Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-07-21
Chinese Officers.

When student has added poetry to his
other requirements, he knows all that
China can teach. He stands the test, and
comes through it gloriously, gaining the
immediate right to wear high cap, sur
mounted by a button or ball as large as
the egg of pigeon, and in this case con.
structed of copper, gilt and wrought. Our
graduate is now B. L., or Bachelor of
Letters, a member of the ninth class Of
the order OF mandsrins, and duly fitted tor
the humber posts. But though the sue
cessful student Is now one of the upper
one hundred thousand-an elected ar sto.
crat-he does not necessarily receive State
pay nor pass into State employ. SThere is
"great go'' or second ordeal to get
through before ne can take rank as mag.
istrate, Treasurer, Sub Project or Inspect.
or. Between him and the Hottest situa-
tions lies yet another barrier, harder to
scale than the two former. True, ne has
all Chinese learning in his brain, stored
away in crude state; but if he wishes to
be great mandarin he must shower the
power to apply it. He can learn; can he
think? If he hopes to change his ninth
class button for one of those envied top
knots of red coral, he must show an abil.
ity to make use of the raw material of
active In China than with US, few are those
who reach the topmost branches of the
tree of preterment. Immense numbers of
graduates finch from the second examina-
ton, preferring to vegetate through life
in some slenderly. paid office, where there
is not much to harrass and trouble, and
where Court favor is less needed, and
shameful downfalls less probable. The
storm that Levels the Lofty poplar, they
say, spares the humble mushroom at its
foot But there are numbers who fail to
obtain even a desk in Government bu-
reau, or "snug berth in the Customs,
without hope of promotion. These be-
come scribes, poets, parasites, scrlveners,
private tutors, one or ALL Every city is
full of these poor literary men, dinnerless
aristocrats, with plant back bones and
tongues of honey. When wealthy mer-
chants son marries another merchants
daughter, they jostle one another, these
penniless graduates, as they hurry to pre-
sent their fulsome stanzas on the happy
event. When rich man dies. and the
paid howlers muster around the splendid
coffin, poet presents himself to express
the grief of the heirs in mellifluous verse.
The Bachelors of Letters are especially
employed to "cram" the sons of wealthy
only render all the services of British
private tutor, but now an6 then are said
TO personate their dear pupil on the
awful day of trial, to take his place
in the schools, and to receive his
"testamur" for apt erudition-a crown.
ing aid, which no Oxford or Cambridge
"coach" has ever been known to render to
his young friends. These little irregular
tiles are rendered facile by the fact that
Chinese examiners have itching palms,
and know no salve like silver. A bribe
works wonders in convincing the arbiters
of the great progress which the student
has made in the humanities; and in a
country where the founts of justice are
corrupt, it is no wonder that degrees are
to be bought. But we must not hastily
conclude that the whole system is make.
believe one, and thst every degree is a
matter OF bargain and sale. In practice,
there is very little purchase, for the very
good reason that the candidates have more
brains than dollars, and can more easily
flag than pay. The mandarins-at least
the mandarins of pure Chiness origin
are very seldom members of the opulent
classes. 1t is ouly out of within that rich
trader, merchant prince such as China
abounds with, brings up q son to the
service of the State. The men of money
make their sons supercargoes, commercial
travellers, corresponding clerks, and so on.
If you ask them why they prefer
they who are rolling in riches,
who own fleets of iunks, over
trimming warehouses, and wealth I'm
told-to make their sons traders instead
of mandarins, they tell you frankly man.
darinism does not pay. 1t is harassing
life, very uncertain, and full of shoals
and sunken rocks; even a Viceroy may
incur squeeze" and it does not fall to
everyone's lot to inhabit a Garden of
Flowers, and call the Emperor cousin.
On this account it is that most OF the
naughty satraps who sway the destlnies of
millions are men of very humble origin,
not absolutely of the humblest, because