Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-10

The Experience of a Little Girl In the
Ascension Sunday School.

"Oh, say" she exclaimed to THE STAR re-
porter, throwing great emphasis on the
SAY" and her face beaming with a sudden
recollection, have told you about my China
MANI" She was a modest little school girl, and
her question seemed a trihe odd, and so THE
STAR man expressed an appropriate amount of
genuine surprise and told her that he had
never heard of her Chinaman."
well, let me tell you" she continued and
as her auditor did not protest she proceeded:
HE is just too cute for anything and he is SO
bright that / am sure he will learn to speak
real good English very soon, and then l am
going to have him teach me Chinese. Won't
that be nice?"
is" suggested the reporter.
Haven't l? Well. he is my pupil at the
Chinese Sunday school at the Ascension
church-all my own-and am teaching him.
You see, we have got to teach them to speak
English before we try to teach them any reli-
gion, and so am now trying to make him I'M
derstand me. 1t is pretty hard sometimes but
L am sure that he is going to learn"
How many lessons have you given him?"
asked the reporter.
only one, but be can say several things al
ready and he is real bright You see there is a
little primer book that we use that is written
partly in English and partly in Chinese-just
like one of those horrid Latin lesson books,
you know. First there is a line at the top
where there are given some English words YOU
know. and opposite there are the same words
in Chinese. Down below, at the bottom of the
page there is a little story that brings in these
words and so he learns. He is very eager to
learn, but he cannot pronounce some of the
words. for he has trouble with his r. which
he will persist in calling an L. can't break
him of the habit. l said he was bright didn't
l? Well, he is in some things. but he was so
stupid last Sunday. The word hand was in
the copy and l wanted to illustrate its use to
him. and SO just stretched out my hand and
said: My hand What does the stupid do but
reach over and take my hand and say: NV
hand or course he did not mean to be rude,
but 1t sounded SO presumptuous that it made
me mad for minute. But the more tried to
show HIM his error the more he persisted in
saying that my hand was his. At last I took
hold OF his hand and SAID; Your hand and
then he did the same for me and said Your
hand 1t was little provoking, but l am
hoping he Will know better next Sunday"
Il suppose he Is a heightened Chinaman
from the legation. perhaps, with lots of silks
and other nice clothes?" suggested the reporter.
mo, indeed. he Is not, was the somewhat
indignant reply. "He is not one of those Chi
namen but a real nice Woodworking, poor
Chinaman who washes clothes for living and
l do not think any the less of him for it. I
wouldn't have one Of those legation Cinnamon:
they are so proud and stuck up they think that
there is nothing like Them They don't come
to Sunday school; they know enough already"
We'll, do you like to teach Chinamen?"
queried the reporter, to round off the CONVEX
sation.
II should say I did. l think it is lust too
lovely for anything but l don't want to have
him think that my hand is his, for it isn't and
sparkled charmingly. Il really don't know
what am going to teach him when get him
so that he can read, but l suppose that it will
be something religious"