Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-23
OPEN TO ALL Corners
System for Education of Chi
nese in the United States.
STUDENTS HERE TOTAL 245
Preparing for Service Under the I'm.
perial Government.
GOOD POSITIONS AWAIT THEM
Competitive Examinations Held IN
der Direction of Ministry of
Education at Peking.
GOOD POSITIONS AWAIT THEN
BY WILLIAM T.. CURTIS.


Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
mere are now in the United States
about 800 young men from China who
nave been sent over as students and are
now matrlculated in about fifty different
educational institutions, according to
their personal taste or the professional
careers they desire to follow. When the
boxer indemnity was waived by the
! United States the government of China
decided to expend the entire amount.
about S1CSDO,CO. in educating young
men i'll this country for it's service. A
memorial to this effect was submitted
by the foreign Office, sanctioned by the
grand council, and an edict was issued
ny the late emperor for the selection of
100 students year for the first four years
and fifty students thereafter for twenty
eight years, whose expenses are paid
from the public treasury.
The students are selected by competi-
i've examinations, open 20 all comerS
without exception. including Tibetans,
Monsolians: Manchus and Chinese, the
only condition being that they bring GER
| tificates of good character and correct
| habits. The examinations are held under
| the direction of the ministry Of educa-
ton at Picking every year, and the 100
| marks are selected. provided their ex
aminations come up to certain stand ard
This standard is very high. and 1t Is not
an easy matter for the ordinary student
to pass. Last year, for example, 43O can
didates failed, and only seventy reached
| the required standard.
Personal Preferences Considered.
| Each student receives an allowance OF
| 1850 year. which is paid him in monthly
| installments for a term OF six years. The
boys are permitted to select the institu-
ton where they shall go and the studies
they shall pursue, subject, of course to
the approval Of the ministry of education.
Some of them go in for scientific courses,
some for agricultural, and almost every
branch of learning is represented. 1t is
difficult for them to take classical courses,
because Latin and Greek are not taught
in the schools of China, where the dead
languages are not considered of any
value
prepared to pass their entrance exami-
| nations when they arrive in this country;
the other 70 per cent are compelled to
take preparatory courses Of a year and
six years enables them to take post
graduate courses in the professional
schools-law, medicine. political economy,
engineering. the natural and applied
sciences, agriculture ana eQucdtlOn Delng
the favorite professional courses.
When they go back to China they are
given positions under the government at
once. wherever they are most needed, and
are gradually displacing officials who have
not had the benefit of g. foreign educa-
ton. They are given salaries of 5000
year gold to start with and are promoted
| according to merit Ihe greatest demand
in China at present9s for educators and
engineers. The school systems are being
! a
versity in every province, and the govern
the development Of the natural resources
Of the empire.
| Imperial Students Number 100.
There are now one hundred and twenty
imperial students in the United States
under the care of Mr.. Yung Kwai, secre-
| tary of the imperial Chinese legation in
Washington.
In addition to these there are twenty
students who have been sent over by
the several executive departments of the
Chinese government for special training.
These are also under the care of Yung
Kwai.
There are also fifty-seven students sent
over and supported by the governments
of the several provinces. who have been
selected in the same way and are being
educated for the same purpose as those
sent by the imperial government.
This makes a total OF 1877 students under
the care of Yung kwai.