and is great. All things are born of being. Being is born of notbeing. Thus it appears that the philosophy of the Tao-te-king is that of absolute being, or the identity of being and not-being, thus corresponding with the philosophy of Hegel, twenty-three centuries later. It teaches that the absolute is the source of being and of not-being. Being is essence, and not-being is existence. One attains to all that is not-being by identifying himself with being, which is the source of not-being. Therefore the wise man will avoid knowledge, instead of seeking it. He refuses to act instead of acting. The wise man is like water, which appears weak but is strong; which yields, seeks its lowest level, and which appears the softest thing and breaks the hardest thing. One can only be wise by renouncing wisdom. He can only be good by renouncing justice and humanity. He can only be learned by renouncing knowledge. One must have no desires, must renounce all things, and be like a newborn babe. From everything comes its opposite, the easy from the difficult, the difficult from the easy, the long from the short, the short from the long, the high from the low, the low from the high, ignorance from knowledge, knowledge from ignorance, the first from the last, the last from the first. These various antagonisms are related by the principle of Tao. Nothing is independent, or can exist without its opposite. The good man and the bad man are equally necessary to each other. To have a right desire is not to have any desire. The saint is able to do great things because he does not try to do them. The unwarlike man conquers. He who yields to others rules them. By thus denying all things we attain possession of all things. Not to act is consequently the secret of all power. Its Philosophy. Its Teach ings. The same doctrine of opposites appears in the Phædo, in the Sánk- Parallels. hya philosophy of the Hindoos, and the doctrine of the Monad behind the Duad in the Zend-Avesta. The result so far is to an active passivity. Lao teaches that not Aim. to act involves the highest energy of being, and produces the greatest results. By not acting one becomes identified with Tao and receives all its power. Here the Chinese philosopher reasoned like Gautama the Buddha. The Tao of Lao-tse is the same as the Nirvana of Gautama. The different career of each is owing to the different motive in his mind. Gautama sought Nirvana, or the absolute, the pure knowledge, to obtain a release from evil and to overcome it. Lao appears to have sought it to attain power. On this point Buddhism and Tao-ism disagree. Buddhism is generous, benevolent, humane, seeking to help others. Tao-ism is selfish, striving for its own. This is the cause of the selfish morality pervading the Book of Rewards Rewards and Punishments. and Punishments. Every good act receives its reward. This is the cause of the degradation of the system into pure magic and spiritual ism. In the Tao-te-king the element afterwards expands in the system of utilitarian and eudæmonic ethics in the Book of Rewards and Punishments. The principle that by putting one's self into a wholly passive state one can enter into communion with the unnamed Tao, and thus obtain power over nature, leads to magic. The Tao-te-king says that he who knows the Tao needs not fear the bite of serpents, nor the jaws of wild beasts, nor the claws of birds of prey. He cannot be reached by good or evil. He does not need to have any fear of the rhinoceros. or the tiger. In battle he does not need either cuirass or sword. The tiger is not able to tear him to pieces. The soldier is unable to inflict any wound upon him. He is absolutely invulnerable and secure against death. SECTION VI.-GEOGRAPHY AND ANTIQUITY OF JAPAN. The JAPAN, the native name of which is Niphon, meaning "Land of the Japanese Islands. Rising Sun," consists of the large island of Honshu, or Hondo, often erroneously called Niphon; Shikoku, or Kiusiu, also called Kiushu; and Hokhaido, or Yezo, also called Jesso, and several dozen adjacent islands, with the Liukiu, or Loochoo Islands connecting the main group with Formosa, or Taiwan, which also now forms part of the Japanese Empire, though until recently under the dominion of China. Extent. Moun tains. Practically, this chain of islands, broken by small extents of sea between each of them, extends from the island of Formosa to the peninsula of Kamchatka, or from twenty-two degrees to fifty-one degrees north latitude. The Bonin Islands, between the Japanese group proper and the Ladrone Islands, are likewise under the Japanese dominion. The eastern shores of the archipelago border on the Northern Pacific, from whose vast depths arise successive ranges of massive mountains, in many instances crowned with volcanic cones. Though not wholly of volcanic origin, and in many cases of organic structure, earthquakes and seismic waves are of frequent occurrence and often extremely severe. A central mountain range extends through the length of the islands, and smaller ranges often extend in parallel lines, frequently descending very precipitately to the seacoast. These mountain chains are in many instances densely wooded, the valleys between them being highly cultivated. There is an abundance of thermal and mineral springs. The rivers run largely in torrents, forc and ing their way through rocky gorges and wooded ravines, and few are Rivers navigable except for the most shallow craft. There are many lakes in the islands. Lakes. The island of Formosa lies in the China Sea, sixty miles from the Formosa. mainland. It is two hundred and forty miles long and sixty miles wide. It is traversed by mountains twelve thousand feet high, the tops of which are covered with snow most of the year. Several peaks are volcanic. The island has a temperate climate, but the seas around it are among the most tempestuous in the world; typhoons, whirlwinds and waterspouts being of frequent occurrence. Violent earthquakes also often occur. The soil is fertile, and portions of it are highly cultivated and produce grain and various fruits. The Chinese occupy only the western part, and first settled there in 1662, reducing the natives to tribute. The aborigines, who occupy the eastern part of the island, are of a slender physical frame, resembling both the Malays and the Chinese. This island was ceded to Japan by China as a result of the Chino-Japanese War of 1894. Islands. The Loo Choo Islands, about thirty-six in number, lie to the north- Loo Choo east of Formosa, about four hundred miles from the mainland. The soil and climate are fine, and the people are noted for their kind, gentle and hospitable manners. Their language is a dialect of the JapaJapan acquired these islands from China as a result of the Chino-Japanese War of 1894. nese. Trees. The chief minerals of Japan are gold, silver, lead, copper, iron, coal Minerals. and antimony, but the precious metals are scarce and the ore is of poor quality. Copper is the most abundant metal and is of good quality. Valuable building stone is found, but is not much utilized. As a result of its variety of climate, Japan has a wide range of vegetable and animal life. In the south the bamboo and sago palm are found; while in the north the beech flourishes; and the pine, elm, chestnut and oak are general throughout the islands. Japan cedar, camphor-laurel, wax-tree, paper-mulberry, lacquer-tree, orange, persimmon, cherry, plum, apple, pear and fig trees both grow wild and are cultivated. Bears are found in the wilds of Yezo; and boars, wild deer, monkeys, Animals. foxes, badgers and smaller animals are found in the islands. Birds, fishes and reptiles are found. Among insects are mosquitoes and fleas. The climate of the Japanese Empire consists of every variety, ac- Climate. cording to location and altitude, the southern islands having a tropical heat, the northern an arctic cold, and the various altitudes also modifying the heat or cold. Snow falls generally, and perpetually covers some mountain summits. The island of Yezo is snowbound |