EXAMINATIONS AT HANKOW.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2163, 9 December 1875, Page 3

EXAMINATIONS AT HANKOW.

A correspondent of the Shanghai Courier and China Gazette writes from Hankow on September 10th :—

The provincial Examinations for Kii-jin, or for the second degree, are going on here at present; and the streets have presented quite a crowded appearance for some weeks past. Ho signs of a mob or riot of any kind hare been manifested. There are about nine thousand candidatesj come together from all parts of the prorince, and some even from some other provinces. They went into the Examination Hall last Tuesday morning, and the first set of texts on which they were to try their skill was issued on Wednesday morning about five o'clock. One of the texts is from the Analects: —Tsze-kung said, " What do you pronounce concerning the poor man v, ho yet does not flatter, and the rich man who is not proud ? " The master replied " That will do, but they are not equal to him who, though popr, is yet cheerful; and to him who though rich loves the rules of pro£riety." The second text is from the tectrine of the Mean; the words are :— "When one cultivates to the utmost the principles of his nature, and exercises them on the principle of reciprocity, he is not far from the f|tch. What you do not like when done id yourself, do not do to others." The third text is from the •writings of Mencius:—" The empire was greatly delighted. It is said in the Book of History, great and splendid were the plans of King *Van! Greatly were thejr carried out by the energy of King Woo." The candidates came out from the Hall jesterday afternoon, having spent some thirty - six hours on the above mentioned texts. They do not enter the hall in their holiday attire and after the confinement and mental effort reappear a very aoedy and used-up looking set of men. They have gone in again this morning to try their gifts on another set; and then after having gone in once more, three times in all, will return to their nine thousand homes, where they will all fondly regard themselves; and be regarded by their fond friends, as Kii-jin for about a month; after which it will be revealed to them that about eight thousand eight hundred and eighty were labouring for that time under a pleasing hallucination, as only about a hundred and twenty degrees will be given. The others must brace themselves up and do better next time. The examinations this year are outside of the ordinary triennial course; they are from the special favor of the Emperor, and take place in the first year of the new'reign-or in the year of the Emperor's marriage, or the birth of an Imperial lleir ; there are also about thirty more degrees conferred than at the ordinary examinations. Among the contestants are to be found all ages ; from the youth scarcely half way through his teens to the old man in the neighbourhood of three score and ten; all classes, from the sons of high officials and merchant princes, to the poor scholar who has been »aving regularly a few cents for the preceding two or three years, from His not very certain salary of four or five, dollars a monih, so as to be able to pay the ten or fifteen dollars which he must necessarily expend while trying for the degree that will place him among the celebrities of the empire. We are told that; bribery is by no means a negative quantity in securing the coveted degree: a candidate while clasping the hand of one of the under examiners will inform him that the fifth word in the first line of his essay will be ' but' and the fifteenth word in the- third line will be ' also ;' when he withdraws his hand if a note for a sufficiently large sum payable that day by ,a bank in the city is found in the hand of the examiner, the essay with the" said character in the ■aid places is pretty sure to be handed up to the chief examiner, who, however, is said to be beyond the influence of such " ways that are dark and tricks that are vain." As to the truthfulness orotherwise of this last part of the statement I have no means of deciding. But notwithstanding such drawbacks the idea of many of .the best scholars in the empire contesting together for a prize which in theory at all events is to be given only to the best trained and best furnished intellect, irrespective of every other influence is well worthy of beiug intreduced to the consideration of others besides the governors of China. A number of the candidates die in the hall each year. Two or three deaths have taken place already, one a suicide; corpses, however, have to be smuggled over the back wall: as it would be a bad omen to have them carried out through the gate.

(For remainder of News see FourtJt Page.)