The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1912-01-05

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
box or kept in 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 comedy, but you will be made well
come when you call, although perhaps
the chair upon which you are to sit
must be wiped off before you dare
occupy 1t.
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
do not see to much, or notice the un-
savory odors that float in from every
direction!
Before going to China l had sup
posed that 1t was only the rich and
wellto-do families who had their
daughters feet cranped, but l soon
found that the custom was very gen.
eral throughout all of central China.
In the country as wesl as in cities, this
horrid custom was carried out with
nearly all the women.
In the province of Canton. however.
this has never been els 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 it's schools where their literature
has been taught to boys whose par
ents have been unable to employee
private teachers in the house. The
systel 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
of the rich have had more or less Of
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 eses
see the proportions and outline OF
the character, the mouth or voice Is
used in repeating it's name, and The
ear hears the voice and so adds Its
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 hep
ing the mind to receive its gift of ma.
terial which it will hold till the intcl-
lect Is ready to make use of 1t.
The little fellow may not for years
to come know the meaning Of single
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 ss
life lasts. In after years. when Re
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 mar
velous manner.
Another advantage of this kind OF
study comes to the teacher, as there
is never any difficulty in keeping the
children quiet and out of mischief.
They are repeating over and over a
thousand times in concert with others
and have no time for anything else.
1t has been from the poorer and
lower classes that missionaries and
other philanthropic works have most.
ly gained their material to work upon.
Il was long, hard and discouraging
struggle against tie greatest odds for
those noble men and women. Many
of them bore harsships, privations and
all manner of suffering, even facing
death itself for the sake Of doing what
they saw and felt to be their duty to-
ward this people, where they were by