The Intellectual Meritocracy of the East
In an era of intense anti-Chinese sentiment in the West, a Snohomish lecturer finds a startling, counter-intuitive argument for the superiority of Chinese governance: a rigorous, education-based civil service.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Dr. Kalloch, lecturing at the Metropolitan Temple, argued that while Americans clamor for the opening of China, they overlook the long-standing stability of its institutions. He contends that the Chinese government is a virtual aristocracy—not of blood or wealth, but a 'literary aristocracy.' The civil service system of China, which selects officials based strictly on literary merit and education, stands in stark contrast to the American system, where 'gold will buy the way into the United States Senate of an ignorant and conceited boor.' Kalloch asserts that in China, one cannot hold office without years of unremitting study, making the Chinese government a model of brains over money. He concludes that the United States must similarly prioritize education to preserve its republican institutions, suggesting an educational test for voters to ensure the 'nobility of the State.'
“The Government is a virtual aristocracy... not of money, like ours, where gold will buy the way into the United States Senate of an ignorant and conceited boor.”
This 1877 lecture captures a complex moment in Washington history, where anti-Chinese sentiment was common, yet some intellectuals used China as a foil to critique the 'money-bought' corruption of the American Gilded Age. It mirrors our modern, ongoing debate about whether education and expertise—or wealth and influence—should define who leads our civic institutions.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.