The sun., 1888-11-15

prove the necessity Of examinations for ad-
mission to the civil service" and he is loath
now to make full recantation OF his old
opinions. though he confesses that " the
present system Of competitive examination,
| In spite of all the good which 1t has done,
stands self-condemned, SO far as our public
schools and universities are concerned"
"The mischief done Is, I believe, most So
rious," he declares with greater om-
phasis. 1T will poison the best blood
! OF England" England is losing its
intellectual athletes who were q head and
shoulders taller than the rest, and used to
be looked up to as born lenders OF men; and
If history teaches anything, it teaches that
no country remains great without really
great men, without few men different from
the rest" Under this system Of competitive
examinations there is uniformity, the orig
innl intellect being brought down to level
with the average intellect capable OF sustain
ing the grinding process which shapes all
alike. AS to the civil service, while not yet
ready to give up his old hobby of compeu-
tive examinations, he would have them
toned down to a minimum" But, as lie
says, who is to examine the examiners? To
make competitive examinations true test
of ability and fitness there must be superla-
tive, an almost supernatural power OF dis
elimination in tho examiner. AS 1t is, in
stead of examinations being for the sake
of the schools and universities, we now seem
to have schools and universities simply and
solely for the sake of the examinations"
Prof. FHEEMAN finds that the result OF tho
new system in its general extension has
been "simply the degradation Of university
learning and teaching into trade" The
object OF the student is not the study OF
subject" but the passing OF an examlna-
tion," or, as Prof HARRISON expresses 1t, TO
cram for the sole purpose OF passing the ex-
animation, commonly with the aid OF pro-
fessional crammer, a class OF specialists which
has grown up with the growth of the sys-
tenn. To resort to such a mechanical process
to select servants or to determine fitness for
special work strikes him as farce. Amy
sensible man who wanted to engage a conf
dental secretary, or literary assistant, or
a man to send on some responsible mission,
would not trust to mark-sheet 80 mechani-
cal, so hurried"
With regard to civil service examinations,
he states the Democratic case when he says
that, las rule, think people whom we
IruSU 10 govern must Dc tTuSUeu 10 Select
capable agents. II we cannot trust them to
do this, let us not trust them to govern US.
If examinations are required to restrain job
berry, 1 prefer to deal with the iobbery face
to face and by direct means, and not to per-
vert all public and private education In Or
der to checkmate the wicked jobbers, and
reward the best crammed ones"
So also the protest itself expresses tho
opinion that although it is reasonable that
the Government should require a high
class Of knowledge and attainment from
those seeking for its appointments" 1.-THE
selection.of such candidates should not be
allowed to bring upon us in wholesale
fashion, though indirectly, the great evils
which result from competitive examina-
tions." 1t therefore urge that the civil SER
vice system should be modified, or be
changed for another, 30 that merit may be
found out by actual trial at the actual work.
The sum and substance Of it all is that the
Chinese system produces In England the
same result which 1t produces in China.