The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-01-15
THE CHINESE LANGUAGE.
AS a Matter of Fact, Few Missionaries
Ever Learn 1T Well

Ever Learn 1T Well.
I'VE hear great deal about the ease
with which missionaries acquire the
Chinese language" said gentleman o
this city, who has devoted a good deal
of time to Oriental study, "and the as
sertion that most Of them pick it up in
side a couple of years rather upsets our
preconseived notions as to its Difficult
ties. What they learn, however Is gen
orally mere collection of handy
phrases, in some one particular dialect.
1t is true they can preach in Chinese;
in fact / believe 1t is required by all the
denominations supporting missions but
sermons over there are entirely differ
ent from our own conception of pull
pit DISCOURSE They consist of series
of maxims or precepts framed with
more or less reference to certain Blbli-
cal texts, and are recited as one would
recite poem. 1t Is a form of religious
instruction that appeals particularly to
the Chinese mind, and number of
phrase books have been printed for the
special assistance of the missionary
along that line. BY little rearrang-
ing a variety of sermons or recitations
can be prepared from a comparatively
small amount of material and such a
thing as o free, familiar talk is seldom
or never attempted.
Corps of Interpreters are kept at all
the principal establishments, and I am
told that they are indispensable at the
hospitals, to ascertain the symptoms of
patients. Please understand" contin-
nod In,
to belittle the wonderful work of Out.
devoted missionaries in the far east; /
am merely trying to point out one of
the great obstacles they have to en-
learning of the language.
A mission surgeon who has been sta
toned nearly fifteen years at Tientsin
told me not long ago that he knew only
one European who could converse free
ly and duently In Chinese. He had
spoken moment before of being on
friendly visiting terms with a number
of distinguished native dignitaries and
Of evenings he had spent at their
homes. I asked him whether he took
along an interpreter on such occasions |
oh, no. he replied, laughing, but I
never failed to prepare a little CONVEX
raj gossip during a polite call at a Chi I
nese home, he went on. but the talk |
consists of an exchange of highhown +
and modest disclaimers.
Half q dozen ready made sentences, t
fortified by a general snattering of the .
language would see me through an +
evening very nicely This was from
man who is everywhere regarded as an
Chinese scholar. The
enormous difficulty of really learning
the language explains the trouble we
have in arriving at the Chinese point
If view. They think differently, if 1
nay so express it, and their whole sys-
EN- of reasoning is the reverse Of that
VI an Anglo-Saxon.
I'm this same connection he contin-
1ed, II asked very intelligent and
highly educated Japanese, the other
lay, why his countrymen seemed to
earn English so much more easily than
he Chinese do. His reply was interest
ng: The language is just as difficult
'or one race as it is for the other, he
aid, but the Japanese are willing TO
tudy and the Chinese are not. Nearly
I'll the Chinese who speak English
rave picked it UP by ear, so their pro-
lunciation is, of course, very imper-
ect, and their vocabulary small They
re not a studious race and will not
axe the pains to learn language
Hardly any of their upper
lass officers, except a few of their for
ign ministers, speak English, and it is |
ext to impossible to find a Chinaman
Tho can read it. With u.s. he added,
t is entirely different. We study Eng
Ssh Systematically at all our schools,
nd nearly every educated Japanese is
BILE to read it, even if he can't converse
l the tongue That surprised me, and