

 of officials a glance at them would show they were wrong in 

 act. 



Dr. Lin says, "the reprimand of Confucius on the actions 

 of Lu though only indirectly expressed by the reference to 

 the mishaps to the ceremonies is very deep indeed, very 

 subtle indeed, and should be pondered by students." 



A new view of the illegality of this ritual was suggested 

 by Dr. Chiang. He says Lu should not have used the Bites 

 and Music of the king. But the plea in extenuation 

 advanced by some that Ch'eng Wang bestowed this honour 

 and that Pei Ch'in accepted it is quite wrong. It may be 

 said that whilst some one of the Chow emperors conferred 

 this, it could not have been Ch'eng Wang, for in his days 

 the code and institutions were in their pristine vigour and 

 beauty. Therefore the wrong must have been committed 

 much later when the institutions were decayed, possibly in 

 the 8th century ; times reprimanded by Confucius — the times 

 of Li and Yii. And the story is that it happened in this way. 

 Duke Hui* (8th century) of Lu through his minister begged 

 the privilege of the ceremonies of the Chiao and Temple from 

 the King. The King's minister Shih Chuehjwas sent to 

 persuade him not to do this. Now if Lu already had the Chiao 

 service during the age of Ch'eng Wang why was it that Duke 

 Hui still begged the favour. This seems natural. My own 

 view, he continues is, "The Sage was grieved with the state 

 of Chow and the corrupt customs of the time of Yii and Li 

 the two emperors; he said the observances of the great and 

 august sacrifices of the Chiao and Ti were carried on in a 

 very unworthy way, showing that the law of the Duke of 

 Chow himself had been greatly debased. Thus it may be 

 inferred that this honour and privilege could not have been 

 conferred on Lu by Ch'eng Wang, but arose from the prac- 

 tices of a decadent age of kings and lords. And so Con- 

 fucius was much ashamed of the ceremonies of Lu. They 

 were an offence against reason and piety. Because the 

 Chow line was still in existence, and it was its right and 

 duty, being the royal house, to worship Heaven and make 

 its own ancestors the associates in the sacrifice. But what 

 have we ! W T e have Lu duplicating this sacrifice : making 

 the Duke of Chou the associate. Feudal lords doing kingly, 



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