The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1843-04-01
CONFUCIUS.

! CoNrucIus, or Cong t,s-tse, or Koung-see,
losophers Of China, and descendant of the
\ imperial dynasty of Chang, was born in the
kingdom of Loo, now called the province of
Chang-tong, about $50 years before the COM
mencement of the Christian era, which makes
him contemporary with Pythagoras and Scion,
and prior TO the days Of Socrates.
| AT an early period OF his life he gave striking
proofs of uncommon talents, and these were
cultivated and improved with great assiduty
under the tuition of the ablest masters Scarce
/ ly had he attained the years Of maturity, when
he showed himself acquainted with all the lite
nature Of that period, and, in particular, possess
ed Of a comprehensive knowledge Of the canon
ical and classical books, sscrbed 10 the legisla-
tors Yao and Chun, which the Chinese empha
tically denominate the Five Volumes, as con-
tanning the essence of all their sciences and
morality. Nature had bestowed upon him a
most amisble temper, and his moral department
was altogether unexceptionable. He acquired a
distinguished reputation for humility sincerity,
and The government Of his appetites, disinte-
rested heart, and sovereign contempt Of
wealth; qualities which pointed him out as
proper person TO Gil Offices Of importance and
trust IN the government Of his country, which
be did with honor to himself and advantage TO
the Empire. These public stations afforded him
excellent opportunities Of estimating with accu-
racy the true state Of morals among bis country
men, which at this time were dissoute and vi
cous in the extreme. He conceived the idea of
attempting general reformation both in morals
and in politics, and his efforts were for some
time attended with such effect, that he inspired
his countrymen with a veneraton for his cha
racter, and gratitude for his exeriions He was
raised to station Of high importance in the
province of Loo. His counsels and advice were
productive of the most beneficial consequences
in establishing good order, the due exercise Of
justice, concord, and decorum throughout the
whole kingdom. As The province thus became
an object of admiration, so, likewise, neiehsor-
ing princes behed with envy its growing happi.
ness and prosperity, TO destroy which they con-
trved fatal and efeelual expedient.
The king Of tn being spprehensivc that. i'll
the king Of Loo continued TO be directed by the
wisdom and sound policy of Coufucius, he would
soon become by far TOO powerful, sent him and
his nobility present Of the most beautiful young
women, trained up from infancy in all the arts
of seduction and who were but too successful
in punging the whole court into righteousness
and dissipation This in a short time demolish-
ed the whole OF that beautiful fabric which had
been erected by Conlucius and finding it a
hopeless attempt to stem the universal torrent Of
corruption and dePrayity he resolved to exert
his talents in some distant kingdom, in the phi |
anthropic cause OF moral reformation, with bet
Ter hopes Of success. But he had the mortfca-
ion to discover that vice was every where tri-
,mphant, while virtue was compelled to hide
Ter head.
This consideration induced him to adopt the
more humble, although not the less interesting