Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-12-22
What We Are Coming io--C Chinese Civil
Service Methods.

N. 7. Sun. 10 =
TO gain an adequate idea Of what
competitive examination can become
as method of selecting public OH
GERS. the Chinese civil service system
must be studied. In Bldck kN6ods Nag
asine for October there Is an account
OF the great Examination Hall at
Pekin, and of what is done there, ap.
parently from the pen OF : traveller
who has visited many parts Of China.
IL presents . picture so strange and
gr0tesque that It 10 dilieult 10 believe
that the writer is serious. yAI
The degree of Advanced. Scholar,
which 10 the pathway 10 fbe highest
Offices Of the State, ia competed for at
. great examination held every. three
years at the capital IN vast walled
enclosuye containing thousands Of
small cells, arranged Ia rows, and in.
tended for the occupation Of the can
didates while undergoing the severe
tests to which they are subjected.
Each cell is about three feet square
and open 10 front. They all face the
same way, "each looking into the
blank back Of the next cell, SO that
there may be nothing to distract the
attention." They are unl0rhlshed,
save with seat in each aud q board
to write on. Attendants bring food
and water to the candidates, who are
not permitted 70 leave the cells. DUR
ing the period assigned to each part
Of the examination; and each part
lasts two days. Occasionally, we are
told, student is fo9nd dead in his
cell, "in,which case O hole is broken
10 the outer wall OF the enclosnre and
the corpse 10 thrust ont. for o 4strin-
gent regulation prohibits opening the
gate while the men are in the cells,
aud traditional custom must be main
tanned In the presence Of death it.
self lM HaalyMa f0HslSl 4hl
s. The candidates, many thousand ia
number, and ofallages. from eighteen
10 seventeen and over, are those who
have succeeded In passing the prjnci-
pal examination in their RESPECTIVE
provinces. The examiners, who oc-
copy u honse In sthe middle of the
walled enclosure. are eminent schol-
ara and include prince oftheaim-
perial family, as well as the Prime
Minister of the empire. The sub
jects of examination are the classical
writings of Confucius and the laws Of
China; handwriting, of which sir diff
ferent styles are in vogue in educated
circles; and original poeticaL compost
tion IS exemplifed in poem twelve
lines long.
So severe is the strain on mind
and memory involved in these exam
inations that many of the examiners
themselves, as well as many students,
break down under it and become
wrecks for life Several examiners
of the very highest rank" ears the
writer from whom we learn these To-
terestiDgt facts, ''haye at different
times been brought TO the Medical
Mission for treatment, having been
seized with paralysis in the course Of
the examinations, entirely Ia conse-
quence Of the prolonged strain"
Their work is as trying as that Of the
competing candidates.8s vsd aGasg
AT an enormous waste of mental
power, the competitive system is main
tained by similar methods throughout
the Chinese empire. 1t remains now,
as it has been for centuries, the single
avenue for entrance intO the Official
service of the Government. Is China
so much better governed than other
countries that they should follow ber
example IN this respect !? Are the
results satisfactory? No doubt most
of our civil service refOrmors would
agree with Us in answering these
questions In the negative; yet the
Chinese only carry out fully and Iogi-
cally the principles ad y0caled by those
who desire to make cOmpetitive sx-
aminations the sole test Of titness ior
public Office.
1t seems to Cs q great deal more
Important TO keep the sChf0ese Civil
service system out OF the UBited
States than it is % exclude Chinese
cheap labor. ,Aa s.4.s,..e fan