West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1877-10-06
The Interesting Chinese Colony mt
Hartford.
Correspondents Of the New York Sun.


Tor Spaniard, but, except for the broad
nostrils, would never pass for native of
China. Such, however, he is, and the
head OF the Chinese educational com
mission, whose headquarters are in Hart
ford, and who have in their charge one
hundred and fifteen of the brightest lads
in all the Chinese empire.
Thirty years ago this man, then lad
in an interior Chinese village, was picked
up by an American missionary, and the
stories he heard of the wonderful land
across the Pacific induced him to run
the risk that n native of China then in
CURED who left his country and came to
America. After his arrival several gen
tlemen interested themselves i'm him. He
was put to school, and at length he grad
uated at Yale College. He was the first
native of China to take collegiate de-
gree.
Yung Wings ten years i'm this country
thoroughly Amcricanized him, and he
decided to make it life work To pry
open the eyes of his sleeping fellow
countrymen, and show them what their
real condition is, and what they must do
to put themselves OH an equality with
other nations.
He went back to China and began the
work. He was too shrewd to tell the
mandarins at first that China is far be-
hind the rest of the world. He said
nothing for some years, but made him
self so valuable by the use of certain
knowledge and suggestions that he had
gathered in the United States that he
soon became person of some influence.
Then he began slyly to drop hints as to
the way in which things were done i'm
t,n
Tor the mandarins are very bigoted-
until at last he suggested, and, as his
influence grew more powerful, urged his
plan, and in 1869, nearly twenty years
after his return to China, the emperor
consented. He was allowed to choose one
hundred and fifteen boys, from seven to
fourteen years of age, and to bring them
to this country and give them such a
training as he saw fit. For this purpose
the Chinese government appropriated
81 800, 900, and in 1872 the first party of
boys arrived i'm Hartford, followed i'm
1873 and 1874 by others.
With them came Yung Wing and four
assistants and their servants, and these
at their home in this city make with the
boys Chin csc colony not only rs
peculiar rs the Chinese, but unlike any
other Chinese people in the United
States. These represent the wealthy
aristocratic Chinese. They are no more
like the laundry johns than the directors
are like the laborers on railroad.
As soon rs the boys reached Hartford
they were put by twos with American
farmers families in Connecticut and
Massachusetts towns, so that they might
learn the language as quickly as possible.
But so that their Chinese schooling
might not be lost, they came alternately
to the headquarters in Hartford and
spent three weeks in exclusively Chinese
studies. A fine edifice has been erected
in Hartford by Yung Wing, near the
residences of Marshall Jewell, Gen.
Hawley, Mark Twain, and Harriet
Beecher Stowe.
Some of the boys have got far enough
along to enter Yale college, and in the
school contests they have invariably
beaten their American schoolmates.
From college they will go to the profess
sional schools, particularly the scientific
studies, and then will be ready to return
to China, where they will spend their
lives as teachers.
1t is 4ung Wings opinion that the in
fluence of one hundred and fifteen able
men, thoroughly educated, and, more
than all, Americanized by the fifteen
years spent here in their boyhood, can
not fail of ultimately removing all OBJ
stacles that Chinese bigotry has thus far
put up to progress.
The social life of the assistants whom
Yung Wing brought over recently re-
ceiyed some prominence by false rumor
circulated by two New York newspapers.
fung Wing is mandarin of the fifth
rank. His four assistants are Ngeu.
NTH rank; 9ung, sixth Kwong, sixth !:
and Leu, seventh. Yung Wing himself
has been naturalized, and is an American
citizen. He has an American wife, n
sister of DIR. Kellogg, an influential
physician of Hartford. His habits.
attire, and religious belief are American.
Ngeu is quiet man, and likes a good
dinner and society. With him are two
wives, and this fact has been generally
known in Hartford. Both wives are
sometimes seen on the sidewalk, and oc-
occasionally receive American ladies,
but they are never seen with Ngeu, and
never appear at any of his entertain
ments. This, not because he has two
wives, but because Chinese custom re-
quires it. Ngeu has three children bv
one wife, but one by the other, although
= pNNi ANDOlttu llidb the recent
birth of child by the second wife within
four months of previous birth led to
the discovery that both women were
Ngeu's wives. There has been no such
discovery in Hartford, for every one who
knew Ngeu knew that he was living
with two wives.
kurny, the interpreter, has his second
wife with him. His first and the children
by her are in China. YunQ and Len
left their wives in China.
These mandarins live i'm elegant STYLE
and are much given to receptions. They
entertain handsomely. To be invited
70 their great dinners, of which four or
1--WE are given annually, is a treat
greatly priced i'm Hartford. These din
ners are given i'm Chinese style. and con.
slst OF some twelve courses of exclu-
siyely Chinese dishes, such as dried she'll
FISH, sharks fms, kind Of fish bowels
which look like macarOni, birds nests
and some vegetables, for which Ameri-
cans have no name. The mandarins
frequently leave the table and their
guests for a while to smoke, and then re-
turn to resume their eating. They are
very polite. They dress in the choicest
OF Chinese silks, and drinka wine made
OF rice, which is very treacherous. as
some Of the dignifed deacons who have
dined with them and inst sipped tbc