Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-30
CHILDREN OF PROMINENT DIPLOMATS
Invariably Popular Both With Teach
ers and Scholars,
BRIGHT AND ATTRACTIVE

IS,
instead Of employing special tutors or pa
tIonizing private institutions of learning.
At present quite number of the children
of the legations are attending the schools
| One Of them journeyed here from PARKWAY
| China for the express purpose of continu-
| Ing his studies at the Washington High
School
The practice Is by no means new. It will
be remembered by all present that a prom
inent figure at the graduating exercises of
the class OF 81, Washington High Schools,
last June In Convention Hall was Alfred
sze, native Of China. The young man
was prother OF an attache of the Chinese
legation. He pursued the full course of
Lour years at the Central High School, and
nnlshed among the leaders of his class
he was an active member of the regiment
or High School Cadets and during his
graduating year held a commission as sec
| ona lieutenant. During the company COM
petitive drill of the cadets last Nav at
| the Nationa, Base Ball Park Lieut.. SEE
commanded the second platoon of his COM
| pany with such ability as to call forth IA
Voraple comment from the military ex-
perts present.
Young SEE was an unusually great ia
vor1te with the faculty and with his fellow
pupils at the Central High School. He was
member of nearly all the school organ
lzations, and was hard student. He is
now Continuing his studies at Cornell.
A Jap Graduate.
Five or six years ago one Of the grad
| yates from the Central High School was
lchf Nakayama, a Japanese who was con-
| nected with the legation. He, too was al
ways well toward the head Of his class
and enjoyed the confidence and respect of
his teachers and Schoolma ties. Nakayana
was an enthusiastic soldier. During mis-
three years at the school he was a member
OF three prize-winning cadet companies
and In his third year was a second lieu
tenant: He is also taking the course at
Cornell
1t is a matter of interest that of all the
foreigners attending the local public
schools not one may be classed as a lag
gard. Almost without exception, the young
folks from other lands lead their respec-
tive classes, notwithstanding the great hand
leaps with which all Of them of necessity.
are weighed down. The foreigners are de-
clared by their teachers to be brilliant
students. With them it seems to be
question OF accomplishing much work
ard absorbing just as much knowledge as
possible In given time, not. as is the
case with quite number Of American pu-
pills, Of doing the smallest required amount
or work and study and being content to
rest there. All the teachers concerned
speak in the very highest terms of their
foreign pupils.
In the first year class Of the Central High
School at the. present time are three young
Cinnamon. OF these perhaps the most
prominent is S. C. Thomas SEE. a brother
of the young man who graduated last
June. He is the individual who came to
this city from China for the sole purpose
of taking the course at the Central High
School. After only a few months training
in English in his native land he has come
here where all is new and strange to him,
is pursuing the studies at the High School
and has already taken a place in the lead
of American pupils born and raised here
and who have attended the local schools
for eight years. Thomas SEE presents the
spectacle of an individual, possessing but
scant knowledge of English, studying Latin
by way Of English.
A Student From China.
Thomas, like his brother before him, is
possessed of a military disposition and is a
full-f1edged High School cadet. A dstin-
gushing feature of the young man is the
absence Of his queue. He explains that
the absence of the queue does not consti-
tute a bar to Chinaman who desires to
return to his native land, as is supposed
to be the case by many. The absence of
the queue, he says, merely makes the Shorn
individual an object Of rid.cule.
Young SEE. at the request of a Star re-
porter, wrote the following. the penman-
ship being really excellent:
perhaps my American schoolmates, whom
just begin to feel acquainted with, will
be interested to know something about
my Chinese schoolmates whom 1 left be-
hind, and the school where we had as many
good times the American students do
here.
1.-The school is situated near the port
Shanghai and was established by the Amer
lean Episcopal Mission-hence its name. st.
Johns. The building is of red brick and
has two stories, the upper consisting of
library, assembly room and dormitories,
while the lower contains Chinese and Eng
fish class rooms, chemical and physical
laboratories, medical lecture room, dining
halls and receDtiOn room
THE school is divided into four DEPART
ments-the medical, scientific, theological
and preparatory-and every student, after
completing the preparatory course of four
years and getting his certificate, can choose
any of the other three courses.
THE boys have fun as We have here.
Base ball and tennis clubs play nearly
every Saturday afternoon, anu during the
rest Of the week they have many other
different kinds of amusements to make
them happy and contented. A military
company. the st. Johns Volunteers, drills
twice a week for the purpose of making
the students strong and soldier-like. Ac-
cording to the rule of the school, every
light must be extinguished at haif-past 8,
but the fun is sometimes not over, as l
imagine it would be true In the case of
American boys, although the fun must go
on very quietly, as the discipline of the
school is very strict.
while l miss my Chinese schoolmates
very much, I am glad to become acquain-
ted with my schoolmates here and to study
in an American school, in which my work
at st. Johns helps me to feel at home"
In Oriental Costumes.
The other two Chinese students at the
Central High School are Kwang Heng, son
Of the interpreter at the Chinese legation,
and Wanping Fung, the son of merchant
The former is twenty-one years of age and
the latter fifteen years. Both are taking
the technical course that includes manual
training and French. All three of the
young Cinnamon attend school attired in
oriental costume.
Undoubtedly the most picturesque and
interesting little one at present attending
the public schools of the District is Chao-
chu WI, the ter-year-old son of the
Chinese minister. He is a shining light in
the third grade at the Force school, the
young oriental idea being taught to shoot
by Miss Crewe. This Is the first year In
the public schools of the diminutive
Chinese nobleman. He received some in
struction in English. before coming to this
country. while his father was stationed at
London. He attends tine school only half
e day and yet manages to keep up with
IL not ahead of. his American comrades.
who are there all day. Four hours each
afternoon the education Of the little fell
low in Chinese receives the attention of a
tutor at the legation.