The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-08-04

teach the differences between an ohm
and an ampere, and everything else
which belongs to the highest reaches.
of the most modern science.
Included with the exhibit made by
the Chinese government itself are 5ex-
hibits of many colleges and mission
schools, founded by Americans and
Europeans, usually with the idea of
converting the Chinese by influence
ing them through American and Eu-
ropean methods of education in liter
ature, secular as well as religious.
From these the Shansi university
differs in being Chinese government
institution, operated as part of the
same government. machinery which
supports the shrine of Confucius. It
Is so modern that the official docu-
ments in which it is explained are
still virtually a prospectus for it's
opening. 1t appears thus that when
as a result of the Boxer rising there
We're heavy claims for damages done.
to missionaries resident in Shansf
province, they ended the negotiations
for damages against the government
by compromise under which they
waived their claims, provided the gov.
eminent itself would endow and sup
port an Imperial university" in Shan
81 province, to teach the very latest
results of American and European
thought So, since 1900. the imperial
/. Chinese university of Shansi has de-
veloped into an accomplished fact,
with the government supporting it.
One of the first official documents
to reach the outside world is neatly
typewriter in English. In the sec
tion devoted to what we would classi-
fy as Sociology" it is stated that in
Shansi province there is proverb
smoke opium In the same connec-
ton, it is said that partly as re-
suit of opium smoking and partly of
famine, perhaps incident to that habit
the population of the province has
dropped from I4,000,O0O to 100000
in the last thirty years.
This gives some suggestion OF prob
lens which develop when. the Chinese
mind attempts sociology through an
imperial university on modern lines
instead Of through the shrine of Com.
fucius.
Other and perhaps greater difficult
ties. appear in the Chinese primers,
through which children are taught to
read what is now no doubt the Oldest
language spoken in the world 1t sup
ports the theory of some that the.
Oldest languages began with words of
one syllable, andSftsz primers of words
of one syllable, when printed in the
Roman alphabet, are calculated to de-
ceive the English reader at first sight
with the de1usion that he is reading
an English grammar with it's $50, go,
10" and other easy words. . OF
course, all these sounds have diff |
ferent meaning in Chinese, and 1t is
through these words of one syllable
chiefly that the Chinese mind express
es everything it has to express, from
the beginning in the primer to all that |
IS contained in those enormous ency-t
clopedias of universal knowledge of |
which the Chinese are the inventors.
With minds operating through a
and with writing which attempts to
work out separate character for ev-
cry idea. Chinese educators, as they
are represented in the imperial uni
yersity of Shansi. face ifaculties
which would seem the grayest even
if they had no prob EN- of opium fam
inc or patrio tisna 4, A as shows ITSELF
IN prejudice in favor of ancient Gus