New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-08-23
THE STUDENT.

VI was the second Of five sons. Their father
mos nroverbially poor but respectable" the
gunner # q small farm literary degree. and
ho,,rdless ambition for his sons They belonged
- tho literary caste wherefore they must be
aducated and take degrees. No matter II the
family had 10 live rice alone. and
scantv supply at that. The boys must go
To school and college. SO little Ii was
cent to the village school, with abacus and
pen and ink and soon became known as one of
the brightest of all the scholars. Especially did
he excel'in two respects, in memory and in pen
rnanship; and in these he excels to-day. lie lit
orally seems never to forget a single thing that
he has heard seen. be 1t great or small, while
beneath his skilfully welded pen. with which he
still practses daily, a swordsman with his
blade OF pianist with his scales. a page of
complicated. grabbed Chinese text becomes a
marvel Of artistic beauty.
At fourteen years of age the lad passed his
first examination. and took his baccalaureate
degree II was at Ngan-K King. the provincial
capital. lie went thither with half-a-dozen other
boys from Hwei-Ling ard as many thousands
from all parts Of the provinces; most motley
throng Most of the candidates were older than
he Many of them had been there before once,
twice or many times. There men OF fifty
q
or fortieth time to win the coveted degree. For
when a Chinaman once sets his heart on passing
the examinations, he perseveres in his attempts
until he either succeeds dies. Why not? The
ntcrati those who have degrees, compose the
highest of the four castles into which the people
Of the Empire are divided. They have certain
privileges which no others can enjoy. They may
enter at will the presence Of officers of state, and
thev may not be tortured fined imprisoned
until an imperial edict depri, es them OF their
degrees. There is q case recorded in which
father kept his locked up for five years 10
Insure his studying diligently so as TO pass the
first examination. The lad passed. Then the
father put him back into the cell. TO STUDY Ior
the second examination. Whereupon the iao'
appalled, at the prospect Of five years imprsoh-
nent for the second. and five more for the thlrd
examination hanged himself with his own CIR
die Another tried 10 pass, at eighteen years
and failed; but kept on trying every year I'LL
he seventy-nine when the mandarins III
charge let him pass, though he was not really
worthy 10 do so, because. they said, he was SO
old he might not live to try again!
But no such fate was LIS. lie passed his first
examination his first attempt. and with high
honors; and came home to find his family and
all the village in gala attire to greet him. An
American boy would scarcely reckon it an
achievement worthy of such celebration. to pass
such an examination as that. Imagine cand-
dates for baccalaureate honors wrestling Ia
boriously with such problems as this: IF 5000
piculs of rice are carried for Is tael cents
picul. and the freight is paid in rice at two and
4 half taels a picul how much rice goes to pay
the freight" And imagine most Of them pal
pably "funking," Or think Of only one among
thousand college graduates being able II meas
ure the superfcies Of a sphere. The major part
Of the examinations is devoted however, TO his
tory and philosophy. especially to the work OF
Clnfucius. and to writing essays on texts there
from In all branches Of learning young Ii
showed himself most proficient, and he won from
bis instructors and examiners many prophecies
OF future greatness In due time he passed his
second examination, and secured his masters
degree; and then the third. and his Doctors de-
gree TO enable him thus TO complete his
studies the family deprived itself Of all but the
barest nccessares of life. Even then funds gave
out. whercupon the people of the village made
w fund 10 help him through. His second ex-
animation was in the famous compound at Foo
Chow. over the gate of which is the Dantesque
inscription. Let none but able scholars enter
here" There Ii entered passed a second gate
gave his name family. age and place OF resi-
6encc t. mandarin at a little boxcf1ce WINDOW
received from another a supply Of official writ
Ing materials and was then led to his cell!
There arc ten thousand Of these cells In the
Foo-Chow examination halls" Each is seven
feet high three feet wide. and four feet long
There are two broad shelves one to sit on ana
20 write on. That is all. Into one or these
cells each candidate is locked for three days ana
nights then let out for three days recess;
locked UP again for three more days and nights
released for a second recess; and finally confined
for third period Of three days and nights. care
being taken that he shall have different cell
each time. In such circumstances the cahdi-
dates write essays upon philosophical themes
ard upon these essays depends the conierrlhe
Of the degrees. Ii underwent this orda ana his
name was soon posted on the Drum Tower az
one Of the successful candidates. For the thlrd
and final examination he went 10 Picking. where
such are always held. and came out OF 1t IN TIL
umph. with a doctors degree and mandarns
button Of the fourth grade Then he became !
member Of the great Han-Lin College. and APP |
parently settled down to a literary and bureau
cratic life.
THE SOLDIER.