CHAPTER XLV
CONFUCIUS AND LAO-TSZ
Historians had to be careful—Reverence for rulers—Confucius' feelings—His failings—All on the surface—His concealments—His artful censures—Sanctity of the classes—Confucius' meannesses and indiscretions—Allowances must be made for time and place— Tsz-ch'an quite as good a man—Reasons for permanency of Confucian system—Reasons for Lao-tsz not being mentioned—All Chinese statesman-philosophers were, or tried to be, practical—First mention of Lao-tsz's new Taoism—Lao-tsz well known 400 B.C.— State intercourse before Confucius' time—Philosophy taught by word of mouth—Cheapening of books accounts for spread of knowledge—Description of ancient books—Confucius was young when he visited Lao-tsz—Lao-t&s book in ancient character—Meagreness of details evidence of rigid truth—Obscurity of the Emperor— Difficult questions of fact answered—How Lao-tsz was visited— Proofs of genuineness—Originals must be studied by foreign critics.