Sentiments and Moral Ideas

The Chinese have always shown a keen delight in the beautiful--in
flowers, music, poetry, literature, embroidery, paintings,
porcelain. They cultivated ornamental plants, almost every house,
as we saw, having its garden, large or small, and tables were often
decorated with flowers in vases or ornamental wire baskets or fruits or
sweetmeats. Confucius made music an instrument of government. Paper
bearing the written character was so respected that it might not
be thrown on the ground or trodden on. Delight was always shown in
beautiful scenery or tales of the marvellous. Commanding or agreeable
situations were chosen for temples. But until within the last few
years streets and houses were generally unclean, and decency in public
frequently absent.

Morality was favoured by public opinion, but in spite of early
marriages and concubinage there was much laxity. Cruelty both
to human beings and animals has always been a marked trait in
the Chinese character. Savagery in warfare, cannibalism, luxury,
drunkenness, and corruption prevailed in the earliest times. The
attitude toward women was despotic. But moral principles pervaded the
classical writings, and formed the basis of law. In spite of these,
the inferior sentiment of revenge was, as we have seen, approved and
preached as a sacred duty. As a result of the universal _yin-yang_
dualistic doctrines, immorality was leniently regarded. In modern
times, at least, mercantile honour was high, "a merchant's word
is as good as his bond" being truer in China than in many other
countries. Intemperance was rare. Opium-smoking was much indulged in
until the use of the drug was forcibly suppressed (1906-16). Even now