New-York tribune., 1881-03-25
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
- 1noM Am ETHIcs.

7i9. NewYcrk: Harper q brosooS'
I,r Maytinfs book s 10 the main areprint oi es'ay
.mbodying tho results Of many years stuay % 'us
.hiIosopbv. educational methods and literature OF
-. rhirsss vhich he has published from time TO
Sims in various magazines and reviews fnei, Iosp
.-aoce I'm hoax form is n. doubt aceasioneo oy tuo
sncrea.ne interest felt in tins country In the
- 81. vast and venerable Oriental Empire wh"0'
,Inulatiou Is nearly % great as that OF III oh.,o
s.ndom rooks of Chinese travel abound anu 'i0
keemine English press adds constantly 70 theit num-
- MT ,hou eh tful works on the higher phases oA
rh;nsaa ,;fs are exceedngly rare. Such works can
,.ot hs written without thorough knowledge OF 'no
Chinese language which alone can open INC eo'i
40 an ACQUAINTANCE with Chinese literature eau
rational methods and syctems OF phhosoPhi0
Thought and moral training. Possessing tne hno"i
odqe and enjoying the advantage OF long TeS'ue"oe
An China as missionary and the mead Oh n'SSlon
ary school, DR.. Martin is able 10 throw 80 49,
asa Of light on many of the most interesting pnases
~ Oriental life His book is as fresh
:. ,houvh its pages had just come
from his uep and possesses considerable permanent
xalue from the compact and comprehensive manher
I'm which two Of ITS topics are treateo-'ooSe ioi"
sno 70 ethics and education. The other snoiec@
.onchod upon are handled in rather fragmentsry
way. ,o..o ,h,,os-
The etbcal systom of the accepted Chinese phiios-
epbv starts from q basis radically dinerehs .roni
that which underlies Christian theologY ~ 40
aurAes that human nature is essentially gooo, Su'
ahat its sinful manifestations arise from the innu
80 sybat h called Wu-hing or gross natter
-bich obstructs the full operation of Ta'ho' or pr
,nor1ial harmony but can be overcome ana re-
moved nv early ttaining and by tho study and prac
4;ce AZ the yirtues in adult life. There is no room
An this system for the orthodox Christian doerineS
NJ total deprayity, the atonement aud regenerauou
nv the operation of the Divine SPIRIT. lndeeu tne
Chinese system seems TO reach out toward tne
Principle only in the way Of alteration; the SaiVs
k;or of man having TO be worked ont by himself
r Martin gives the following account OF the origin
nf the dominant philosophy of the Chinese;
nes stseai xnters is that Of radical goodness
Tseuch Iess ancient than the other tins atet Dy ~
ssIi ss hst some Of those questions whioa atsed the
Christian Church in the hfth century Wers m r not
SSstna Dearly tbousald years before Tpey were not
rnacsed by Confucis His genius was not inquisitiye;
he was rather an arctect seeKIs ssspss Sy Minute
Snayss And philosophers oIt snose rno
follow the cew Of truth tnroISa t1s Ss he has rSs
to the title; butt who loves wisd0n, perceivhg
SSSilosopher there are few the roll OF time VINO
deserve higher position n..,o,o,,,,, nv a sD,rtt
of inyesgation which due TO his influence ony .,
the intellectual impulse which be communicated se1 ~
A. mining The moral quality Of unan nature oecaPe
r1nclnsl subject OF discussion, and every position ~
ittAd by the subject succesyeg oecuplea Dy soe
saaSino uliud Tszsze, the grandson OF tue pago au
yaaee9 theory winch implied tue goodness Of human
nature; but Meneins his disciple IT, soStszs
nns of bus Contemporaries maintained that nature Is
1So pa.c hand Of educaton.
Tween them, fragment of which, preserved In the
snstion worns ~ ss well as the postiOn Of the parties
Nature, said Ksoutsze, stick OF uhper' auu SooN
The bowl replied MoaCius s not natural prEdOet Of
the rmper the tree requires 70 oe ossoye ID Oie
to produce it. Is IL necessary 10 Destroy mars nui0
ir order TO make him goodt 90, ,r..,...,,, hor
Then. said Ka0utFSe, varying his hi9straion n bua
s.tnra NAV be eompared to a stream OF wafer. open
since to tne east and 1t nows TO the east open one 70
he vest II flows 70 the rsT ~ good ana evil
Wasr reoined Mencius Is indifferent as to the east or
e Esst but has II mo SSG 10 socd a. War does to
run downward and the evil IL does IS the esct OF htTr @
Man ss repeats with rhetoric slightly at variance With
his philosophy, DelDee 70 virtue as WAFER aoes 70 10"
few wears later seunlsEe. acute aud powerful
writer tine ground that human nsre ~ ss ras
Than Kaousze, maintaining that whatever good ~ pro
duCes achieves by upn 81 le dictses Of prSdence
raj virtue is the slow result Of teaching ana wee Tue
spontaneous ahnns tbe eommeDcement of the Christian
era endeavored TO combine these opPose vieSsi esen
ant aimed important truth. but neither OF them the
Sais tth While bums possessed benevolent
sfections and consciepce approvina OF good. ~ nae
vas both and good and the character OF
sacn Individual took ne compiexion. ss % or
pssGsa aSsssa A''0i1. ..n.,n. ..,n.a ~. a.v IN.
n minors last named were placed on the IHder Bz-
p,tr0doyus OF the literary tribunals ana the aeVocsN
human nature wss M % PS&s y for sD saSiES Sdded
se doctrpe or developed latent one In the ConLuesn
gsn.issskine, an elementary book which IS committed
70 memory by every schoolooy IN Calna-Jln ohe mu'
p pnt tis addition to the national
sreed the ancient aphorsm Of shun Is stiI held ~
sstselo; ana genuine Confucau in drawing gehealog
eai tree Of Vices s places che root OF cV In the
n rsmoy this contradiction chuhe the authorized
expostor Of the CLASSICS, devised theory somewhat
similar Plses SeeSSns @ G oi tue SS ~ ss Above
reerrede protesting ar rdng tS 1hg as 70 t ylno Sd
tie WITH S5DS sGo9D oout1S Of
eyiI--aDd thus virtua symboliEl9g with the third
siSa Iepssee Of TrSe he says IN his Scsa on the
Faiho man derives his heavenly Sst9n; and his
pure sp w1ea 70 sTery ocD Bot Il IS
nv the piysical constitution and beclouded oy the
snimai DIT illyuh tins humanI DESIRES 50 tAa' IL De-
TSe Of virtue as indicated in the chart is Taho
,es Ps%SsS PSsssss Of WaSng gross %Stter The moral
T hs SSs no rss
which are thus described in popular formula Men Of
the nrst ay css b are MAE good BY sschne ana the last
viii continue bad 10 spite of sescbing.
We are indebted to DR.. Martin for brief glimpse
of Chinese poetry. which he gives in note to bis
chapter on the Secular Literature Of the Empire.
II appears that the fondness for versi6eation in
China is 80 great that it even crops out occasion
ally In grave official proclamations. Thus, the
Marquis of Tsene. acknowledging the imperial man.
date directing hun to proceed to Russia, sent tee-
rram of which the following 10 translation.
NV knowledge Is scaDt and my powers are frai,
:. Al the yoios Of the thunder temble and quail
The following translation gives good idea Of the
character of Chinese popular ballads. The original
10 printed In the book in Chinese characters. 30 the
reader can see how 1t looks TO Chinese eyes If he
ran't realize how 1t sounds TO Chinese ears:
MULAN, THE MAIDEN CHIEF:
AcHrxEsE BktLAD THE LANG DYNASTY "a. d. 5o2556