The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-03
The Literature of China.

The author Herbert A. Giles, NJ. a., is
professor of Chinese in the University of
Cambridge, and was at one time the Eng
lsh Consul at Ningpo.
The task of dealing with the literature
of a country so remote from ouT own in
habits of thought and possessing u Ian
guage all but impossible for foreigner to
acquire, is naturally one of the most diff
cult which can confront any author. and
IL is the more toilsome from the fact that
the Chinese scholars themselves have not
covered this field or even entered It, Other
volumes of this series Of literary histories
have been written by natives Of the coun-
tries with whose books they deal; this
must of necessity be the work of for
eigner. and though Mr.. Giles does not pre-
tend to have produced history which
would be complete in the eyes of Chinese
scholar he has certainly covered his
ground successfully. so far as the needs of
the foreign public are concerned. A con-
siderable part of the book is devoted to
TRANSACTIONS, so that the Chinese author
speaks for himself.
The History is divided into eight parts,
the first dealing with the feudal period
from the earliest stages of civilization to
about 200 B. C.-the second with the liter
ature of the Han dynasty, including the
next four hundred years: the third with
minor dynasties comprising another four
hundred years; the fourth with the Tang
dynasty. continuing till about 900 A. D..
the fifth with the Sung dynasty. 90O-12O0
A D.: the sixth taking in the Mongol dy-
nasty, up TO the year 1858; the seventh the
Ming dynasty. 136s-l6i4, and the eighth,
the Manchu dynasty. from 1874 TO the
present day. The absolute unfamiliarity
of the Occidental mind with the very
names of most of these dynasties and
epochs is significant as showing how little
attention has until recently been paid to
any Oriental history. The average school
boy is familiar with the rudiments of the
history of Greece and Rome during the
centuries Immediately preceding the Chris
tian era but all that the college graduate
knows of the history of China at that
time is that there was a Chinese civiliza-
ton: and this veil, or rather curtain. OF
ignorance shuts off the whole of Chinese
history throughout the Middle Ages and
almost up TO the present time. With the
awakening of the Orient TO use a popular
phrase and the contact OF Occidental with
Oriental civilization, this ignorance must
be dispelled. and ii Is likely 10 be far more
important, in the future, to know what in
vasions. what political changes. what civil
wars took place in China during the years
when she was shut out from the world of
travel and commerce, than to he versed in
the semi NEUROLOGICAL early history Of
Rome. The only way In which Roman
history is of value TO the modern world
aside from its poetic and legendary inter-
est. is in the object-lesson afforded by the
political construction and history of the
he +,,a
Orient. on the other hand is of direct
value as showing how the races with
which the Western World has now to deal
came into being: and thus this volume on
Chinese literature possesses an interest
greater in some ways than that of any OF
its predecessors with the exception of the
one dealing with Russia.
We find at the outset of the book a
sketch of the Chinese cosmogony. which
In this age of philosophical research. is of
some intrinsic interest. II Is thus summed
up by the author:
There was first Of all a period when Nothing
existed though some enthusiasts have attempted
TO deal with period antecedent 10 that
Gradually Nothing took upon itself the form and
Limitations of Unity, represented by point at
Monad First Cause, Aura. Zeitgeist. or
whatever one may please 10 call il
After countless ages, spent apparently in doing
nothing this Monad split into Two Principles.
sne active the other passive; positive. the
other negative; light and dirkness; male and fe-
male. The intoraction Of these two principles re-
suited in the production Of all things. we
see them III the universe around US. 2,2e9,ssi
years ago.
Chinese history begins with a semi
mythical Emperor. 1850 years before the
Christian era. Authentic records. how
ever are not to be found much before the
eighth century d. c.. and the author be-
gins his study of Chinese literature with
a period some two centuries later. when
China was a small group of feudal States
ruled by mobiles. owing allegiance to a
central State. and inhabited by people who
lived in houses. dressed in silk home
spun. wore shoes. carried umbrellas. and
had chairs tables. chariOts. -boats, and
pottery: also a written language. The
story is that previous to the invention of
this language the inhabitants used
notched sticks and knotted cords-the
"string-talk" still in use In India among
vaerants-to convey messages.
The one point which most people are
sure OF in Chinese literature is that Con-
fucius founded it. In addition TO his own
writings. he collected odes and lyrics com
mon in his day. and may be said to have
crystallized the literary sense. Several OF
the odes which he collected are quoted
here, and they prove beyond doubt that
human nature is pretty much the same all
the world over. They deal with love. hate
marriage war and other common topics
very much In the same way that the folk
ballads of the Scotch Highlands do. One
of the longer Of the odes dealing with the
theme. common TO folk-songs. of the mai
der who has loved and been forsaken,
bears an especially strong resemblance to
Bonnie Doom and Ike lyrics. There is
an Epicurean philosophy in the following
brief poem:
You have coats and robes,
But you DO not trail them:
You have ehariots and horses,
But YOU 10 not ride in them.
By and By you viii die.
AID another viii enjoy them
You have courtyard aud halls
But they are not sIrinkled and swept;
N0n have bells and drums
But they not struck.
By ana jy sou aiii die
And another Nill possess them.
You have vino and food
ashy not play daily on yoar late
That Won mas enjoy yourself nov,
and leHgihen ypar days.
- and by you viii die.
And air.ther will take your place.
The Five Classics Of Confucius are the
basis Of Chinese literature: but no student
enters upon their pcrusal tin ne has mas
tered what are called the Four Books.
which contain most Of the morality OF
CoDfucius