Page:Leaves from my Chinese Scrapbook - Balfour, 1887.djvu/147

 The Three Rules of Life.

Once upon a time there were three brothers who went abroad to study ethics. On their return their father said to the eldest—

"Well, and what do ethics consist in?"

"They teach me," replied his son, "to cherish my own health and life, and to regard fame as of secondary importance."

"And what have they taught you?" inquired the father, turning to his second son.

"They teach me to kill myself, if necessary, in order to achieve fame," was the reply.

"And you? " said the father to the youngest.

"They teach me to preserve both body and fame intact," replied the lad.

Now, here you have three different theories all proceeding from a recognised authority. Which of them is right, think you, and which wrong?