Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-12-20
A Remarkable Cinnamon,

empires, the Chinese and the Japanese, have
been opened to western commerce. There has
been marked difference between the two in
the ayidty with which they have availed them
selves Of the opportunities Of intercourse with
foreign nations. Over cautious conservatism
rules in China, while Japan is making all pos
sbe haste to add to the intelligence and pros
perlty of her people, Such are the facts respect.
ing the two countries. as whole, but there areof
course, individual exceptions. Japan has its
blind old foeies, who would rejoice at the nom
intercourse policy. China has her Yune-Wing,
who, having received an American COLLEGIATE
education, has since been instrumental in send
ing TO our shores for instruction many of his
young countrymen.
Another remarkable case Is described in the
Ladies' Repository for January, by its editor,
the Rev. L. Wentworth, formerly missionary
at FOOchow, China. We are indebted to the
author for advance sheets of bis article, from
which we gather the following statement Man
DARN Law has lived in Foochow for twenty
years past. For a long time he has manifested
an intense desire to become acquainted with
foreign arts. In regard 10 religious matters he
was quite apathetic, and his constant question.
ing upon secular matters gave the missionaries
great deal of trouble without affordng them
an opportunity of carrying out their objects for
which they were sent abroad. They became
tired of him, but Mr. Wentworth was more pa
tient and answered his almost nnmberess que
res as well as he was able. He wanted to know
railroads, lelegraphs, and, in fact, all the mate
rial inventions of the nineteenth century.
In 1858 the Methodist mission with which
Mr.. Wentworth was connected, opened female
school. Law heard of it, and, accompanied by
his seven sons, came to the mission to inuuire
about it. He was told that its objects were to
teach Chinese girls how to read and write This
he deemed an absurdity, believing that women
needed only TO know how TO cook, nurse chill
dren and embroider. Drawing out of one of his
eli a az l., ,,;I,I
it up, and demanded: "Can you teach our girls
to make this?' The missionary replied in the
negative, saying that France was the only couu-
try where texture so delicate and beautiful
could be fabricated. Law then SAID that he
could not see the use of the school. 1t would do
the Chinese some good if it could impart the
art of weaving and dyeng. MIR. Wentworth
soon after imported from America for Laws
special benefit, a treatise on dyeing, and had
translated into Chinese large number of rec
ipes. These were tested, but as proper color
ing materials and artistic skill were both
wanting, Law was sorely disappointed in the
results.
His next experience was more happy. He
had seen sewing machines in the missionary
families, and studied their mechanism so care.
fully that when one was imported to his own
order he put it together with his own hands, He
then tried to make ammonia (which he believed
TO be valuable curative AGENT, Sulphurc acid,
and other chemicals, with only small success
MIR. Wentworth gliding in his experiments. Dis
gusted with his bad luck, Law asked of his
TREND: why can't you make sulphuric acid?
Why can't you make ammonia or phosphorus?
why can't you do what you so glibly teachP
The missionary attempted to explain the differ
ence between artistic skill and scientific knowl.
edge, but Law could not fully master the dis
tinction.
He then turned his attention to water driven
machinery, and was anxious to set up spin
ming jenny at Foochow. American capitalists
were consulted on the subject, but their answers
were not favorable. Hand labor is so cheap in
| China that there is no room for competition and
skill; capital and market are also wanting. So
Laws enterprise 10 this direction was checked
HIS ardor was by no means abated, however, as
the following letter, recently received by MIR.
Wentworth will show:
FoocHow, 29th July, 1872.
MY DEAR MIR. WENTWORTH While you were
at Foochow as missionary, received, verv
often, instruction in different sciences from you,
for which till feel grateful. | received, some
time ago, bottle of lavender water as a rift
presented by you; hut | was sorry that could
not write an English letter to thauk you. In
1866, my seventh son, named Law-Func-Loke
1.-THE Chinese always write the surname before
the given name), entered the English school of
the Foochow arsenal, established by our govern
ment, and has enjoyed the benefit of five years.
instruction. Now he knows little of :he En-
ellsh language; so | order him to write this TO
express my gratitude to you, aud my best wishes
for you and Miss (Mrs) Wentworth.
The following are the points in which beg to
be instructed:
1. Or what kind of steel or iron is the spring
of watch or clock made? Is there any stuff
mixed with the water into which The hot iron is
put in order to make it have the power of a
spring. or in short, how do your manulactur-
ers make the spring?
2 What do YOU call the stuff used to rub iron
instruments with TO make them bright? What
Is II made Off Enclosed is n small na of II
U. was informed by an account in the Chi.
nese newspaper, taken and translated from that
OF your country, that the ingenius people of the
United States have invented an engine which
IS moved by the power of electricity. The engine
is OF twenty horse power, and the expenditure
OF running it for a day is nearly about three
tenths of tael of silver (between thirty aud
forty cents). do not know whether it is true
or not; IT 1t be SO, please give me an account of
the manner in which the power Of electricity is
applied 10 the engine.
4. find that to clear the weeds in the large
garden which have lately bought is toilsome
affair. | imagine there must he a tool used in
your country which saves the greater part OF the
labor. Ii there be such tool, shall be obliged
by your sending me drawing of it.
Yours, very truly, LAW.
When Mr.. wentworth returned TO this cOun-
try In 1862, Law was DESTROYS that one of his
sons should accompany him TO be educated, but
the plan fell through. Mr.. Wentworth wishes
however, that the old man could come over him
self. He is too poor to pay his own expenses,
but if he could be invited, and his expenses
paid, he would, said DIR. W. "see everything,
and master everything he saw, and would, no
doubt, cmbody bis observations 10 book on
his return, the influence Of which would be in.
calcuabe in the direction of the civilization, en-
lightenment, and ultimate Christianization of
the nation that embraces one-third of the globe.
Could beneiicence desire broader channel, or
noble wealth grander philanthropy p-Cin-
ctanoH Gazette.