Page:History of Corea, ancient and modern; with description of manners and customs, language and geography (1879).djvu/389

 TRUTH AND ERROR. 359 capacity, he induces men to act according to his rules, as to when there is a lucky opportunity of doing anything, and when he should abstain from doing. If a man of very limited capacity joins them, he forsakes the rules of human conduct, and becomes a devoted servant of gweUh/wa — "demons and gods,"— or superstition. 3rd, Lawters or Law Sect, consisting of those appointed to be magistrates over the people, to reward the good and to punish the evil, and to act according to principle and law. But if a selfish man is in office, he ceases to instruct the people, and casts away benevolence and love. 4th, Ink Sect. Ink is that by means of which every man gains knowledge. Ink is therefore most valuable and highly to be honoured.* The founder of this sect, contemporary of Mencius, called himself Modsu (Son of Ink), and instituted the Mojiao. He regarded a poor house or a mountain cave as a proper home. One of their tenets orders the younger people to get up at the fifth watch (2 am.), and wait upon the Three Elders (father, mother, and elderly guest) ; and they teach all to " love." But if a narrow-minded man join this sect, he follows out the doctrine of universal love too logically, and makes no distinction between his nearest relations and the outer world. "But," says one writer, "under heaven there is only one true doctrine, and all the rest are false ; the true man must be treated according to his truth, and the false according to his falsehood." " That," says the Annotator, "is the speech of a child ; for who can equalise the unequal ? Among one hundred men there is one thief; but if you dont know who it is, how is it possible to treat ninety-nine of these as honest men ? One cock pheasant crows, one hundred hens follow him. Swift as the wind, quick as the lightning, man has no standing ground. Who is there in this world who has not at some time been the object of groundless suspicion and back-biting? This is what is hard to endure. Wun Joongdsu said that in rectifying the conduct, the mind must be inflexibly bent in one direction (le., regardless of the vox popvli),
 * Compare the English saw about the " Pen and Sword."