The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-09-24
THE STORM CENTRE
 OF THE WORLD
tBy Dr. R. Warren C0nant.)
 ARTICLE XI. Chinese Art-Science-Literature- Edunatiou

Education.
 From the occidental point of view a l chapter on the literature. arts, science l and education of the Chinese might be
 made as short as the famous chapter | on Snakes in Ireland. But everything depends upon the point of view. Every statement with regard to China must be made with ample reservations. lf for instance. we state that their literature is of no importance, we are confronted by the unfeniable fact that it is volurn- inous: that 1t contains ethical instruction of the highest order; that this is sedu- 1 Iously instilled into the mind Of every boy from childhood up, and that famil-
 iarity herewith is the only door to an official career
 If we sheer at their art and sciences,
 similar difficulties arise. They had gun printing. iithographing, chess, astronom- ical records and many skilled crafts long before Europe. The governmental re- form and social politeness to which we are even now painfully aspiring were second nature to the Chinese long before the Christian era.
 on our system of public schools. and we call public intelligence the cornerstone or
 our institutions. Yet in China the pub
 lie appreciation of education is so strong that private subscriptions for centuries
 has established schools everywhere. with out government aid, more men can read
 and write there than in any other coun'
 try, and those who have completed their
 education are held in the highest respect
 What is more to the point, every Chi
 nese boy is taught persistently from the his superiors and: elders. polite to his equals. kind to all, modest, industrious
 and virtuous. There are things in which
 even Chinese can give us points for they
 When they observe the loud, brusdue speech of Europeans and Americans. toeT eiSfS the of tSer
 women and children, they are moved to contempt and disgust and say "barba-
 rians!" They, are amazed to see the. in away printed and written paper. To them everything pertaining to learning is so sacred that they have baskets hung in public places with this sign: Have respect for the written characters" In
 to these all scraps of writing or print ing are put, and the contents are burn
 heather superstition, but 1t is certainly an improvement on our style of strew- ing the streets with castaway newspa- pers.
 are more closely united than anywhere else not excepting even this great nome of the public school. They do not need civil service reform, for they have never
 had anything else. Admittance to an of ficial career has always been through the gOvei nment literary examinations, ana pire. with the exception of criminals and some others. We are proud to point to such men as Lincoln and Garfield. to
 show how in the great free republic the humblest may rise to the highest place;
 but in China that has been true for cen
 turies. and explains the universal thirst for knowledge Secure .sS edusattop Satt anim aGG l impressed on a youths mind.
 This method of selecting government
 officials was established by Chinese Emperor over 1900 years ago, at time when intrigue. bribery and violence were | the accepted methods in the rest Of the world. The method. unchanged for cen turies like everything else, Is as follows: | Yearly examinations are held in every district of every province. under the au- | thority and direction of the viceroy, The
 fore he IS eligible for the next higher ex- | animation, held in the capital of his
 province. If he passes that, he IS then
 allowed to enter the highest or all, heid passes that, his reward Is to be given
 the highest degree and to be placed on
 the waiting list.
 ing Talent; second, Promoted Men; third,
 Entered Scholar. The examinations are
 no childs play; their severity increases 1 fast It is estimated that as many as lUO,0OO scholars enter the first heat all | over the empire, but the average at the | 10 per cent of them pass under the wire:
 There is no limit on age or number or | trials. Many men pass their llNes Tn per | | and 80 years old are frequently seen In | the finals. One man of 90 years Of age, | died in his stall under the nervous stress Iof the final examination. An honorary l degree was conferred upon his corpse, l in recognition of his perseverance, Tor l he had already failed three times 1t Is almost as pathetic as the office-seektng
 u agedies with which Washington IS ia-
 Is all this struggle due to the place
 hunting fever only? Not exactly: It IS
 that plus something more In the ilrst | place, it s to be remembered that there | is no aristocracy in China, no ranks or titles to be striven for, the only door 10
 rreferment. distinction and power is this one Once a man has passed his hrst
 examination. he begins to be person | of importance and his friends who nave | made sacrifices to prepare him, share in his honor. If he returns from Pekln
 with the degree of Entered Scholar, the | whole town turns out to honor him.
 There is but one bigger man in the pro | yince-the viceroy--and even he IS tem- | porarily eclipsed. The neighbors Vie with each other in the congratulations of the parents who have produced so dlstln-
 As for himself he scorns to work,
 henceforth his life is one of ease, with dignity until such time as his official appointment comes. There are thousands of these Literati all over the empire, and