The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-06-05
AIetter 10 the sabbath SchooI
Of the First PRESBYTERIAN
Church Mt Wheeling, From y
missionary In China.

our school boys are all at home enjoying
vacation with their friends. In China
the New Year Ia the great play time Of
the whole year, both for young and old.
We are compelled by this national Gus
tom 10 have at this time a vacation Of a
full month. Our school closed with an
examination and exhibition. You will
perhaps be interested In some account Of
these. In order to understand, you must
remember that the school consists Of a
high school and a primary school. Iii
In fac. two separate schools, In separate
rooms, and has two Chinese teachers. The
high school consisted during the past
year OF 10 scholars, the most OF whom are
almost grown men. The primary school
had from IA to 10 scholars, ranging from
10 to 20 years Of age. The ex.
animation occupied two days, and the ex.
hibiion two evenings. A number Of the
parents Of the pupils came-some Of them
a long distance, to hear their sonS exam.
ined, and see what progress they had
made. The examination in Chinese elias.
slcs consisted in repeating the books and
in transla.ing them into the spoken Ian.
guage. Besides these, classes were exam.
iued 10 arithmetic, geography. algebra,
scripture history, &c. The exhibition Of
the primary school was held in the school
room. II consisted Of essays, orations,
and a debate. The question chosen for
debate was, (which is more convenient,
to be deaf or 10 be blind" The state.
ment Of this question is thoroughly char
ac.eristic Of the Chinese. They have a
marvellous faculty Of putting things con.
trary 10 the order which seem to Us most
natural. We should certainly state this
question, (which is the more %inconven.
lent, to be deaf or to be blind" Not so
the Chinaman. Helooks at the thing the
other way. As there was nothing Of spe.
cial interest in these performances, l will
pas, on 10 the exhibition Of the high
school. It was held in the church and
drew out quite a large audience. It was
In the form oil a contest between two sides.
appointed two Of the most advanced in
tho school a. leaders, and they each chose
four more, thus making FIVE Oh each side.
OF tho ave on each side, n wrote an
essay Ia Mandarin, one an essay in the
literary style, one an grafton and two de.
bated. Three suitable persons were
chosen as judges who decided who in each
case was entitled to the honor. One OF
the essays 10 Mandarin, was on "Dligenee
IN Study,,p the other on "7he svis Of 7o6ac'
90 Smoking" The ChineHe as you know
all smoke tobscco, from the beggar on the
street to the Emperor IN his throne. The
writer OF this essay set forth plainly and
foroibiy tho folly and the evil results Of
smoking, and exhortsd the young especi.
ally TO refrain from learning to smoke.
No one who had not risen above the plane
Of heather morality would have thought
OF such a subject or would have
cared to oppose the popular custom
BY writing on 1t. The two essays in the
literary styls were on themes from the
Chinese classics, aud would have no spe-
dial interest to you, though the Chinese
consider ability 10 write In this style as
the great thing which constitutes an ed.
uaation.
OF the orations one was on the theme,
"a r~esolute will Is lnvluuible," the other
wa on 4 Chinese saying which runs,
"briug up sons as q preparation for old
age" The speakers were the most ad.
yanced students In the school, and both
speeches we're excellent. The latter ca
peeially showed that the speaker had ad.
yanced beyond the common ideas OF the
Chinese. They consider It the business
aud duty Of sons In all cases TO support
their parents. Hence they desire sous
for this express purpose, and As soon as
their sons are grown, they quilt working
and cast themselves upon their sons, ex-
pectipg them TO support them aud serve
them. The unworthiness and evil results
Of such an idea were set forth 10 the es.
say, In opposition TO the commonly re.
ceivsd opinion Of the Chinese.
The debate however, was the most in.
teresting part Of the exhibition. The
question was, SHOULD the family iDheri.
lance be divided on the death Of the
father" To understand this question Il
IL necessary 10 know that the doctrine Of
Of Chinese cages Is that brothers should
not divide the inheritance received from
their fathers, but live together and have
all things common. In consequence Of
this idea we often see In China three or
four generations all living together,
amounting TO seventy or eighty OIL a
hundred persons. All labor for the com.
mon stock and all share alike. This
seems like q very nice plan, but the prac'
teal working Of 1t Ia not 50 nice. In
practice quarrels generally arise, and
then there must be n division. The
question wa which Is beat, the plan Of
Chinese sages, or the plan Of Christian
countries In the west. The following are
some OF the arguments advanced on the
two sides; lst. Dividing the property
will save quarrelling. II II be not
divided ~jealousies will be sure 10
arise, because one wears better clothes
or spends more money than another, or
because some are lazy and do nothing,
and the end Is that brethren are alien
ated, and the division will come after
all. Hence Il is better to divide peace.
ably at fnt. ID. Dividing the property
will promote diligence and economy.
When each man knows that what be
earps and what he saves is his own he
will be willing to work hard and TO live
economically. On the contrary, II what
he earns goes to feed and clothe his
brothers and their wives and children, he
will say, why should l work 30 hard for
other people. Itwhat he saves by deny.
log himself Is spent recklessly by his
nepheWs or cousins he will say, why
should save for other people to spend.
II one brother iS e%xtrGyagant he will
soon spend all that the others can earn.
They will thus have no motive to work,
and will In self.deiense turn TO be ex-
trayagant also. II q member OF the
family smokes opium or CANDLES
hO will soon reduce the whole
family 10 poverty. Such things
We have seen times without number, and
they show clearly that It IL best 70. divide
the Inheritance at hsL Sd. Living all
together makes the teaching aud training
Of children impossible, and hlnders both