The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-11-12
The Christian Chinee.

The efforts which have been made to
open the Chinese Empire TO foreign COM
mercial speculation and to the influences
of Christian civilization, have been him
dered so much by the eXclusiveneSs OF the
Chinese system that the belief is generally
entertained that the flOwery kingdom is
perfectly well satisfied with its own ancient
pagan civilization. and that the celestials
are of the opinion that they have nothing
to learn from the outside world. China
has, however, yielded to the progressive
ness of the age and the spirit of interna-
tiOnality, and to-day hundreds of her
youths are in foreign countries seeking
the advantages of modern education and
acquiring habits of thought and action
that will eventually do more towards
bringing their country into the great COM
mercial circle of nations than all the di-
plomacy of Europe and enterprise of
America can ever accomplish if left to their
own resources.
The ''Chinese Educational Mission is
rather a singular caption for a letter dated
at Springfield, Massachusetts, and might
lead one to suppose that China had turned
the tables on our missionary establish
ment and left our Christian missionaries to
wrestle with the three or four hundred
millions of pagans on the other side of the
Pacific, while a delegation of slant-eyed
disciples of COnfucius had come over here
to teach us some Of the oldest civilization
in the world. But the purpO e of the
educational mission is not to teach us
but to look after the interests of the
Chinese students who have been sent to
our colleges. Years ago some of our
missionaries induced a few young men
who had acquired the rudiments of an
English education in the missionary
schools in China to come to the United
States and go through a thorough collie
Giate course. Some of our elder inStitu-
tiOnS of learning turned out quite num-
Der of Chinese graduates, most of whom
on returning to their native land engaged
in commercial life, and few of whom de-
voted themselves to an effort to induce the
Government to undertake the foreign edu-
cation of 4 certain number of youths each
year.
Among these latter was Mr.. Chang
Laisun, a graduate of Hamilton College,
at Clinton, New York, and Mr.. Gung
Wing, a graduate of Yale College, who,
after their return to China, and after con-
tinuous effort of eighteen or twenty years,
finally induced the government to send
one hundred and twenty students in four
installments of thirty each year. The En-
pefO1 APPROPRIATED OVER Il llllllOu anu IL
half of dollars for the support of these
boys while pursuing their studies in this
country, and fixed the limit of their stay
at fifteen years. Every one of these young
men has been or is being educated to Il
learned profession, and there can be little
doubt that the influence they will exert
upon their native land will be most eX-
tended and beneficial. Mr.. Chang Laisun,
who holds an intimate ayd prominent pO-
sition under the throne, is the commits
sioner to the United States in the educa-
tiOnal interests of these young representa-
tives from his own country, and has estab-
lished his headquarters at Springfield,
Massachusetts. He has recently, by acci-
dent, learned of the presence in this cOun-
try of the missionary who gave him his
frSt instruction in his own land, and the
letters to his early benetactor furnish the
facts which we have given. His letters
are written in English, and with an ease
that would do credit to an American, and
he states that English is his household
language, although his children are also
taught Chinese.
Next wear Mr.. Chang Laisun will return
to China to take a number of Chinese boys
to England and Germany, his govern
ment having determined to extend the
system that has thus far been attended by
such satisfactory results Louisville Cour-
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