One of the feudal princes was boasting to Confucius of the high level of morality which prevailed in his own State.  “Among us here,” he said, “you will find upright men.  If a father has stolen a sheep, his son will give evidence against him.”  “In my part of the country,” replied Confucius, “there is a different standard from this.  A father will shield his son, a son will shield his father.  It is thus that uprightness will be found.”

It is interesting to contrast this story with that of the elder Brutus and his sons, upon which we in the West were all brought up.

Chao Ki, expounding the Confucian doctrine, says it is contrary to filial piety to refuse a lucrative post by which to relieve the indigence of one’s aged parents.[19] This form of sin, however, is rare in China as in other countries.

The worst failure of filial piety, however, is to remain without children, since ancestors are supposed to suffer if they have no descendants to keep up their cult.  It is probable that this doctrine has made the Chinese more prolific, in which case it has had great biological importance.  Filial piety is, of course, in no way peculiar to China, but has been universal at a certain stage of culture.  In this respect, as in certain others, what is peculiar to China is the preservation of the old custom after a very high level of civilization had been attained.  The early Greeks and Romans did not differ from the Chinese in this respect, but as their civilization advanced the family became less and less important.  In China, this did not begin to happen until our own day.

Whatever may be said against filial piety carried to excess, it is certainly less harmful than its Western counterpart, patriotism.  Both, of course, err in inculcating duties to a certain portion of mankind to the practical exclusion of the rest.  But patriotism directs one’s loyalty to a fighting unit, which filial piety does not (except in a very primitive society).  Therefore patriotism leads much more easily to militarism and imperialism.  The principal method of advancing the interests of one’s nation is homicide; the principal method of advancing the interest of one’s family is corruption and intrigue.  Therefore family feeling is less harmful than patriotism.  This view is borne out by the history and present condition of China as compared to Europe.

Apart from filial piety, Confucianism was, in practice, mainly a code of civilized behaviour, degenerating at times into an etiquette book.  It taught self-restraint, moderation, and above all courtesy.  Its moral code was not, like those of Buddhism and Christianity, so severe that only a few saints could hope to live up to it, or so much concerned with personal salvation as to be incompatible with political institutions.  It was not difficult for a man of the world to live up to the more imperative parts of the Confucian teaching.  But in order to do this he must exercise at all times