One of the feudal princes was boasting to Confucius of the high
level of morality which prevailed in his own State. "Among us
here," he said, "you will find upright men. If a father has
stolen a sheep, his son will give evidence against him." "In my
part of the country," replied Confucius, "there is a different
standard from this. A father will shield his son, a son will
shield his father. It is thus that uprightness will be found."

It is interesting to contrast this story with that of the elder Brutus
and his sons, upon which we in the West were all brought up.

Chao Ki, expounding the Confucian doctrine, says it is contrary to
filial piety to refuse a lucrative post by which to relieve the
indigence of one's aged parents.[19] This form of sin, however, is rare
in China as in other countries.

The worst failure of filial piety, however, is to remain without
children, since ancestors are supposed to suffer if they have no
descendants to keep up their cult. It is probable that this doctrine has
made the Chinese more prolific, in which case it has had great
biological importance. Filial piety is, of course, in no way peculiar to
China, but has been universal at a certain stage of culture. In this
respect, as in certain others, what is peculiar to China is the
preservation of the old custom after a very high level of civilization
had been attained. The early Greeks and Romans did not differ from the
Chinese in this respect, but as their civilization advanced the family
became less and less important. In China, this did not begin to happen
until our own day.

Whatever may be said against filial piety carried to excess, it is