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THE EDUCATION TROUBLES
PORTUGAL.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
OF|strife into a purer atmosphere conducive to
the higher individual life and the advance ment of the State.
WASTE IN north cHINA.
(Daily Press, 15th April.) There is more than meets the eye in the laconic telegram "The students of Portugal are on strike." This message, which was
(Daily Press, April 16th.) received in the Colony a few days ago, tella LIEUTENANT COLONEL WINGATE on the us that there is an education question in 17th December last read a valuable and that country, and that it is stirring the instructive paper before the Roval Geo- people almost as fiercely as the same graphical Society, entitled " Nine Years' question does in England. Happily there Survey and Exploration in Northern and is not the same sectarian strife in the General China." Perhaps one of his most Iberian kingdom. The differences of opinion valuable contributions to our knowledge are really concerned with too little educa of China is the discovery of how very little tion and too much education. Paradoxical
we really do know, and how much remains as this may seem, it is nevertheless a fair for us to learn. Yet if we desire to learn description of the present state of affairs in anything of the historical geography of that country. Portugal, to its shame, is China the time is but short, for under the one of the most illiterate nations of Europe. present happy-go-lucky rule the whole of It is in the company of Russia and Turkey, Northern China is undergoing a rapid And its wanderings from the paths of transformation; and the transformation progress may be understood when it is is one of decay rather than progress. This remembered that about eighty per cent. of is the burden of all Col. WINGATE's ob Pits population are illiterate. That represervations, whether in North Chibli or in
Bents one feature of the educational problem. It is felt that the schools should be opened to a larger proportion. An ignorant proletariat caunot be said to be a source of strength to any country, and enlightened Portuguese realise that if their country is to retain or improve its position the benefits of education must be showered more lavishly upon the populace. The schoolmaster must be abroad in the land before Portugal can receive the best that its citizens have to give, and not till education is more widespread can Portugal hope to take its place among the leading nations of Europe or the world. As to "too much education ". a contradiction in
terms in face of the accepted axiom that no one can be overeducated-this applies to the overcrowding in the professional classes. It is asserted that the solitary university which Portugal possesses turns out too many barristers, doctors, and other pro- fessional men. Ordinarily, the law of supply and demand would regulate this. Ouce a profession became overcrowded,
[April 20, 1907.
them to the upper Yellow River, and through Onter Chihli. Messrs. MɑANDREW and KIRKPATRICK dropped down that river from Pao T'eo to Meng Hien, a distance of 880 miles, aud with the exception of a few miles about the Lungmen Falls, where the fall and the rush of water renders the river impassable, carefully charted the entire distance. It is well to know that practically the whole of this section of the Yellow River is impassable for navigation of any sort. The Lungmen Falls are not passable even on the down stream. The trip overland through north Shangi brought the travellers through some of the most interesting historical ground in Asia, the district of Kwei-hwa-ch'eng hay ing been the head quarters of the great MAOTUN, the powerful Emperor of the Hiung Nus, who nearly succeeded in destroyingtuuder the early rulers of HAN the nascene Chinese Empire So too Col. WINGATE mad a heroic attempt to take off our disgrace with regard to the province of Anhwei which, for all that it is 80 close to Shanghai, bas seldom been General China. There is, in fact, no more traversed by any foreigner capable ofuoting. destructive people on earth than the its characteristics. It was, he tells us, the Chinese, and unfortunately its prevent difficulty of learning anything about Anhwe i Government has neither the wish, nor province, except along the banks of the perhaps the power to set a wholesome Yangtse, that first determined him to make example. As a matter of policy the early a reconnaissance in that direction : a small emperors of the Manchu dynasty now on insp of the province accompanies the paper. the throne desired as far as lay in their It was but a few months ago that the writer. power to isolate the people, and delibe- struck, as Col. WINGATE was, by our total rately looked on while the former avenues ignorance of the southern flank of the of traffic by land or water were falling province, and indeed of the entire country into disuse and decay. Though the dis west of the T'ai Ilu, made a short excursion action between Chinese and Manchu has into these regious. He found that his lost much of its former force, the evil researches had been anticipated in many example has reacted on the body of the respects. Already many of the results of nation, and the main obstacles to advance these journeys have be charted and Dow come from the Chinese element in published under the auspices of the British the population, who lase it on the sup
and Indian (overnments, and we hope that Another posed traphings of their suges, especially the whole will be soon available. CONFUCIUS. Visiting Jehol, Lieut. Dovg journey of interest little inferior to the TON remarks that the forests there will others was undertaken in a journey from soon be a thing of the past. "Not so long Tse-li Hien in northern Hunan to Shinau ago the whole country between longs. 117 | Fu and Wan Hien in Szechwan in search The result at degrees and 119 degrees, and from lat. 41 of a practical railway route. degrees right up to the Shiramuren (upper which Colonel Wisdate reluct ially arrived Liao) was deuse forest. Now what was that none was feasible nu the right known as the 'Great Forest' covera 20 bank of the Yangtse, an opinion in which,
the north-eastern area of only about 100 square miles of also from experience, the writer is compelled corner between the to acquiesce. Another subject of little less sources of the Ying Ho and the other interet is the district of WU TAI-SHAN in small rivers hereabouts. To the west of n¦ Eastern Shansi. This district has been line drawn 5 miles from the source of Sa tao-Ho to the source of the Mena-kwei Kou,
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there are no forests, and only a few trees which the Chinese are fast cutting down." This is the complaint to be heard every. where in North China, and which every foreign adviser without exception has told the Chinese of in senson and out of season. It is indicative of the present decadence of the Government that notwithtsanding that there are Chinesein bigh official stations who are quite ready to acknowledge the need for reform, officially not on word in de preciation of the wholesale waste going on under its eyes has been spoken.
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well called the Mecca of Northern China, as it is the chief seat out of Tibet of that peculiar development of Buddhism known 08 Lamaism.
in Like everything else Northern China Lamaisa is in a state of
Previo us
decay. Here art situated the loftiest mountains in Eastern China. explorers have estimated the height of the higher peaks at anything up to 13,000 feet. Colonel WINGATE reduces this to the more modest height of 10,000, quite sufficient, however, to render the range a conspicuous object in the country round.
it would offer little inducement for men to enter it, and in course of time matters would be adjusted. But it is inter- ference with the law of supply and demand that is said to be responsible for the dissatis faction in Portugal. It is argued that the Government is induced to find positions for many of those professional men, and in con- sequence the country is saddled with num- bers of unnecessary officials. Of course this is a complaint that is not confined to the most westerly country in Europe, and perhaps the argument is used more for poli- tical purposes thau as a serious contribution to the discussion of the education question. A suggestion of such influence is undoub- tedly at the bottom of the trouble in the university town of Coimbra. According to the Lisbon press, a certain gentleman, wishing to qualify as a doctor of law, sat for
As a conspicuous object in the scenery of examination, but the Faculty would not
the province these monotains suffer from allow him to pass. The students, recogni-
one serious defect, and that is the permanent Col. WINGATE speaks of the large amount sing more than a coincidence in the fact that of work that has been done in North China haziness of the atmosphere over these looss- the gentleman belonged to the Republican
consequent ou the events of 1900, and covered regions, which unless under peculiar party, promptly showed their resentment the subsequent occupation of Chihli. conditions of the atmosphere, completely against the examiners. Their demonstra-
Commercial geography and the geography | shuts out the view of the peaks from the tions became so hostile that the Government of railways must also", he tells us,
for lower country. Regarding this peculiar had to interfere, and matters have gone the
next generation or two be given a haze, which is characteristic of North Chios from bad to worse till now the students have prominent place in speaking about China; generally, Col. WINGATE makes the curious resorted to a strike, that dangerous modern for though the Chinese are before everything statement that its cause is still partly up- weapon of attack which is so popular and so
else farmers, they are uone the less one and explained. There never was any doubt as often turns against its employers. Undoub- all in their spare moments travellers, and to the cause of the phenomenon. tedly the students have a genuine grievance buyers and sellers of gods". With the result of the large pse of loss all if merit is to be displaced by political object of learning as much as possible Cul. through these regious. Less is one of the influence, and though the way is by no
WINGATE was instrumental in extending his | finest of soils, ita particles being in fact so means clear, it is hoped by all true patriots researches not only through the province of fine that they only become visible under that Portugal will emerge from its political Chibli, but by means of his staff extended 'strong magnification
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