garden, tended the cattle and goats, mended
the pathways, brought wood and water, and waited on his elders. Every
evening his mother used to tell him of the feats of strength of his
father, of his heroic qualities in friendship, of deeds of valor, of
fidelity to trusts, of his absolute truthfulness, and his desire for
knowledge in order that he might better serve his people.

The coarse, plain fare, the long walks across the fields, the climbing
of trees, the stooping to pull the weeds in the garden, the daily bath
in the brook, all combined to develop the boy's body to a splendid
degree. He went to bed at sundown, and at the first flush of dawn was up
that he might see the sunrise. There were devotional rites performed by
the mother and son, morning and evening, which consisted in the playing
upon a lute and singing or chanting the beauty and beneficence of
creation.

Confucius, at fifteen, was regarded as a phenomenal musician, and the
neighbors used to gather to hear him perform. At nineteen he was larger,
stronger, comelier, more skilled, than any other youth of his age in all
the country round.

The simple quality of his duties as a prince can be guessed when we are
told that his work as keeper of the herds required him to ride long
distances on horseback to settle difficulties between rival herders. The
range belonged to the State, and the owners of goats, sheep and cattle
were in continual controversies. Montana and Colorado will understand
this matter. Confucius summoned the disputants and talked to them long
about the absurdity of quarreling and the necessity of getting together
in complete understanding. Then it was that he first put forth his
best-known maxim: "You should not do to others that which you would not
have others do to you."

This negative statement of the Golden Rule is found expressed in various
ways in the writings of Confucius. A literal interpretation of the
Chinese language is quite impossible, as the Chinese have single signs
or symbols that express a complete idea. To state the same matter, we
often use a whole page.

Confucius had a single word which expressed the Golden Rule in such a
poetic way that it is almost useless to try to convey it to people of
the West. This word, which has been written into English as "Shu,"
means: My heart responds to yours, or my heart's desire is to meet your
heart's desire, or I wish to do to you even as I would be done by. This
sign, symbol or word