The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-07-31
A MANDARIN'S BUTTONS,
Highest HonOrs Bestowed Upon
Largest REGULATORS.

From the London Mail.
The hostilities in China cause us to heal
so much about mandarins, and we In Eng
land are so apt to look upon them as Chi.
nese officials of great importance ant
wealth, that it will be news TO many tC
know that practically every Chinese gov,
eminent civil servant is a mandarin, anc
that there are thousands of them scatter
ed about the Celestial Empire whose Off
cial salaries do not exceed fl per month
These are of the lowest or ninth class O
mandarins, and have just passed thei
first examination and are usually petty
officials in one of the numerous custom
houses. When promotion follows in due
course our budding viceroy, provided his
pecula atoms have not exceeded the bounds
of moderation, becomes successfully a
mandarin of the eighth and seventh
classes.
These two steps, however, mean very lit
tie advance in rank, and before the sixth
division can be entered another eXamina-
ton has 10 be passed. A little knowledge
and a great deal of bribery having been
successful in getting him through this,
our mandarin is now a person of some
importance, a sort of district magistrate
probably, and his button is of pure white
quartz. In this capacity he can supple
ment his income gloriously by substantial
presents from both plaintiffs and defend
ants alike. and in a few years has prob
ably eXtorted enough from unhappy lit-
giants 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 a turquois button
is substituted for the crystal one.
Here it is that many Chinese stop in
their upward career for before another
step in advance may be made another ex-
animation has to be passed" and this is
a 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 anne
thyst.
BY diplomacy and crnging still more
bribery and cunning, the second class is at
last open TO him. and with a carved red
coral button upon his cap he proudly gov
ersn one of China's great cities.
He can now go no higher, save by oh
tanning the good will of the Emperor or
OF The Empress. The manda rinship of
the first class is the direct gift OF the
reigning monarch, and carries with Ii 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 10 son. however. II goes
back TO his ancestors, all OF whom are en-
nobled en- bloc.
The examinations referred to IN this ar
tcle are usually held In large halls. The
Examination Hall, or Koong YUM, as Il Is
called, at Canton contains 1900 cells. Each
cell measures feet by 3, and is high
enough to stand up In. The furniture con-
slsts OF two boards, one TO sit on and the
other for writing at
The cells are arranged around a number
OF open courts. 80 that the soldiers who
guard the place can look IN and see that
no student communicates with another.
The characters on the cells indicate ench
students particular place Confinement
in so cramped an area, where II is impos-
sble 10 lie down. Is said 10 cause the death
OF many students. some OF whom are quite
old men.