The Florida star., 1900-08-10

master, and owing 10 the enormous
population aud the want OF education
among the main body of the people.
the very poor. there Is an oyersupply
Of teachers. The body OF Chinese
learning Is made up, as before stated,
or memorizing what TO us appears an
III assorted mass OF sayings and prov
cribs from the ancients. The ground
to be covered is enormous In extent
and variety. and even after years OF
tedious memorizing In most Chinese
minds there remains but a confused
mass that is not and never can be OF
any earthly use-Outside OF China. In
the empire itself this Is the path that
leads to preferment and honor, for
Chinese offices are given out on the
basis OF knowledge OF the classics
after examinations somewhat like our
civil service.
The peculiarities OF study in the
village schools and in those OF higher
grade are endless In number and i'm
possible OF enumeration. Let the read
er picture To himself the very oppO-
site OF our well ordered schools and
academies. Chinese education has
been well called u system of intellec-
tual infanticide. The Chinese consider
a man a we'll developed scholar who
knows by heart the maXims OF Con-
fucius or Mencius. and yet this man
may never have seen a map OF his
own country or may not know the
names OF its provinces or their capt.
tails. As for knowledge Of other
countries or OF foreign inventions, they
are bad medicine"-in fact, unknown.
Chinese scholars learn how To write,
after fashion. but when writing con-
sists in simply copying something that
has been memorized in language
without an alphabet il is not OF much
use. Chinese writing and reading are
SOmewhat different from ours. When
reaching a page written in those queer
looking Chinese characters made IA
miliar 10 Americans by many repro
ductiOns. you begin ut the lower right
hand corner and read upward To the
top Cf the column. Then you begin At
the lext column TO the left. and so on
10 the end OF the sheet. Many Chi
nese use their ability TO read and
write only when they are at home.
Their scholarship is OF no use when
suddenly called upon, and you are
gravely told by Chinaman that he
cannot read something because he has
left his spectacles at home. Chinese
men. women and children have much
use In the course Of their daily lives
for the brass or copper cash. or
small coins. OF lnfinitesimal value.
To a foreign mind an education that
left out simple arithmetic would be
worth very little. and yet IL Is not
taught in China and must be learned
by practical experience.
After pupil or the pupils father
decides that he Is To learn more than
the curriculum the village school af-
fords he is put through course in
the high school. His new occupation
Is 10 memorize and learn To write eS-
says. which are To entitle him 10 ad-
vance to the rank OF graduate when
proficient 1t is all done by means
OF officials sent from Peking TO the
provinces To hold examinations. which
determine the award OF degrees.
Many never reach the distinction Ot
graduate. not having memOriZed suf-
fcient number of essays To he able "a
construct one satisfactory 10 the eX
aminerS. The examinations are very
difficult. but Cinnamon, il is said, are
deplOring the fact that promotion and
degrees are in these latter 'Hys TO be
bought instead of earned l.. the good
old way OF learning hundreds of essays
by rote. Like every one else in China
scholars have both eyes open To their
pecuniary benefit. and essays are open
ly bought and sold. although some
measure Of disgrace attaches 10 the
transaction.
After passing successive eNaMlhh
tionS by purchase. bribery or real tChi
neScl merit and receiving successive
degrees, the scholar, by this time
grown man, may succeed in hecomin:
government official. which is the goa
OF all true Cinnamon. They may theI
settle down To ii life of c0mplacen
taking ana giving of bribcs. For schol
ars unsuccessful in obtaining govern
mcnt positions there are variOu:
courses open. teaching school bein:
considered the most honorable profeS