Avoxost the many social vexations of the Chinese system the requirements of fashion on the subject.of " going into mourning" are perhaps the most foolish. There is much to admire in the devotion of the people of this country for their ancestors, The. respect which they pay to their fathers and aged relatives is in many ways commendable; but the restrictions ce nected with the " obsequious sorrow which the bereaved have to exhibit, are not only irritating but must in many instances seriously. abstract the discharge of public and private business.
student has perhaps been toiling for years to prepare himself for the Public Examinations. He has spent time and money to fit himself for the all important competition. Suddenly relation dies, and he nalified from entering' the lists. etl Palace at Shushan in ancient timer, the Examination Hall is a place which those clothed in sackcloth may not approach. All the previous exertions of the student are rendered unavailing. The garment of mourning is a fatal obstacle; To cite the express rule on the subject: "Should any bachelor of arts, disregarding the Law forbidding competition for the literary degree during the period allotted to mourn. ing for the death of father or mother, be allowed to present himself at an examination for the second degree, and if'became known to the examining official, he would be degraded from his rank, and the Literary Chancellor would in all likelihood be degraded or punished heavily by fines, unless he bribed to silence those who were privy to it. If only an undergraduate, his principal security would be degraded or dis. graced. Literary competition is deemed incompatible with sincere mourning for a parent. It would be construed into a kind of filial ingratitude, or want of filial love and respect, punish-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.