New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-07-25
.EDUCATION IN CHINA.
EDUCATION NOT GENERAL-SCHOOLs AND MODES
OF TEACHING.


OF TEACHING.
Mr. NJ. j. KnOwltOn writes as follows TO The
Boston Journal IL is often asserted in the newspapers
and Wric" Even Mitchciis now school Geography has
the following remarkable paragraph: Education Qn
China general, and learning Is greatly respected All
read and Write Newspapers and books are
printed in great numbers" residence OF l6 years IN
CHINA and constant intercourse with the people during
that period, enable me- from personal observation, 10
deny positively the tuthnness OF these assertions The
narration facts will, trust, place this matter Of
education IN China IN it's true light before the public.
There schools in China for girls, and with very
once lind M least half tile population utterly destitute of
education. OF the males the tcTs of the soil, the
chancs, the boatmen, the ishcncn the
bearcTsa these classes, embracing the working pOpu
laton with very few exceptions can neither read nor
write. The BUDDHIST priests should also as "A general
rule he cassd among the nOnicadcra The merchants,
the petty radcsmen the doctors the iortuncteers aud
mounehanks, ana the Official runners OF otOS can Tor
most part, just read and write sufficiently to keep
accounts and conduct business core spondence. Very
few among these CassCs read ana understand
Chinese book written IN the usual classical literary
style we hometeS see III thelI hahds 'hnese oNri',
which ere written III more duSe CO0qulai style Inc
why 50 few can understand the book language Is
the fault I'm part Of the bad system OF aching in the
schools Three or four years are spent by me pupils
(Which much time as most boys can spend at school
in committing to memory the names and forms of char
acter, and in learning to write thcm before any expana-
aion is given of their meaning
The classic or boOk-ianguage Of China Is dead Ian
guage. Ii is about as unlike the coHoqulal dhects-of
which there are over 200 in the empre-as Latin is
only class i'm China which read and write it is the
literary men, who devote their whole lives to literary
The OF the population 1t is difficult to determine, but
the following estimate is approximately correct In the
NingpO H. department, where am best acquainted,
there are probably about 10000 inhabitants and
dcducting One-half for females have 10000 males.
OF these, TO- 900 would be large estimate for literary
men, Thus have one literary man 10 every 10 Of the
male population. NingIO Is distinguished for liz high
Literary standing Hence, IN 20, or and onehird
nor cent ON an average the males should Judge 70 be
a fair estimate Of the comparative number OF literary
men intelligent readers III the empire SO much for
The assertion mat all classes read and write"
Then said, education Is general, and learning Is
Is
schools in China, does the Government have any
thing to DO with schools Many OF thc literary men get
their living by teaching private or select schools and
these the only schools IN CHINA The sOcaed col
eges I'm China are buildings where students go and
find retirement free OF Charge Tor reading ana pactlc
ing the writing of essays and poetry. He alone, In
company with other advanced students, may employ
some literary man whom they may choose 10 instruct
them In the select schools nothing but reading and
writing is taughtno science OF any KIND not gcOg
raIhy and arithmetic As for grammar they have none;
and the abacu, their only mode OF recklng, - seldom
taught In school In the more advanced schools the stu
dents taught 10 write prose and poetic cs-
SAYS preparatory TO the colnp@itite e1aInlna-
tons for literary degrees These examinations are con
Quoted by literary chanccOTs appointed by the En-
pcrOr, who aided by the other civil officers. Tie
animation for the first degree answering to our a. b. is
\. NJ, at the provincial capital ana Tor tnc thlrd ana
fourth, or highest degree, at Pekn In al these exam
nations nothing but ethical and historical essays and
poetry written There h. no examination III science
or Jaw, IN the history and laws Of other nations This,
As for newspapers" there j. not one printed In all
China There is daily Official bulletin isBled from the
Imperial palace, called 10y fOrcgnclsthe ickht Gd-tHc,
but u strictly Official and very brle ana Is not al all
newspaper IL the usual Two Or three newspapers
in the Chinese language have been started by Foreigners
residing az the omen ports.
As 10 books il Is seldom that now book appear.
There number OF Libraries Of old books ON various
subjects but they chiefly historical annals OF the en-
school books novels histories, aud works on few other
subjects.