contains 1068 words. It has been translated into Latin, French, German, Russian, Portuguese, and English, and a paraphrase of it is used by the Protestant, Roman, and Greek Catholic missionaries, in their schools in China. Carefully translated quotations will best show its character. The first few lines run as follows:

"Men at their birth, are by nature radically good. Though alike in this, in practice they widely diverge.

"If not educated the natural character degenerates.

66

A course of education, is made valuable by close attention.

To nurture, and not educate, is a father's error.

Near the center of the little volume is found a summary of moral duties which must be given here.

"Mutual affection of father and son; concord of man and wife. "The elder brothers, kindness; the younger ones, respect. "Order between seniors and juniors; friendship among associates. "On the part of the prince, regard; on that of his minister, true loyalty.

"These ten moral duties are ever binding among men."

This ancient text-book has been committed to memory by countless millions of Chinese children.

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Other text-books in the preliminary course of study resemble closely the San Sz Ching, though having a wider range. The productions of nature, virtues of the early rulers, the power and capacities of man, his social duties and mode of conduct, with many and minute instruction in the proper manner of life, — all are concisely dealt with, and illustrated with examples. Quotations from two only will be given. "Observe and imitate the conduct of the virtuous, and command your thoughts that you may be wise. Your virtue once established, your reputation will be formed; your habits once rectified, your example will be good. A cubit of jade stone is not to be valued, but an inch of time you should contend for." Another volume, called the Hsiao Ching, or Classic of Filial Piety, has had an immense and lasting influence upon the Chinese The last of the primary books treats of the principles of education; the duties we owe our rulers, kindred, and fellow-men; those which we owe to ourselves in regard to study, demeanor, food, and dress; and gives many examples from the earliest times down to two and one half centuries before Christ, of the observance of the lessons taught in the book, and the good effects which have resulted therefrom.

race.

Following upon the primary course comes the academic, the body of Chinese education. And now we reach the most conspicuous figure in the history and affairs of the empire, the sage and statesman,

Confucius. He represents, he was the embodiment, of a force which, more than other, probably more than all others combined, has shaped the institutions of China, controlled the policy of the government, determined the character and destiny of the race.

For more than two thou

sand years he has been final authority in all matters, public and private, to a nation which to-day numbers more than four hundred millions. Let any one interested in the problem determine the aggregate population of China in that long stretch of time, and he will see to what an enormous mass of humanity Confucius has been leader, guide, and master. Nor is there any sufficient indication of the decadence of his authority. He is still the moving and steadying spirit which dominates the Chinese race. The academic department of the educational course consists of nine books. These are called among the Chinese the Wu Ching Sz Shu, or Five Classics, and Four Books, and are commonly known to the Western World as the Confucius Classics. The system of instruction is identical with that pursued in the primary course. Each character or word must be thoroughly memorized, there are at least half a million of them,— and each student must learn to read and write them, and to expound their meaning, which naturally includes the ability to prepare essays upon any passages found in them. This work completed, and the testing examinations passed to the satisfaction of the government, his student days are ended. He is the educated and polished gentleman, fit for the highest service and honor within the gift of the Son of Heaven. Such, for many centuries, has been the scholastic itinerary of Chinese youth, and they have labored through its clouds, and fogs, and mazes, up towards the glittering stars which have crowned their ambition.

Confucius was not the founder or teacher of any religious system. He personally and emphatically repudiated any such idea. He was the author, or as he himself would have said, the compiler of a system of political and social ethics, or code of morals. His one ambition was to be chosen by some prince who would follow his instructions in the management of public affairs. He was disappointed in this, and hence to the end regarded his life as a failure. It is manifestly impossible to give anything which approaches even a cursory review of the teachings of the Confucian ethical system. Fortunately, this is not necessary. There are three characters, or words, which occur so frequently in the teachings of this great master, upon which he laid so much of significance and stress that, taken together, they make plain the foundation and frame-work of the entire fabric. Understand them as he understood them, and you will know Confucianism as the master knew it.

The first and most important of these words is "li." It may be termed the bedrock upon which rests the entire system of social and civic morality, as taught by the Chinese sage. It is constantly in the mouth of every Chinaman to-day, as it has been for many centuries, as the final criterion and authority discriminating between right and wrong. It is commonly mistranslated, and out of this has grown a sweeping condemnation of the entire system. It has been inferred that, with Confucius, everything depended upon form, that if the external appearance and conduct were decorous and correct, it mattered not what the internal conditions might be. Nothing could be further from the fact. This Chinese character means far more than ceremony or ritual. Probably the nearest equivalent phrase to "li" in our tongue is "The principle of correct living." It is the primary and ultimate law of right action, and implies doing the right thing at the right time, in the right way, and from the right motive. No moral training, based upon this word and enforcing the constant practice of it, can be far wrong.

The second clue-word to the Confucian ethical system was given by the master in conversation. Being asked if there was any one word which would serve as a rule of action in all the relations of life, he replied, "Is not 'shu' such a word?" Then, fortunately, he added an explanation to his meaning by giving this interpretation of the Golden Rule, "What you do not wish that others should do unto you, do not unto them." This Chinese character has also been dwarfed in ordinary translations into "reciprocity," or "give and take." It includes immensely more than that, and means consideration, charity, forbearance, thoughtfulness for others, and mutuality of rights and interests.

A third word which played a conspicuous part in the Confucian conversations, and which, correctly interpreted, will furnish an important key to his meaning, is "Chun Tz." Here again Sinologues have been much at loss for a proper translation. They have called it the "princely man," the "superior man," the "mean" (or moderate) man, and by a variety of other phrases. It is quite evident from many descriptive remarks that by "Chun Tz" the Sage meant the ideal man, the perfected type of manhood. And while hunting far afield, and finding only a misfit phrase, these translations have overlooked one close at home, which fully conveys the idea of the master. The "gentleman," in the highest, truest, broadest meaning and practice of that word, is the modern type of the Confucian "Chun Tz.”

The teachings of Confucius were elevated and pure, free from word or idea which might possibly corrupt the thoughts of men. He gave

the most minute and varied instructions for the nurture and education of children, laid the utmost stress upon filial duty, and prescribed detailed rules of courtesy and conduct for the government of all ranks and classes. The principal figure in all of his instructions was the "Chun Tz," or gentleman, and no higher type may be produced by any code or system of ethical teaching. Dignity, moderation, self-restraint, fortitude, and sincerity were to be his characteristics, and the Golden Rule the law of his intercourse with his fellows. It is reasonable to believe that such moral training, if faithfully pursued and enforced, will carry humanity as high in the scale of being as it can be lifted, without an appeal to those other and higher ties of his spiritual nature, which connect each man directly with God.

II. IN INDIA

REV. ROBERT A. HUME, D.D.

PRESIDENT AHMEDNAGAR THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, AHMEDNAGAR, INDIA

Of the two hundred and ninety-four millions of India and Burma reported in the government census of 1901, sixty-two millions were Mohammedans. The masses of them are illiterate, and receive comparatively little instruction in religion or morals, save that every social arrangement of Islam teaches that God is one; that idolatry is offensive to him; that Mohammed is the great prophet of God; that the Koran is the sacred book; and that certain requirements about circumcision, fasting, and the observance of certain seasons must be carefully regarded. Among the higher and educated sections of Mohammedans, well-to-do families receive a good deal of careful training through religious teachers. Strict Mohammedans are careful to send their children only to schools where the Koran is taught. Strict Mohammedan women are careful to compel the members of their households to follow ceremonial requirements of their faith.

This paper will mainly describe the customs of inculcating religion and morals among the two hundred and seven millions who were returned in the census as Hindoos. The majority of these are largely uneducated as to books, yet some instruction about conduct and religion is given among them. If the word "moral " in our subject were meant to be a synonym of highly ethical, or as giving principles of right and wrong, then the statement must be made that there is very little such instruction among any class of Hindoos. In no religious community of a primitive or moderately developed character is morality, as such, much taught or emphasized. The principal matter in all such religions is ceremonial purity and correctness.

Imitation of elders is the principal way of inculcating religion and morals in India. In hundreds of thousands of villages there is only one person who is supposed to be a religious guide and responsible for explaining and enjoining religious ideas and customs upon the people of the village. And the main thing which that holy man does is to perform with considerable exactness what are deemed religious practices, and to see that the idols and shrines are properly looked after. Hence, imitation of the religious customs of caste and community is the principal way in which the middle castes, who are mainly farmers and artisans, know anything of religion. There is a large number of days in the year which are specifically set apart for the observance of certain religious events. These dates are given in the calendar and are usually connected with easily remembered astronomical occurrences. On the feast days the community as a whole, especially the women, follow certain traditional practices about bathing and feasting and fasting, and large numbers go to the shrines and temples. In connection with such small religious gatherings at sacred shrines there is often some person, who has a group of singers associated with him, who reads or sings or tells some stories from the religious books. Many people sit and hear these recitations by the hour. Also, on moonlight evenings there are often such recitations from sacred books. The masses get most of their knowledge of religious ideas and stories from such occasions. And when people go in crowds on great pilgrimages, then each night, as the company stops en route, and after reaching the place of pilgrimage, they listen to men who read or sing or tell the substance of the epics or Puranas and other books. At those great gatherings there are persons whose profession it is to direct the pilgrims what to do ceremonially, and to perform on them those rites which are supposed to be efficacious, and the efficacy of which depends mainly on the correctness with which everything is performed. But the pilgrims come away with injured morals, due to the extortions or immoralities which abound at all so-called sacred places.

Using the word "morals" as the recognition and doing of things which are a considerable part of daily life, and which affect the character and welfare of men, the first important point to mention is that the inculcation of good habits for the life of the masses of Hindoos depends mainly on the women. The duty and practice of industry is instilled from early childhood into the very bone and fiber of thought and life by the habits of the community and the home, and by the compulsions of difficulty in making an existence. In connection with industry, the simple habits of the farmer's household require regularity of life. The