Ain
666
afford to pay high fees in view of the high cost of living.
A.
Yes. say
He also throws out a suggestion, which is worth considering, that Chinese boys ought to know something about the characters of their own language before beginning English, which should be taught to them as a special subject; and that they should be taught in Chinese. (Colloquial Chinese, at any rate, could be similarly taught to English boys.)
The proposal is certainly novel: but I am inclined to think that we cannot well resist the arguments urged in its favour. Even if one of them, the unsatisfactory educational results of teaching Chinese and English boys together, were not supported by common sense, it is clear that the whole question is one on which local opinion is of the greatest possible weight.
There are a few points to be considered, even if the principle is conceded, as I hope it will be.
(1) The estimate of the cost to Government of the new school does not appear to have been scrutinised by the Acting Treasurer: and the whole scheme has not been before the Executive Council. (As, however, Mr. Lockhart is the only senior man on the Council at this moment, while Sir W.J. Gascoigne and Mr. May are signatories to the petition, I do not think the opinion of the Council would be very valuable further.)
(2) The position of Queen's College after the proposed change wants defining: and if the school is to be confined to Chinese boys, we might know what Dr.