Our brilliant and scholarly Viceroy like the scholars of another ancient and literary city is ever secking some newer thing. 'Three years or so ago he obtained the approval of the Empress to found in Wuchang for the teaching of science and mathematics a.college, known amongst the Chinese as the Ten Ohtiang Bench Tang (Fy Gi Si) and somewhat ambitiously' styled by its pupils the Ad Astra School. Per aspera ad astra, s0 far the school has hardly seen the accomplishment of its chosen motto, and as the Viceroy very truly points out' in the preamble of a proclamation just issued, the country has not yet, been reformed through the influence of the Ad Astra scholars! Moreover, China has already the knowledge of mathematics, and the foreign books on the subject are translated into Chinese, so for the future the study thereof is to' be relegated to the more strictly Chinese Hing Hu Hsu Suan. But books on scientific subjects and international commerce are lacking in China, such books as have been translated being of the most elementary nature. The proclamation is too long to translate in full, but the preamble goes on to show the necessity of studying foreign Janguages that scientific works may consulted in the languages in which they are written and a precedent for such study is found in the T'ung Wen Kuan at Peking.
That Chinese scholars may themselves become the masters of scientific subjects and read all that has been written thereon, and thus become independent of foreign teachers, the Viceroy is going to receive 120: picked youths, who for five years shall study foreign languages. The 120 are divided into four groups of 80 scholars, each group to study one of the four followin; Tanguages, English, French, German, an Russian. The scholars will be selected after examination in Chinese literature, at present only 15 in each group being admitted, the remainder being received when the buildings are complete, All candidates must be not less than 15 and not more than 24 years of age, but youths from any province of China, no matter what rank or degree they hold, may compete, except only barbers, yamen runners, beggars, and the like. The regulations of the school are of interest to educationalists and to some others, apart from those already referred to they are as follows:—Scholars must be able to express themselves clearly in conversation.
No opium smokers can be admitted, They must all be versed in Confucian literature and if admitted those who are sufficiently advanced will be expected to continue their Chinese studies by themselves, whilst younger scholars will be instructed by a Chinese teacher. Candidates must be of good character and strong constitution. A larger number will be at first selected so that those who do not rove themselves satisfactory may afterwards Those' who are admitted will study the writing of in (themes) and not wea chang (eight character essays.)
They will not be allowed to do any work outside the school nor to compete in any examinations except that for the chuen degree.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.