davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1933-12-17

. portunitieS for more profitable employ
ment. The highest salary at Ting Hsien
is about 500 month (American
money!; the average is much less than
that
With success, many offers have come
to the creators of the experiment from
militarists and political leaders in
kwangsi, Kwangtung, at Nanking and
in the north. They have tried to per-
suade Yen to transplant his whole staff
to their domains, with promises of lib
eral funds. Courteously such offers have
been rejected on the plea that tech
nique has not yet been perfected. Send
your men to us and Well teach them
what we know" the regional militaristS
are told. Many accept But ~Tinghsien-
iSm,' think the enthusiasts who are
making it, is too big thing to be used
for the political ends of any faction,
any power temporarily at zenith They
think it has a social, economic and po-
litical destiny all of its own, too great
to be risked on warlord's future
So it remains a private, and so far
an unofficial undertaking. 1t is self
supporting to some extent. One source
of income is from the sales of it's thou
sand character" readers. Other funds
are secured from contributors, chiefly
Americans, and from the China Foun-
dation, which derives from the returned
Boxer indemnity. The experiments
total budget is less than $4,000 per-
month in American money. Considering
the extensiyeness of the task, that Is
almost unbelievably low.
Separate in structure from the Mass
Education Association experiment, but
closely allied to it, is the Institute for
Political and Social Reconstruction,
which since last Spring has controlled
Ting Hsien's government. Its origin is
interesting, but here it can only be re-
lated that DR.. Yen is responsible for it.
Finding the experiments work every
where handicapped by lack of political
authority, he appealed to the men in
power in Hopei, requested their support
in establishing the institute. His sound
arguments convinced them and he Sc
CuIeU lilelI COIlSSuI. NdIlhulS d1SO GULL
CURED, nominating Yen for the preSi-
dency., He agreed-but only on the con-
ditiOn that he should receive no salary.
He wanted to, and does, retain his
freedom from political partisanship.
The arrangement provides what amounts
to the temporary independence of Ting
HSien. Local finances, long corrupt, are
being deterged, and the government has
been made squeeze proof" to an i'm
preSsive degree. The police and militia
systems have been modernized, and rank
with the best.
Yen has much more to say about ways
and means of realizing his extensive
program He strikes me as a man of
resource and versatility, and events may
shape him into a great leader OF men.
There is passionate sincerity and con-
viction behind his oratory, so that at
times he seems more the revolutionary
crusader, perhaps, than the evolutionary
educator. It does not seem extrava-
CANT to say that the movement which
he leads may in time become revo-
luton of far more puissant destiny than
any march or counter-march of Chinese
troops, to which that term has been
loosely applied in the past.
Evening star., 1933-12-17

JfeT centuries. business goes on as uSuuts
pUT the Ting Hsien project is much
more extensive enterprise than the.
mere spreading of literacy. People had
to be taught what to do with hteracy.
They found that it was necessary to
reorganize and rebuild in every depart
ment of life, to remake its very fabric.
With the failure of attempts to super
impose half a dozen alien social and
political systems on China from above,
they concluded that the people could
be regenerated only from the bottom,
never from the top. And the new
growths must be something inherently
indigenous, something rooted in China,
but nourished by modern scientific
knowledge. So at Ting Hsien men
sought the bottom.
'"The experiment began in 1926" Yen
related to me. I'VE started work in
single village, then extended to district
including about 60 villages. Three years
later. crude technique perfected, we
accepted popular demand to spread
our work to the entire hSien. Responses
from the people in time proved the
soundneSS of our methods, so that while
we continued our basic research We also
extended the results of our work over
broader fields.
- First, we found that it was neceS-
sary to make a complete social survey.
China has few statistics none on which
broad scientific judgments can be rem
dered. Nobody has ever made social
study of the hsien. 1t had to be found
out, for instance, how much people paid
In legal and illegal taxes, how much
was spent on educating family, and on
medicine, what crops were grown; what
incomes the farmers had; how much
they paid money-lenders for farm loans;
at what age girls married, and boys, and
so forth"
None of those vital statistics could
be found nicely tabulated anywhere.
They had to be dug out by patient, and,
as any one who has tried getting in
formation from a Chinese peasant
knows, by exasperating effort. Brilliant
Ii Ching-han Frranklin Lee), graduate
Ol OllCCto tilio WO1h. AAO WIN
me of their early difficulties. Peasants
at first thought they were government
agents, trying to squeeze more taxes.
Some thought them japanese spies.
Gradually their suspicious were dis
PEELED, their confidence, won and their
full cooperation was secured.
THREE kinds of integration are used
in the robust new education at Ting
HSien. These are the school, where in
dividual education is emphasized; the
home, where the individual is taught as
part of the family, and the group or
community, where he is educated as
member of society, a citizen of China.
Through these channels the expert
menters attack what they regard as the
"four fundamental problems" The at
tackS are along these lines: For ignor-
ance-cultural education; for poverty
economic or livelihood education; for
disease and physical weakness-public
health education; for familisrn, or anti
ndedness-citizen training.
The pioneers at Ting Hsien sacrifice
comfort, convenience and money to
carry on. Doctors, scientists and edu-
Gators are in great demand in China,
and all the staff regularly refuse op-
Evening star., 1933-12-17

standards, exercises considerable group
power.
In many such schools one sees little
corner" where medicines and first-aid
equipment, purchased by the villages,
Sare kept for dispensation at regular
consultation" hours. Together these
new literates now jointly finance and
manage their own co-operatives, elimi-
nate traders profits, buy and sell their
own supplies. They even make loans
to members at low interest rates, pro-
vide storage and merchandising faclli-
ties for farmers who heretofore have
been helpless in the grip of usurers,
grain profiteers and bankers. Together
they form committees to eliminate
drinking, gambling, opium, heroin-not
because they are immoral" but because
!. the village is poor. and such vices make
it poorer Together they keep the
houses, streets, sometimes even the
henyards clean, because they have
learned of the germs of disease.
hJOW turn the eye toward Ting Hsien
City, seat of the county govern
ment Marching toward it are groups
of men carrying themselves in manner
indicating that they have received some
military training. Some of them are
members of village defense corps. Each
group carries banner.
Where are they going2 In the city
an agricultural exhibit attracts them.
They have come to see what their fellow
farmers are doing This exhibit is not
run by the government, but by the
people, by. the organized villager-farm-
ers who proudly display their products.
Tonight these youths will 60 to wit
ness modern play, enacted by peasants
"a play that is not sung in an ancient,
unintelligible Chinese. with brass gongs
Changing, but spoken drama that
touches the fiber of their lives. They
viii see it performed in a theater fash
ioned from an old examination hall by
Hsiung Fu-hsi, famous playwright, grad
uate of Columbia and creator of new
peoples drama. Do they like it? Well,
they pay money to see it.
But all of these things did not just
happen. Who set into motion these
revolutionary changes? Back of them
is a(story of struggle between an ancient
but now decadent way of life and a
group of energetic, inspirited young
scientists, determined to create among
their countrymen vital pattern of life,
enriched with new ideas, new faiths,
broader loyalties-above all, a common
belief in themselves and their ability to
master their environment. Ting Hsiens
record is the story of their enthusiastic
and selfieSs search for the foundation
truths on which to establish a sound
technique for making over rural China.
Their leader Is a revolutionary person.
ality, DR.. Yen Yang-chu-James Y. c.
Yen, as he is known to many Americans.
An able scholar, an original educator,
an effective writer and an inspiring
speaker in both English and Chinese,
Yen Y .-chu is a dynamic intelli-
gence ra-~ in passive Asia. A man of
: facile mind, creative, inventive, imagina-
tive, he has also the combination of
ability as organizer, as practical thinker,
as active executive. In the Ting HSien
experiment the touch of his genius is
everywhere
DR., Yen was born of line of scholars
Evening star., 1933-12-17

Typical street scene in Shanghai, ,chere,
in Szechuen, Chinas - Western
province, once wealthy, but now devaS-
tated by years Of ravage under brigand
generals, to whom the people sometimes
are, obliged to pay taxes as much as 60
years in advance. When a youth he
went to America, to Yale University and
to Princeton. Then he went to France.
There he accomplished what was one
of the few really constructive results
of The World War.
CHINA, dragged into the mess by the
~ allies, had sent 100000 workers to
Europe to dig trenches, to manufacture
munitions, to do "coolie" work on the
railways But the European generals
had great difficulty in managing them.
They spoke no European language, of
course, and they could not read or write
their own. Living in the midst of war,
they did not know why they were there,
or what was happening. They were pitt
fully homesick, but could not write to
their families nor read letters they
received.
Yen, commissioned to do something
for them, experimented with the SIM
plified teaching of Chinese. That was
the beginning of the now famous
Thousand character system" by which
millions of Chinese peasants have be-
come literate. The success of his expert
ment surprised him; the "lower classes"
proved wonderfully, adept at learning.
To Yen it was revelation. Then and
there" he says, Il resolved that upon my
return to China I would devote my life
to educating the millions of illiterate
men and women, boys and girls, who
had no opportunity for schooling" His
purpose was to broaden with the years,
and 1t Is still growing in ultimate aim.
nliterates in China, Yen discovered,
are not necessarily lazy or unintelligent.
Only or per cent of the people
ever learned characters because first,
the imperial policy in practice pre-
vented it, and secondly, the difficulties
of mastering the language were too
great for the poor man to surmount.
Formerly all Chinese books were writ
ten as most people know, in Wen Ii,
the classical language. 1t had not been
spoken for centuries; it correSponded to
Greek or Latin in the English works,
but the student had to master it before
he could read. This was the work of
lifetime. Only since 1917, when the
new tide" movement began, has Pal
Hua ("pure talk"). the vernacular used
by more than four-f1fths of all Chinese,
supplanted it, so that men can learn to
write and read Chinese as it is spoken.
It was pure talk" that DR.. Yen taught
the workers In France to read and write.
It was pure talk that the Chinese
National Association of the mass edu-
cation movement adopted as its vehicle
for educating rural China. That asso-
citation, organized in 1928, sought to
bring together the various literacy move
ments then functioning. It elected DR..
Yen as general director and active head
of the entire work, post he has held
ever since. Today the peoples schools
in China, operating in % provinces, have
graduated more than 5000, 900 men and
women in the thousand character les
sons" by which men become literate
in four months of -hour-a-day
schooling.
The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-05-24
MISSIONARIES TELL OF
RENEWED FIGHTING

Peiping. May -R- Advices
from American missionaries at Tung-
chow, Is miles east of here, said
Wednesday there was renewed fight
ing Tuesday night on the eastern
outskirts of town despite reports of
Chinese Japanese truce in the
North China war zone.
Ten Chinese were killed, said the
missionaries, who are connected with
the American board Of missions.
They have stuck to their posts after
evacuating from Tungchow between
70 and 80 American children who
attended school there.
Chinese achievements were said
to be arriving, with further hostili-
ties apparently imminent.
The Tungchow mission compound
was crowded with 10000 Chinese
refugees.
Peiping, however, was more peace
full than for many days. Relief was
marked as the result Of Tuesdays
reported truce.
Chinese reports Tuesday were that
Chinese military leaders had been
given three days to comply with UNI
revealed japanese peace terms.
There was no agreement, however,
In Chinese press reports concerning
the reputed armistice agreement.
One section proclaimed that war
has ceased on all fronts" while an
other maintained "the war opera
lions continue, with the Japanese
nearer Peiping."
The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-05-24
MARC0VITZ BEGINS
PEN|TENTIARY Term
Supreme Court Denies Rehear-
ing For Merchant Who
Bought Stolen Turkeys

His application for a rehearing on
an appeal having been denied by the
North Dakota supreme court, Ben
Marcovitz, Bismarck merchant, en-
tered the state penitentiary late
Tuesday to begin serving an indeter-
inmate term of from one to four
years for receiving stolen property.
For more than a year after his con-
viction, the merchant carried on a
fight in the courts for freedom.
Marcovitz was found guilty by a
jury in Burleigh county district court
Feb. 10, 1882, and was sentenced by
Judge Fred Jansonius of Bismarck.
Governor William LANCER, who was
counsel for the merchant, carried an
appeal to the supreme court, which
denied the application. An application
for the rehearing was denied and an
order for commitment sent to Clerk
OF Court Charles Fisher Tuesday.
The charges against Marcovitz
grew out Of the purchase Of con-
signment of turkeys stolen from the
Northern Pacific Railway company by
OAlA 0AVWns laugh 00y0 eNAAA - -
Ditch, all Of whom were sent tc pr1-
son.
Marcovitz admitted the purchase OF
the birds but denied he was aware
they were stolen. He said he paid for
the birds as partner in the Bismarck
Produce company, declaring he made
payment on the advice Of Ditch, his
partner. He claimed his connec.-on
with the company was only financial.
The turkeys were stolen as q
Northern Pacific train was moving.
Barrels in which the birds were pack
ed were rolled from q refrigerator car
near Apple Greek, east Of Bismarck,
broken up there and the birds hauled
to Bismarck In trucks.
THE Marcovtz trial excited consid-
cradle interest, with the court room
packed during the three days testi-
mony was taken.
The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-05-24
NEW YORK SUPPORTS
REPEAL OF DRY LAW
BY IL TO | MARGIN
Is Sixth State to Ratify New
Amendment; Metropolis
Wet BY 20 to I

Albany, N. Y, May 24.-(R-New
York, by IL to one vote. has ex-
pressed itself for repeal of the prohi-
bition amendment.
In the City of New York repeal
sentiment in Tuesdays special cleo
ton was approximately Al to one, the
vote being:
For repeal. 1,478,6o7; against repeal,
25,50o.
Figures for the entire state with
$3.50 out Of 1897 districts reported
were:
For repeal, l,47s.6o7; against repeal,
12o,142.
AS result Of the ballot verdict, $50
delegates pledged to repeal will meet
here June ~ and execute the formal
ity Of adding New York state to the
five others which already have COM
mitted themselves to repeal.
A few rural counties with. incom-
plete returns showed the vote close
enough to be overturned by later fig
ures, but for the most part even COM
lmunities heretofore dry returned wet
AIAdJOAAIACS. GAcVSA COuAIVACO WCAC uAA.
reported early Wednesday, but Of
those from which returns were avail
able only one (Yates) had voted
against repeal.
Former Governor Alfred E. Smith
will be permanent chairman OF the
convention. The wet ticket Is a coali-
ton affair made up Of leading Repub-
leans and Democrats
The other states which have voted
for repeal are Michigan. New Jersey.
Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Wyom-
ing.
The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-05-24
Labor Assembly
To Meet Tonight

A special meeting Of the Bis
marck Central Trades and Labor
Assembly will be held Wednesday
night to consider the North d.
kota state capitol strike, 1t IS an
nounced by A. Helmer Pearson,
president.
Only duly-elected delegates Of
the various crafts represented In
the assembly are invited to the
session. Pearson said.
Represented in the assembly
are practically all local skilled
and common building laborers,
typographers, painters, BARRIERS
and electricians. Most of the
units have three delegates each.
Pearson said.
The assembly SO far has taken
no active part In the strike, Pear
son said.
The meeting is called for 8
o'clock and will be held in the as
senlbly hall at 1882 Fifth st,
The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-05-24
Counterfeiting Cases
Are Heard in Court

Fergus Falls, Mimi, May 24.-(R-
Two cases Of counterfeiting came be-
fore Judge Joseph w. Molyneaux at
the opening of the May term Of fed
eral court in this city Tuesday. Ed
Fleek, st. Cloud. pleaded guilty to q
charge Of counterfeiting, but sentence
was deferred.
The next cases were against Jewell
Anderson, Boyd Anderson and Man.
fred Seabrook, all Of the GAINESVILLE
neighborhood. They were alleged to
have made scent, l0-cent and Is
cent pieces from zinc obtained from
old automobiles. With these they
were alleged to have visited q lodge
at Detroit Lakes and played slot ma
chimes. The trio entered pleas Of
guilty and were each sentenced to a
year in prison, but the court suspend
ed sentence,
The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-05-24
Opening Of the senate inquiry in the
affairs Of J. P. Morgan which began
GOVERNMENT BUYING
SECURITIES AS PART
OF INITIATION PLAN
Initial Purchases to Total $25,.
900, 900 But Three Bill
lions Are Authorized

Washington, May 24.--lF-The fed !.
eral reserve system Is In the open
market for government securities.
launching on a first trial OF the con-
trolled credit initiation powers newly
conferred on the president by con j.
gress.
For the present the reserves open
market committee is purchasing $685.
100000 OF such securities. The law
authorizes buying up to three billions
to erase credit and release currency.
Though the initial purchasing author.
ization was small and the time over
which the buying would be spread was
not indicated, the action was accepted
as indicating the reserve system Is in
full accord with the presidents ex-
pansion policy.
Even more important. many observ-
erS believed the step signified that
the administration has no thought of
issuing currency to cause expansion
unless the open market operations
prove inadequate. The initiation law
authorizes printing Of three billions in
currency and also makes possible de-
valuation of the dollar down to so per
cent.
Once government bonds.> or securi-
ties Of government-controlled corpor-
atoms are acquired by the reserve
they must be held for pre-deter-
mined length Of time unless the Sec
rotary OF the treasury permits earlier
disposal
The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-05-24
Campaign for New
Markets Is Planned

Washington. May 24.-(P>-A drive
for new foreign markets will be un-
dertaken under the new farm adjust
ment act.
George N. Peek, chief administra-
tor. will create the post Of World
Trade Representative" He intends
to fill 1t with man experinced in ex-
port farm commodity trade. and will
rank the position among the most i'm
portant in the new administration
setup.
It has long been Peek's contention
that foreign outlets for American
farm products have nto been fully de-
veloped, that export efforts for farm
goods should be greatly intensified,
particularly in the Orient. The new
program is additional to the effort at
reopening old world markets through
tariff reciprocity agreements.
Peek proceeded also with arrange
n1ents for launching the price boost
ing programs for two Of the chief
products Of American farms, wheat
and cotton.
The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-05-24
new INDUSTRY BILL
SLATED FOR QUICK
PASSAGE IN HOUSE
Ways and Means Committee
Ruffled BY Failure to OBJ
tain Gag Rule

Washington, May 24.-fP)-The
national industry recovery bill. pro-
nounced a real boon to employment
and business by the house ways and
means committee. was set Friday for
quick ride to passage once resistance
in the rules committee was broken
down.
The formal report on the bill, made
public by Chairman Doughton, held
that the announcement tax burden"
to be imposed in financing the bills
$1,000 100000 of public works would
be many times exceeded by benefits
of new employment.
Meanwhile, ruffled at the failure of
the rules committee Tusday to give
the measure legislative right Of way
under drastic gag rule" procedure
amendments, Democratic leaders
passed the word they would force the
issue and get a house vote Thursday
or Friday.
Filed late Tuesday night, the report
was unanimously agreed to by the
bipartisan ways and means commit
tee, except for the $500 100000 tax
program, objected to by the Republic
cans. who had fought for the sales
tax. The levies, forced into the bill
by the Democrats. increase the in
come and gasoline taxes and make
stock dividends subject to the higher
income imposts.
These additional taxes, the report
said, ARE temporary in character and
may be eliminated by proclamation
by the president when operating
revenues exceed operating expendi-
lures. or when the repeal of the eigh-
teenth amendment opens a new and
ample source of revenue to the gov
eminent"
It added, that "as a matter of pre-
caution the numerous excise taxes
passed in the billion dollar revenue
bill last year and expiring on June
l, 1884, were to be continued until
July !, 1885.
The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-05-24
Tuesday in Washington, is shown
above.
At the right is Morgan, shaking
Call Morgan Partner
In Trial of Mitchell

New York, May 24.-lP)-From the
lips Of a Morgan partner, the prose-
cution hoped Wednesday to disclose
new evidence in its drive to convict
Charles E. Mitchell OF evading $780,
600 In income, taxes.
George Whitney. member OF ]. p.
Morgan e. Company. was expected
to take the stand. Trial of the form
er head Of the National City Bank
was adjourned earlier than usual
Tuesday because Whitney was in
Washington for the senate sub-cor1-
mittee inquiry into Morgan affairs.
Assistant Federal Attorney Thomas
z. Dewey said the government has
virtually finished introducing evidence
regarding the charge that by making
a sham sale of stock to his wife. Nit
chell established fraudulent tax loss
in 1929.
The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-05-24
WOOdin Is Accused
OF Crime in Office

Washington, May "a. - R = High
crimes and misdemeanors in office
have now been charged to william H
Woodin, secretary Of the treasury for
only. two and a half months, as well
as against both his immediate prede-
cessors and q score OF present and
past federal reserve officials.
Representative McFadden (Rep..
Pa, levelled the charges Tuesday In
the house in a move for impeach-
ment Of the whole group. The house
listened and filed the question with
It's judiciary committee. which already
has file of similar proposals by Nc
Fadden.
Woodin's alleged crime had to do
With stopping gold redemption Of the
currency. Andrew w. Mellon and o.
Cen l.. Mills and others were pro-
rounced guilty as having robbed the
United States government and the
people Of the United States by their
theft and sale Of the gold reserves Of
the United States"
There were 80 charges In all.