The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-02-25
Tie Chi1ese C assics
(C0HfHued)
CONFUCIUS AND MENCIUS.
WORKS or MENcIus.

Mencius speaking Of King Tang said
4" While he punished evil doors, he cOu-olcd
the people. His progress through the land
was like the falling Of oppOrtune rain. and
the people were delighted To see him. say
ing: w have waited for our chief long
his coming will be our reviviHg, F."
Mencius demonstrating with the kiug Of
TIE, one Of the ancient divisions Of China,
in respect to certain arbitrary acts Of Gov
ernment said To- him You must govern
by benevOlence-" Meucius continued say
ing: lin calamitOG4 years, the old and
weak Of your people have persisted By the
waysidej yet all the while yOur granaTies o
Prince, have been stored with grain, and
your treasures and stOTehOuses have been
tull- II you, y Prince, Will put in practice
q benevolent government the people will
love you, and will respectfully regard your
officers"
The Prince Of Wan, a little state, feared
the Entertainments Of TIE, a great and
strong State. Meucfus thus cOunSelIed the
Prince Of Wan .'Wha j. the power Of
Use TO you o, Prince BE you strong To do
good. Do good among your people. That
Is all your duty As to the result. that j.
with the power Of heaven What word,
are these Of the Chinese sage for the King
OF little Hawaii to consider when threatened
by great States. Hawaii has only to make
good It's motto, and pursue its way i'm right
eousness.
Mencius was angry at one time when
with kwan Chung the Minister
u rs AAAAE VI So HOW uAEE Won COM
pare me with Kwan ChungP Considering
how entirely kwan Chung possessed the
confidence Of his Prince how long he en-
yoyed the direction Of the Government. and
now htIe after nh, was what lie accom-
plished,-hOw j. IL that you liken me to
him?
Mencius was euquired Of as to the estab-
hme OF n strong Government. He re-
plie't that II was "as easy as il is to turn
the hand" Kung sun the enquirer wa.
amazed ut this simple statement, and cited
efforts OF certain powerful princes, who had
not yet established strong and secure gov
ernments- Menciu- said "NO change j.
needed for the enlarging Of its territory; no
ehange Is or he collecting Of a
populatto Dy l.. MT ~Iractice
aael s1sa A"efnf II the ruler will P5Gs II"
apo" benevolent government, no power will
prevent his becoming absolute in the love
of his people"
1t is difficult to realize that such senti-
ments were uttered by n Chinese thinker
two thousand four hundred years ago.
Here is set forth the highest principle Of a
Christian State. Greece and Rome, and
even Christian chivalrOus Europe were
never governed by such a principle, except
as slowly recognized i'm this latter age. And
here is a lesson for the Hawaiian ruler. In
order to secure a strong government it j.
not by any means necessary to obtain any
enlargement of domain nor To- immigrate
new people; nor to- organize men at arms
and To build s~tronghOlds but to engage i'm
works of benevOlence-tO be occupied with
the health and we'll being of the peOpIe-tO
be satisfying them that the paramount
purpose of government is to be caring for
theirsanitary welfare. The popular affection
can make government absolute.
Kung-Sun Chow said May / venture
to ask an explanation from you, master, of
how you maintain an unpeTtuTbed mind,
and how the philosopher Kaou does the
same? Mencius answered. .'The Will is
the leader of the passion nature. The pas
sion nature pervades and animates the
LAI- u LII = Il - - - ~
passion nature is subordinate to it. There
fore / say. Maintain firm the will, and do
No violence to the passion nature.
Chow Observed:-''Since you say-'The
will is chief, and the passion nature is
subordinate how do you also say-'Main-
tain firm the will, and do no violence to the
passion natur ?" Mencius Replied
When it is the will alone which is active,
it moves the passion nature. When il Is
the passion nature alone which is active, it
moves the will. For instance now, in the
case ola man falling or TunniHg; that is
from the passion nature, and ye' it moves
the mind"
al venture to ask: said Chow again,
wherein you, master, suTpass KaOu." Men
cius told him., " understand words. / am
skilful IN nourishing my vast, flowing
passion nature"
Chow pursued, 81 venture to ask what
you mean by your vast, flowing passion ma
ture I"
"This is the passion nature 1t is ex-
tGGtAlBlN great anu tACcGill5ty SlIOliB.
Being nOuTished by rectitude and sustain
ing no injury, it fills up all between heaven
and earth.
"This is the passion nature 1t is the
mate and assistant of righteousness and
reason. Without it Il man is in a state of
starvation
1T Is produced by the accumulation of
righteous deeds; il is not to- be obtained 10y
incidental acts of righteousness. If the
mind does not feel cOmplacence in the con-
duct, the nature becomes starved. | there
fore said, 'Kaou has never understood right
eousuess, because he makes it something
external"
ssThere must be the constant practice Of
this righteousness, but without the object
Of thereby nOurishing the passion nature.
Let not he mind forget its work, but let
there be no assisting the growth of that ma
ture. Let us not be like the man of Sung.
There was a man Of Sung who was grieved
thai his growing corn was not longer, and
so he pulled IL up Having done this, he
returned home, looking very stupid, and
said TO his people Il am tired to-day. /
have been helping the corn to grow long. =
His son ran too look at il, and found the
corn all %whithercd. There are few in the
world who 10 not deal with their passion
nat re, as IL they were assisting the corn to
grow long Some indeed consider ii of no
benefit to them and let il alone; they do
not weed their corn. They who assist u 20
grow long, pull out tli-1r corn. What they
do is not only 81 no benefit to the nature,
but it ESQ Injuries it."