The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-05-26
GEMS FROM coNFuclus.
Some of the Wise and Pfthy Sayings of til
Famous Philosopher.

SOhe OI INC WlSe ana fltny sayings OF the
Famous Philosophers.
His discrimination of character is am
ply illustrated in the many wise and
pithy savings which he has bequeathed
to us, a few of which we have grouped
together, as combining his ideal of how
man should behave in different posi-
tons of life. Thus, he tells us how "a
poor man who does not flatter, and a
rich man who is not proud, are passable
characters; but they are not equal to the
poor who yet are cheerful, and the rich
who yet love the rules of propriety."
"a good man in his conduct of himself
is humble, in serving his superiors he is
respectful, in nourishing the people he
is kind, in ordering the people he is
just" Again, a man sis to think of
virtue, and not of comfort; of the sane
tons of law, not of qualification.
And "what the superior man seeks is in
himself; what the small man thinks is in
Others" He was firmly convinced of
it's being more or less in the power of
every man to acquire knowledge, and
thereby wisdom. Hence, as DR.. Legge
tells US in his ''Life of Confucius," "h, s
house became resort for young and
inquiring spirits who wished to learn
the doctrines of antiquity. However
small the fee his pupils were able to
afford, he never refused his instructions.
All that he required was an ardent de-
sire for improvement and some degree
of capacity" Thus, to quote his own
words: 81 do not open up truth to one
who is not eager to get knowledge, nor
keep out one who is not anxious to ex-
plain himself BY stimulating youth
to study, he endeavored to create an in
structed public opinion which should
display an admiration for truth
and goodness. That the same love
of truth pervaded all his sentiments
is exemplitied by a remark he one day
made. "Shall l teach you what knowl-
edge is?" said he. "When you know
thing, to hold that you know it, and
when you do not know a thing, to al
low that you do not know it; this is
knowledge" His definition of hypo-
critics reminds us of their comparison to
whited sepulchers in the New Testa-
ment-namely: There may be fair
words and an humble countenance
when there is little virtue" But lastly,
it has often been urged that Confuci us,
in spite of his wisdom and the loftiness
of his teaching, had nothing to say
about God or a future life. He pre-
ferred, however, to speak of Heaven as
in the following instances: He who of
tends against Heaven has none to whom
he can pray" and "Alasr' said he,
'there is no one that knows me-" But
his friends replied: What do you
mean by thus saying that no one knows
you?" He answered: II do not muir,
muir against Heaven. I do not grumble
against men. But there is Heaven that
knows me-" Indeed, it has been truly
said that he was unreligious rather than
irreligious. And if he had not knowl-
edge of divine ruler it was his mis-
fortune. and arose from no desire to
disparage religious belief of any kind.
In short. as Mr.. Clodd remarks, his
emitting to speak about God "was not
because he was an unbeliever-for he,
of all men, had reverence for the sacred
unknown power that underlies all
things-but because his nature was so
beautifully simple and sincere that he
would not pretend to knowledge of
that which he felt was beyond human
reach and thought" But, nevertheless,
one can not but regret that his teaching
was not more distinctive in this respect,
especially as it was destined to be such
a mighty motive power in molding the
Chinese character ofuntold generations.
IT. Q. 7hiseIton Dyer, in The Quiver.