Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-25
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BY WILL DURANT, PHI, D.,

by which the operations of nature take their
course without conflict and confusion, the lesser
forces flowing everywhere like river currents.
while the great forces of creation go silently
and steadily on. 1t is this-one system running
through all--that makes the universe so i'm
pressively great.
So, finally, Confucius comes to government,
which is at once the child and nurse of intelli-
gence, character and morals. Let only the fit
be eligible to rule, and let all be free to make
themselves fit. Instead Of being concerned
that you have office, be concerned to think
how you can make yourself fit for office" Uet
us emblazon this on every school and senate
chamber in the land) If such fit men at last
find office their very example will be stronger
than law. HE who rules by his vrtuous char
acter Is like the polar star, which rests in its
place while all the other stars revove about 1t.
If you judge the people by rules and correct
them by penalties, they will evade them and
lose their sense of shame; but il you guide them
by example and correct them by your
loyalty and honor, they will keep their con-
science and initiate you"
X X x
Chi-kang-tse questioned Confucius on a point
Of government, saying: fought I not to cut
off the lawess in order to establish law and
order?' Confucius replied: "Sir what need
is there Of the death penalty? If you showed
a sincere desire to be good, your people would
likewise be good. The virtue of the prince is
like unto wind; that of the people like unto
grass. For IL Is or the nature OF grass 10 pend
when the wind blows upon it." When Con-
fucius. in his years of exile. thought of set.
ting among some barbaric tribes, pupil said:
"How can you live there? They are savages."
But Confucius answered: "If a higher type
Of man dwelt among them how could their
savage condition last?"
SO Confucius visioned the coming Of philoso-
pher kings, and, perhaps because, like Voltaire.
he thought it would be easier to educate one
than to educate all, he labored for the ending
Of feudal chaos and the establishment of a
unified central rule. He knew that this, like
every form OF order, was dangerous to liberty,
but without IAN all-pervading unity" there
could be no real order, and no lasting liberty.
Only with such central government could the
economic life OF the people be guided into pros
perity, and their mental life into intelligence
and wisdom. Perhaps the concentration of
government would be the only way OF prevent
ing that natural concentration of wealth which
seems to lead by fatal cycle to periodical
revolutions. THE concentration of wealth is
the way to dispense the pepole; the distribution
of 1t among them is the way to unite people"
Scholars tell us that Chinese governments have
repeatedly interfered to prevent the accumula-
ton Of wealth in the hands Of diminishing
minority.
Through wealth would come the means to
universal education, and through this at last
civilization worthy Of man. THAT whereby
man differs from the lower animals Is little;
most people throw it away" To cherish that
little, and make it grow in every soul, should
be the highest ambition of any government.
X * X X
The Statesman.
And now, like Plato, Confucius sought q
ruler who would permit him to test his plans
with practice Most statesmen laughed at him:
these ideas were pretty on paper, but in actual
operation they would be ruined by the newt
able rascalty of men. Confucius waited pa
tiently, and at last. when he was 81, oppor-
tunity came. In sol BIC, century and more
before the execution of Socrates, we find Kung
the governor Of the city of Chung-tu. If we
may believe the Chinese historians, "a marvel.
GUS Transformation ensued in the manners Of
the people" Confucius promoted to the
difficult position of minister Of crime, in the
Duchy of Lu. Here, if anywhere, his ideas
should have failed; but again the historians
mad Do