6
GEMS OF CHINESE LITERATURE.
The Master replied, What then will you return for good? No: Return Good For Good; For Evil, Justice.
A disciple having asked for a rule of life in a word, the Master said, Is not Reciprocity that word? What You Would Not Others Should Do Unto You, Do Not Unto Them![1]
When his stable was burnt down, Confucius left the Court and said, “Has any man been hurt?” He did not ask about the horses.
A feudal noble said to Confucius, “The villagers of my State are upright men. If a father steals a sheep, his son will give evidence against him.” Confucius replied, “The uprightness of the villagers in my State is different from that. A father will shield his son, and a son will shield his father. This is what I call uprightness.”[2]
- ↑ An attempt has been made to show that this is after all only a negative (and therefore comparatively worthless) enunciation of the Golden Rule as expressed positively by Christ. The worthlessness, if any, lies in the terms of such an argument. For instance, you would not that others should abstain from helping you in trouble. Therefore you do not abstain from helping them in trouble. Consequently, you help them; thus doing unto others what you would they should do unto you.
- ↑ It may be interesting to compare a recent case, in London, of a man accused of harbouring his son, a deserter from the army. The man said that his son had been in the house only a week, and he could not drive him out. Mr. Boyd.―You should have informed the police. The accused.―I should never have heard the last of it from my family. Mr. Boyd.―I appreciate that you were in a difficult position, but it is a serious offence. You must pay £10 or go to prison for six weeks.
