Confucius
2 of the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Confucius. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
or KONG-FU-TSE, that is, "the teacher, Kong," the famous Chinese sage; born about 550 B. c. in the province of Shantung, state of Lu. His of father, Shuh-liang-heih, who was royal descent, died three years later, later, and the boy was reared in comparative poverty by his mother, Ching-tsai. At the age of 17 he was made inspector of cornmarkets, at 19 he married, and after about four years of domesticity, in which a son and two daughters were born him, he began his career as a teacher. In 517 b. c. he was induced by two members of one of the principal houses in Lu, who had joined his band of disciples, to visit the capital with them, where he had interviews with Laotze, the founder of Taoism. Driven from Lu to Tsi by a revolution, he soon returned thither with an increasing following, and at the age of 52 was made chief magistrate of the city of Chung-too. So striking a reformation was effected by him that he was chosen minister of crime, and with the aid of two powerful disciples elevated the state of Lu to a leading position in the kingdom. Its marquis, however, soon after gave himself up to debauchery, and Confucius became a wanderer in many states for 13 years. In 483 he returned to Lu, but would not take office. The deaths of his favorite disciples, Yen Hwin and Tze-lu, in 481 and 478 did much to further his own, which took place in the latter year. Confucius left no work detailing his moral and social system, but the five canonical books of Confucianism are the "Yih-king," the "Shu-king," the "Shi GRAVE OF CONFUCIUS, CHEFOO, CHINA king," the "Le-king," and the "Chuntsien," with which are grouped the "Four Books," by disciples of Confucius, the "Ta-heo or Great Study," the "Chung- Yung or Invariable Mean," the "Tun-yu or Philosophical Dialogues," and the "Hi-tse," written by Meng-tse or Mencius. The teaching of Confucius has had, and still has, an immense influence in China. All his teaching was devoted to practical morality and to the duties of man in this world in relation to his fellowmen. It is doubtful if he had any real belief in a personal god.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
kon-fu'she-us (550-478 B. C.), a Chinese religious teacher. His Chinese name was Kung, to which fu-tse', meaning reverend doctor, was added. Confucius is the Latinized form of Kung-futse'. He was of royal descent, but was raised in poverty by his mother. He was educated for office in the learning of China. His first official commission was that of inspector of the grain markets. He taught school for a time. One remark of his is worth remembering. "When I have presented," said he, "one corner of a subject, and the pupil cannot, of himself, make out the other three, I do not repeat my lesson." At an early age he began to visit the various provinces, preaching a system of morals to which he won many adherents. Confucius is credited frequently with the authorship of the nine classics which form the canonical books of the Chinese. Although, as compiler, commentator, or teacher, he left his impress upon all of these, he wrote but one, Spring and Autumn Annals, the last of the Five Classics. His disciples drew up his teachings and sayings in what are known as the Four Books, which, with the Five Classics, make up the nine canonical books. Confucius made no pretense to divinity. He taught a simple, plain code of practical ethics, remarkable for an almost total want of theology or creed. "To give one's self earnestly to the duties due to man, and, while respecting spiritual things, to keep aloof from them, that may be called wisdom," said he. He has an immense following in the Orient. The adherents of Confucius, chiefly in China and Japan, are estimated at no less than 256,000,000. See Chinese Empire ; Literature ; Chinese
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Both accounts assume Confucius' teaching would go on shaping China as it always had — Collier's in 1921 called its influence "immense" and "still" active. In fact the imperial examination system built on the classics had already been abolished in 1905, and after the New Culture Movement of the 1910s Confucius became a symbol of everything reformers wanted to discard; during the Cultural Revolution a national campaign to "criticise Lin Biao and Confucius" (1973-74) saw Red Guards attack the temple and cemetery complex at Qufu, his home town. Since the 1980s the state has reversed course: Qufu was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994 and the government began opening Confucius Institutes abroad in 2004. Scholars also now date him 551-479 BC, doubt that he wrote the "Spring and Autumn Annals" that Aiton's credits to him, and treat the meeting with Laozi as legend rather than history.
Written for this edition, 2026.