Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1912-02-06

out on special occasions, for instance,
at weddings or at the New Years
time or on other holidays.
1t is remarkable how much these
people can stow away in the smallest
space and yet not give the appearance
of things being crowded. This knack
of filling up space always seemed to
ME as special gift-an inheritance
from long line of ancestral training;
else 1t could never have been SO per-
fectly developed as is seen in China.
In addition to the numbers in the
family We are talking of, there may
be seen dogs, cats, and perhaps fam
lily hen or two, walking about in the
same room as unconcernedly as the
others. Among the very low, a pig
or two in the house Is not an uncom-
mon sight, but In our visit today the
members of the swine family are in
a box or kept In a hole just outside
There may also be a few birds in
cages hanging about to cheer the fami-
ly with their sweet music.
These homes are anything but neat
and comely, but you will be made wei.
come when you call. although perhaps
the chair upon which you are to sit
must be wiped off before you dare
occupy it.
| There will be excuses for the untidi
ness, the woman perhaps saying that
they are too poor to keep clean! But
you are there either to see how the
other half lives or else to carry some
message of teaching them how to bet
ter their conditions or perhaps to
bring cheer to some forlorn heart, SO
sayory odors that float in from every
direction!
Before going to China l had sup
posed that it was only the rich and
well-to-do families who had their
daughters feet cramped, but l soon
found that the custom was very gen.
eral throughout all of central China.
| In the country as we'll as in Cities this
| horrid custom was carried out with
nearly all the women
In the province of Canton, however,
this has never been as general among
the poor as in other parts, hence this
| Is why you here see only an occasional
woman with bound feet. NEARLY all
the Chinese here are from the prov.
ince OF Canton.) Farther north the
custom is almost universal
For thousands of years the Chinese
have valued education more than any
thing else. Every little hamlet and
village all over that great empire has
had its schools where their literature
has been taught to boys whose par
ents have been unable to employe
private teachers in the house. The
system is not governmental but
schools are subscribed for from pri.
vate funds. Very often this provision
for schools for those unable to pay for
an education has been from purely
philanthropic motives In other cases
it has been kept up by men of means
from a religious standpoint, thinking
that by so doing they may gain merit
in the next stage of existense At any
rate the sons of the poor as we'll as
OF the rich have had more or less OF
a chance to gain an education.
The prime idea of study with the
Chinese is to make as many of the
five senses as possible aid in forming
the impression of the name and writ
ten character upon the mind of the
child. The understanding is matter
Of a later period and will develop of
itself at the proper time. The eyes
see the proportions and outline OF
the character, the mouth or voice is
used in repeating its name, and the
ear hears the voice and so adds it's
quota In the brain impression. These
characters when first taught to chill.
dren are always written upon small
squares of paper and are felt and
handled continually while at study, so
that the brain is aided by seeing. voic-
ing. hearing and feeling, all thus help
ing the mind to receive its gift OF ma.
terial which it will hold till the intel
lect is ready to make use of 1t.
The little fellow may not for years
" Soiho nho" Inc hednlu6 vi q siuSie
character he learns to repeat with per.
feet accuracy, but what he has learn
ed can never be effaced from his mem.
DRY. 1t is his possession as long as
life lasts. In after years, when he
begins to read books, and his faculties
develop. these same characters will
largely explain themselves by their
context, and the minds of these chill.
dren will open and expand In a mar.
velous manner