Page 5 - 預言系列

disciples who he taught orally and through 諸弟子於融融曳曳中，切磋琢磨，是為平
his writings. It was called a “Book College” 民教育之始。孔子教諸弟子為人之道，以
(書院) in which the students lived in an 孝為中心。所以忠孝之道，影響中國人的
atmosphere of learning and ethical precepts. 思想，凡千百年之久。各國學者向來重視
Central in his instruction was the great 中國人對父母的孝敬，並且認為孝是中國
principle of filial piety, with which the 歷史文明得以悠久之根本道理。此後歷
Chinese people have been inculcated 代，皆以「四書」「五經」為百官考試的主
through subsequent centuries. This reverence 要範圍；為士子晉陞之唯一門徑。士子如
to parents, has been seen by scholars of all 未中秀才，就不能「進學」。得中秀才，雖
nations to be the explanation of the longevity 然尚是初階，也能令闔族騰歡。其本人也
of the nations. Down through the dynasties 從此列入孔門桃李了。
proficiency in the Four Books and the Five
Classics, tested through rigorous
examinations has been the only door to
government office. Not until one passed
the Hsiu Ts’ai (秀才) test, which though the
lowest was very exacting, was he accounted
as having “entered the academy” (進學).
Every man that attained this distinction was
reckoned to be a devotee of the Confucian
religion.

This system of examinations was terminated 這種考試制度，直到清末民初，始加廢除。
with the overthrow of the Ch’ing Dynasty 但非常遺憾，在這過去五十五年中，中國
and the establishment of the Republic. We 並未樹立一新的考試制度，足以代替前
find it regrettable that nothing has been 者。反之，中國人卻開始轉而醉心於西洋
erected in its place in the last half-century, 的科學知識，因而中國學術界固有的精
wherein there has been a vast turning toward 神，乃至與其息息相關的固有文化和道德
the scientific learning of the West 觀念也日益衰頹。
accompanied by a great deterioration in
scholarship related to the ancient culture of
China and observance of the moral precepts
contained therein.

The above superficial review should be 由上所述，可以充分說明一件事實，即中
sufficient to establish the fact that the 國固有的文化與智識，不但是來自倫理和
ancient Chinese culture and learning was not 宗教，而事實與倫理宗教是合而為一的。
only not detached from the concepts of
ethics and religion but completely identified
with them.

When we shift our gaze to the now-powerful 然而，我們再回顧一下西歐與北美強國的
nations of Western Europe and of North 歷史，我們就會發現，沒有一個國家的文
America, we find no culture comparable in 化，在時間或特色上，能與亞洲的中國相
age and quality to that of China in Asia. To 比。當然，希臘和羅馬都曾有過高度的文
be sure, the Greeks and Romans achieved a 明，但與東方國家相比之下，他們的結果
high order of civilization, but both came to 卻都是以極權霸道為終的，而且歷史短
the height of their powers much later than 促。至於其他近東、埃及、亞述、巴比倫、
the oriental nations and it was of a short 波斯等國家的盛衰，在耶穌降生以前，前
duration. The other great powers of the 後也不過幾百年而已。前述諸朝代中，以

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