The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-12-27

the KOlnHILS ana fSenluS OF the empire Oh
the Sahara" But the acting governor
general refused officially TO answer
cHINAToWNs OWN SCHOOL.
If any little girl thinks she is hardly
used at schaal, she might change her
opinion on visiting the Chinese school at
No. II Doyers street There she would
hear little Cum who is ten, repeat the
whole of her first reader from end to end.
Gun has learned her first reader by
heart in two months. When she gets up
to recite she goes to her teachers desk.
turns her back to him. and, standing very
straight on her little trousered legs, be-
gins at the last page of the book and goes
straight through to the first without a
break.
She recites in a funny little singsong,
more like the chanting of ritualistic
church than anything else known to west
err nears, although it isn't really in the
least like that, either. If occasionally she
trips on a word the teacher supplies the
break in the same gentle singsong
If the Chinese primer were like that
given to small Americans it would seem
rather foolish to commit 20 memory. 1T
is a cat" The cat ran at the rat" are
scarcely gems with which to stock the
memory.
But the Chinese primer is a work of
philosophy. 1t begins sedately on the last
page with the statement that unless man
be educated from the beginning he will
lapse into barbarism, or words to that
effect. and continues throughout in the
same vein. Gun does not in the least un-
derstand what it is all about. but she
learns it win the perfection of an automa-
ton
When she is grown up the words are
right there. just as the Mother Goose
rhymes or the songs Of their childhood
are in the minds of Americans. BY that
time she understands the meaning of
them too. This is the principle at The
base of the Chinese system of education.
according TO a teacher of the school,
Fong Now.
First the learning by heart trains the
memory to marvellous extent Then ii
trains in language.
The children. as they grow older. he
says, fall naturally into the pure, classic
language of the reading book instead of
the vulgar tone Last and greatest it
trains the morals. as the books are made
up of moral philosophy and practical pre-
cepts
If there were a different reading book
in every school OF China. put out by as
many different publishing houses, the re-
suit obtained would Detrhe very uniform.
But there is in China one set of readers
and one alone
1t contains four books. called the clas-
steal primers. Every Chinese boy learns
these readers from end to end and no
adult Chinaman. according to Fons Now
could any more forget th,\ than he could
his name.
After they have learned the four clas-
steal primers they begin on the works Of
CONTIGUOUS. CONTIGUOUS wrote fifty or six
~ volumes. all on moral philosophy.
The average Chinese boy leaves school
at sixteen, so he does not commit the
whole library to memory, but he makes
good beginning at it. Scholars go on
studying CONTIGUOUS all their lives, and
never finish.
ne is fully aware that the boys are
committing to memory at the school at
l. Doyers street. for they howl the words
of the classical primer at the tops Of their
voices The girls. over on their side Of
the room. study out loud. too. in gen.
tie feminine way.
The boys drill in their moral philosophy
by main force of lung. Sometimes the
singsong chant drops low. and then again.
some leader starting in with renewed
energy. it surges to the very roof
The roar OF traffic without is drowned.
and one wonders dazedly if he is in New
York or Picking In fact, the boy who
makes the most noise n 4 Chinese school
may justly be said to be the model puril.
consideration which might recommend
the system to young America
The school vas started during the sum
mer There are sixty families in the
quarter. numbering forty Children o.
school age. and these rorty children al
attend this school ar some hour Of the
day. There IS an American school in he
morning. Chinese school in the Afternoon.
and night school in the evening The
school proposes u go on and on. year
after year until these little trouseJed
youngsters have finished the classical
primers and made valiant excursion IN
TO Confucius
The task set before these infants when
they begin - learn 70 write e calculated
10 appeal an American. Thei- reading
books are thin. paper-covered book. lonx
ard narrow.
The sentences mn up ard down the
page. instead Of across. ard from LETT
10 right. a significant fact 20 archaeolo-
gis;s. reminiscent. eertr5petal instead 81
centrifugal: toward instead o. away from
himself
Little Guns writing hook Is built ~
precisely the same plan lcng ard usr-
ruw. with transparent ,eaves She he-
gins on the last edge q 5he last page
and makes a row - characters from TOP
to bottom % the PAGE
\ an making The = 3 c. she ex-
plains.
Their. sIa remarks This word = peopse
That one over there IS Gysng
People, Dying - he visitor =
though, ynu said IL was tne A 2 Cs
-'ch, well ] mean II * the sane thir-
as TIE a 3 C's. she szys coaientedIy.
IN fat these elesSea Chinese infssfs
bssi1 al thegr youth and Tnaoce-ee ~
learn 8 r-slen = E-.ciac beside = tsca
ordinary stsaoS7srty S rhiia-s play
Every word IN The ChiaeSs Language has
Every wo-d in re gThiEese language ha=
a character az is ow1 There are a
least sa.ssss in ordinary use besides Ennu-.-