Probably Not a Human Being (July 14,1919)

At the new National Assembly, Deng Rong35 said, “It’s not necessary to appoint a special official to honor Confucius. We can save on expenses.” Zhang Yuanqi36 said, “In the Department of Internal Affairs, the prayers to Confucius are carried out by a clerk in the tearoom. Neither the head of the Department nor his first assistant pay any attention to it. It is necessary to appoint a special official.” Most likely the tearoom clerk of the Department of Internal Affairs is not a human being. If he were a human being, how could he be incapable even of offering up the prayers to Confucius? I think that old man Confucius’ bureaucratic airs must be somewhat attenuated after all these years.

36 Deng Rong, zi Shouxia, a native of Sichuan Province, was a graduate of Meiji University in Tokyo. At this time he was a lawyer, a member of the National Assembly, and an active participant in government and political affairs.