St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-08-15
BOYS AND GIRLS OF CHINA.

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When Chinese boy reaches his sixth
birthday it is considered time for him to
The occasion is looked upon as one of
srcb Importance that fortune teller is
nsrally consulted, and on a lucky dav,
fved upon by the wise man, the little
Chjnaman makes his first appearance at
school.
He looks very fresh and tidy; his hair
has been neatly shaved from his fore
head. and the rest fit is pleated up into
a long, black queue-a "plen-tsz," he
calls (which hangs down behind.
When any of his school fellows want to
torment him they will tie his pgtail to
the same appendage on another boys
head, which is very uncomfortable for
them both
# it is summer time the boy wears
nothing upon his head, and is only
clothed in a Jacket or vest of loose cotton
or grass cloth, with small, baggy trou-
sers of the same material. But if the
weather is cold he wears halt a dozen
vests and coats, one above another, and
some of them are padded with cotton
wool. Upon his head he wears a small
skull cap OF black or blue silk, with a
little scarlet twist at the top, and very
likely a thick tassel of silken threads
falling down behind.
His shoes have thick, white soles, and
often the toes are embroidered with
fanciiu little designs oftlowers or butter
flies by his proud mother.
Sometimes he wears in his girdle a
T1,hINh hoe alcn haaf1 hrot
dered by his mother.
Having reached the schoolhouse, the
boy enters, carrying in his hand some
small present for the grave looking,
elderly person who is to be his teacher,
and his first act is to do reverence and
burn incense before the tablet which has
the name of the sage Confucius written
upon it.
The furniture of the room consists Of a
number OF little desks or tables, with
high stools behind them which are
frequently provided by the parents. Be-
fore the master stands larger table,
and upon it are lying not only books
and papers, but the Indispensable pipe.
Upon each little desk one will see not
pens and ink such as we use, but ink.
stones, upon which the boys rub the cake
Of Indian, or rather Chinese ink, dipping
it in little water.
For his pen he has a brush, not unlike
our large paint brushes of camel's hair,
He holds it perpendicularly in his hand
pointing to the ceiling as he traces on
the thin, soft paper the queer looking
characters on the copy slips.
There is no alphabet OF the Chinese
language for him to learn, but instead
PA radicals or root words, which enter
into the formation OF all the other
characters. The words are all of one
syllable, and are written down, one be-
meath the other in columns, instead OF
across the page, and the beginning of
their books is at the end of ours.
The first book of all to be studied is
the "San-Tsz King" or "Trimetrical
Classic" because, to make it more easily
remembered, it is written in lines of three
words each. The teacher repeats the
first few lines, and the scholars holding
their books in their hands and swinging
their small bodies backward and for
ward, follow his pronunciation of the
words They then return to their seats
and commit the words to memory.
In order to be sure each small boy is
attending to his lessons he is expected to
shout out the passage he is learning at
the top OF his voice. The continual din
caused by this arrangement can be bet
ter imagined than described, and to pass
schoolhouse in China one is more likely
to suspect the existence of Bedlam than
a place OF learning. The Importance Of
study is enlarged upon, and sentence
occurs to the effect that ito educate
without severity shows a teachers in
dolence.' The sight OF the bamboo rod,
which is found in every schoolroom close
to the masters hand, and in very con-
slant use, is a proof that this maxim OF
the sage OF old commends itself to the
teachers of the present day.
Chinese boys are taught that there are
three great powers-heaven, earth and
man; that there are three lights-the sun,
moon and stars. They are further in
formed that rice, miIlet. pulse, wheat,
rye and barley are the six kinds of grain
onwhlch men subsist. Various other mat
tiers OF similar kind are touched upon,
followed by summary OF Chinese his
tory
Chinese boys know something of
arithmetic, and calculate rapidly, but
they do this with their little abacus or
counting board.
Among other books studied the classic
OF "Filial Piety" is largely used as
reading book, and gives graphic glimpses
OF Chinese life and exemplary character.
A tavorite Chinese proverb teaches that
'ot the hundred virtues the chief is hlial
pIety,' and no other duty is so carefully
and constantly instiled into the chill
drens minds as this.
Kite flying is the great delight of the
Chinese boys though not of boys alone,
out also of their fathers and grand
fathers. And what famous kites they
have too! Some are in the form of
beautiful birds or butterflies, with wings
ceaYlng the air; Others are in the shape
OF men, or various animals, dragons and
centipedes.
Occasionally tiny paper lantern is
fastened to the tail OF kite, and being
lighted, it has pretty effect as it rises,
SHINING like a star in the twilight. Some
t'mes number of bird kites are fastened
by short lines to the principal cord, and
When flying in the air look like flock of
Dirds clustering round one common
centre.
When Chinese children want more
active amusements, they play 3attledore
ana shuttecock, only the battledore is
usually the thick sole of the shoe or the
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