Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-07-23
Use of English the Schools of China Bring World Supremacy
for Language American Missionaries Having Laid the
The Aim of Young China To-
Day Is to Acquire a Mod
ern Education.
NATION HEARS DEMAND
Institutions Of Learning for the People
Springing Up All over
the Empire.


Practically an OF these come within tho
provisions ~ the new imperial order since
by scientific and technical training Is
meant everything except Chinese history
and literature. ethics and geography
. Tho greater proportion OF these schools
arc under the control OF the central or pro-
.vincial governments aud are therefore
directly affected by this decree. The others
|wiu undoubtedly follow the lead OF the
government schools in adopting English as
The medium OF study, since the purpose Of
their existence is to prepare students for
the government Institutions OF higher
learning where the medium must be Eng
lsh.
GIVES MIGHTY IMPETUS.
q with knowledge OF English the open
sesame TO all Institutions OF modern learn.
INK a mighty impetus will be given the
study OF the language I'm all parts OF the
empire. This viii imply an ever increas-
ing use OF English as means OF communi.
cation I'm business. and # may even play
IAN important part In purely internal
AFFAIRS
II Is not unusual to-day 10 see young
Chinese from different provinces carving
on animated conversation in English. this
being the only language In which they can
talk with one another uuderstandingly UNI
an they have mastered the mandarin. or
official talk which differs as widely
from the spoken language Of many prov.
iuces as the native languages Of these
provinces dincr from one another The
written language is. OF course, the same :,
but the speech OF Cantonese II as allen
to n shantung man as Finnish is allen
to an Italian
Il IA clearly within the probabilities,
therefore that English will be found play
ing a greater and greater part In the every.
day life OF the Chinese. and that It may
become powerful factor In Welding
the constituent elements Of the empire
whose present weakness Is very largely
due to iack Of a common language for
ordinary communication.
with some understanding OF these con.
dltions II will not be difficult 10 realize
that oflclal adoption OF English as the
language for modern learning means more
than would similar action in any other
land Muluply the Chinese avIdlty for
modern learning by the vast total Of chi
nesc population. and you viii see how
great Is tine sum Of Chlna's contribution
10 the supremacy OF English as the doml-
nant language Of the world.
MISSIONS LAID THE FOUNDATION
No review OF causes leading to this end
would be complete unless it contained
tribute to the great part played boy Amcrl-
can educators. missionary and other. in
LAYING the foundation for the domnatIon|
OF the English language. English mls-
s,onaries and English schools have con
tributed no little 20 this end, but theI
American missionaries and American
schools have done by Tar the larger part.
British influence has been strong lu thei
British colony of Hong Kong. where eN-.
Ceileut schools have been established. and
20 a large dcgre, at shanghai, but taking
China as whole Americans have far
outstripped all other uatioualitics by thcirI
splendid contributions TO the education of
chimes youth, and upon these has thcI
supremacy OF English over other foreign
languages been built
The plan adopted by the Ministry oil
Is that followed by Dr. Charles |
-. TenneY, now Chinese secretary OF the |
American Legation, when he organized /
Pei-Nang University for the Chinese and |
10y Or. John e.. Ferguson, when president /
Of the Nan-Nang College at Shanghai 4
These men ana the American missionary /
educa tors who began their labors al an /
even earlier date. together with hosts Of
others who have followed ia their foot
,eps. have done an immense amount nf
good TO China, and In doing - have unques
.iouahly proved themselves Individually 4
and especially In the aggregate, n mighty 4
influence 10 the end Of the domination OF
heir language j. X. OIL.