The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-05
A MANDARIN's BUTTONS.
The Highest Honors Bestowed Upo,
the Largest PecuIators.
IT,, AZ. -. x,.t,

| (trom the London Mail
! The -hostilities il China cause US to hear
so much about manSsrins, and we In Eng
land are so apt 10 look upon them as CHI
nese officials OF great Importance and
wealth. that it will be news to many to
know that practically every Chinese
Government civil servant Is mandarin,
and that there are thousands of them scat
tered about the Celestial Empire whose
/ official salaries do not exceed Ell per
month
These are CT the lowest or ninth class.
of mandarins, and have Just passed their
| first examination and are usually petty
Officials in one Of the numerous custom
houses When promotion follows in due
course our budding Vicsroy, provided his
populations have not exceeded the bounds
of moderation, becomes successfully a
mandarin OF the eighth and seventh
classes.
These two steps. however, mean very
little advance In rank, and before the
animation has to be passed little
knowledge and a great deal OF bribery hay
ing been successful in getting him through
this, our mandarin is now a person OF
some Importance. a sort Of district magis-
trate probably and his button is Of pure
white quartz. In this capacity he can sup
plement his income gloriously by substan-
tial presents from both plaintiffs and de-
PENDANTS alike and in q few years has
probably extorted enough from unhappy
litigants to join the ranks OF the fifth class
and wear a transparent crystal button on
his cap. Yet another grade, by the same
means he may advance in due course. and
upon attaining to the dignity OF a fourth
class mandarin turquois button is substi-
tuted for the crystal one.
Here it is that many Chinese stop in
10
step in advance may he made another e1-
animation has to be passed, and this is
terribly expensive process. Should the
resources OF our mandarin, however, prove
equal to the occasion, he proudly enters
the third class, and his button. though still
blue. is transparent like amethyst.
BY diplomacy and cringing, still more
bribery and cunning. the second class is at
last open 20 him. and with carved red
coral button upon his cap he proudly gov
ems one of China's great cities.
He can now go no higher, save by OBJ
taining the good viii :: the Emperor or Of
the Empress The mandarinship of the
first class is the direct gift Of the reigning
monarch and carries with it still a red
coral button, but quite plain and smooth
instead of being carved. as in the second
class.
There is a title. "Kung," which is very
rarely bestowed. and which is practically
equal to a dukedom. Instead Of descend
ing from father to sen. however. it goes
back to his ancestors all of whom are en-
ncbled en- bloc.
The examinations referred TO in this ar
ticle are usually held in large halls. The
Examination Hail. or Koong YUM, as it is
called at Canton contains 7.5e0 cells. Each
cell measures 4 feet by 3, and is high
enough to stand up in. The furniture con-
sists Of two boards. one to sit on and the
other for writing at.
The cells are arranged around a number
of open courts. SO that the soldiers who
guard the place can look in and see that
no student communicates with another.
The characters on the cells indicate each
students particular place. Confinement in
so cramped an area. where it is impos-
sible to lie down. is said to cause the death
CT many students. some OF whom are quite
old men