The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-02-26


| been thus far her system of literary ex-
aminations, and the precedence given
| to scholars of all ranks of the nation s
| life. 1t is. as we know, the stepping
stone to official life If she isolates
| herself from the rest of the world, her
system of education is sufficient indeed
for her own government, but if she
comes in actual contact with this ever
advancing world, she is woefully made
! uuate to meet the demands of an up-to-
date nation. Happily, however, she is
stepping into line. An Imperial edict
of Sept 2, 1905, practically abolished
the entire scheme of literary civil ex-
| aminations This affected some two
million men, these being the flower of
| the nation. Ensuing DEGREES (Sept. 4th
and 7th) authorized the literary chan
eellors of the different provinces to
hold examinations and inspect the
/ schools of modern learning in the prov
ince to which each had been commits
stoned under the old regime. Each
chancellor has to act in cooperation
with the vieeroy of his province. The
control of educational affairs has been
taken from the Board of Rites and
given to the Nun Pu, or Board of Lit
erature
Now it remains to be seen just what
measures the people and government
will take to establish efficient schools
throughout China. Already, each prov
ince has more than two provincial uni
versities and many high schools, be-
sides large number of private schools
of all grades. Military science plays
an important part in all of these. 1t
my memory serves me right, there are
at present more than seven thousand
modern schools in China. Over year
ago the Provincial Government of
Kwang Tung opened a normal school
in the ancient examination hall of Cam
ton, under Japanese direction. More
recently the Viceroy has opened a
large medical college to train physi
clans for military and naval service
1t is said, and is highly proba BILE, that
the curriculum of Shansi University
nearly corresponds to that of London
stated, Guam Shih-Kai, the Viceroy of
Chilli, has announced his intention of
establishing a gigantic normal school
at Tienstsin to train men to teach ac-
cording to western ideas. The new in
stitution will be modelled and con-
conducted on similar lines to the one
at Marking. It's matriculation will be
opened to students of other provinces,
besides those of Chilli. Chin Pang-
ping, graduate of a japanese college,
will be its president 1t has been de-
clded to erect new buildings on a site
of more than four thousand acres and
to replace the present Picking Univer-
sity by the new Imperial University of
Picking. DOrmitOry accommodations
for forty thousand students will short |
ly be provided, while a part of the
ground will be reserved for experiment I
tai purposes. The present system is
graded as follows: On satisfactory
completion of four years course at |
the Precinct School, a student will be |
recommended to the District Academy, |
which requires of resident student |
four years application to obtain
the degree of A. B. On gradua-
ton, student will be admitted |
to the Provincial College and a
like number of years is required |
to take the degree of A. NJ If the /
scholar aspires to Doctors degree, he
must spend the same length of time at
the Imperial Chinese University at
Picking.
Before entering into the question of
woman S education in China, let us re-
trace the history of her past The neg
hgenee of her mental training was due
very largely to China s loose educa-
tional system and the narrow view of i
the ordinary Chinese woman. Form
erly, the Chinese government fostered,
but did not compel, education. Ac-
cording to the average woman s way of
thinking, her intellectual equality with
and superiority over the man would
dim his splendor, so the story goes {
Concerning such a foolish, although an I
education as a matter of luxury rather
than a necessity, consequently, her de- ,
sire for learning has not been very .
great She was ignorant of the fact that
Ter accomplishment would increase his 4
glory instead of decreasing his fame {
Cor instance, if the wife of Huber, the
,reat Geneva naturalist, were litter :
tie, when he lost his eyesight, could he )
yer have given to the world his mas !
erpiece on "Bees?' If Sir William :
hamilton, professor of logic and meta I
'hysics in Edinburgh University, had
een without an educated wife when
tricken by paralysis, would he ever {
ave been recognized through Europe !
S one of the leading intellects of his
ime? Again, could Sir William Ma
Ter ever have gained his great fame
5 historian of The Peninsular War {
7ithout the literary help of his talent
d wife2 / am sure, most of US will
answer in the negative.
fany other similar true-hearted wives (
Use up in memory, to recite whose =
reat help to men would more than fill 4
lany volumes.
Woman s ability to learn is unques q
ionable. Though there were no reg
lar schools for women and their
lorious names were few, like scat 2