The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-07-11
Chinese Adopt The japanese Edu-
cationd System
HAVE GRADES OF SCHOOLS WITH
THE CENTRAL UNIVERSITY
AT THE CAPITAL.
[Consul George E. Anderson, Annoy,
in Consular RepOrts

in Consular Reports.1
The first new educationa! step of
the Pekin government was in 1908.
when a commission of one Manchu
and two Chinese high officials was
appointed to study the whole situation
and report as to the most feasible
course for China to adopt. The old
method of comforting literary degrees
by holding biennial and triennial ex-
aminations as a means to encourage
self-education was abolished in No
vember. 1905. the authority to confer
degrees now being vested in the uni
versity and colleges to be established
under the control of the government
in Pekin.
A board of education has been Gre
ated in Pekin to devise means to in
troduce western education and an
elaborate system of schools of differ
ent grades has been initiated. The
plan is to have one or more element
airy schools in every magstracy, mid
die schools in procedures, colleges at
the capitals of the provinces, and a
university at Pekin, besides normal
schools for teachers at points where
it may be advisable. In view of what
Japan has accomplished in recent
years China has looked to Japan for
Openly been announced by Chinese
statesmen that their aim is to pat
tern the University of Pekin after the
Toxic university.
Education is not compulsory under
the present law. Chinese boys years
old are eligible to enter elementary
schools, which are divided into two
grades, the first and second, with a
five and four years course in each
grade. respectively. The course in the
first grade elementary school includes
eight different subjects-moral train
ing, Chinese classics, Chinese litera-
ture, arithmetic, history, geography,
sciences and gymnastic exercises.
Besides these. the second grade ele-
mentary schools include drawing as a
ninth subject. Instruction is given in
these schools in the Mandarin lialect,
and no foreign language is taught un-
til the boy is admitted into the middle
school. The five-year curriculum in
the latter includes foreign languages,
which may be Japanese, English, Ger
man, French or Russian. 1t also in
cludes physics, chemistry and politi-
cal economy.
After graduation he can apply for
admission to college, where in three
years he is fitted for the university,
in which specialized courses of law,
medicine and surgery, agriculture,
literature, art, etc, are given. Eng
ish is compulsory in the college, other
foreign languages being elective The
courses in the university as planned
a high order of practical,
technical and professional instruction.,
but at present the matter has scarcely
gone beyond the theoretical stage, the
lacking apparatus and in
,tructors. it's proposed housing being
temples and examination
nails.
These schools, however, are not
public schools in the American sense.
rhe matter Of support is left to the
officials Of the several provinces to
pass upon as best they may. The
provincial officials. in turn, leave the
natter to the officials of the several
districts and subdistricts. What
schools now exist in line with this
,lan Of education are supported
argely by tuition charged pupils, by
special local taxes, by gifts from
people and by any other
means which may be possible. In
he general taxes is set aside for the
and maintenance Of
hese schools. Tuition is charged In
practically all schools, however, and
he support of nearly all these institu-
ions is more or less precarious and
unsatisfactory.
Undoubtedly one reason why more
Chinese students have not visited the
United States is because of immigra-
ion restrictions. A year ago there
we're about $500 Chinese students in
Japan. Now there are fully a thou
;and more There is, on the part OF
he Chinese officials concerned,
strongly marked disposition to send