Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1900-09-01
NATIVE HUT.


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NATIVE HUT.
appear overcivilized. for no keener
traders exist than their merchants and
no finer workmen than their skilled
artisans They differ from us ia men
tai haracteristics-this is the keynote
Of foreign misunderstanding and of the
present and past >uprisings in China.
Nothing else brings out so clearly
the difference between the Chinese and
us rs comparison of customs. They
do things in just the opposite manner
to us. and what appears 10 their eyes
fit and proper is 10 us ridiculous. In
Chinese schools. While learning the
mass Of aphorisms. sayings and cere-
monies that make up the main part OF
Chinese education, the scholars shout
their lessons at the top of their
voices ana a Chinese school is any
thing but place for reelection and
study. When a Chinaman meets a
friend, he shakes his own hands and
makes a slight bow. The bow varies
in depth, according to the rank of the
person addressed, until the highest
rank. the emperor, or son of heaven.
is reached. The proper way to salute
him is to kneel three times and knock
the forehead nine times against the
ground. The American and English
ministers refused to do this and caused
much delay in negotiating treaties by
refusing. This was years ago; foreign
ministers are no longer required to
humble themselves in this manner, but
the few Chinese who have beheld the
brother to the sun" have thus de-
based themselves.
To a Chinaman the seat of intelli-
gence is the stomach and his heaven
is in tie center of the earth. Our fin
ger nails are cut short. while with the
Chinese long nails are a mark of dis
tinc,,on and rank. We consider it vul-
gguty in our children to swear. while
Chinese children who do so receive
coLr.eUGdti0u for such evidences Of
bric&lnts s The American scholar.
whe:l he wishes Information or desires
books. Not so the ChinaGan; his
memory or the memories Of those
whom he consNlts must serve his pur-
pose. It is not difficult TO do tails, for
Chinese education consists chiefly OF
instill'2g Into modern minds the wise
sayings of the ancients Books are a
rare luxury in China. save To the very
rich, and this in a country said to he
the birthplace of printing. Such books
as have been compiled are encyclO-
pedias and other works of reference
and are never seen by the average
scholar-perhaps never even heard of.
For any practical use, they need never
have been written, for they are only
unwieldy complications of history or
philosophy. The Chinese are our OPP
posites in so very many things that
the list might be extended indefinitely
TO all human affairs, and also to those
of supernatural concern. The matter
of education brings out this character
istic of difference sharply and interest
ingly.
In this regard. it must be said that
the Chinese resemble us in ut least
one point-they have n great rever-
ence for learning and wisdom, and
book or anything written is an object
of regard. There seems to be a widely
diGused belief that education is gen
eral in the Middle Kingdom. This is
an error; really not more than one
Chinaman in a hundred knows how 10
read. ana the proportion of those able
to write is still smaller. Not more
than one in n thousand of the women
can read, and these only among the
wealthy. The only schools for girls
are those established by foreigners. for
the Chinese, whose idea and estimation
of womankind are infinitely lower than
ours. send only the boys to school
There are no public schools in China;
they are all supported by the parents
of the boys who attend them. When
the parents of a village decide that
they want a school, they combi&e 10
get scholar to establish one. Every
educated man is a possible school
master, and owing to the enormous
population and the want of education
among the main body of the people,
the very poor there is an oyersupply
of teachers The body Of Chinese
learning is made up as before stated.
Of nemorizing what to MS appears an
i'll assorted mass Of sayings and prov
cribs from the ancients. The ground