New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-09-09
CHINESE LEARNING
\ SOURCE OF BOUNDLEss -ARRoGAN,,E
AND a BAR TO ALL INTEL
LECTUAL PROGRESS


Mos1 Ct the cherished nosrrurrs Of the yVas+av-
IS1-T1rler have been tried and found wanting in
Nllla IN The course Of the ages As the Chinese
pTondly Point out connective examination has
t'een JIlH means Of recruiting the public service
Tor a thousand years but the results are hardly
sucn as 10 recommend the system as il is
No.A+l IheTe, for general adoption. Il has been
SAD thai the Chinese mandarin resembles no
EAS-1s1 UIe so much the University Don
ard eLcNlug for all the differences Of environ
- - - = gram OF truth IN the peasan-
ny NE chinese graduate has q supreme con
tempt Tor The lLirerate world, which he holds TO
t--e-N-S not ohly the coolfe crowd OF his
blood but al The barbarians who live beyond
M four seas He believes in no learning that is
LoL IoI1nt-eu upon The Chinese classics. What he
DOS n9e know to Paraphrass the oxford tag. is
not knowledge
Al he values is the literary finish that is gath
erred from fecUndity Of quotation from the sacred
books and The power and facility Of versiicatfon
and elegant style of eprose-pee4ry that are Dor
rCFec from their model His memory is pro
olsious- his innitaCiveness Of SURPRISING accu-
racy- but Of original ability or love Of fact and
sc-eEce he has none The old learning is a cast
ir-1 bar TO al Intellectual progress and in
proportion 10 its age and diffusion II is ten
tunes mere stuItlfying that was the pedantry of
- s~---e---ie- o. Inc AldCIe ages IN Europe
When people talk Of the young mandarin turn
-Ig 70 reform they must recolect that he has
- pre- upon ms dleL- that II IS all IN all To
hil1- and that the class 70 which he belongs de-
pend 1or their existence upon the maintenance
@ the system Of examination and subsequent
selection Il stands. Some writer On
China has said that face ever wore a more
contsrnptuous EXPRESSION than that Of the Young
mandarin he passes along the street or looks
OUT from the laITiced window OF the tea house
Seated n his official chair. and surrounded by
a greasy reIinUe OF noisy attendants, bearing
the Insignia Of Office making a discordant
clang Of sounding brass the mandarin appears
The very incarnation Of human arrogance. He
seems lnsenslbIe 10 al that the vulgar herd are
doing OF ssy ing. ard he hardly deignS 10 notice
The sTelteFing crowds who block the way that
MS servants are making before him No paJrl-
clan Of old Rome could have fTowned upon the
Pl=bs with more insoienCe than Is shown in the
bank stare q the young Hterau as they glance
from the long seats that fringe the principal
gusSs1rooTl. set apart for them IN the teahOuse.
aCdzEatch the a1tIike workers. bearing their
ualSagld bales on the further side of the stag
la2+Pools, which, with their broken. neglected
-ocEe5y, are The great ornament Of the filthy
A. with manual labor in the Middle Kingdom.
50 IS i with mental Nothing in the world can
Of tie budding scholar. engaged. perchance
al the age OF fourscore. in the long drawn com
petition 10 obtain the undyIng honors Of the
academic oeSree-llterally undynS, Tor they are
c1u1inUed and held in high esteem even unto the
third and fourth generation. Il is only
suesIlon OF honorlIlc TUE or as at home OF let
rers Of the alphabet Every graduate has the
inalienable right Of planting a pole or mast in
trOEJ OF his family mansion. matter how
humble il may be, and the number Of square,
inclined cTeSSets the Iapering top proclaim
the nature OF his degre-ore for the UrefectUral
Two for the provincial. and three for the ma
TienaL Some towns are dotted over with these
poles. Ike forest Of burnt trees; IN others but
one or TWO have been distinguish he'd Because q
house IS fTonted by pole II does not follow that
It's owner o. occupant must be graduate. Il
tanned BY he talents Of a remote ancestor, but,
Ike z Of arms. the precious examination
papers never lose their virtue. The scholar Of
today may not attain 10 the supernatural dill
genCe Of the classical heroes. the King Alfreds
q Chinese literary history. who prosecuted their
studies ey the light Of gioWwoTm or tied their
books to the horns OF the that they were
plc5ghfEg with but their admirers and iTnita-
TOTS are 10 be reckoned by thousands
DT- Smith mentions that in the province OF
ADhu4 there recently competed five students
over eighty years Of age and eighteen over
Eiu=ty- To those who IL early life. have faced
tying 70 think Of logic papers following one to
Iis brink Of the tomb Of the undergraduate
with one foot in the grave and the other in the
examination hall Thes9. three degrees Of merit
are those Of. first the Slltivated talent i E
SnaIIs- second the raised man ]. G. Mods
ard. third and last. the promoted scholar. j. e.
finals To The supreme honor not candi-
date IN a thousand ever aJtains for the entrance
70 the Han Lin. OF national academy. IS a pearl
Of much price that few CA obtain by favor
by worth
At Chinese education leads up. and is intended
70 lead up The examination hall one curri-
tn teachings and maxirns Of Ccnfucius and
NenciUs, and the Five Canons Of Chanes OF
History and Of Poetry; the Record Of Rites and
Spring and Autumn. No better cIew the
literary tastes and traditions Of the people. with
z perfect Illustration Of national life can be
supplied than Is contained in two charming vol
uIneS Of Stories from q Chinese studio" being
q free translation Of portions Of the works OF
Pu Smuggling. a novelist who lived centuries
the commencement Of the Mauchu
dynasty and himself z disappointed scholar.