Evening star., 1913-02-03

In China education pertains to more
than scholastic activities Ii embraces
the Chinese government itself Education
iS DOUBTLESS the basis of present day af-
fairs in all occidental countries. In
china however il was more than base
when the old order prevailed and will
maintain itself under other forms in the
expanding era which the children OF Han
are HOW entering. The moidy system of
study which the Chinese have a; last cast
OF forever was learning. religion and gov
crnmcnt all in one. The scholar was
every thing. every body else nothing. Plu-
tocratic domination in Europe and Amer
lea is kindergarten play i'll comparison
with the int lIeCtual aristocracy which
dominated every inch of China for twen-
ty-five centuries But while the ancient
education was the chief factor in dis
counting modern learning and i'll fighting
off modern methods for So many decades.
the new western education was response
bIe for the late revolution and Will he the
republics backbone henCeforth.
'Fwenty-four centuries before Chris.
earning was recognized in China. Every
village had school. every province
college. II is supposed that civil service
examinations were begun in the twenty
third century Il. &. Authentic records
prove its general use in the seventh cen
fury =. &. II is thought that China was
peaceful then. About two hundred Years
of tribal fighting ensued. whereupon the
great sage Confucius, arose. and with
him came a system of phlloSophic-re-
1igious-politcal theory which ruled the
Chinese people for twenty-five centuries.
ConfuCiUS became the father and men-
tor of his people and appreciative inter
prefation OF his
Father and Mentor maxims by Men
of His People. centnrv ,T added to
h!s glory But in the next century Con
flIciauism was attacked. In De B. {. the
emperor ordered the burning of all CON
fucian hooks that could be found. and
five hundred scholars were Killed for
good measure. The succeeding century
treated Confucianism better, its deVotees
being protected by the Han emperors
Its teachings were incorporated in the Of
fetal studies and the young men so taught
became the principal support of the throne
against the provincial princes feudal
barons who tried TO hold all the impor
tant offices by hereditary right
Taoism and Buddhism Were sdccessively
fostered BY the baronS TO suCn good pur
pos,. that il took the Confurian system
uf scholastic examinations as the basis of
holding public office nearly seven hun
dred years to stamp out the divine right
claim of the princes and barons. At one
time the COnfucianists seemed hOpeleSsly
beaten. for a cabal of eunuchs got con-
troll of the government. putting Taoism in
high favor and executing one thousand
disciples of the great sage.
The fight waged back and forth until
A D. 61I. when the Tang dynasty came |
into power All the colleges in the en- |
pire were graded and only those who |
he DrpSPrlhpd examination
lore of COnfucius hoped for or held high |
government positions From this period |
dates the Hsiu Tsai, or a. B. and Chin
Shih, or y. NJ. degrees which We're be-
slowed for knowledge of CoHfucian clas- |
sizes straight down the centuries TO 1901 !
The famous Hanlin Academy in Peking. |
which conferred the coveted doctorate of
letters. founded in y. D. 40 Cen !
turies before oxford. Heidelberg, Prague
or Harvard We're ever dreamed of thou !
sands of cultured and powerful Chinese |
gentlemen. holding the A. B. and \. NJ.
degrees, often past the prime of life. !
journeyed by blunt river craft, springless
carts and Sonetimes on foot to strive for
the priceless doctOrate of letters at this
shrine of the mind. This noble lnStitu !
ton was burned and thousands of vol
umes reduced to ashes in the Boxer |
movement. 1t still exists in name. but its |
influence is waning rapidly.
Y
boy (no attention was paid to the girls |
until q u e |
Plan of Education rece tlD |
Begins With Primer ,hres c,arac-
ter classic. This is primer which phil
osophizes at random on men. manners |
and morals. gives the biographies of great |
scholars and reviews and comments on
n il \ &
the Odes for Children. teaching that filial |
picty for which the Chinese are noted. |
The Thousand Character Classic is abb |
sorbed when the boy grows TO youth
Upon reaching young manhood the Chi |
naman who asnires to scholastic honors |
then takes up the higher branches. The |
course he must pursue consists of only |
thirteen volumes, but there are thousands |
of commentaries. histories and treatises |
In addition. The study course proper. |
however. includes the Five Classics, the |
-Four Books the Great Learning. the