im, it would not be to the prosperity of Ts'u."--And
yet those three brilliant men were content--no, proud--to follow
him on his hopeless wanderings, sharing all his long sorrow;
they were utterly devoted to him. Indeed, we read of none of his
disciples turning against him;--which also speaks mighty well for
the stuff that was to be found in Chinese humanity in those days.

Tse Kung was told that some prince or minister had said that he,
Tse Kung, was a greater man than Confucius. He answered: "The
wall of my house rises only to the height of a man's shoulders;
anyone can look in and see whatever excellence is within. But
the Master's wall is many fathoms in height; so that who fails to
find the gateway cannot see the beauties of the temple within nor
the rich apparel of the officiating priests. It may be that only
a few will find the gate. Need we be surprised, then, at His
Excellency's remark?" Yen Huy said:--"The Master knows how to
draw us after him by regular steps. He broadens our outlook
with polite learning, and restrains our impulses by teaching
us self-control."

Only once, I think, is he recorded to have spoken of prayer. He
was very ill, and Tse Lu proposed to pray for his recovery. Said
Confucius: "What precedent is there for that?"--There was great
stuff in that Tse Lu: a bold warriorlike nature; not very
pliable; not too easy to teach, I imagine, but wonderfully
paying for any lesson taught and learned. He figures often as
the one who clings to the letter, and misses vision of the spirit
of the teaching; so now the Master plays him a little with this
as to precedent,--which weighed always more strongly with Tse Lu
than with Confucius.--"In the _Eulogies,"_ said Tse Lu, (it is a
lost work), "it is written: 'We pray to you, O Spirits of
Heaven and Earth."--"Ah!" said Confucius, "my prayers began long,
long ago." But he never did pray, in the Western sense. His
_life_ was one great intercession and petition for his people.

As to his love of ritual: remember that there are ceremonies and
ceremonies, some with deep power and meaning. Those that
Confucius upheld came down to him from Adept Teachers of old;
and he had an eye to them only as outward signs of a spiritual
grace, and means to it. "Ceremonies indeed!" said he once; "do
you think they are a mere matter of silken robes and jade
omaments? Music forsooth! Can music be a mere thing of drums
and bells?"--Or of harps, lutes, dulci