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RULES OF PROPRIETY

WISDOM. OF THE EAST ' "V i (By A.8.) Many years ago, I was greatly impressed with the practice of Chinese gentlemen to make it a point of honour to be out of debt at the commencement of the New Year, and I ulways read with great interest any hook which camo in my way giving any account of tho manners and customs of the Chinese people, but I was always careful not to be misled by the writings of persons who saw thine?, through tile spectacles of prejudice. When translat'ons of portions of tho Confucian books were published in the Wisdom of tho East Series, I was able ■to get some knowledge) of the work of Confucius and to appreciate fho enormous influence for good. of hie teachings. Tho books of Confucius and those of Lao Tsu and-Lieh. Tsu enabled ine to formulate a comparison between the East and the West, with respoot to the development of the system of ethics adopted to regulate tho intercourse of tho people among themselves in order to keep them united for all purposes of offence and defence against neighbouring nations In the West, the notion of an anthropomorphic' God who took a special interest in the particular nation which paid Him homage was adopted, and .a particular form of roligion was instituted based upon a code of ethios which was said to have been communicated to the people by supernatural means. In tho West, until quite recent years, the form, of religion coupled with a distinctivo national language was the. tie which bound the nation and kept it cohesive. Confucius shows that the ancient wisdom swept aside all crude ideas of. spirits working actively in the promotion of human happiness. In tho West it was said that there could be no happiness -until after death, and then 1 only if the-God of their choice ohose to admit them into his kingdom of heaven. . • . ■ In the East, Confucius pointed ,out that a man's happiness was tho result of hi. 8 own appreciation of the propriety of his own' conduct, and collected the- rales of propriety by which conduct should, be guided in orfier to bring about the desired result. The basis was laid on the admirable doctrine of Filial Duty,, and the practice was dictated by wisdom. When Vsked what is wisdom, the Master paid: "Make righteousness in human affair* vour aim, treat, all supernatural beings with respcct, but koep aloof fi'OJn tuom, and then tou may bo called wise. then, is the difference between Christianity and Confucianism. Christianity says, let all your actions be guided I>t - the directions given by God, and He will reward you with eternal happiness after death. Confucianism says: Jio man knows what happens the spirit aftjr the death of the body, and It is vain to try and find out. "Abiorpcion in the studv of the supernatural is iywt harmful,' 1 therefore while you live get hap- 1 piness by doing your duty to wiir i»reuts while tliev are alive and by teaching your children their duty, and treat vour fellow toings honourably so that they will rccognise you as a man of honour and treat you honourably and then yoir can meet death without fear when 3 Tt r is'somewhat paradoiical, but while Confucianism is intcmely. individualistic iit its teachings and recognises l no superiority except that of wisdom or scholarshin vet the doctrine of Filial Duty requires of. necessity a series ofrulorsovcr rulers ranging from tho father of the familv up to tho Son of Heaven who is the Father of the Nation. The so-callod democracy of the Western world is quite antagonistic to the truo principles ot Confucianism and Confucianism P™P erl > observed in practice as well as in ceremonial should survive after democracy shall by civil wars, Socialism, or c! " irc ''" ism have.'come and gone lilco the Greek and Koman republics of many .centuries "go-

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19201113.2.14

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 42, 13 November 1920, Page 5

Word count
Tapeke kupu
654

RULES OF PROPRIETY Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 42, 13 November 1920, Page 5

RULES OF PROPRIETY Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 42, 13 November 1920, Page 5

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