The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-05-05
in heavenly mansions, he implored for him
"the peace that Jesus gives" and we left.
Education of the People.
FROM 1.-THE CHINESE MISSION TO oHRIsTENDoM.

rhoh LIE CdlNESE MlSSlON III CHhlSIENDOM
If the Chinese have much to learn from
US, we also have something to learn from
them. Among other things we can learn
from them how to educate the people. They
are, par excellence, the literary nation of
the world; and their literature, unlike our
own, does not merely float lightly over the
heads of the upper and middle classes of
society, but percolates to the millions who
toll for their daily Tread, so that an unedu.
Gated Chinaman, even of the meanest and
poorest estate, can scarcely be said to exist.
If all their printed books were consumed by
fire or otherwise destroyed tomorrow, body
of sound and wholesome literature, includ
ing the works of Confucius and Mencius,
would still exist in the memory of more than
twenty millions of men, and would be re-
printed without the loss of an idea or even
of word. So long have they preceded us
in the establishment of true principles in
the administration of all the minor Offices of
government and of the civil service, that it
was but the other day that the British Gov
eminent adopted principle that has been
in operation in China from time immemorial
the bestowal of public appointments as
the result of competitive examination. In
this respect the Chinese are still in advance
of us. In England young man must be
nominated by somebody before he can COM
pete with others for civil or military ap-
pointment. In China the young man can
nominate himself as candidate for the
honors and emoluments of the State. He
needs no aristocratc support, because in
China there is no aristocracy but that of
learning-marked with the seal of success
in the indispensable examination. There is,
it is true, an aristocracy of wealth-as there
is and must be in all countries; but official
aristocracy is the aristocracy of learning
and of literature. Thus the poorest man
of merit and capacity has an infinitely bet
ter chance of rising to the highest rank than
the rich man whose capacity is either small
or non existent. The aforementioned has
all the chances in his favor; the latter has
none. Such people are not to be taken
under European or American patronage, or
to be accounted as barbarians because their
civilization is different from ours, and has
not been of such rapid growth. "Slow and
sure" has been the motto of China since the
days of Confucius; and if China now ap-
pears to be going little faster than it did,
the Christian nations should not be disap-
pointed if she does not move quite so fast
as they would wish; and remember, in the
case of China, as in their own, that liberal
and progressive government cannot always
carry prejudiced people along with it.
The neutrality of Chinese waters, the in
tegrity of the Chinese territory, the sover-
eighty of Chinese law over all persons, ma
tive or foreign, inhabiting the territory
these are demands which the Chinese have
as much right to insist upon as France,
England, or America have as regards them
selves, and within their own Jurisdiction
These points conceded as from equal to
equal, an extension of trade-perhaps total
Free trade-will follow in due time between
China and all the world. -Blackwood s
Magazine