University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER X

THRUST AND PARRY

a. The Lord Grand Secretary,[1] though inwardly perturbed, assumed
an air of arrogant importance and said: Can you, mere stay-athome's,
know anything of the toil of burden-carriers,[2] of worries of
incumbents in office, incommensurable with yours, critical bystanders?
Here we sit now in the heart of a mighty Empire, with all the
outlying states looking up to us for the solution of crucial domestic
and foreign problems.[3] Our minds are in a state of watchful tension,
as if we were crossing a great waterway[4] in the face of a gale,
with no haven yet in sight. Thus day and night we ponder and
worry over the expenditure of this great Commonwealth, forgetting
sleep while in bed and oblivious of food when hungry. Statistical
tables[5] never depart from our presence; we ransack our minds ever
searching to solve a myriad problems. Our assistants are, of course,
of mediocre ability and not fit for consultation! We struggle alone
with great principles and our thoughts have turned to the Scholars
with hope and expectation, as to some Duke Chou or Duke Shao,[6]
and we crave their bounties as if from some Tzŭ-kao.[7] While our
Secretariat manages affairs, year after year a search is made throughout

the provinces and demesnes for men of high integrity, and talented
and worthy scholars are recommended.

b. We have now convened with us over sixty of your class, oh
Worthies and Literati. You who cherish so the practices of the
Six Arts,[8] fleet in thought and exhaustive in argument, — you ought
now to let out the flood of your light and dispel our ignorance.
Come, show to us now how you disparage everything modern, putting
all your trust in the past; how you discourse upon Antiquity, with
never a reference to present conditions. Is it due to our ideosyncracies
that we are unable to recognize a scholar; or is it rather
your habit of falsifying truth by slandering ability in your stilted
tirades? How difficult indeed it is to find a really worthy scholar!
From Ni K'uan of Ch'ien-shêng,[9] upon whom was bestowed the
hat of a high minister for his studies on the Book of History, down
to all the recommended scholars that I have ever seen or heard or
as soaring high as recipients of Imperial favor, — none has shown
transcendant ability, none has helped the government in solving
difficulties, none has had any merit whatever!

c. The Literati: When working as a carpenter Shu Tzŭ[10] would
first adjust his square and compass, then "handle and hole" would
fit each other perfectly; the music-master Kuang,[11] when harmonizing
the scale, would first regulate his six sharps;[12] then only he achieved
the perfect blending of the sol-fa.[13] Our present artificers and mechanics,
when unable to fit handle and hole, find fault with the square and
compass; and when unable to harmonize the simplest tune, begin to
tamper with the time-honored musical scale. No wonder that their
handle and hole are all askew and never fit each other, that their
music is a cacophony of unsynchronized sounds. Now the real master
artist is he who knows how to adjust square and compass as soon
as he picks them up; he who knows the musical variations as soon
as he begins to blow into the organ-pipe. Next comes he who follows
in the beaten path and waits for the right man before starting an

innovation. This explains why Chanceller Ts'ao held drinking parties
daily, and Lord Ni kept his mouth shut, refusing to speak on anything.[14]

d. Thus, it seems to us, those in charge of important affairs should
not allow themselves to be vexed with trifles, for this leads to
confusion; while dealing with small details, one should ever be
diligent, for laxity leads to negligence. It is he who has a broadly
comprehensive grasp of administrative methods that is fit to become
a member of the Cabinet, says the Spring and Autumn; but he
whose administrative methods are over-inquisitive is only fit to be the
most common citizen.[15] Now it should be a matter of the gravest
concern to ministers of state when the social tenets are not disseminated
and propriety and justice do not function. As to files and
documents and matters of expediency, this is the business of office
assistants. As the Book of History says, In office should be the
eminent, the different officers go about their work, the various artisans
labor according to season, all working in harmony.[16] That is to say,
for every office the right man was secured and every man attended
to his business; thus every office was well regulated without confusion
arising and every affair was attended to without being neglected.
Minor officers should keep strictly to their duties, higher officials
should regulate their offices, while ministers of state should only
take up general and essential affairs.

e. Therefore, for those who know how to employ able men,
responsibility is shouldered without laborious effort, but with those

who know only how to use their own resources, business is neglected
and everything left uncompleted. Duke Huan let Kuan Chung[17] be
his eyes and ears. Thus the superior man exerts himself in his
search for worthy men and takes his rest in employing them—do
you see any danger in that? In former days when Chou Kung[18]
was Chanceller, he was meek and humble, never stingy[19] when
patronizing the scholars of the Empire. Therefore, able and distinguished
men filled his court, the worthy and wise thronged at his
gate. Confucius, a simple commoner without rank or privilege,
commanded the following of over seventy talented scholars who
were all fit to become high ministers of state to any feudal prince.
What could he have done in supporting all the Empire's scholars
had he possessed dignity comparable to that of the Three Highest
Ministers![20] But you with your superior ministerial rank and handsome
salary, you are unable to attract scholars, as you never possessed
the secret of promoting the worthy.

f. When Yao promoted Shun,[21] he treated him as his guest and
gave him his daughters in marriage; when Duke Huan promoted
Kuan Chung, he likewise treated him as his guest and made him
his mentor. For a Son of Heaven to become related by marriage to a
commoner—Yao could surely be termed to be on intimate relations
with the worthy; for a great prince to appoint as his mentor a
commoner—Duke Huan could surely be said to show respect to his
guest. This is why worthies flocked to them like a rushing stream
and attached themselves to them without hesitation. But in our
modern times we look in vain among those in high places for men
who would show as much regard for scholars as was exhibited by
King Chao of Yen,[22] or as much delight in associating with worthies
as is depicted in the poem, "With pleased sounds the deer call."[23]

We see you, on the other hand, adopting the ideas of Ts'ang Wên[24]
and Tzŭ-shu[25] in ignoring the worthy and envying the able, exalting
your own wisdom and belittling the ability of others. Too conceited
to ask for advice, too snobbish to befriend the scholars, trying to
impress worthy men by your high rank and to intimidate men of
scholarly attainment by your high salaries, it is indeed not surprising
that you find it so difficult to secure the service of scholars!

g. The Lord Grand Secretary, confounded, said nothing while
the Worthies drew prolonged sighs. Then advanced one of the
Secretaries and addressed them: T'ai Kung,[26] as Chancellor to kings
Wên and Wu, made them Emperors of the world; Kuan Chung,
as Prime Minister to Duke Huan, made his master Lord Protector
of the feudal princes. Thus when real worthies obtain high positions
they are like dragons plunging into water, or soaring serpents disporting
on the clouds. But Master Kung-sun Hung, when acting as
Chancellor, lectured his late Majesty upon the Spring and Autumn,
and while secure in the position of one of the Three Highest
Ministers, and with all the advantages of Dukes Chou and Shao,[27]
with powers extending over ten thousand li, and with the possibility
to set a standard for the whole world, proceeded to establish examples
for the Empire to follow by never dressing in two colors and never
dining on more than one dish,[28] all with no noticeable benefit to
the administration.[29]

h. Learned doctors such as Chu T'ai and Hsü Yen[30] in accordance with
an Imperial rescript, and endowed with special powers, rode through
all the length and breadth of the Empire, through every province
and demesne, making selection among the filial and incorrupt,[31]
and urging the people of the realm to reform—yet folkways and
morality showed no great change for the better. We have seen also
recommended scholars of the classes of Worthies, Probi and Literati
suddenly raised to high rank and honor, some of them even holding
ministerial posts. This is certainly doing more in promoting scholars
than king Chao of Yen ever did, and wider employment of the
worthies than Wên Wang ever attempted. Yet in spite of all this
we never saw anything accomplished by these men. We should
say that these worthies could not be exactly described as
possessing talents that would lead us to compare them with dragons
and soaring serpents; nor were they as commendable as those in
whom the poem "With pleased sounds the deer call" took pleasure.

i. The Literati: Ice and coals are not kept in the same receptacle,
nor can the sun and moon shine side by side. In Kung-sun Hung's
time the Ruler of Men was turning his thoughts, and inclining his
mind, to deal with the Barbarians on the four borders. Therefore,
this was the time when cunning strategic plans were submitted
and the knights of Ching and Ch'u[32] were paramount in employment;
generals and commanders often were raised to feudal rank and
given fiefs; the rapacious[33] received handsome rewards. It was
the period of the ascendancy of swashbuckling officers, and for a
long time afterwards wars continued unceasing, expedition following
expedition at short intervals until men-at-arms were completely
exhausted and the Government found itself short of funds.

j. Now came to the fore ministers specializing in levying taxes
and promoting profits, while "angling scholars"[34] and "bearskin

knights"[35] sank into obscurity. On the Ching, on the Huai,[36] sluices
were now built to facilitate transportation. Tung-kuo Yen[37] and
K'ung Chin proposed their plan for the salt and iron monopoly and
other sources of profit. The rich were allowed to purchase rank and
office, and to escape punishment through the payment of fines.
Public expenses continued to grow, while the administrators chased
after their own private profit, the people being forced to satisfy
both.[38] The masses being hardly able to bear this, they opposed
malpractices and observed the law. Thus ruthless officials were
given promotion; there appeared the novel laws of "implicating
witnesses" and "lèse majesté".[39] Men like Tu Chou and Chien Hsüan[40]
won renown by their harsh interpretations of the law, and others
of the type of Wang Wên-shu became prominent through their pitiless,
vulture-like, judicial murders. Few were those who, holding fast to
the principles of benevolence and justice, wanted to serve their
prince; while a multitude conformed themselves, to secure toleration[41]
from above. What could Kung-sun Hung do alone under such conditions?