, the Prime Minister; A, the loyal subjects, and so on.

[Illustration: The "Ou" and playing stick.]

Five hundred years later another Emperor, of a practical turn of mind,
ordered that music should follow the sense of the words, and be simple
and free from affectation, and he appointed a censor to see that his
instructions were carried out. The latter, 'Couci' by name, declared
that when he played upon his 'king,' the animals ranged themselves
before him spell-bound by his melody.

[Illustration: The "Tse King."]

We hear elsewhere of another ancient musician of China, whose music was
'so sweet that the very stars drew near to listen.' Later on in the
history of the world we find this idea of the effects of music on
animals and stars entertained both in Greece and India. The attention of
the starry bodies can only be regarded as a beautiful myth, but the
writer of this paper personally tested the animal love of music some
years ago, when surrounded by a formidable herd of wild cattle in the
Rocky Mountains.

The instrument known as 'king,' from which Couci drew such delightful
sounds, is of very ancient date, and is made of a stone called 'yu,'
which is of many colours, and looks like marble, being probably a form
of agate intermixed with iron. The wonderful clearness and purity of the
tone are supposed to result from long exposure to the sun and air.

'Yu' is most valuable when of whey colour; then light blue, dark yellow,
orange, dark red, and pale green follow in order of merit. In all the
colours it is essential that the stones be free from streaks or flaws of
any kind. One of the chief attractions of the 'king' is that it always
retains its pitch, not being influenced by cold, heat, damp, or dryness.

In construction the 'king' consists of sixteen stones hung in two rows
of eight in an ornamental frame. Nowadays these stones are cut in oblong
shape of varying thickness, tuned by slicing narrow shavings off the
back and ends; but in former days they were fashioned like fishes,
animals, or other quaint devices. The art of making 'kings' was lost for
many centuries, but about 32 B.C. a specimen was fished up from the
bottom of a pond which served as a model, and now every temple of
importance has its 'king,' just as every church with us has its organ of
some kind or other.

A smaller instrument of the same kind is also used in religious
ceremonies, the 'the king,' made of one large block of 'yu,' suspended
f