The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-01-28
The Chinese Classics.
(COHfiRued.)


The great Chinese sage Mencius, or Tsze-
Yu, was a disciple of Confucius, and -four
ished about 400 years before Christ. The
Master and his great Disciple occupied re-
Iations to each other somewhat analogous
to Socrates and Plato /; the Chinese and the
Greek sages living i'm their several countries
very near the same period of time /; but evil
IDENTIFY without the slightest knowledge of
each other. Confucius had a profound ana
Iytic, SOcratic mind, and was clear, terse
and concise in speech. His sayings read
like the logos of the Hebrew mind. Men
cius eAIaIIy a. profound and analytic as
his master, was much more argumentative
and diffIse, and argues IL case like one whn
had been trained in the subtletieso Of Roman
law.
TIE fourth volume nf the Chime e classics
j. devoted To-
THE WORKS OF MENCICS.
Mcncius went To- see King HWY NJ lie
Tie King SAIL Venerable Sir. since
YOU have not counted il Tar To- come here Il
distance Of a thousand L. $3.50 miles, may
I presume tlIat YOU are provided with cnuu-
sells for the profit of my Kingdom >"
Mencius replied Why must you, %
King, Use that word profit? What | am
provided with are cOuIIsels to promote be-
ueEOlence ana righteousness ana THESE are
my only topics"
eff you, o King, shall say what is to
be lone for the profit of my Kingdom ? the
Ministers will say, what is to be done to
profit our families? and the inferior officers
and common people will say, what is to be
done To profit ourselves? Supporters and in
feriOrs Will try to snatch this profit, the one
from the other, and the Kingdom will be
endangered"
What God for reflection i'm these words of
fIa fthft,aaa = "A Ua for fhnGa in Hawaii moi
who consider that the chief hope of the well
fare Of this Kingdom is i'm some commercial
treaty, or business enterprise to promote
profit, and overlook works of benevolence,
the care of the sick and the poor of the
Kingdom"
Mencius said again 40 King, there never
has been Il man trained to righteousness
who made his sovereign an after cOnsidera-
ton. BeuevOlence and righteousness, these
should be your only themes. Why must
you use that word prOft?"
Meucius, continuing his counsel to King
Hwuy, said eff the seasons OF husbaudry be
not interfered with, the grain will be more
than can he eaten II close nets are not
allowed to- enter the pools and ponds, the
fishes and turtles will be more than can he
consumed. If the axes aud bills enter the
forests only at the proper time. the wood
will be more than can he used. When the
grain, and fish, aud turf e. are more than
can Ice eaten, and there is more wood than
can can he used. this enables the people to
nOurIsh their living, and bury their dead.
without any feeling against any This
condition in which thea 5Qple nourish their
living and bury their dad without any
feeling against any is the first step of royal
COR true) government"
What wisdom in the above sayings of
the Chinese sage. How much they are
needed in Hawaii nei, We have destroyed
our forests for the sake of making money
or irewOOd or by making unwise leases to
herders of cattle and goats; so that our
reservoirs of moisture and frHitfulness are
destroyed. Under present management, a
population of $1,000 can destroy an Archi-
pelago. Under the wise regulations of the
Chinese sage, a million of people might
subsist in the Archipelago i'll abundance.
Consider the following profound and inn
pressive words -
"When people die of starvation and
disease, you (King HWY you say 1t Is
not owing to- me il Is owing To the year
In what does this differ from stabbing a
man and killing him, and then saying 1T
was not /, it was the weapon Cease, .
King, to lay the blame on the year, and
then from all the empire the people will
come to you"
King HWY said to Mencius "I listen
to your instructions"
Mencius replied "Isthere any difference
between killing a man with a stick and
with a sword ?" The King said there was
no difference.
as there, then, any difference between
doing il with a sword and with the admin
istration of government" There Is no
difference"