Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-10-06
Schools in China

A Chinese schoolboy sets of one fine
/ morning when seven or eight years
( old to enter on his Institutional course.
! He makes the most profound obeisance
( to his teacher. His parents provide
the table at which and the stool on
which he sits They also supply the
-four precious articles" the ink slab.
the ink cake, the pen or brush for writ
ing and the paper.
He will have no need at first Of the
writing materials. all his time being
employed in memoriZing the books
given him. Perhaps a dozen boys,
each a class by himself. are busy on
his entry. Each is shouting his task
at the top of his voice, the teacher
sitting at his table in all the SOM
nolent wakefulness Of judge. No
wrong pronuncia ton or intonation es-
capes his practiced ear, and correc-
ton is frequent
1t is a simple country house, with
its earthen floor. its unglazed windows
and it's air of utter poverty. Our
young hopeful. says the National Re
view. in due time is introduced to the
''Trimetrical Classic" and the ques-
tionable statement, which forms its
very threshold, that "men at birth are
radically good" so set in classical
form that he has no more idea of its
meaning than if 1t were in Greek. It
is not meaning. however. that is the
object just now. but sound and mem
OriZing.
Then he will be introduced to the
- ~
another exercise in getting by heart"
after which in parts of the land the
Thousand Character Classic" is set.
This is a book consisting of the num-
Der of characters named, no one of
which is ever used twice. Still no eI
PLANTATION is vouchsafed. For all the
learning our youth is gaining he might
with equal profit memoriZe a number
OF auction catalogues. He is given in
varying order, according to the custom
followed by his teacher, the four sacred
books-the Great Learning" also
known as "The Door of Virtue" the
"Analects" of Confucius, the Doctrine
of the Mean" and the Book of Men
cius"
As early as thirteen. it may be- he
will have done the memory work Of
the four books and be capable of reel
ing off yards, rods, furlongs or miles
Of learning. Then enlightenment IN
the form of explanation begins. Dark
ness is made visible. and education
may be said to have begun. There is
wearisome work in sight now.
As If the books themselves were not
of sufficient difficulty. there are end
less commentaries after the fashion of
our own on the Bible or Shakespeare.
The Great Learning" provides illus
trations of virtue. aims at the constant
renewal of good and so at the attain
ment of the highest excellence. Its
ideal is a righteous government over a
tranquil and happy people. The Doc
trine of the Mean" is more strictly in
dividualistic. Correct conduct in every
stage of life is its subject
The chief competitive examina tons
are three in number. The first, for
the Situsai, or B. 4. degree, is held at
the prefectural city; the second. the
Ku-jen, or NJ. A, at the provincial
apital, and the third. the Tsin-shi, |
or LII. D., at Picking. In one or other
of these the clever youth whose ca
reer we are following may possibly
find himself In a peculiar position as
with his own father or even |
his grandfather who. with more per |
severance than luck or brains. keeps |
"pegging away" year after year Till |
success arriyeS-or death.
Many are the attempts at trickery. |
cribbinG. bribery or whatever may |
bring the candidate sufficiently near /
the top TO be one of the favored few |