The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-04-18
OLDEST OF ALL UNIVERSITIES
Pekin Has a Sch oil " bich Was Found
Before to Was FORA.

PekIn Has a Sch, oil " hich Was Found d
Before to Was Fora.
From the New York Times.
The city of Pekin contains what is
undoubtedly the oldest university In
the world. II is called the Kwotsze-
kien, or school for the Sons of the
Empire" The duties of the faculty are
somewhat difficult, for in addition to
the instruction of the scholars, they
have to admonish the emperor OF that
which is Just and good, 10 reprove him
for his faults and have the heridtary
privilege of schooling the members or
his family in the sciences and arts.
During the last 300 years, however, the
scope of their teaching has been Wild
ened, and all those throughout the
province who purchase degrees and
are of defective education attend the
Kwotszekein. The antiquity of the
college is very great, and a granite
register consisting of stone columns.
800 in number, contains the names OF
so 900 graduates of the highest degree.
These inscribed columns constitute the
university roll of honor and the record
goes back more than 600 years. The
university also contains the Thirteen
Classics" engraved on 1872 massive
granite columns. probably almost the
only stone library in existence. There
Is one in Sanganfu also, but that be-
longed to the wotszekein when Sim
gan was the seat of empire.
Attached to the university is a mag
nificent temple of Confucius, and adj
joining the temple is the imperial lee
ture room, so called because the en-
peror must attend there once every
year and receive the instructions and
exhortation of the college presidents.
This ceremony is still kept up, although
the majority of the college buildings
are in ruins and it's educational value
is almost nil. The only use of this an
Client institution now is to enable the
professors to hold a sham examination
periodically and thus entitle them to
draw their salaries. The emoluments
are not large. Each professor draws
81 per month, two suits of clothes and
two bushes of rice every year and fur
Jacket once in three years. There Is,
however certain amount of honor
and social distinction attached to the
office. so that the applications are far
more numerous than the vacancies.
There are six colleges of students,
namely as follows: Hall for the Pur-
suit of Wisdom, Hall of the Sincere
Heart, Hall of True Virtue. Hall of
Noble Aspirations, Hall of Broad Ac-
quirements and Hall for the Guidance
of Nature. Each college or hall has
two professors and many assistants
dents, three vice presidents, the rector,
two directors Of instruction, two proc
tors. two secretaries and one librarian.
Twice a month all these Officials as
semble i'm full war paint and perform
nine prostrations on the 1agstones in
front of the temple.
The gorgeous robes and imposing
ceremonies made this rather impress
sive spectacle, but of late years even
this has been done by proxy and two
of the members go through the pre-
scribed genu1exions and then write
down the names of the absent ones as
well as their own in the ponderous led
ger entitled the Record of Diligence"
The degrees can be purchased for a
moderate sum and some years ago 100.-
600 diplomas were sent out into the
province in one year. Perhaps not 20
per cent. Of the recipients OF the degrees
had ever seen the walls of Pekin. The
colleges mentioned date back to a very
remote period and in 1914 the Tartars
added eight more colleges, one for each
Tartar tribe. The whole IL buildings
are now, however. in very dilapidated
condition and no instruction Is given in
any of them. Every now and then an
attempt Is made to revive these gov
eminent schools. but II never comes to
anything. The last attempt was made
by Violin, the tutor of the emperor
and bitter opponent of western ideas
He died soon after his appointment as
president OF the university and the an
Client alma mater of the early Chinese
is still merely a remembrance of the
proud institution which was In its
glory before Plato was born.