The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1906-08-29
BY MANTON MARLOwE.

CHINESE CHILDREN AT SCHOOL IN AMERICA
BY MANToN MARLowE
Among the "litte citizens of our country who ,yere
not born here none quanter in their appearance
or more interesting than the little Chinese cbdre,
win their pig-tail queues of jetblack hair their
almond-shaped eyes, and their queer dress But in
the cities where there many Chinese children
one may see good many of them dressed inst ne
Amrican children Dress and some have said poodbv
to the 'pigtail.'
Chinatown of any large city is always an interest
ing II not very attractive place. 1t is place of
strange odors strange sights and of strange sounds
If some of the Cinnamon chance to be sinesno Tho
Chhaman with musical voice is rare, but there is
sometimes music in his soul though he be denied
the voice with which to express it sweetlv And like
some OF our own Americans lacking the same Gift
he Will make an attempt at singing, no matter how
strange and narrowing the result may be- | once
lived not far distant from the laundry of a Chnaman
who ootd sing, in the city of Denver and what was
worse, he would sing at untimely hours such as one
or two in the morning, for you know the Chimes.
laundryman is the most ndefatgable of workers
and he may be found at his ironing board at almost
every hour of the night. This Chinaman worked and
sang so industriousy in the "we sma7 hours" that
some OF us who lived his laundry were com
PEELED to ask the policeman that beat to see TO If
that Ween Ting sang after eleven at night
There was possibility of sleep with that strange
weird, raspng voice cutting the air when Ween Ting
sang chinese love songs. Indeed hardly mag
ihe much more 1earsome thing than those
songs as he sang them in the Silly summer night
But this article has to do with the Chinese children
In our land and particularly with those who 90 to
school do not know that / have ever seen a hin
csc boy or girl attending the regular public schools
with American boys and girls. ] suspect that few
OF the Chinese children familiar enough with o,
language to keep up with American course of
study; therefore they have in San Francisco and
New York and possibly in two other cities
schools exclusively for Chinese children. New York
now has such school with about twenty-five scbol-
ars I'm It, 1t is in the Chinese quarter of the city, and
the head master is Mr.. Leong Mon Hahn who came
from Canton in China for this express purpose He
has for one of his assistants Mr. Fong Chew who
Is editor of Chinese paper published in New York
These gentlemen teach in the Chinese language In
the forenoon, and in the afternoon instruction in Eng
llsh is given by young American teacher Most of
the children dress they would their native land
but some appear in the American blouse and knick-
erbocker while the few girls wear the Chinese dress
almost exclusively.
When the two teachers in Chinese have charge of
the school, the pupils follow the custom of their own
land and all study aloud thereby creating an anus
ing kind of "backbird chorus that would utterly
confuse an American teacher. ] wonder if you know
that 1T has been demonstrated that all foreign chill