Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-09-07
EDUCATION IN TDNGIsN.
\ System of Civil Service ssetor.,, by
Competitive Examinations.

II may surprise some political REFORM
ers Of the present day to learn that IL
system Of competitive examinations hal
its origin i'll China and is today one Of
the chief sources Of State prcfermcut in
Tonquin. The 81. JamcS' Gd:chc de-
scribes the method Of instruction there.
The State examinations in Tonquin are
of Chinese origin, ms they certainly are
Chinese in regard to their subject matter
The Book of Changes" by Wan Wang:
Confucius' Book OF History" regarded
as the foundation of their political sys-
TEN by the Chine Sc, is no less highly cs-
teemed by the TonquiIose, aul tue con
versations therein recorded between the
kings and their ministers serve to form
the basis Of the national ideas on music,
astronomy and tactics; the lie ke, or
Book of Rites" the text book of the
Peling Board of Rites, and regulating
the whole actions and relations of the
lives of every one in the coumtry--thcsc,
as well MS others of the Nine Classics,
constitute the syllabus OF the Tonqui-
nesc Examination Board. There are
three stages to be gone through by the
aspirant to the highest honors. The first
may be called the preliminary or matric-
ulation examination the successful can
didate being forthwith honorcd with
title, and going about among an admirug
rural population as Il sing-do. From this
he proceeds to the degree of bachelor. or
hungkong and the few who are able to
pass the third examination aud blossom
out as full doctors become, as Tan.si,
fitted for the highest posts in the land.
Any one may enter for the examination.
An area is fenced in with close high bam-
boo or wood fence. Immediately inside
this are n number of wattled huts, in
which the examiners and candidates live
for the time being. In the centre is Il
wide, bare expanse of ground, which con-
stitutes ''the schools A certain number
of officials are told OFF to watch the ex-
aminers lest favor or pity should inilu-
ence them to give hints to the asprants
for honors. They are also kept rigidly
apart and are not allowed to tall, to their
custodians.
On the morning of the examination the
candidates are mustered in the central
square, and each has n bit OF ground III
lotted to him. An officer in the centre
displays to them the examination paper
This consists of Il large sheet OF paper or
palm leaf itself, on which are inscribed
five short sentences, written in capital
letters. These are apophthegnata, or
positions to be controverted or upheld
from the text books. The candidates
copy them down, and are then caretully
searched for papers or Illicit sources Of
knowledge by the attendant bulldogs.
These guardians DO their duty with won
derful enthusiasm, scrutinizing not mere
ly the clothes, inside and ont, of the com
petitors, but examining the finger nails
and the soles of the feet they will even
pass their fingers inside mans mouth
with view to the discovery of hidden
aids. Then the candidates squat on the
ground and proceed to disbur,ien them
selves of the wisdom that is i'll them, the
bulldogs circling about the whole time
with unwinking vigilance. The whole
day is allowed for the concoction OF the
themes but no one is permitted to fill
more than twenty-four sheets Of paper,
and the setting of the sun is the signal to
stop. Each candidate then writes ON
ticket which is fixed to his papers his own
name and those Of his parents, together
with his village and the province he be-
formally proclaimed Sing-do. The Tan
81 who satisfy the examiners receive the
highest honors. They are feasted for
whole week by their native towns. Their
names are proclaimed in all the market
places of the country. The Nlceroy
presents each with bar of silver of the
value of Sl5 and Il piece of silk to sup
plant the old stuff gown, and one ormore
townships are assigned to them for thcir
support. From them the chief provin-
cial governors are chosen. They are sent
as ambassadors to China, and elsewhere.
and not the least onerous part Of their
duties is the examination of those of the
younger generation who aspire to literary
dignity