me
minor position under the government. In his twenty-fourth year he
entered upon the three years' mourning for the death of his mother. His
seclusion gave him time for deep thought and the study of history, and
he resolved upon the regeneration of his unhappy country. By the time he
was thirty he became known as a great teacher, and disciples flocked to
him. But he was yet occupied in public duties, and rose through
successive stages to the office of Chief Judge in his own country of Lu.
His tenure of office is said to have put an end to crime, and he became
the "idol of the people" in his district. The jealousy of the feudal
lords was roused by his fame as a moral teacher and a blameless judge.
Confucius was driven from his home, and wandered about, with a few
disciples, until his sixty-ninth year, when he returned to Lu, after
accomplishing a work which has borne fruit, such as it is, to the
present day. He spent the remaining five years of his life in editing
the odes and historic monuments in which the glories of the ancient
Chinese dynasty are set forth. He died in his seventy-third year, 478
B.C. There can be no doubt that the success of Confucius has been
singularly great, owing especially to the narrow scope of his scheme,
which has become crystallized in the habits, usages, and customs of the
people. Especially has it been instrumental in consolidating the empire,
and in strengthening the power of the monarch, who, as he every year
burns incense in the red-walled temple at Pekin, utters sincerely the
invocation: "Great art thou, O perfect Sage! Thy virtue is full, thy
doctrine complete. Among mortal men there has not been thine equal. All
kings honor thee. Thy statutes and laws have come gloriously down. Thou
art the pattern in this imperial school. Reverently have the sacrificial
vessels been set out. Full of awe, we sound our drums and bells."

E. W.

THE ANALECTS

BOOK I

On Learning--Miscellaneous Sayings:--

"To learn," said the Master, "and then to practise opportunely what one
has learnt--does not this bring with it a sense of satisfaction?

"To have associates in study coming to one from distant parts--does not
this also mean pleasure in store?

"And are not those who, while not comprehending all that is said, still
remain not unpleased to hear, men of the superior order?"

A saying of the Scholar Yu:--

"It is rarely the case that those who act the part of true men in regard
to the