The Chinese believe that when disease does not yield to medical treatment, the vitals of the sick and suffering one are being preyed upon by an evil spirit; the physician is cast aside, and the Taoist priests are called in, to exercise their exorcising powers. One can scarcely pass along the streets of a Chinese city, at night, without finding these priests at work. Just as in Japan, one may hear, every night, the beating of the tom-tom as some priest is _drumming_ the devil out of some poor wretch’s body. CHAPTER XXIII. CONFUCIUS AND THE CLASSICS. Confucius! Confucius! How great was Confucius! Before him there was no Confucius! Since him there has been no other. Confucius! Confucius! How great was Confucius! One-third of the human race would probably join in honoring Confucius. The 340,000,000 of Chinese would, without doubt, accept the sentiment of the verse at the head of this chapter--taken from a popular history of Confucius. No man in any country has left so decided an impression on his countrymen for so long a time as Confucius has left upon the Chinese. He was, without question, a great man, and was wise far beyond the men of his age. His sayings, writings and deeds stand out above those of his countrymen. He found the moral sense and religious observances of his countrymen very much debased during his time, and set himself to reform them by reviving the ancient observances and teaching the highest principles of pure morals and beneficent government. THE BACKGROUND OF THE PICTURE. Before looking at the story of Confucius’s life let us pause to look at the times in which he lived and his surroundings. He was born in the year 550 B.C. He was “a transmitter and not a maker,” as he said; so it is important that we should see what there was for him to transmit. We must look into the past history of the Chinese people, into their traditions and habits, and, above all, their early religion. In dim antiquity the Chinese people came into the valley of the Yellow River, through Central Asia, from the west, which was, perhaps, the cradle of the race. They journeyed across the weary wastes of the Mongolian Desert until they came to the fertile plains along the great Hwang Ho. The mountains were clad with forests. By the regular rains and fruitful soil the labors of the people were rewarded by abundant harvest, and they gradually took possession of the land. The aboriginal tribes gradually yielded to their superior prowess, discipline and civilization. Colonies were planted all over the land under the control of chieftains, or, as Mencius calls them, “Pastors of Men.” The history of China, down to about 2356 B.C., is made of legendary stories. With this period the “Book of History,” which Confucius edited, begins. Dr. R. K. Douglass, of the British Museum, thus describes the reign of the two first emperors and the religion of their times: