Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1883-06-11
St1onih's Column.
CHUNG WAN.

He is a bright little ten-year-old who
lives in town away off west. You know
by his name that he is Chinese, and /
am afraid some of you have already turn
ed up your noses in disgust, and have
thought "Bahi those dirty Chinamenl
My mamma says it makes her sick to
think of them, and papa's glad they can't
come to our country any more" But let
me tell you about Chung Wah, and then
you can decide the Chinese question for
yourselves.
He is in the A class in Number Two,
and in the school-room his yellow face is
almost always bright with soapsuds and
joy, for he is wonderfully happy boy,
and smiles all the time he is happy His
little black eyes look like apple seeds and
snap whenever he Winks. He wears great
tapping brown pantaloons, which are
covered to the knee by his pink calico
aprons but on Wednesday, when he speaks
his piece, he has on q white apron, so
stiffiy starched that it rustles and cracks
like paper. His low cloth shoes have no
heels, but long, pointed, turned-up toes.
Chung Wah is very quick with his les
sons, and neat in his slate work, so that
when visitors come, his slate is one of
the first the teacher shows them.
He has always loved to study, but last
May, when the days commenced to be
worm aDd nriobt no p,uc+ hove oro1,,,,
little tired of school, for, alas, a great
many times he was seen on the street the
whole day long. When questioned the
next morning, he told the teacher: 'sMy
fadder send me to school and no come"
l suppose he liked to pitch horseshoes
with the other boys down in Chinatown;
none of them had to 90 to school, or to
follow old Sam Lee round town as he
gathered up the clothes for the wash
house. At any rate he played truant
many days, until his teacher sent him up
stairs for the school superintendent to
talk with him. Still the truancy was re-
peated, and he gave no excuse only, II
no likee come dat day" At last, on one
morning, the superintendent whipped him
for truancy, and poor little Chung Wah
went down stairs with both fists in his
eyes and 4 very sore heart.
That very afternoon, just before the
tardy bell rang, who should walk into the
superintendent room but Chung Wah.
his face dOWncaSt and troubled. He held
preserve jar, covered with Chinese char
acters, in one hand, and in the other a
bright silk handkerchief, such as are sold
in these Chinese shops. With an awk-
ward little nod, just as if he were going
to speak piece in school, he said: ''My
| fadder glib 'em to you. He say you a heap
good man. He likes you beat me ebly
| day no 90 school,"
Brave little Monaghan! Do you think
you clean, white boys and girls could have
carried such hard message as that so
honestly?
Somehow, after he had said the words
the lump in his throat seemed to grow
easier, and although the superintendent
said some words not very comforting
''Well, Chung Wah, tell your father
will punish you when you are truant from
schoolgirl when the boy went down
stairs this time his face beamed as though
III ndU never knOWn Il TEAR, ana MS IlLGle
black cue bobbed merrily behind him.
A good many days have passed since
then, and he never has deserved another
whipping. l don't believe he will. His
teacher says he has wise father, ant
that if there were more fathers like hin
there would be more good boys in school
but l say brave little Chung Wah! The
boy who can tell the truth when it is Sc
hard to tell it, has clean side to hi:
heart though his face may be very yellow
What do you say, my white boys ant
girls? Would he be a bad playfellow fo
you?
If some fifteen or twenty years from
now you should hear that the grown-ul
Chinaman, Chung Wah, fills well any pc
sitiOn of honor and trust, don't be sur
prised, but tell your boys and girls. ''Oh
yes, when he was little fellow he wa
brave enough to obey his father, and tel
the whole truth. Susie ". Haskell, Il
AdUaRce.