The Crest-Wave of Evolution: A Course of Lectures in History, Given to the Graduates' Class in the Raja-Yoga College, Point Loma, in the College-Year 1918-19Morris, Kenneth
Philosophy
The Crest-Wave of Evolution: A Course of Lectures in History, Given to the Graduates' Class in the Raja-Yoga College, Point Loma, in the College-Year 1918-19
Morris, Kenneth
Theosophy
And now you shall hear Chapter X of the _Analects,_ to show you
the outer man. All these details were noted down by the love of
his disciples, for whom nothing was too petty to be recorded;
and if we cannot read them without smiling, there is this to
remember: they have suffered sea-change on their way to us:
sea-change and time-change. What you are to see really is: (1)
a great Minister of State, utterly bent on reproving and
correcting the laxity of his day, performing the ritual duties of
his calling--as all other duties--with a high religious sense of
their antiquity and dignity; both for their own sake, and to set
an example. what would be thought of an English Archbishop of
Canterbury who behaved familiarly or jocularly at a Coronation
Service?--(2) A gentleman of the old school, who insists on
dressing well and quietly, according to his station. That is
what he would appear now, in any grade of society, and among men
the least capable of recognising his inner greatness: 'race' is
written in every feature of his being; set him in any modern
court, and with half an eye you would see that his family was a
thousand years or so older than that of anyone else present, and
had held the throne at various times. Here is a touch of the
great gentleman: he would never fish with a net, or shoot at a
bird on the bough; it was unsportsmanlike. (3) A very natural
jovial man, not above "changing countenance" when fine meats were
set on his table:--a thing that directly contradicts the idea of
a cold, ever play-acting Confucius. A parvenu must be very
careful; but a scion of the House of Shang, a descendant of the
Yellow Emperor, could unbend and be jolly without loss of
dignity;--and, were he a Confucius, would. "A gentleman," said
he, "is calm and spacious"; he was himself, according to the
_Analects,_ friendly, yet dignified; inspired awe, but not
fear; was respectful, but easy. He divided mankind into three
classes: Adepts or Sages; true Gentlemen; and the common run.
He never claimed to belong to the first, though all China knows
well that he did belong to it. He even considered that he fell
short of the ideal of the second; but as to that, we need pay no
attention to his opinion. Here, then, is Chapter X:
"Amongst his own countryfolk Confucius wore a homely look, like
one who has no word to say. In the ancestral temple and at court
his speech was full, but cautious. At court he talked frankly to
men of low rank, winningly to men of high rank. In the Marquis's
presence he looked intent and solemn.
"When the Marquis bade him receive guests, his face seemed to
change, his knees to bend. He bowed left and right to those
behind him, straightened his robes in front and behind, and sped
forward, his elbows spread like wings. When the guest had left,
he always reported it, saying: 'The guest has ceased to
look back.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account