Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1890-03-08
Mr. Lees Retentiye Memory.

The initiative aud retentive powers of
the Chinese mind have long been pro-
verbal, and they are but rarely ques-
toned, but kindhearted lady who
undertook to base her efforts to educate
young Chinaman upon those faculties
had her congratulated belief badly
shattered. There are score or more
of ladies of means and leisure in this
city who are greatly devoted to the
cause of the Chinese. and they devote a
large share of their time to efforts to
educate and Christianize the heather
sons of the Celestial Empire who find
their way to this city. A Mrs. Brown
lie, who lives in West Philadelphia, IS
one of the latest additions to this corps
of philanthropic ladies, and her first
effort was an experiment in teaching
the English language by a method of
her own devising. Her pupil was a
bright-looking young Chinamsn named
Ying Shuen Lee.
To carry out her plan of teaching
English in object lessons Mrs. Brownie
took young Lee out to the Geological
Garden, thinking that his interest in
the animals would be sufficient to fasten
in his memory what she might desire to
say about them. This is the way she
proceeded:
"Ying. this is an elephant, the largest
land animal"
Yes. Elephant. He heap big"
"This is camel from Arabia. He
can go many days without water"
"Yes. Camel can go long thout
water"
Here is a monkey. The monkey
lives in tree and swings by his tail.
Monkey heap tail, and lib in tree. !"
Nov, Wing, that animal in the water
is seal. His skin makes nice cloak. "
"Um. He sleal. Him make belly
good coat"
"And this is COW. She is tame and
gives milk; and this is hen. The hen
lays eggs" This kind of antiphonal
service was conducted by Mrs. Brownie
until she had gone the rounds of the
garden. Meeting Head-Keeper Byrne
on the way, she introduced Wing Lee to
him, and told the Chinaman that he
watched all the animals and saw that
they were properly feed and cared for.
Then she sat down and endeavored to
draw from her pupil the information
she had impaired to him.
Now, Ying," she began, "can you
tell me what the elephant is?"
After a moment of reflection, Wing
replied, with thoughtful air: "Lele-
phant-he little animal, heap long tail;
climb trees, I guess"
Mrs. Brownie kindly corrected Ying's
erroneous impressions about the ele-
plant, and started anew with her cate
chism.
you know what COW is, don't you,
Ying?"
"He-he-he gift eggs and swim water?"
was the hating query of the Chinaman.
mo, no, mol" impatiently interrupted
his instructor, and then she sifted out
of his head his mixed idea of the seal,
hen and COW. Then, with some mis-
giving, she proceeded:
do you remember Mr.. Byrne?"
ooh! yes. We know him. He come
from 'Rabia. and dlink belly little
water" The Chinaman gave this answer
with look of supreme triumph, but
poor Mrs. Brownie hesitated between
laughing and crying. Finally conclud-
ing to do neither, she YEARLY restored
Mr.. Byrne's character in Ying's mind
and with all the courage she could
muster she tried over again.
"The hen, Ying. Do you remember
what told you about the hen?"
Wing did not answer at once, but
buried himself in thought for two min
utes and then began:
Il know him hen. He heap big, gift
milk. He hat one tail front, one tail
back. He"
But Mrs. Brownie did not wait for
any further revelations concerning the
hen. She led Wing away from the
Garden, and as they passed out through
the gate the ticket-seller heard the
Chinaman innocently ask: Him
monkey ibe in water or lay eggs, Miss
Blownlee ?"--The Philadelphia Record.