The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-07-27
JuIy27. 1900
The Chinese Civilization-The Ideal and
the Actual

the Actual.
D. z. Sheffield in July Forum:
Western students of Chinese life and
letters are surprised at the lofty ideals
of the government, of the family, and
of society set forth in the ancient
classical literature which from gener-
alton to generation has exerted an en-
nobling influence upon the thoughts of
the people. But they are also sur
prised that these ideals have been re-
allied to SO small an extent in govern
ment, in the family, and in Society
Ancient Chinese literature is wit
ness to the nobility of human nature
in it's best thoughts and aspirations.
The Sages taught that man is made
for virtue "To be benevolent is to be
a man" They taught that virtue dis
tinguishes men from animals and that
when men fail to be virtuous they
cease to be men. The heart of man
tends toward goodness as water tends
to flow downward. Water may be
forced upward, but that is not its ten
dency; in like manner men may be
driven to evil, but it is not according
to their nature. The mountain clothes
itself with forests and verdure, but
axmen come from the neighboring city
and cut down trees; fresh shoots
spring up from the roots, but the cat
tie browses them down until the noun
tain is bald and desolate, and men say
it is the nature of the mountain to be
bald and desolate Not so so; it's con-
dition is the result of violence to it's
nature. Thus mans nature seeks to
colthe itself with virtue, but it is as
sailed by external evils, till finally the
recuperative powers of the heart be-
come paralyzed and we look upon the
evil man and say it is his nature to
be evil. Not so; his true nature has
been overcome by the evil that is alien
to it, "The end of learning is to re-
cover the lost heart, - which is the
"child- heart" that all men have in
common
Confucius teresly describes the ideal
condition of human relations as real
lied "when the prince acquits himself
as prince, the minister as minister,
the father as father land the son as
son - that is, when man in every
rank in society discharge faithfully
the duties belonging to their place. The
claw of Heaven" is the law of right,
the law of duty, and wisdom consists
in correctly applying this law in the
relations of life. Confucius taught
that the end of learning was to de-
velop and make manifest the innate
virtue, to .renovate the people, and to
rest in the highest goodness.
Chinese history has not been without
examples of upright rulers and faith
full citizens, of compassionate fathers
and filial sons - but the ideal state,
the ideal family, have been, for the
most part, themes to be talked about,
to be written of in elegant essays, but
not to be striven after, or experienced.
The "Son of Heaven" has usually
proved to be son of earth in his
bondage to its passions and allure
ments. Ministers have been eyes and
ears and hands, not for the service of
their princes, but for the service Of
their own ignoble appetites and ambi-
tions. Society has not been ruled by
the law of benevolence. but by the law
of selfshness. The operation of this
law is also seen in family life. Parents
command children in turn have few
rights in the presence of their parents.
There is popular saying that par
ents are the family gods, 7" and too
often they rule in their households
with the authority of gods. The dis
ciple of Confucius learned through OBJ
serving the relations between the sage
and his son that the superior man is
not intimate with his children. In
general the hard and selfish rule of
parents begets formal and selfish ser
vice in children. Falsehood and dupli
city take the place of truthfulness and
candor, and unloving authority is
met by unloving coincidence.