While we wait for the fortunes of the northern campaign to declare themselves, it is a relief to turn from the wretched intrigues and follies in which it steeped to the National Education Conference at Naning. Most people shy at ar-tides on education, tradition-geographical and ethnological lind the least, apparently, human ally associated with hard words
deserve the honour of Fellow-linterest. But if we are to form ship, a fair view of China under the The Council, however, reaches impact of the new, giddy ideals the core of the matter when it which have filled the atmosphere says that the use of the letters and affected all her influential must be guided by good taste. classes in the last fifteen years, In other words, a person ought we are bound to recognize that, not to make a parade of the beneath all the political dis. initials he may have the right array that makes so conspicuous to use after his name, The pub-showing, much steady work lic is inclined to be rather has been in progress, the value suspicious on this point, feeling of which must not be underrated that any letters which a person even though circumstances have uses obviously for self-advoras yet combined to deprive it fisement are not worth much. of full fruition, And this is There are initials which sugge: specially true of education. Ad-either that sort of half-world mittedly Chinese students have which lies on the borders of got themselves a bad name. many honourable professions, or.
But it is safe to say that here poor attempt on the part of too, as almost always, a whole their users to make the best of jass has been condemned for very poor qualifications. But it the misdeeds of a minority. It is not only in connexion with would be unfair and incorrect the use of these peculiar com-to suppose that every student is binations of letters that one hi an agitator, a politician and an to be careful, the use of letter iconoclast. And if at times.the signifying University degrees majority' get led astray by the may provide pitfalls for the unfew, China is not the only wary. The M.A. of Oxford or country, nor students the only Cambridge is gained by those class, in which that happens. who possess a bachelor's degree The demand for education all and who, after a certain time, round, for poor as well as pros-illing to pay the required perous, on which the Nanking. fee to the University. Hence, if Conference insists so strongly, is ain the owner's. is of the greatest significance. scholastic qualifications, we do So,. too, is the excellent effect not trouble about the MA, but which education has had upon inquire what he did to gain his Chinese girls, plainly visible to B.A. But it is the D.D.'s whose many of us as we look back titles often need looking into. upon the conditions of twenty Certain universities, unfortun-|¥ears ago. In this respect, it ately are quite ready to. grant [is noticeable that the Nanking this degree to men whose|delegates are scholarship would hardly bear examination and who would certainly never be qualified to carry on any of that research which is generally deemed necessary before one can aspire to a doctorate in any faculty. Nevertheless the fact that so many men flaunt the D.D., when leven the average layman know: they could never get a B.A. by examination, has tended to diminish the value of what ought to be a seal of ripe scholarship and fruitful research.
There ure, of course, people who will argue that letters after a person's name are useful as indicating the trend of his tastes and that he has done public service in supporting financially Some work of general benefit. But if this idea be carried to its logical extremity, most of us would be sporting letters after our names, and there would be people in Shanghai whose addresses would need an outsize in envelopes to contain all their titles. For example, the star; of the man who wrote "B.B.B. B.B.B." after his name, explaining it to mean "blooming best bugler of the Boston Brasa Band." After all a person must be guided by his sense of decency. Your really efficient: man never uses them on his own stationary and generally prefers his correspondents to omit then:
His work itself is a sufficient monument to his keenness of.intellect.
Ges, Chiang Kai-shek has addressed a telegram to the Kiangstt Provincial Government ordering (1) that a complete census shall be taken of the people throughout the province within three months; (2) that a model industrial factory' capable of accommodating 50,000 ed three months; and (3) disbanded soldiers shall be establish-
that a Farmers' Bank shall be established within the shortest possible period. against ce-education, In the early days of the revolution, the promiscuous mixing of sexes was abhorrent to the older generation, The pendulum has begun to swing.
The Nanking Conference ended yesterday and has published a general outline of its plans, which we print elsewhere, Dr, Hu Shih, in the illuminating article we had: from him last Saturday, has told us that the discussions were distinguished by their sane and practical tone. Numbers of proposals were cut out in committee; and although the Cantonese delegates rather frightened everyone by produc: ing a massive volume of desiderata, based on the "New Demism". (San Ain Chu-I), the contents proved very mild, Nay, more: a large space was given in the Cantonese proposals to the training of girls in womanhood und motherhood, which is surely all to the good. Broadly speaking. what the Conference appears to have aimed at is a continuous scheme of education for boys and girls alike, from kindergartens, through primary and middle schools, up to uni-varsities. Compulsory education is advocated and travelling scholarships for brilliant seniors. Dr. Hu Shih calculates that China is spending about a million dollars daily on war. If we add to that all that she loses, wastes and destroys by making war, there should be plenty of money for these schemes—another day. And the more often, the more firmly these fa are rammed home to the eonsci ness of thinking men, the sooner that day should come, Two Paragraphs in the final plan set out by the Nanking Conference deserve attention. We read that:—
The Central Party Heat. quarters shall be responsible for Setting the standard for students" movements and deciding the general plan for students' self government association:
Definite regulations governing graduation examination in col:
Jeges and universities and the termined.
granting of degrees shall be- de-
One can hardly doubt that these resolutions are aimed at the irregular associations of students which, calling themselves universities, are nothing but 39 many youths combining to hire:
teacher or two, studying what' they please and when they please, and adorning themselves with high-sounding degrees not worth the paper they are written upon, These so-called univers sities have earned a good dear? of unfayourable~ notoriety in' recent years; they are frequent ly the worst hot-beds of political! disorder; and no scheme of national education can afford to leave their wings unclipped.
'The projects of vocational' training, research: work and art institutes belong rather to the future, when money shall be~ steadily available, though something is already being done in the vocational sphere. But two" questions force themselves. to the front. First, what is being, done for the ethical training of the younger generation? It has often been objected, by no unsympathetic observers, that the change from Chinese' classical teaching to Western models deprived China of her old well tried ethics and put nothing in its place. There has been 2 disposition to assert that Dr, 'Sun Yat-sen's will and the New Demism will do all that la. necessary in this direction, Was there nob a ladies' college found. ed at Changsha with these for its entire curriculum? But—we speak with no wish to offend—asystems of this sort have been tried again and again, from Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Mile. Candelin and the rationalists onwards, and always they have proved a hopeless delusion. Bo-~ cause there always remains something in man's nature which Jo system of mere political and social expediency. cannot satisfy. We speak under correction, but Jas yet Chinese educationalists do not appear to have grappled with this all-important topic, In the second place, where is the requisite money to come from? Mr. T. V, Soong has lately issued a manifesto on the necessity of calling financial conferences, with 4 special eye to framing a budget and providing for the constructive work that now laga so sadly in arrears for want of funds, "If the propaganda com= mittees which accompany the Southern armies could devote themselves to preaching resists ance to war instead of insistance on political nostrums, they would be doing something really useful, It is tragic that the efforts of an excellent conferlence like that which has beea sitting at Nanking should bo-stultified because the strength and resources of China must still be squandered on these senseless wars,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.