Omaha daily bee., 1919-08-03
SHANTUNC MORE
TO CHINESE Than
MT.VERN0N TO US
Descendants of Oldest Family
In World Lived On Sacred
Soil TWenty-three
Centuries.

the illustrlouS city of Islnan, dating
from 100 B. c. Through this land
the Germans built a strategic rail
way by. which they could cut of
communication between the north
ern and southern provinces. As heir
of Germany, Japan succeeds to this
most important artery of travel. 1t
was this railroad that almost
wrecked the revolution.
The Chinese have never forgiven
this affront, this dissertation of her
sacred soil. The Boxers" original
ed in this province. China, her
heart lacerated, her sanctuaries vio-
lated, her dead dishonored, Germany
pouring salt in her bleeding wounds,
she turned on the invader and the
blood bath of 1900 was the result.
The tactless German did more to
bring it about than any one else, as
he easily led the world in the sack
ing OF Picking that followed the en-
trance of the European troops into
the capital.
Confucius' Teachings.
Confucius, whose name was Kung-
futze, though dead for more than "a
centuries, is to the Chinese race a
living reality. The homage of graf
Nitude, rather than the homage Of
worship, is his. And down through
the long, war-torn centuries, the
flaming lamp of that gratitude has
ever burned brightly on the affairs
of Cathay. His teachings are among
the precious treasures of mankind
Mencius, his ablest follower. the
Aristotle of the Orient, intrepidly
denied the divine right of kings" in
land where the ruler is the high
priest of the nation.
The greatest crime against filial
piety is not to have sons" remains
forever the teachings of Mencius
that has established his fame. His
mother is the most honored woman
in oriental history. Mencius was the
expounder of Confucius, as Hamil-
ton of the constitution and Wilson
of the league Of nations.
The Chinese have always been
staunch believers in this cardinal
doctrine on birth. They believe in
plenty of sons and few daughters.
If it is not easy in our own minds
to form a lust estimate of a man
with whom we are intimately &C
quainted and still more difficult to
speak of him to others in a way that
they may judge correctly of his
virtues and defects, how are we to
form just estimate of man who
lived when the Jews returned from
Babylon, and Egypt conquered by
the Persans? Light hltering through
the dust of Is centuries is at best
dim. We may discuss the sages of
Greece, whose thought lies embod-
led in the development of truth in
after ages, but here we present the
living philosopher, who, like skill
ful engineer, excavated a channel OF
thought for future age and projected
his teachings upon such plane that,
without addition or change, they
have held despotic sway over an
empire of intellect for 80 genera
tons, perhaps the greatest mental
wonder in all history. Never has
a teacher Of men held such influence,
or so nightly swayed the mind of
mankind.
n The Sixth Century B. c.
The sixth century before the
Christian era developed great lead
ers of thought and religion. In
Greece arose Pythagoras, Shaky-
mum in India, Zoraster in Persia,
in China Confusius. Of all these
great teachers of the age no one
has impressed himself on his ma
ton nor left a heritage to his race
as has China's "throneless king"
One third of humanity hear him
and follow him. And in truth, it
may be said, his land has unfalter-
ingly given him kingly worship
through the ages. No son of earth
has ever tasted the honor and re-
verence that China's millions have
paid to Confucius. He claimed no
divine mission nor Messianic des-
tiny, but simply teacher to help
his fellow man. He and his dis
ciples have made Shantung holy,
the cathedral land of the Far East,
the fountain of inspiration, the
Mount Vernon of Sinim, the Jeru-
salem of Cathay. And China now
to be stripped of this province!
As teacher of ethics, Confucius
stands in the front rank of practical
philosophers. A splendid morality
was his. SO much so that Confu
clan morality is the one great ele-
ment of stability in Chinese institu-
tons and a tremendous factor In
the remarkable duration of this an
cient nation. In the "princely
scholar he has held up a noble
ideal to the aristocracy of learning.
OF this work it is said ito be
guiding ever onward but ever be-
yond the reach" Confucius was
something of prohibitionist as his
views were decidedly Bryanistic.
He or nobody else ever claimed
fame for him on this score.
"Rectify yourself" is the central
tenet of his system, the most whole
some maxim of reform ever uttered.
The sun of this ethical structure is
fiial piety. This is the keynote
of the song the sages sung, the
keystone of the moral arch, the
key that unlocks the mystery of the
lation's antiquity and China's sta
,iity. the solid rock on which the
country is founded, that the son
obey and honor the father, the in
'erior the superior.
He insists on the fulfllment of
the social obligations, obedience to
a authority, kindness. friendship,
concord with neighbors, modihca-
ton and economy, propriety and
courtesy in a word, "the club rules
of the world"
The most brilliant maxim on
sociology that we have comes to US
from the Confucian times is:
Gold is tested by FIRE