New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1881-02-16
, pleased to see such an audience. one

~ pleased to see such an audience, one
csmposed of children aud grown PEG.
pie, and am happy to have the pleas
ure of speaking to you tonight. I
thank the Lord for permitting me to
meet this audience in this Christian
church. It is the first time I have
had the pleasure in addressing an au-
dience in this city of Cincinnati. I
must try to interest you as much as
possible. suppose you would all like
to hear something about my native
land. which persume you are not &C.
Quainted with--such as our school life
and marriage life. Now, will tell
you about our school, and you may see
the difference from yours. You have
very easy time at school, and have
only a few hours in every day, and, be.
sides you have recess to enjoy your.
selves.
The Chinese school IS not so. All
the children in China must go to
school when they are between s and Q
years OF age. We have no public
schools. When we first start to school
it is a private school, and not more
than thirty or thirty-five schol-
;trs are allowed in one school, because
each scholar has different les
son, and if there were too many schol.
ars the work would he too hard for
the teacher. That is the reason we
are not allowed more than 30 or IS in
every school. We have more letters
in the alphabet, in our language than
you could count, but only use from g.
900 to $500, that is all. We do not
commence to learn the alphabet first,
but learn as we go along in our read
ing. The first thing we study is to
read Confucius, our religion. The
children who first start to school take
but very few lessons in Confucius
They are instructed how to behave by
their teachers and how to pay good
respect to strangers. They must bow
and call stranger a teacher, for the
name of teacher is held with great re.
spect. The school-teacher has full
charge of the children, and the parents
have very little to do with them after
they commence to attend the school.
The teacher sees the children more and
so understands them better, and sees
them in the wrong, so they can correct
them better than their parents. After
the first six months they begin to study
Confucius, and they study until they
get through the four Kings. Perhaps
the children can get through Confucius
and the four Kings in three or four
years. Then they go to college if they
can afford it. The four Kings is writ.
ten by the disciples of Confucius, he
had seventy.two where Christ had
twelve. You can never get through
college until you become an officer. II
you do not want to become an officer
you have to leave college.
Oh it is much harder for us to go to
school when we are little. We have
to be in school in the morning as soon
as we can see to read, and when the
teacher comes we have to recite our
lesson, and if we do not know it, we
can not go home for breakfast, or if we
are allowed to go, a mark is placed on
the face. and those WHO can write it
can have their breakfast. After break
fast we practice writing two hOnrs.
Then the writing-boooks arr taken up
to the teacher, and he will write all
the new letters on the top of the writ
ing-book from the lesson which you
have recited, and all you want to find
out if you know it. Then we are given
| a new lesson to recite the next morn
ing. We are not allowed to play or
talk TO any one in the school. We all
| study out loud at the same time and on
different lessons. The teachers are
very strict, and when it gets late and
cannot see to read, then school is out.
We are not allowed to make any noise,
or to run or to stop on the Way home,
and if we do not do as the teacher says,
then we gt 4 good thrashing with a
number of small switches tied tOgeth-
er. You will notice the Chinese when
they pass along the street they 60
quietly and mind their own business.
It is because they were brought up in
that way. We have no way to become
an officer, except through school. We
have no voting business at all. The
way we elect an officer is this. The
government gives out a question or a
verse from Confucius, and you have to
write out your argument. It is like
your debating or discussion of any
question. Then the smartest man is
employed to examine the arguments,
and if the paper is not neat and clean
it is thrown in the waste-paper basket.
If it is neat and clean, he will read it,
and the first mistake he comes to he
will read no further but throw it away.
Then the one who has the best argyll
ment becomes an officer. The girls arc
not allowed to 90 to school since our
Emperor Lee ST Mans reign, about
200 or 1900 years ago, because they
associate with men, and write to each
other and do so much of the secret
thing. But now only the daughter of
tho officers receive private instructions
in their own home. 1t is not the Gus.
tom for young ladies and young gentle.
men to associate together before mar.
rage as in this country. The wives
and husbands are selected by their pa
rents. We do not marry to any one
that belongs to same descendantsor the
sane town. 1t may seem strange to
you that we have nc! choice in the Sc
lection of our wives. Yet we have
confidence il our parents-that they
will choose those who are pure andgood
for us. The Chinese are happy in thei,
married life, and divorces are no,
known. I have now taken as much OF
your time as seems proper, 80 will
not continue any longer to occupy your
valuable time, and will close by saying
few words to the teachers of oul
school: my dear Christian teachers
am very thankful to you for your
kindness in teaching my countryme1
about the Heavenly way, and so anx
ious to have us to be there when W.
die. know it is hard to teach then
when other people are making fun o.
} you because you teach the Chinese an(
associate with them, but do not mint
them, and continue to keep on ant
teach them. They are improving a!
J any one can easily see. They did no
know your alphabet when they frs
came, but now they can write and ar,
able to read the bible and enjoy read
ing it, and also ! trust many of then