a about to cast herself adrift from the
Old?

But surely, many a Western observer may exclaim, the matter is settled
already! Surely the abolition of the monarchy is in itself a proof that
the Chinese have definitely broken with tradition! Was not the Emperor
a sacred being who represented an unbroken political continuity of
thousands of years, and who ruled by divine right? Was not loyalty to
the sovereign part of the Chinese religion?

These questions can not be answered with a simple yes or no. Reverence
for tradition has always been a prominent Chinese characteristic in
respect of both ethics and politics. We must beware of assuming too
hastily that the exhortations of a few frock-coated revolutionaries
have been sufficient to expel this reverence for tradition from Chinese
hearts and minds; yet we are obliged to admit that the national
aspirations are being directed toward a new set of ideals which in some
respects are scarcely consistent with the ideals aimed at (if rarely
attained) in the past.

The Chinese doctrine of loyalty can not be properly understood until we
have formed a clear conception of the traditional Chinese theory
concerning the nature of Political Sovereignty. The political edifice,
no less than the social, is built on the Confucian and pre-Confucian
foundation of filial piety. The Emperor is father of his people; the
whole population of the empire forms one vast family, of which the
Emperor is the head. As a son owes obedience and reverence to his
parent, so does the subject owe reverence and obedience to his
sovereign.

In the four thousand years and more that have elapsed since the days of
Yue, over a score of dynasties have in their turn reigned over China.
The _Shu Ching_--the Chinese historical classic--gives us full accounts
of the events which led to the fall of the successive dynasties of Hsia
(1766 B.C.) and Shang (1122 B.C.). In both cases we find that the
leader of the successful rebellion lays stress on the fact that the
_T'ien-ming_ (Divine right) has been forfeited by the dynasty of the
defeated Emperor, and that he, the successful rebel, has been but an
instrument in the hands of God. Thus the rebel becomes Emperor by right
of the Divine Decree, and it remains with his descendants until by
their misdeeds they provoke heaven into bestowing it upon another
house.

The teachings of the sages of China are in full accordance with the
view that the sovereign must rule well or not