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Show MANY SEEK . COVETED TITLE Thousands of Young Chinamen Undergo Un-dergo Severe Examination in Hope of Becoming Mandarins. Though Cliinea-e'JUi:ation is gradually grad-ually iiTrrlT-rgoing change, cflT-tU.ilates for the title of mandarin still gather ',' at three-year intervals in Chinese cities, cit-ies, and the examiners sit in their robes of state under their umbrellas-and umbrellas-and conduct the examinations. Many of the younger generation nowadays have imbibed a western idea of education ; but many still begin with the Book of Three Characters, the Book of a Hundred Families and the Rook of a Thousand Words, and pursue pur-sue an-educational system that is held to be more than 30 centuries old, to the ultimate triumph of becoming mandarins man-darins and enjoying the ceremonial honors,' distinctive costume and an in- -dividual reputation for wisdom and learning, that go with the title. The examination consists in the writing of philosophical and political essays, exposition ex-position of the sayings of Confucius, commenting on Chinese texts and the composition of sentences and maxims in prose and verse. " The number of candidates at such examinations still counts up into the thousands. Sometimes their failures, one might say, In the phrase with which western editors return ambitious ambi-tious contributions, have been "due to no lack of merit," for the number of vacancies to be filled at any one time In the list of mandarins is very small compared with the number of candidates. candi-dates. Christian Pclenfe Monitor. |