Of old, heaven and earth were considered great; and the Yellow Emperor and Yao and Shun all thought them perfection. Consequently, what did those do who ruled the empire of old? They did what heaven and earth do; no more. * * * * * When Confucius was going west to place his works in the Imperial library of the House of Chou, Tzŭ Lu The most popular of all the disciples of Confucius. In the striking words of Mr. Watters, "He was equally ready to argue, fight, be silent, pray for his master, and die with him. So it is very unfair in Dr. Legge to call him _a kind of_ Peter, meaning of course Simon Peter, a man who lacked faith, courage, and fidelity, and who moreover cursed and swore."--_Guide to the Tablets in a Confucian Temple._ counselled him, saying, "I have heard that a certain librarian of the Chêng department, by name Lao Tan, Or, as usually named in this work, Lao Tzŭ. "Chêng" appears to have been merely a distinctive name. has resigned and retired into private life. Now as you, Sir, wish to deposit your works, it would be advisable to go and interview him." "Certainly," said Confucius; and he thereupon went to see Lao Tzŭ. The latter would not hear of the proposal; so Confucius began to expound the doctrines of his twelve canons, in order to convince Lao Tzŭ. These twelve have been variously enumerated as (1) the _Book of Changes_, Parts i and ii, with the ten _Wings_. (2) The twelve Dukes of the _Spring and Autumn_, etc. "This is all nonsense," cried Lao Tzŭ, interrupting him. "Tell me what are your criteria." "Charity," replied Confucius, "and duty towards one's neighbour." "Tell me, please," asked Lao Tzŭ, "are these part of man's original nature?" The question of an innate moral sense early occupied the attention of Chinese thinkers. "They are," answered Confucius. "Without charity, the superior man could not become what he is. Without duty to one's neighbour, he would be of no effect. These two belong to the original nature of a pure man. What further would you have?" "Tell me," said Lao Tzŭ, "in what consist charity and duty to one's neighbour?" "They consist," answered Confucius, "in a capacity for rejoicing in all things; in universal love, without the element of self. These are the characteristics of charity and duty to one's neighbour." "What stuff!" cried Lao Tzŭ. "Does not universal love contradict itself? If every one loves every one, there can be no such thing as love, just as absolute altruism only achieves the same result as absolute egoism. Is not your elimination of self a positive manifestation of self? On the "Don't nail his ear to the pump" principle.