In the same place a curious instance of official prejudice came to light. The magistrate of Isuei concluded to get himself glory by encouraging the scholars of the district to literary effort, so he had proclama ations posted in the various salt tax offices offering a reward for the best essay on the Subject of national reform, Among those who responded was a Christian scholar of no mean attainments from either a native or foreign standpoint. He emphasised, among other things, the importance of cultivating a knowledge of Western science. In due time his essay was returned with the official's comment written in red ink: "No nation ever endured which was founded on science (#%9))"! The statement is incontrovertible! Of course the essayist and his critic were using the term Kei-tow in very different senses.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.