The opposition of Wang An-shih's fellow-statesmen to these laws has already been noted, but a more for~ midable obstacle was the opposition of the masses—the very people whose to improve, No many ways, they did Rot Understand. the laws which, with "little or no preparation, had been imposed upon them; and' the petty officials, who had to do with the actual administration, were not Jelways either honest or loyal. There was also the superstition of the time contend with. Droughts, foods and earthquakes were interpreted by the Reople as a judgment of heaven upon the changing of ancient customs, and such natural calamities "did indeed seem to come with more than usual frequency in the reign of Shen Tsung.
Tu 1074 this general dissatisfaction came to a head. Wang was forced 10 retire and was sent to Nanking.
There with m re leisure on his hands he turned with renewed vigour to the completion of his commentaries on the Book of History, the Odes, "and the Rites of Chou, which he considered the most important of the classics, He felt that the inertia of the educated classes was due to the traditional interpretation of the classics and could they but understand the true implica~ tions of those writings their minds would be open to new Ideas, "After fan absence from court of one year the emperor Shen Tsung and Wangs friends made it possible for him resume his office as chief minister. He immediately presented his completed commentaries to the emperor and lurged that their teaching be made standard in all the schools.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.