Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-29

| descendants Of Confucius. with his ap-
proval. have been educated by the Amer
lean missionaries in modern learning.
The Confucius family are the oldest
nobility in China. They take precedence
| of everybody else and rank next to the
| imperial princes. They have the only per-
petual title in China, the only hereditary
dignity that existed before the conquest
of the family is Yen Shingkung (the
Ever Sacred Duke). Confucius being the
god of learning, his descendant Is also
the head Of the literati. the intellectuals,
as they are otherwise called-the men of
| learning-who monOpolize all civil, mill
tary and ecclesiastical positions.
Worship Of Confucius.
| Confucius. you know, was a school
| teacher at Ch'u-fu more than 500 years
before Christ and acquired such wisdom
that he has since been worshiped. The
name is the latinized form Of K'ungfu-
tzu or k'ung-fu-tze. During his lifetime.
although highly esteemed he was not the
recipient of great honors, and his cult
had slow and gradual development.
| After his death q number Of his disciples
are said to have mourned at his grave
| for three years, and one Of them re-
manned there for six years. The first
| temple in his honor was built many years
until 200 years later that the first i'm
| perial sacrifice was offered to his spirit
| by the Emperor Han Kao-tsu. founder of
the Han dynasty. The Emperor Chen
Tsung CAD. 99S-1022) visited his tomb
and conferred upon him the title Most
ing" Gradually for two thousand years
an impressive ritual has been developed
| for his worship. marked by sacrifices of
| oxen. sheep and swine. hbations Of wine.
offerings Of incense and silk. chants in
| his praise sung by the hterati. accompa-
MED by orchestral music and other cere-
monies which take place at the early
dawn of the spring and autumnal eQui-
noxes.
There is difference Of opinion as to
whether Confucianism Is a religion or
not. The decision of that question de-
ponds entirely upon the point Of view. It
offers no rewards after death and
threatens no punishments. It deals with
the present rather than the future. with
time rather than eternity. It has to do
teaches that those who observe the in
structions of the Teacher of Ten Thou
sand Generations win be wise. useful,
happy and successful The Christian
missionaries are in the habit of calling
Confucianism the state religion Of China.
which is misleading because the emperor
worships many objects that have no rela-
ton to or sympathy with Confucius.
Confucianism a Religion.
Mr.. E. T. Williams. the Chinese secretary
| of the American legation at Picking, and
high authority in such matters, COM
| menting on the recent edict. says:
1.-The system commonly called Con-
fucianism, embracing not only the ethical
teachings of the sage. but the ceremonies
prescribed for the family and the state in
the ancient writing edited and transmit
ted by him, is beyond question q religion.
AS in all primitive systems, there is no
clear differentiation of social. political and
religious duties. All alike are command
ed by the state: all alike have the sane
| ton of religion.
| I'm this religion there are. recognized
three grades of sacrifices. The highest
includes that offered to Heaven, to Earth,
to the imperial ancestors. and to the
Guardian Spirit of the Realm. The sec
| ond grade includes those offered to the
previous dynasties. and those to the Sun.
the Moon. Confucius. the Patron of Agri-
culture. to the Patroness Of Silk Culture,
and to the Year Star. The third grade
includes sacrifices to the Patron of Heal
ing. to the spirits of eminent statesmen,
to various mountains and rivers, and a
| host of lesser divinities. BY the recent
edict the sacrifices to Confucius are now
raised from the second to the first grade,
forming a trinity with Heaven and Earth.
There are over 1900 temples to the
| Worship of Confucius in China, one in
each district.
A More Vital Force in Society.
at is most probable" Mr. Williams
continues, that the edict is in the di-
rection of making Confucianism a more
vital force in society by lifting Confucius
to an equality with the Most High and
thus make him divine teacher. such as
Jesus is held to be by the Christians
The college which it is proposed to estab-
lish would seem to occupy toward the or
binary schools of the empire a relation
similar to that between a theological
seminary at home and the colleges of
arts and sciences. No place could be bet
ter suited for such an institution than
the little town which was the birthplace
of Confucius. The whole region is rich
In traditions of the holy man. The need
of such college will be better under
stood when it is remembered that the
curricula of the new schools give so
much space to foreign languages. and
modern science that it is impossible for
their students to acquire the familiarity
with the classics so common under tn
old system Of education The changes
outlined by these edicts are very signifi-
cant and may have far-reaching conse-
quences. That they have been, in part
at least, suggested by contact with
Christianity can hardly be doubted; and
so far they are attributed to the success
of the work of the missionaries. To give
them due weight. however, it is necessary
to look upon them as part of the general
movement for the awakening of a ma
tional spirit and the preservation of ma
tional Institutions