aroundworldortra00peebiala-1

156 ABOUND THE WORLD.
then emperor ; and then he calls for exemption from death,
that he may rule emph-es and worlds. The following are
the closing lines of this ethical ode —
:
" His numerous and foolish longings know no stopping-place;
At last a coffin for ever hides him,
And he passes away, still hugging his discontent."
In a Tauist work, treating of " rewards and punishments,"
I find these Emersonian teachings —
:
" When you see the way of truth, enter it. What is not truth, avoid
it. Watch not in false ways. Do not deceive yourself in committing
sins in secret. Add to the store of your virtues, and thus increase your
merits. Let your compassion extend to every object. Be loyal, dutiful,
and affectionate. Reform yourself that you may reform others. Pity
the desolate, compassionate the distressed. Honor the aged, be kind
to the young. Have a care not to harm either plants or reptiles. Sympathize
with the unfortunate, rejoice over the vu'tuous. Help those who
are in difficulty, save those who are in distress. Regard the good fortune
and losses of others as if they were your own. Do not make a display
either of the faults of others, or of your own excellences. Suppress
what is evil, give currency to what is good. Receive abuse without
resentment ; receive favors, as it were, with trembling. Dispense favors
without asking a return. Give to others without after-regrets. There
is no peace in wrong-doing. The effect follows the producing cause. K
a person has been guilty of wicked deeds, and afterwards repents, receive
him into confidence. Forget the past. To appropriate to one's self illgotten
gains, is like allaying hunger with poisoned food. If desires to
do right arise in the mind, divinities are present to aid and bless.
"As regards the virtuous man, all men honor him, Heaven protects
him, happiness and fortune foUow him, evil influences flee far from
him, divine spirits attend him ; whatever he does will prove successful,
and he may aspire to being one of the genii of heaven."
LAir-TSZE,
THE GBEAT MAN
Circumstances, rather than merit, often weave the
crown
of fame. Confucius is often termed the sage of China.
That he was treasury-keeper to the court of Chow, a
gatherer of ancient wisdom, and a wise man, is admitted ;
but he was not original, as was the old philosopher Lau-tsze,