The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-06-17
ORIGIN OF THE
BOXERS MOVEMENT
Directly TrdceabIe to Chinese Mode
of Life and Thought.
NO PUBLIC-SCHO0L SYSTEM.
Chinese Education Is Not Drawing
Outof the Youthful Intellect.
influence Deeply
Felt.
NO PUBLIC-sCH0oL SYSTEM.

FCOc,HOW, CHINA, May %, 1so0.-lt is
not surprising that there should coca
sionally be uprisings OF the loWer-c!S'S9
people in a barbarous protest asaiilSt
modern ideas, western methods, ana III
eraiitv of thought and eduction, such as
l. 7ou causing alarm in the northern
mart of this country around Pekln Inc
..Roxers'' movement is one that is dlrectiE
traceable TO the mode Of life and mode
of thought that has been part Oh lhe
very existence of the Chinese 1or cen
turtles. China is one of the oldest cou1i-
tries in the world. It's form OF govern
1nent has existed longer than any otner
syste,n in rhe world. 1t has not changed
with changing conditions III the otheI
countries. because as is we'll known, all
knowledge of these countries was kept
out of China until within a very lew
wears. China has been living in the past
The reverence for things antique, LOT
manners and customs that date BACK 5,Voo
and 1900 years, is nowhere more noiice-
able than in the Chinese system OF eou-
cation. Suppose that the young men OF
America. were sent TO college to learn
nothing but to repeat by heart the Will
ings of the ancient Greek philosophers,
ana that the extent of a mans educa-
ton was reckond by the number OF quo
tations from those writings he could Silpiy
reDeat. Would America be the progress
SlVe country tiidL II - Il ~
classes had received only that kind OF
an education?
CHINESE EDUCATION.
Chinese education consists in just that
sort or iearning-nothing more Nhen
one considers that the system has been
in existence for centuries, and tnat LOT
hundreds of generations the Chinese nave
been taught to look backward and not
forward il is not surprising that The
present generation should look with dis
favor upon the new ideas that, in spite
of them have creDt into the country,
and made an impression upon part OF
the people that can never be efTaced, no
matter now many Boxer movements are
started and supported by the conservative
classes.
There is no public-school system in the
Chinese empire. Only the well to do or
wealthy have the advantage OF an educa-
ton. except the missionaries or generous
Chinese open schools IN behalf OF the mass
es The Chinese boy starts TO school when
about six years old. The girls are prac-
tically never educated. The Chinese
recognize three great superiors-the EN-
peror, the parents, and the teacher; so,
when the boy presents himself at the
school bears a present for the teacher,
and bows his head to the floor three
times, signifylng that he is willing to
obey the teachers commands His next
duty is to burn incense before tablet
on which is written the name OF Con-
fucius. Then he is ready to begin to
learn his lessons
The walls of the school are usually
decorated with scrolls. on which are pic
lures and writings, quotations from the
ancient sages. Each pupil has little
table on which are an ink-stone and the
brush with which he learns to write
. There are no regular hours for the OPEN
ing and the closing of the school. The
pupils come and go, as may be conysn-
lent. and there are, therefore, no classes,
each being taught separately. and they
| are advanced as rapidly as they can be
The pupils are taught to read and Write
| the Chimes language, and this Is no easy
task. for there is no alphabet in the Lam
guage. which has "a rooI chaTa !.tt.E
which enter into the formation of all the
/ characters in the written languag sc, each
, ofwhich represents word. There axe
!. about 1000 words In the language. but