The sun., 1919-09-14
Thr Eihrartan'H Gnrnrr
CONDUCTED BY
FRANK PARKER STocKBRIDGE.
A CHINESE LIBRARY.

A CHINESE LIBRARY
THERE was once an Emperor (says ancient
Chinese chronicle) who conceived himself to
be the greatest man who had ever lived.
His name was Shin Hungti.
The Emperor Shih was surrounded by courtiers
who fattered him until he was no longer content
merely to be the greatest who had ever lived.
Greatness alone seemed to him like an empty vase,
lacking the precious ointment with which it should
have been filed.
So the Emperor Shih, first of the Oh in dynasty,
decided he would be not only the greatest man who
had ever lived but the wisest.
Now at that time more than 1000 years ago,
there were many wise men. There had been wise
men for thousands Of years, and they had written
many books. In these books was contained all the
wisdom Of the world, and these books were PEE
served in many great libraries, where the poor as
well as the rich might read them and themselves
become wise.
Before Alexandra.
The greatest of all these libraries (says my
ancient chronology was the royal library itself In
it were stored thousands of volumes of history, of
geography, Of poetry, of philosophy and of works
on the arts and sciences. At its head was the Tai
Shin, the chief librarian among whose duties was
that of recording the actions of the Emperor. He
had for his secretary the Mel Shih For his assist
ants he had the Hsiao Shh, who recorded the i'm
portant events of the country; the Wal Shin, who
kept the archives and the geographical records the
Yu Shin, who watched and recorded the actions Of
the officials of lower rank than the Emperor, and
the Hsiao Yin Jen.
Besides the royal library there no less than
12O libraries maintained by the feudal princes of
the Flowery Kingdom. 1t was in these well as
in the royal library itself that the great Confucius
found wisdom which he recorded in his Spring and
AUTUMN Annals.
Now when the Son of Heaven, Shih Hungt
looked about him and that there were in his
Celestial Empire these great collections of wisdom
Continues the ancient chronicle) he despaired
For it would take lifetime to master it ALL and
few could hope, like Confucius, to spend lifetime
in the accumulation of wisdom.
So Shin Hungti ordered that alrthe books in the
royal library be burned, except the VI Chang, or
Book OF Changes, and works agriculture, med-
cine and divination. 1t was then ordered by the
Emperor that the iterati be exterminated, and
wherever one was reputed to possess the wisdom of
the ancients, him the Emperors vassas slew And
in the provinces and principaties as far as the
authority of Shin Hungti was recognized, there was
burning of books and Staying of wise men. And
when he had come to the end of these and found
there were still dukes and princes who held their
lands and their libraries as independent of the EN-
peror, upon those he made war until he had con-
quered their provinces or they yielded to his
authority, and their libraries he also burned and
had their literati put to the sword
When Books Came Back
Thus it came to pass that in the Celestial Empire
there was acclaimed so wise as the great EN-
peror Shin Hungti. And they called the empire
which he thus founded China, or the Empire of
Oh in, that being the name he took, sgnifying his
greatness and his wisdom ~
Now there was in that time in China (says the
chronicle) a man named Liu Pan. He was a soldier
and unlearned in books, but it was to him great
scandal that all wisdom should be possessed by one
man. To the Emperor Oh in he refused to yield his
sword, but made war upon him. and in forward