23rd Feb. account of the Emperor's recent decree founding special examinations, great desire is now felt by scholars in Peking and in tientsin to acquire a knowledge of western science, history, and law, 'I'rauslations made in recent years by foreign scholars on economical and historical subjects, such as those published by the Society forthe Diffusion of Christian and General Knowledge in China, are now eagerly read in every part of China; a new era has dawned and the star of hope is now seen shining on the Chinese horizon, Knowledge is power, and China by acquiring knowledge will through that diplomatic aptitude in which she has never been wanting at the same time also increase her power, But " short time ago and the political system of China was conservative, Positions in the government service could be purchased and no_ special training was necessary, Yet China was represented to European readers as a land where examinations were a necessary preliminary to entrance in the ublic service, and it was supposed that inglaud not many years ago, in introducing a system of examinations for candidates for posts under the India Government and the Civil Service at home, was simply adopting " principle which bad existed in China for two thousand years. At that time, the credit due to China originally for the first institution of examinations for the Civil Service, was scarcely deserved because of the abuses which had grown up during the long interval since their establishment in the Han dynasty. Learning had gone to ruin, and the books of Confucius were rarely to be met with when the Han dynasty undertook to restore the studies dear to scholars and to extend the system of public instruction into new provinces. The reaction from the burning of the books, 2,100 years ago, led to the recovery of the lost literature of antiquity; the empire was united under one administration and scattered lights were gathered into one focus, Governors of distant provinces collected promising pupils and sent them to Court to learn Confacian doctrines at the fountain-head. he Governors needed qualified persons to assist in the administration of the provinces under their control, and the yang men cate back from Court prepared to do this. They had titles of distinction they were able to instruct others and to govern cities, and a system of ex nations grew up which was necessarily made what it was by the nature of the Chinese classics. What the books contained had to be studied by candidates for the public service. The system of examinations rests on the literary tradition too dear to the scholars to ba let go. Szechuan, for example, was shut off by the Gorges; but the literary enthusiasm of the Governors and the fertility of the country led to the permanent implanting of Confucian scholarship in that region, in the second century before Christ. So thorough was the love of scholars for the teaching of the sages that that teaching was accepted in its entirety as a guide to the nation in all points. China shall be, said the scholars of that age, what the sages thought it ought to be. This type of national life needs only to be reproduced, and this we will undertake by means of examinations founded on a system of official instraction. The spirit of the instructions of the sages has a sound moral substratum, but a very erroneous physical theory was in a confused manner spread by education through the minds of youth, and led them all to think very much alike. This sameness of type involves a common duty in official observance of an old ritual. It includes kneeling and knocking the forehead on the ground before a tablet, the worship of the spirits who rule land and grain, and a ploughing ceremony. nese usage of a very ancient origin regards mourning for three years for one's parents as a disqualification, for office. This disqualification dates from the year B.C. 6. After the reign of Han Wa-ti, a century before this, the Court opinion was in favour of special acquisitions in learning as a prerequisite for a good officer. It was through the regard the Emperors had for learning that the three years' mourning was made a ground for temporary resignation of magisterial and legal functions. Confucius had regarded this as essential, and his authority increased greatly noder the Han dynasty. When this custom came into vogue candidates at examinations wrote ea thin boards—paper had not been made at that time. One sort of tablet was about 16 inches in length and the other about eight inches. These with questions written on them were distributed to candidates who secured them by lot. Those who succeeded in obtaining: a particular tablet and wrote suitable answers to the questions written on it received the title Zang and Long Chung as being able to expound the: classical books. The higher class was that of Long Chung. Forty persons were honoured with this rank in the year AD.1. The result was that Szechuan, Wuchang, and Nanking, by reproducing the national type of classical instruction of the metropolis, became suitable themselves to become seats of small empires and in fact did become such alter two centuries. By a kind of political evolution, the metropolitan system of administration repeated itself in these three centres of provincial Chinese life. The Tang dynasty was the second of the Chinese dynasties to encourage learning by giving attention to the system of examinations. 'I'he candidates who passed began to ba called Asiutsai, and at the examinations they were required to reply to five questions on political subjects. They were also ex-! pected to answer questions orally upon the meaning of ten passages in the Classics. They further were required to make five answers in writing on affairs of the day. They passed an examination also on the Court ceremonies during the first half of the eighth century. Those who answered satisfactorily a hundred subjects obtained advancement in the public service. There was a careful examination in the historical works written by scholars of Confucius but still classical. The candidates were arranged in three grades when their answers had been read by the examiners. Out of 1,000 candidates one or two in a hundred gained the rank of Chinshik or Doctor, The T'ang dynasty in the examinations of that time expected the candidates to understand the bearing of political questions and. the reasons for and against proposed legislative changes.
When the Sung dynasty followed in the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth centum ties, the subjects of examination became almost exclusively literary, The class sical books-were regarded as repertories of political wisdom. Rules for good government it was supposed need not be sought elsewhere. he mistake made was unfortunate. China had long ceased to be feudal, and even in the days of feudality, as the biography of Confucius shows, the teachings of the sages failed to secure tranquillity to the country and dignity to the sovereign. Yet the philosophers of the Sung dynasty insisted on the attempt to rule China by the principles of the feudal period; the Classics were printed on wooden blocks and the statesmen of the time made the knowledge of these books the only subject of examinations for candidates for the public service.. Wang An-shih tried to improve the methods then in use, but he was bitterly opposed." The Ming dynasty founded the present prevailing system, while' the Manchu dynasty has done little beyond following in the path left them by their predecessors. Unfortunately the sale of offices and titles was adopted to satisfy the needs of the State in times of rebellion, To meet the expenses of the war in Turkestan in 1826,1828, and 1829 the sale of titles was legally authorised. It has been very frequently employed since to replenish the empty coffers of the T'reasury.. The system works disastrously—money instead of merit rales in the State. High posts are held by useless persons who keep uble secretaries to discharge their duties for them. Lhe present weakness of the Goverament of China is due very much to this cause.
We are now told that a new system will be at once inaugurated; the limperor wishes it and has appealed to the loyalty of the Viceroys and Governors and their patriotic love of country to assist him in strengthening the State, Improvement is loudly called for and improvement is not impossible, Ability and knowledge in the officers are of paramount necessity. The new system
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.