ethical scepticism, as it has done repeatedly in Europe.

3. I come now to the system of selecting officials by competitive
examination, without which it is hardly likely that so literary and
unsuperstitious a system as that of Confucius could have maintained its
hold. The view of the modern Chinese on this subject is set forth by the
present President of the Republic of China, Hsu Shi-chang, in his book
on _China after the War_, pp. 59-60.[22] After considering the
educational system under the Chou dynasty, he continues:

In later periods, in spite of minor changes, the importance of
moral virtues continued to be stressed upon. For instance, during
the most flourishing period of Tang Dynasty (627-650 A.D.), the
Imperial Academy of Learning, known as Kuo-tzu-chien, was
composed of four collegiate departments, in which ethics was
considered as the most important of all studies. It was said that
in the Academy there were more than three thousand students who
were able and virtuous in nearly all respects, while the total
enrolment, including aspirants from Korea and Japan, was as high
as eight thousand. At the same time, there was a system of
"elections" through which able and virtuous men were recommended
by different districts to the Emperor for appointment to public
offices. College training and local elections supplemented each
other, but in both moral virtues were given the greatest
emphasis.

Although the Imperial Academy exists till this day, it has never
been as nourishing as during that period. For this change the
introduction of the competitive examination or Ko-chü system,
must be held responsible. The "election" system furnished no