Confucius, left these words of moderation--that coarse rice for food, and water for drink, and the curved arm for a pillow, were enough for happiness! And thus the Governments of China succeeded in establishing, even in very early times, a condition of submissive decency everywhere. They confined wine to festive occasions, and we learn from the “Shi-King” that to the guest was granted the honor of the cup; even to him, however, in but the spare measure that chimes with the sordid miserliness of the Chinaman, who could never have understood the art of drinking, if for no other reason than because he has nothing of the liberality which the Orient calls the “flowing hand.” They say in a guest-song:-- “A noble guest has come beneath our roof; For him melodious tunes were played, So long as thus it pleased our guest, And with the cup I sought to cheer him. “The sound of music rang incessantly, And ever was the cup kept full; And in our honor did he empty it; The wine was light and pure, and harmed him not.” And in another place:-- “A hare is roasting on the spit; A pumpkin leaf we go to pick; A banquet we prepare our guest, And fill his cup with wine the best.” We have seen from other authorities that wine was chiefly reserved to old age, and here it is confirmed:-- “Serve round the circle the wine-cup, ye bearers; With the spiced wine the aged refresh them; In it their youth and their vigor reviving, But your own youth surely needs no concoction.”