Baton Rouge tri-weekly gazette & comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1865-18??, 1865-11-07
Tlte Gazette&Gptuet
EDUCATION I'm CHINA.
fsir John Bowling 10 shining Magazine.

fSir John Bowling 10 Shilling Magazins1
Every family in China is ambitious that
at least one of its members should obtain
literary eminence; to accomplish this OBJ
ject every sacrifice is, made, every exertion
called to action. All bask In the sunshine
of success, and share the triumphs Of the
fortunate competitor, whose h0nors are
( concentrated on his race, which is raised
in the social scale by his elevation. He
becomes in fact the oracle Of his clan, to
be consulted by all who bear the family
name, and the family names in China do
not exceed six hundred. The educational
machinery in China, imperfect though it
be, constitutes the most efficient hold
which the Government possesses for seeu-
ring the loyalty and obedience Of the peo-
Pile, while it brides and controls the des-
potic tendencies of the local Imandarins.
1t is the least corrupted party of the whole
administration.
Writing in China is, to great extent
pictorial, and the mental process by which
character conveys an idea is not necessari-
ly associated with the use of words. In
writing Chinese the camel hair pencil is
held between the middle and fourth finger
perpendicularly on the paper, There are
many varieties of character some fanci-
full in the extreme. The vase. character,
in which all the forms are rectangular,
was the ancient mode, from the facilities
it afforded in engraving. 1t is generally
employed in ornamental Inscriptions.
The official character, which is about
1900 years old, is holder, blacker, and less
fine than the ordinary type, and bears
something the same reference to it that
Roman capitals have to common letters.
The type most used now for printing, and
initiated in writing, is what is called the
t"pattern," and is taught in all schools
In this s'running" hand the parts of
character are connected with one another,
and the writing is more rapidly per-
formed. The flower or plant character is
still more loose and flowing, and is not
easily read it has, however, graceful
and attractive appearance. In the tenth
century the character was introduced 1t
. is sitter than the ''pattern," which has
superseded these and other varieties the
tadpole character, the bamboo character,
the bird character in which resemblances
y
The decimal numbers are used in Chi
nese far more commonly than by any other
people. Children are taught to reckon up
to 1899 on their fingers by making the
different joints of the left hand represent
units, tens, cents, mills, and ten thou
sands. The various parts of the body are
called the hundred members. A decimal
phraseology pervades the whole extent of
language--some tens, some hundreds,
some thousands, some tens Of thousands
are the forms by which expression is given
to quantities and numbers.
The Chinese mind, like horse in q
MILL is ever -treading the same dull,
narrow round which has been trod for
ages; it is harnessed to the routine ex
plored by successive generations. Will not
day of emancipation come, and fields be
explored, which have hitherto afforded no
temptation to curiosity or inquiry? The
cheapness of the means of education will
offer great facilities. Writing materials, -
paper, lux, pencils, books, but lit
tle Mutitudes of books are sold for less
than farthing each. The common price
Of printed sheet is tsien, Of which |
twenty make penny. There are abun- |
dance Of book stalls in the streets and |
squares of Chinese cities, where popular
literature is provided at rates marvelously |
low.