in humble life, he lived in retirement, and when more than a
hundred years old began a journey to the west and vanished from history.
To the guardian of the pass through which he sought the western regions
he gave a book which contained the thoughts of his life. This forms the
Bible of the Taouistic religion, which still has a large following in
China.

Confucius, or Kong-foo-tse, born 551 B.C., was as practical in intellect
as Laoutse was mystical, and has exerted an extraordinary influence upon
the Chinese race. For this reason it seems important to give some
account of his career.

The story of his life exists in some detail, and may be given in
epitome. As a child he was distinguished for his respect to older
people, his gentleness, modesty, and quickness of intellect. At nineteen
he married and was made a mandarin, being appointed superintendent of
the markets, and afterwards placed in charge of the public fields, the
sheep and cattle. His industry was remarkable, and so great were his
improvements in agriculture that the whole face of the country changed,
and plenty succeeded poverty.

At twenty-two he became a public teacher, and at thirty began the study
of music, making such remarkable progress in this art that from the
study of one piece he was able to describe the person of the composer,
even to his features and the expression of his eyes. His teacher now
gave him up. The pupil had passed infinitely beyond his reach. At the
next important epoch in the life of Confucius (499 B.C.) he had become
one of the chief ministers of the king of Loo. This potentate fell into
a dispute with the rival king of Tsi, and an interview between the two
kings took place, in which a scheme of treachery devised by the king of
Tsi was baffled by the vigilance and courage of the learned minister of
Loo.

But, the high precepts of Confucius proving too exalted for the feeble
virtue of his kingly employer, the philosopher soon left his service,
and entered upon a period of travel and study, teaching the people as he
went, and constantly attended by a number of disciples. His mode of
illustrating his precepts is indicated in an interesting anecdote. "As
he was journeying, one day he saw a woman weeping and wailing by a
grave. Confucius inquired the cause of her grief. 'You weep as if you
had experienced sorrow upon sorrow,' said one of the attendants of the
sage. The woman answered, 'It is so: my husband's father was killed here