the soul of the far east-第8部分

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uggestion　of　the　importance　of　the　family　contained　in　it　is　probably　not　lost　upon　his　youthful　mind。　　Next　comes　the　〃Thousand　Character　Classic；〃　a　wonderful　epic　as　a　feat　of　skill；　for　of　the　thousand　characters　which　it　contains　not　a　single　one　is　repeated；　an　absence　of　tautology　not　properly　appreciated　by　the　enforced　reader。　　Reminiscences　of　our　own　school　days　vividly　depict　the　consequent　disgust；　instead　of　admiration；　of　the　boy。　　Three　more　books　succeed　these　first　volumes；　differing　from　one　another　in　form；　but　in　substance　singularly　alike；　treating；　as　they　all　do；　of　history　and　ethics　combined。　　For　tales　and　morals　are　inseparably　associated　by　pious　antiquity。　Indeed；　the　past　would　seem　to　have　lived　with　special　reference　to　the　edification　of　the　future。　　Chinamen　were　abnormally　virtuous　in　those　golden　days；　barring　the　few　unfortunates　whom　fate　needed　as　warning　examples　of　depravity　for　succeeding　ages。　　Except　for　the　fact　that　instruction　as　to　a　future　life　forms　no　part　of　the　curriculum；　a　far…eastern　education　may　be　said　to　consist　of　Sunday…school　every　day　in　the　week。　　For　no　occasion　is　lost　by　the　erudite　authors；　even　in　the　most　worldly　portions　of　their　work；　for　preaching　a　slight　homily　on　the　subject　in　hand。　　The　dictum　of　Dionysius　of　Halicarnassus　that　〃history　is　philosophy　teaching　by　example〃　would　seem　there　to　have　become　modified　into　〃history　is　filiosophy　teaching　by　example。〃　For　in　the　instructive　anecdotes　every　other　form　of　merit　is　depicted　as　second　to　that　of　being　a　dutiful　son。　　To　the　practice　of　that　supreme　virtue　all　other　considerations　are　sacrificed。　　The　student's　aim　is　thus　kept　single。　　At　every　turn　of　the　leaves；　paragons　of　filial　piety　shame　the　youthful　reader　to　the　pitch　of　emulation　by　the　epitaphic　records　of　their　deeds。　　Portraits　of　the　past；　possibly　colored；　present　that　estimable　trait　in　so　exalted　a　type　that　to　any　less　filial　a　people　they　would　simply　deter　competition。　　Yet　the　boy　implicitly　believes　and　no　doubt　resolves　to　rival　what　he　reads。　　A　specimen　or　two　will　amply　suggest　the　rest。　　In　one　tale　the　hero　is　held　up　to　the　unqualified　admiration　of　posterity　for　having　starved　to　death　his　son；　in　an　extreme　case　of　family　destitution；　for　the　sake　of　providing　food　enough　for　his　aged　father。　　In　another　he　unhesitatingly　divorces　his　wife　for　having　dared　to　poke　fun；　in　the　shape　of　bodkins；　at　some　wooden　effigies　of　his　parents　which　he　had　had　set　up　in　the　house　for　daily　devotional　contemplation。　　Finally　another　paragon　actually　sells　himself　in　perpetuity　as　a　slave　that　he　may　thus　procure　the　wherewithal　to　bury　with　due　honor　his　anything　but　worthy　progenitor；　who　had　first　cheated　his　neighbors　and　then　squandered　his　ill…gotten　gains　in　riotous　living。　Of　these　tales；　as　of　certain　questionable　novels　in　a　slightly　different　line；　the　eventual　moral　is　considered　quite　competent　to　redeem　the　general　immorality　of　the　plot。　　

Along　such　a　curriculum　the　youthful　Chinaman　is　made　to　run。　A　very　similar　system　prevails　in　Japan；　the　difference　between　the　two　consisting　in　quantity　rather　than　quality。　　The　books　in　the　two　cases　are　much　the　same；　and　the　amount　read　differs　surprisingly　little　when　we　consider　that　in　the　one　case　it　is　his　own　classics　the　student　is　reading；　in　the　other　the　Chinaman's。

If　he　belong　to　the　middle　class；　as　soon　as　his　schooling　is　over　he　is　set　to　learn　his　father's　trade。　　To　undertake　to　learn　any　trade　but　his　father's　would　strike　the　family　as　simply　preposterous。　Why　should　he　adopt　another　line　of　business？　　And；　if　he　did；　what　other　business　should　he　adopt？　　Is　his　father's　occupation　not　already　there；　a　part　of　the　existing　order　of　things；　and　is　he　not　the　son　of　his　father　and　heir　therefore　of　the　paternal　skill？　Not　that　such　inherited　aptness　is　recognized　scientifically；　it　is　simply　taken　for　granted　instinctively。　　It　is　but　a　halfhearted　intuition；　however；　for　the　possibility　of　an　inheritance　from　the　mother's　side　is　as　out　of　the　question　as　if　her　severance　from　her　own　family　had　an　ex　post　facto　effect。　　As　for　his　individual　predilection　in　the　matter；　nature　has　considerately　conformed　to　custom　by　giving　him　none。　　He　becomes　a　cabinet…maker；　for　instance；　because　his　ancestors　always　have　been　cabinet…makers。　　He　inherits　the　family　business　as　a　necessary　part　of　the　family　name。　　He　is　born　to　his　trade；　not　naturally　selected　because　of　his　fitness　for　it。　But　he　usually　is　amply　qualified　for　the　position；　for　generations　of　practice；　if　only　on　one　side　of　the　house；　accumulate　a　vast　deal　of　technical　skill。　　The　result　of　this　system　of　clan　guilds　in　all　branches　of　industry　is　sufficiently　noticeable。　　The　almost　infinite　superiority　of　Japanese　artisans　over　their　European　fellow…craftsmen　is　world…known。　　On　the　other　hand　the　tendency　of　the　occupation　in　the　abstract　to　swallow　up　the　individual　in　the　concrete　is　as　evident　to　theory　as　it　is　patent　in　practice。　　Eventually　the　man　is　lost　in　the　manner。　　The　very　names　of　trades　express　the　fact。　　The　Japanese　word　for　cabinet…maker；　for　example；　means　literally　cutting…thing…house；　and　is　now　applied　as　distinctively　to　the　man　as　to　his　shop。　　Nominally　as　well　as　practically　the　youthful　Japanese　artisan　makes　his　introduction　to　the　world；　much　after　the　manner　of　the　hero　of　Lecocq's　comic　opera；　the　son　of　the　house　of　Marasquin　et　Cie。

If　instead　of　belonging　to　the　lower　middle　class　our　typical　youth　be　born　of　bluer　blood；　or　if　he　be　filled　with　the　same　desires　as　if　he　were　so　descended；　he　becomes　a　student。　　Having　failed　to　discover　in　the　school…room　the　futility　of　his　country's　self…vaunted　learning；　he　proceeds　to　devote　his　life　to　its　pursuit。　　With　an　application　which　is　eminently　praiseworthy；　even　if　its　object　be　not；　he　sets　to　work　to　steep　himself　in　the　classics　till　he　can　perceive　no　merit　in　anything　else。　　As　might　be　suspected；　he　ends　by　discovering　in　the　sayings　of　the　past　more　meaning　than　the　simple　past　ever　dreamed　of　putting　there。　He　becomes　more　Confucian　than　Confucius。　　Indeed；　it　is　fortunate　for　the　reputation　of　the　sage　that　he　cannot　return　to　earth；　for　he　might　disagree　to　his　detriment　with　his　own　commentators。

Such　is　the　state　of　things　in　China　and　Korea。　　Learning；　however；　is　not　dependent　solely　on　individual　interest　for　its　wonderfully　flourishing　condition　in　the　Middle　Kingdom；　for　the　government　abets　the　practice　to　its　utmost。　　It　is　itself　the　supreme　sanction；　for　its　posts　are　the　prizes　of　proficiency。　　Through　the　study　of　the　classics　lies　the　only　entrance　to　political　power。　　To　become　a　mandarin　one　must　have　passed　a　series　of　competitive　examinations　on　these　very　subjects；　and　competition　in　this　impersonal　field　is　most　keen。　　For　while　popular　enthusiasm　for　philosophy　for　philosophy's　sake　might；　among　any　people；　eventually　show　symptoms　of　fatigue；　it　is　not　likely　to　flag　where　the　outcome　of　it　is　so　substantial。　　Erudition　carries　there　all　earthly　emoluments　in　its　train。　　For　the　man　who　can　write　the　most　scholastic　essay　on　the　classics　is　forthwith　permitted　to　a