The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-04-06
Literary Notes.

ITunStutcu from tte ChlneSe on 1HlSS JENNINGS
Of the English Church Mission: Hangcho,o
China.
With no slight degree of interest have we ex-
amned this little Compendium which is put into
the hand of every Chinese girl, as her vode
mecum of education. 1t is book of rules, which
are supposed to be sufficient to meet all the ext
gencies of woman's life, from her seventh year
till she gives her sons in marriage and assumes
the highest position possible in the Chinese do
nestle relation-that of motherin. law. As we
well know, the literature of the Central Flowery
Kingdom is immensely voluminous. One has
but TO turn over the leaves of some work on
Chinese literature. to learn how vast is the &C
emulation of books on every possible subject
Treatlses on Mcdonnell The SIX Bag of Deep
Learning on DiseaSes-Red Water Blue Pearl
The Amended Mirror, being the poetic titles of
some of these.) Works on Botany of forty vol
ume series !. Dissertations on Panting-.on
acknowledgement on Numsmaties (Ru6v
Forest for antiquity loviny Youth Don Gene
alogy-on every conceivable subject The ak
IONS introduced into this Girls Classic, may be
older than Confucius in their present form: a
large portion of them are so natural and reason.
able, that the basis of them is as old as human
ity itself. The Christianised and highly edu
Gated American girl might well read over thi
Classic with profit, for there is little in it, out
side of the stringent rules as to the reverence
and obedience to be shown to the members of
the husbands family, that our girls might not
study to advantage. Take few ofthese rules"
selected at random First as to conduct in child
hood.
"A girl should rise every day at the approach
of dawn"
She must battle and dress neatly"
She must go quickly and sweep the guest
OF the affairs of this or that family, and of
the merits and fallings of Others she must saw
1t Is not my business"
When the female relations and neighbors
come IN, she must pleasantly and with dignity
meet them, detain them and treat them cour
teously."
She should neither laugh nor talk loudly"
She must live lovingly with her brothers 4"
LIST principle: Honor your parents. Heaven
undoubtedly takes note of fhal piety
Sd principle: Be careful and thrifty. In
the days of plenty take thought for the days of
scarcity"
9th principle: Excellence"
9th principle: Good actions"
9th principle: Do not indulge in wrong
thoughts. Do not wish for a thread of silk that
is anothers.
8th principle Be diligent and pains-takng
In all your work, and the home will be IN order"
Work and rest must both be according to
rule"
she must guard against her faults as she
would against thief or robber"
These few extracts are enough to show that
the theory of female education among the Chi
nese' as 1t is nearer home, is great deal better
than the practice. There is not hint of reli-
gIon or of any being superior to a mother-in-
law In the Manual. Surely the reading of this
little book ought to stimulate Christian women
to do all they can towards putting the Holy Re-
ligion of Christ before the vaguely cropping
minds of the millions of the women of China.
May Miss Jennings introduction of this book of
Female Education to English readers have this
effect at which she aims
The Hom'letic Quarterly, published by the
enterprising London house of Messrs. c. Kegan,
Paul Co., and presented to American readers
through the Messrs. Randolph & Co., 1900
Broadway, has been in existence four years,
and the English editors claim that it has had a
most gratifying success both in Britain and on
the Continent. They desire to give it an Amer
lean character also, and have selected an Amer
lean editor, the Rev. j.. G. Caldwell, M. A..
(who is spoken of a Biblical scholar well
fitted by his learning to add to its attractions)
IN lieu of larger constituency among trans
Atlantic readers. The Quarterly does not adj
dress itself to the public at large it is rather in
tended for the ministry, and specially Biblical
students 1t aims to provide seed for the sow
or, and not haryests for the reaper 3" hence il
consists largely of studies" on given points
and as Its name implies, brief exepetical dis.
courses, which are rarely more than mere ont
lines 1t IS " unsectarian in its arraneeroent -
and orthodox in its creed" We Presbvterians
are generally shy of anything that claims to be
unsectarian, having hidden suspicion that the
boast includes something of broad churcbism.
There seems to be nothing but what is good and
suggestive and as orthodox as John Calvin him.
sell, In the contents of the last number now be-
fore us. We can hardly see how the studies il
offers IN a great variety Of Scripture subjects
should fail OF being largely helpful and stimula-
ting to Bible enthusiastically young minis
ters. 1t is published at 81 year.
The Lay Preacher, an English monthly is
issued also by the Randolph house, and is pre-.
sented now in a goodly sized bound volume as
the outcome of the year. The principle on which
1T is conducted is similar to that of The Homileic
Quarterly; but the whole getup of it is of a
much more popular character. 1t is full of ex