Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-29
IN THE HIGHEST RANK
C0nfucius Raised to a God of
the First Class.
|EMPRESS DOWAGER'S WORD
Some Apprehension Felt by the
Christian Missionaries.
SOP TO THE CONSERVATIVES
No Indication That Any Retrograde
Step Is to Be Taken in Relation
to Public Education in China.
SOP TO THE CONSERVATIVES

to Public Education in China.
BY WILLIAM q. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
The Empress Dowager of China has re-
| Gently issued three edicts which have at
tracted unusual attention and some 'ap-
prehension. particularly In missionary cir
cles. The first elevates Confucius In the
national pantheon to god of the first
rank, placing him upon level with
heaven and earth, and commanding that
| the highest form Of state worship be rem
dered to his spirit. The edict reads as
follows:
"Confucius, the most holy. is One with
Of ten thousand generations. His wor-
ship Is therefore raised to that of the
Highest Degree, as Manifestation of his
Glory.
Let the proper board 0board of rites)
decide and report as to the proper rites
| and ceremonies to be followed.
Respect this!''
This is the first time in many genera
| tions that a new god has been created,
even though old materials have been used.
and it is therefore a momentous event in
Chinese history. But it attracted very
much less attention from the people to
whom the edict is directed than would
have been excited a hundred or even ten
scarcely been diverted for a moment from
their ordinary thoughts and occupations
and are practically Indifferent to this ex-
traordinary honor which has been confer
red upon the great sage.
Confucius has been worshiped by the
people Of China for more than 1900 years.
There Is tablet to his memory in the
house Of every educated man in the en-
pire; there is temple provided for his
worship IN almost every town. and the
emperor goes to the Hall of Intense
Thought" in the Forbidden city ON days
set apart for that purpose to pay his
obeisance to 1.-THE Teacher and Patron
for All Ages" But, until now Confucius
has been god Of the second class. al
though his maxims are quite as familiar
Of Jesus are to the people of the United
States and have had an even greater in
fluence on their civilization. They have
been the guide for public as well as pri-
vate life. Familiarity with them has
been the chief qualification required of
candidates for Office for appointments in
the army and navy and standard by
which moral worth has been estimated.
New School Ordered.
The second edict commands the Vice.
roy Chang Chih-tung to take counsel
with Huang Shao-chi, commissioner of
education for the province of Hupeh, to
devise a scheme for the establishment of
school for the special study of the
teachings of 'the mentor and guide of
ten thousand generations" at the little
town Of Ch'u-fu, the native place of Con-
fuciuS in the province of Shantung The
object Of the school Is ito spread his in
fiuence abroad and thus improve future
generations" and an appropriation of
made to meet the expense.
Immediately following the above edict
came another commanding that special
attention be paid to the study of the
maxims of the great sage. The empress
expressed her reasons as follows:
In any scheme of education the cult
walton of the human heart must be re-
garded as greatest In Importance. We
have repeatedly issued edcts concerning
the schools in which we have proclaimed
that Chinese learning is to be made the
basis, and western learning only supple
mentary, and that, for the development of
useful talents. the first place must be
given to moral instruction. The character
and course of the instruction have been
indicated further by the requirements
that loyalty to the state and reverence
for Confucius must be inculcated, and
that education shall embrace both mill
tary training and preparation for prac-
teal affairs
Concession to Conservatives.
The Christian missionaries in China
have been considerably disturbed by these
edicts, fearing that they indicate dis
position on the part of the empress dow
ager to abandon her progressive policy
and restore the ancient abstract and
theoretical forms of education. But the
members Of the diplomatic corps In
Picking regard them merely as a tub
thrown to conservative whales. BY order
of the empress free public schools on a
modern basis are being established in
every Chinese city and village as fast as
more than 1900 japanese instructors al
ready employed in such schools.
She has also commanded that uni
versity for modern learning be establish
I'd in every provincial capital. and some
Of thin are already in operation. There
has been an educational revolution in
China so general and extensive that every
printing office in the empire has been
running its presses night and day to pro-
duce text books for the use of the schools
And 1t has been only one of many move
ments designed for the modernization of
China and to prepare the people for the
adoption Of a syS1em of representative
government. already promised in several
imperial edicts.
The Introduction of foreign ideas and
methods and the spread of foreign learn
ing has been resisted by the reactionaries
in a most determined manner. but they
have not succeeded to any serious degree,
The throne of China is surrounded by
venerable mandarins and members Of the
imperial family. who. having been trained
to believe that the old ways are best,
naturally look upon this revolution with
apprehension and have made grave
earnest remonstrances to their sovereign
against the adoption of so many foreign
notions. 1t is as serious a matter to
them to neglect the teachings or the wor-
ship of Confucius as 1t would be to close
the churches and abandon religious wor-
ship in this country. and leading diplo-
matists at Picking interpret the recent
edicts as a gracious we'll as a polite
measure on the part of that wise old
| woman who Is at the helm of government
! in China to console and reassure the con-
servatives that she has not forgotten the
| teachings of the sages. The school for
| the instruction in the maxims of Con-
| fucius will be erected at Chu-fu, but the
public school system for modern learning
will not be interfered with or retarded in
Its DEVELOPMENT.