Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-02
A CRAZE FOR THE WESTERN
LEARNING SWEEPING CHINA

life. work and recreation of the west For
1t must be remembered that China knew
as little Of universal history as she knew
or electricity; much that an occidental child
absorbs unconsciously has to be taught to
the adult Chinese student.
China has few foreign teachers in her
government schools, but most OF these are
japanese. (And the western should re-
member that far from being one race, the
japanese is as truly foreigner in China
as Is the Britisher the American. Now
however. the complaint 10 going up that the
Japanese teachers. while cheaper and more
accessible than men from the west. are
themselves but pupils, with only superficial
learning. Thirteen thousand Chinese stu
dents have been studying in Toxic during
the past year; but In addition to being a
hotbed of revolutionary sentiment and of
gross immortality. this Chinese student body
In Japan is not receiving thorough educa-
ton. At the government examinations last
fall, out of nearly 100 men examined most
OF whom had been educated In Japan, not
one Of the latter passed. while the five who
stood at the head had been educated In
America: 1t Is now the governments in
tention, high officials have informed me, to
send no more students to Japan.
X X
There Is strong feeling on the part Of
most Americans here and Of many Chinese
that special effort should be put forth to
secure these young men for American col
leges. There is a wel,-defined movement
being pushed both China and in Amer
lea, looking toward this end. Many persons
favor setting aside the $40, 600 600 boxer in
demnity for the education Of Chinese stu
dents. Certainly the nation which trains
these young men will be the dominant in
fuence In China few years hence.
AS rapidly as possible, China's Japanese
teachers are being dispensed with. and the
nation is in no mood to put other foreigners
in their places. At this point arises the
most serious difficulty confronting New
China; she has not men competent to man
the new schools, which have everywhere
sprung up like mushrooms, are inadequately
manned, and that much Of the education is
Of the most superficial character. Still the
demand on every side is for education;
high and low have come to regard educa-
tion as the magic remedy for all of the
student is Immediately placed In a position
Of responsibility and authority.
Nor Is the new education carried on only
by schools; public reading rooms and lee
ture halls have been opened by the gov
eminent. by private citizens and by mis-
sions, and here the people gather to hear
the news of the day-the whole worlds
news-read and explained. The number of
newspapers has increased immensely and
to courageous cartoons on current events,
which has high educational value, even
though it at times manifests somewhat
revolutionary tendency. One of the diff
culties which the government finds In this
new educational movement Is the use which
revolutionists make Of 1t; a large percent
age Of the students are revolutionists; the
number Of anti-dynastic societies is greatly
on the increase, as is the revolutionary and
reform spirit generally.
One of the sturdieSt champions of educa-
ton and progress is the Woman's Daily of
Picking, which Yields a tremendous influ-
ence. It is edited by woman, herself not
college bred, who has thrown her entire
influence on the side Of the modern educa-
ton of women. Twice last year she was
one of the speakers in the popular course
of educational lectures maintained by the
American board of missionaries in their
large church in Picking, her theme being
The Need of Education for Women" A
nephew of the empress dowager and sis
current themes. and members OF the nobi!-
ity were frequently among the attendants
This seems almost incredible, when it is re-
membered that half dozen years ago only
the lowest classes would have aught to do
with the missionaries. AS one Of the mis-
Sonaries says: 1t is a remarkable sight
to see princesses coming to the mission com
pound This system of lectures on topics
OF the day has been widely extended to in
clude villages, baZaars, etc. l have been
amazed to find how the interest in every
thing that the new education represents is
permeating all classes of Chinese; when you
see two Chinese sitting on their heels by
the roadside it is not IT all unlikely that