year he
proceeds in state to the Temple of Heaven at Peking; and after the due
performance of sacrificial worship he enters alone the central raised
building with circular blue-tiled roof, and there places himself
in communication with the Supreme Being, submitting for approval or
otherwise his stewardship during the preceding twelve months. Chinese
records go so far as to mention letters received from God. There is a
legend of the sixth century A.D., which claims that God revealed Himself
to a hermit in a retired valley, and bestowed on him a tablet of jade
with a mysterious inscription. But there is a much more circumstantial
account of a written communication which in A.D. 1008 descended from
heaven upon mount T'ai, the famous mountain in Shantung, where a temple
has been built to mark the very spot. The emperor and his courtiers
regarded this letter with profound reverence and awe, which roused
the ire of a learned statesman of the day. The latter pointed out
that Confucius, when asked to speak, so that his disciples might have
something to record, had bluntly replied: "Does God speak? The four
seasons pursue their courses and all things are produced; but does God
say anything?" Therefore, he argued, if God does not speak to us, still
less will He write a letter.

The fact that the receipt of such a letter is mentioned in the dynastic
history of the period must not be allowed to discredit in any way
the general truth and accuracy of Chinese annals, which, as research
progresses, are daily found to be far more trustworthy than was ever
expected to be the case. We ourselves do not wholly reject the old
contemporary chronicles of Hoveden and Roger of Wendover because they
mention a letter from Christ on the neglect of the Sabbath.

In Chinese life, social and political alike, filial piety may
be regarded as the keystone of the arch. Take that away, and the
superstructure of centuries crumbles to the ground. When Confucius was
asked by one of his disciples to explain what constituted filial piety,
he replied that it was a difficult obligation to define; while to
another disciple he was able to say without hesitation that the mere
support of parents would be insufficient, inasmuch as food is what
is supplied even to horses and dogs. According to the story-books for
children, the obligation has been interpreted by the people at large
in many different ways. The twenty-four standard examples of filial
children include a