the　soul　that　comes　with　a　good　conscience。
  Confucius　was　a　very　tolerant　man。　He　went　out　of　his
  way　to　visit　Lao…Tse；　the　other　great　Chinese　leader　and　the
  founder　of　a　philosophic　system　called　‘‘Taoism；''　which　was
  merely　an　early　Chinese　version　of　the　Golden　Rule。
  Confucius　bore　no　hatred　to　any　one。　He　taught　the　virtue
  of　supreme　self…possession。　A　person　of　real　worth；　according
  to　the　teaching　of　Confucius；　did　not　allow　himself　to　be
  ruffled　by　anger　and　suffered　whatever　fate　brought　him　with
  the　resignation　of　those　sages　who　understand　that　everything
  which　happens；　in　one　way　or　another；　is　meant　for　the　best。
  At　first　he　had　only　a　few　students。　Gradually　the　number
  increased。　Before　his　death；　in　the　year　478　B。C。；　several　of　the
  kings　and　the　princes　of　China　confessed　themselves　his　disciples。
  When　Christ　was　born　in　Bethlehem；　the　philosophy　of
  Confucius　had　already　become　a　part　of　the　mental　make…up
  of　most　Chinamen。　It　has　continued　to　influence　their　lives
  ever　since。　Not　however　in　its　pure；　original　form。　Most　religions
  change　as　time　goes　on。　Christ　preached　humility　and
  meekness　and　absence　from　worldly　ambitions；　but　fifteen
  centuries　after　Golgotha；　the　head　of　the　Christian　church　was
  spending　millions　upon　the　erection　of　a　building　that　bore
  little　relation　to　the　lonely　stable　of　Bethlehem。
  Lao…Tse　taught　the　Golden　Rule；　and　in　less　than　three
  centuries　the　ignorant　masses　had　made　him　into　a　real　and
  very　cruel　God　and　had　buried　his　wise　commandments　under
  a　rubbish…heap　of　superstition　which　made　the　lives　of　the　average
  Chinese　one　long　series　of　frights　and　fears　and　horrors。
  Confucius　had　shown　his　students　the　beauties　of　honouring
  their　Father　and　their　Mother。　They　soon　began　to　be　more
  interested　in　the　memory　of　their　departed　parents　than　in　the
  happiness　of　their　children　and　their　grandchildren。　Deliberately
  they　turned　their　backs　upon　the　future　and　tried　to
  peer　into　the　vast　darkness　of　the　past。　The　worship　of　the
  ancestors　became　a　positive　religious　system。　Rather　than
  disturb　a　cemetery　situated　upon　the　sunny　and　fertile　side　of
  a　mountain；　they　would　plant　their　rice　and　wheat　upon　the
  barren　rocks　of　the　other　slope　where　nothing　could　possibly
  grow。　And　they　preferred　hunger　and　famine　to　the　desecration
  of　the　ancestral　grave。
  At　the　same　time　the　wise　words　of　Confucius　never　quite
  lost　their　hold　upon　the　increasing　millions　of　eastern　Asia。
  Confucianism；　with　its　profound　sayings　and　shrewd　observations；
  added　a　touch　of　common…sense　philosophy　to　the　soul　of
  every　Chinaman　and　influenced　his　entire　life；　whether　he　was
  a　simple　laundry　man　in　a　steaming　basement　or　the　ruler　of　vast
  provinces　who　dwelt　behind　the　high　walls　of　a　secluded　palace。
  In　the　sixteenth　century　the　enthusiastic　but　rather　uncivilised
  Christians　of　the　western　world　came　face　to　face　with
  the　older　creeds　of　the　East。　The　early　Spaniards　and　Portuguese
  looked　upon　the　peaceful　statues　of　Buddha　and　contemplated
  the　venerable　pictures　of　Confucius　and　did　not　in
  the　least　know　what　to　make　of　those　worthy　prophets　with
  their　far…away　smile。　They　came　to　the　easy　conclusion　that
  these　strange　divinities　were　just　plain　devils　who　represented
  something　idolatrous　and　heretical　and　did　not　deserve　the
  respect　of　the　true　sons　of　the　Church。　Whenever　the　spirit
  of　Buddha　or　Confucius　seemed　to　interfere　with　the　trade　in
  spices　and　silks；　the　Europeans　attacked　the　‘‘evil　influence''
  with　bullets　and　grape…shot。　That　system　had　certain　very
  definite　disadvantages。　It　has　left　us　an　unpleasant　heritage
  of　ill…will　which　promises　little　good　for　the　immediate　future。
  THE　REFORMATION
  THE　PROGRESS　OF　THE　HUMAN　RACE　IS　BEST
  COMPARED　TO　A　GIGANTIC　PENDULUM
  WHICH　FOREVER　SWINGS　FORWARD　AND
  BACKWARD。　THE　RELIGIOUS　INDIFFERENCE
  AND　THE　ARTISTIC　AND　LITERARY
  ENTHUSIASM　OF　THE　RENAISSANCE
  WERE　FOLLOWED　BY　THE　ARTISTIC　AND
  LITERARY　INDIFFERENCE　AND　THE　RELIGIOUS
  ENTHUSIASM　OF　THE　REFORMATION
  OF　course　you　have　heard　of　the　Reformation。　You　think
  of　a　small　but　courageous　group　of　pilgrims　who　crossed　the
  ocean　to　have　‘‘freedom　of　religious　worship。''　Vaguely　in　the
  course　of　time　（and　more　especially　in　our　Protestant　countries）
  the　Reformation　has　come　to　stand　for　the　idea　of
  ‘‘liberty　of　thought。''　Martin　Luther　is　represented　as　the
  leader　of　the　vanguard　of　progress。　But　when　history　is
  something　more　than　a　series　of　flattering　speeches　addressed
  to　our　own　glorious　ancestors；　when　to　use　the　words　of　the
  German　historian　Ranke；　we　try　to　discover　what　‘‘actually
  happened；''　then　much　of　the　past　is　seen　in　a　very　different
  light。
  Few　things　in　human　life　are　either　entirely　good　or　entirely
  bad。　Few　things　are　either　black　or　white。　It　is　the　duty　of
  the　honest　chronicler　to　give　a　true　account　of　all　the　good　and
  bad　sides　of　every　historical　event。　It　is　very　difficult　to　do
  this　because　we　all　have　our　personal　likes　and　dislikes。　But
  we　ought　to　try　and　be　as　fair　as　we　can　be；　and　must　not　allow
  our　prejudices　to　influence　us　too　much。
  Take　my　own　case　as　an　example。　I　grew　up　in　the　very
  Protestant　centre　of　a　very　Protestant　country。　I　never　saw
  any　Catholics　until　I　was　about　twelve　years　old。　Then　I　felt
  very　uncomfortable　when　I　met　them。　I　was　a　little　bit　afraid。
  I　knew　the　story　of　the　many　thousand　people　who　had　been
  burned　and　hanged　and　quartered　by　the　Spanish　Inquisition
  when　the　Duke　of　Alba　tried　to　cure　the　Dutch　people　of　their
  Lutheran　and　Calvinistic　heresies。　All　that　was　very　real
  to　me。　It　seemed　to　have　happened　only　the　day　before。　It
  might　occur　again。　There　might　be　another　Saint　Bartholomew's
  night；　and　poor　little　me　would　be　slaughtered　in　my
  nightie　and　my　body　would　be　thrown　out　of　the　window；　as
  had　happened　to　the　noble　Admiral　de　Coligny。
  Much　later　I　went　to　live　for　a　number　of　years　in　a　Catholic
  country。　I　found　the　people　much　pleasanter　and　much
  more　tolerant　and　quite　as　intelligent　as　my　former　countrymen。
  To　my　great　surprise；　I　began　to　discover　that　there
  was　a　Catholic　side　to　the　Reformation；　quite　as　much　as　a
  Protestant。
  Of　course　the　good　people　of　the　sixteenth　and　seventeenth
  centuries；　who　actually　lived　through　the　Reformation；　did
  not　see　things　that　way。　They　were　always　right　and　their
  enemy　was　always　wrong。　It　was　a　question　of　hang　or　be
  hanged；　and　both　sides　preferred　to　do　the　hanging。　Which
  was　no　more　than　human　and　for　which　they　deserve　no　blame。
  When　we　look　at　the　world　as　it　appeared　in　the　year　1500；
  an　easy　date　to　remember；　and　the　year　in　which　the　Emperor
  Charles　V　was　born；　this　is　what　we　see。　The　feudal　disorder
  of　the　Middle　Ages　has　given　way　before　the　order　of　a　number
  of　highly　centralised　kingdoms。　The　most　powerful　of
  all　sovereigns　is　the　great　Charles；　then　a　baby　in　a　cradle。
  He　is　the　grandson　of　Ferdinand　and　Isabella　and　of　Maxi…
  milian　of　Habsburg；　the　last　of　the　mediaeval　knights；　and　of
  his　wife　Mary；　the　daughter　of　Charles　the　Bold；　the　ambitious
  Burgundian　duke　who　had　made　successful　war　upon　France
  but　had　been　killed　by　the　independent　Swiss　peasants。　The
  child　Charles；　therefore；　has　fallen　heir　to　the　greater　part　of
  the　map；　to　all　the　lands　of　his　parents；　grandparents；　uncles；
  cousins　and　aunts　in　Germany；　in　Austria；　in　Holland；　in
  Belgium；　in　Italy；　and　in　Spain；　together　with　all　their　colonies
  in　Asia；　Africa　and　America。　By　a　strange　irony　of　fate；　he
  has　been　born　in　Ghent；　in　that　same　castle　of　the　counts　of
  Flanders；　which　the　Germans　used　as　a　prison　during　their
  recent　occupation　of　Belgium；　and　although　a　Spanish　king
  and　a　German　emperor；　he　receives　the　training　of　a　Fleming。
  As　his　father　is　dead　（poisoned；　so　people　say；　but　this　is
  never　proved）；　and　his　mother　has　lost　her　mind　（she　is　travelling
  through　her　domains　with　the　coffin　containing　the　body
  of　her　departed　husband）；　the　child　is　left　to　the　strict
  discipline　of　his　Aunt　Margaret。　Forced　to　rule　Germans　and
  Italians　and　Spaniards　and　a　hundred　strange　races；　Charles
  grows　up　a　Fleming；　a　faithful　son　of　the　Catholic　Church；
  but　quite　averse　to　religious　intolerance。　He　is　rather　lazy；
  both　as　a　boy　and　as　a　man。　But　fate　condemns　him　to　rule
  the　world　when　the　world　is　in　a　turmoil　of　religious　fervour。
  Forever　he　is　speeding　from　Madrid　to　Innsbruck　and　from
  Bruges　to　Vienna。　He　loves　peace　and　quiet　and　he　is　always
  at　war。　At　the　age　of　fifty…five；　we　see　him　turn　his　back　upon
  the　human　race　in　utter　disgust　at　so　much　hate　and　so　much
  stupidity。　Three　years　later　he　dies；　a　very　tired　and　disappointed
  man。
  So　much　for　Charles　the　Emperor。　How　about　the　Church；
  the　second　great　power　in　the　world？　The　Church　has　changed
  greatly　since　the　early　days　of　the　Middle　Ages；　when　it　start