When we approach the subject of propriety we can hardly see the wood for the trees. In the Sage's opinion, of all the virtues this is perhaps the chiefest, which unique honour Shakespeare, by the way, gies to courage. Few important enaracters were used by Confucius more frequently than the word "tai," which, for the most part, Dr. Legge renders by the English word "propriety." Giles suggests "ceremony," "etiquette," " politeness," "worship." There is one idea, however, touched by all these wores, which is resct for superiors, the habit of " giving honour to whom honour is due." It would be possible, but it would serve no good purpose, to define exactly each of these words. We content ourselves by remarking that, in the Chinese character, the preponderating idea is that which we express by the words etiquette and ceremony General politeness as we understand it—"politeness is real kindness kindly expresced"—does not enter so fully into the word as the less substantial idea, The French say that "nothing is more estimable than politeness and nothing more ridiculous and tiresome than ceremony"—and they are universally recognised as an authority on the subject. "Politeness is the art of rendering spontaneously to everyone thit which is his due as a member of society." " Ceremony," Shakespeare says, "was devised at first to set a gloss on faint deeds," and Steele remarks that it "is the invention of wise men to keep fools at a distance." Which of these twin, but very dissimilar, ideas preponderates in the word "tai," we shall perhaps be better able to judge when we have finished our studies. All writers have regarded the
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