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knowledge of what they ought to do and what they ought to refrain from. It is unnecessary for them to trouble their heads with systems of morals. If a system of morals were necessary, men would be inferior to animals, all of whom are endowed with the knowledge of what they ought to do, only in an inferior degree to men. If what the Chinese call Benevolence (Jin), Righteousness (Gi), Propriety (Rei), Rotiringness (Jô), Filial Piety (Kô), Brotherly Love (Tei), Fidelity (Chiu’) and Truth (Shin) really constituted the duty of man, they would be so recognized and practised without any teaching, but as they were invented by the so-called “Holy Men” as instruments for ruling a viciously-inclined population, it became necessary to insist on the more than actual duty of man. Consequently, although plenty of men profess these doctrines, the number of those who practise them is very small. Violations of this teaching were attributed to human lusts. As human lusts are a part of man’s nature, they must be a part of the harmony of the universe, and cannot be wrong according to the Chinese theory. It was the vicious nature of the Chinese that necessitated such strict rules, as for instance that persons descended from a common ancestor, no matter how distantly related should not inter-marry. These rules not being founded on the harmony of the universe, were not in accordance with human feelings, and were therefore seldom obeyed.
In ancient times Japanese refrained only from inter-marriage among children of the same mother,[1] but the distance between noble and mean was duly preserved. Thus the country was spontaneously well-governed, in accordance with the “way” established by the gods.
Just as the Mikado worshipped the gods of heaven and earth, so his people prayed to the good gods in order to obtain blessings, and performed rites in honour of the bad gods, in order to avert their displeasure. If they com-
- ↑ This was allowed among the Jews and by Solon (v. Lubbock’s Origin of Civilization, p. 124). It was probably the result of polygamy. Although a distinction is made between the wife and concubines at the present day, that is probably of Chinese origin, for in more ancient times they were classed together as ‘women.’
