Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1883-08-18
Chinese at Church.
San Francisco Correspondence Woman's
Journal


Journal
One other experience among the
Chinese must close this letter. would
you like to come with us to one of the
Chinese mission schools Sunday after
noon and hear the scholars sing?" asked
some friends with missionary proclivi-
ties. We answered eagerly that we
should. The appointed time found US
entering a good looking church, tablet
on the front which informed the stran-
ger that this was the First Chinese
PRESBYTERIAN Church"
We were taken into large Sunday.
school room where sat a crowd OF
Acknowledged fellow creatures, varying
in age from the boy to the elderly man.
We had expected only to ''assist" in the
French sense of the word by being pres.
ent at the exercises. Bnt there were
II OF teachers enough to go around, and
we were at once bounced upon by the
missionary and installed each of us over
class, margre our remonstrances. "All
YOU have to do" he said, sis to hear
them read, and correct them when they
mispronounce."
We entered upon our unaccustomed
task with fear and trembling. but soon
grew interested i'll our gentle, attentive
pupils They read from primers full of
easy sentences-'Shoes are made of
leather" 81 took drink to Quench my
thirst" etc. Now and then there
was sentence containing a sly moral
lesson-"A boy drank some whiskey
and it made him sick"-and occasionally
one of distinctly theological turn was
sandwiched in: Very patiently the
scholars struggled to pronounce the
simple sounds That is why the Chi
nese find it so hard to learn English.
They not only have to memorize new
words; but have to learn to make wholly
new sounds as we'll. On the other hand
the Russian language includes almost
all the sounds which the human voice
is capable of producing. Therefore, the
Russians are excellent linguists. What
ever language they study, they do not
need to practice any new sounds, but
only to combine the old ones into new
words. At least so we are told.
When the lesson was over, all stood
up and recited the Lords Prayer, and
we adjourned to the church. Here we
were joined by the feminine members
of the Sunday school, demure, modest
looking little Chinese girls, marching
two by two. They wore loose trousers
and bright colored tunics. Their
hair was brush ed "slick" oyer the tops
of their heads, and banged behind /;
that is, row of bangs ran across the
backs of their necks from ear to ear,
under their heavy magnificent
pig-tails. These poor little daughters Of
Chinu had hair that many 9, Beacon
street belle might envy. They had
fine bright eyes, too, and looked docile
and intelligent. The G hinese women
are said to De very inferior mentally to
the women of other eastern countries.
Perhaps it is not due to lack of natural
capacity, but rather to the fact that the
obstinate conservatism of their nation
gives them no chance.
The religious service which followed
was the most extraordinary we had ever
witnessed. The scholars sang in Chinese
and the missionary preached and prayed
in the same language. 1t was ludicrous,
in one respect, to see a gray-headed
man stand up in pulpit and utter a
series of fendish noises, like those to
which riotous children sometimes give
Withdrawing mewing and cracking,
interspersed with an occasion al
long melancholy howl. It was
something between the intoning OF
high-church service and the
vocal efforts of herd of pigs. The re-
sponsive reading of psalm was even
funnier. First the minister barked;
then the congregation; wild and shrill,
yelped IN chorus. When a hymn was
to be sung, chart on which it was print
ed in Chinese characters was unrolled
before the congregation, and each word
was pointed off as it was sung. The boys
sang "Sweet hour of Prayer" in Chinese,
keeping good time and tune. Then the
girls and women sang plaintive Moody
and Shankey air very prettily. The or
ganist was plump, moon faced China
man, who famed himself placidly with
silver fan while he stood up reciting
the Apostles Creed in English with the
rest of the congregation. Their English
was so peculiar that | thought they
were talking Chinese till the unmistak-
able words "Virgin Mary" put me on
the track.