The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-02-11
THE CHILDHOOD OF MoY KEE.
A Chinaman Talks of His Boyhcod
in the Celestial Land.
(From ihc indianapolis News

When / WIS a boy" said Moy Kee.
tea merchant, laundryman, and inter
prefer, at PIG North Delafarc Street, II
went TO school in my native village Of
Shrinking eighty-seven miles from Pc
kin. | was seven years old when | started
TO school and, of course, the teacher WIS a
man. Now there are women teaching in
China, Chinese women, but that is new
thing. We sat on stools with desks before
us and studied aloud At ten years old
could write very well. aud had to learn
every word of long lesson by heart.
The teacher had a stick. and sometimes,
but not often, he would punish a
boy, either by striking him on the hand
or on the seat OF his trousers.
There are no bad boys Ia China as
there are here Ia this country. The boys
are respectful and polite tG all who are
older than themselves, and while they
have their plays and their fun, they co
not think It fun TO hurt anyone.
You have seen boys place a package
on the sidewalk, and when a person
stoops TO pick 1t up you have seen that
package flor there is a string tied to it,
and boy at the other end of the stIing)
move away under crack in the fence.
That is an old trick in China.
The boys here in America do not know
what long school hours are. / went 80
school early in the morning. before the
birds began to sing. After that we went
to breakfast and then to dinner and in the
evening TO supper. Those were long. long
days. the boys here would say, but we
Chinese boys did not say anything about
it. Ne Just sat on our stools and sung
out our lessons all at the same time as
loud as We could.
Vacation came along in the harvest
time when the rice was gathered. Then
We played at flying kites. We did not,
as boys do here, fly kites any time. No.
there was a season for it, and We flew
them at no other times. The boys in
China walk on stills just as boys do
here, and play at biindfold, hide and seek
and leap frog, but all in a different way
from here.
We had great sport fighting beetles.
We would find these in the fields and train
them to fight and We would lay wagers on
which would win just as you do here on
prizefghters.
NO neighborhood in China can affo: d
to have bad boy in it. Suppose Chi
nese New Year, when We are all shoot
ing fre-crackers, some one would shott
a revolver. There would be great trouble.
Not only would the one who shot the
revolver be punished, but his relatives
and neighbors and the magistrate of TIE
houAu w.
ed because in China such things must
not happen. A stranger could walk
through my village day or night with
no one to hurt him. He would be safe
all the time. II is not so in this country.
I'VE had great sport in shooting at
sparrows with bow and arrow. and ro-
body ever shot at persons. as some boys
do here with airguns. The boys in China
laugh great deal. and laugh very loud
sometimes but they have plenty OF sport
wahout hurting anyone
when ! was nine years old my meth
er died and my father gave me step
mother When i was twelve years old
nv uncle, a tea merchant in San Fran
cisco, brought me TO this country.
Twenty eight years ago Il am now fifty
three years. old I went back to China
and got a wife. My father and my step
mother found wife for me. i did not
know her. / did not see her until we
were married. but she is good wife
and came to America with me. She Is the
only Chinawoman in indianapolis, and |
think the only one In Indiana. l have
been back TO China eighteen times, but
am naturalized American citizen, and
vote at the elections"