COPY.
484
475
Enclosure No. 2 to Despatch No. of the
Honi Colonial Secretary,
30th. March, 1903.
*********
Referring to your paragraph 5, believing as
I do that a principle of the utmost importance is here involved which
the Secretary of State does not yet fully understand, a few words are
necessary. The real point at issue is
Can Chinese boys, who are ignorant of English and attend School in order to learn it, be educated satisfactorily along with boys who already know Colloquial English and do not want to learn it ?
The Bishop in his Petition (see Report of
the Committee on Education p. 81 the last paragraph) answers this
question by an emphatic negative "As regards the acquirement of
"knowledge, this mixture of races operates very injuriously upon the
"European". And again (note to page 82) he says, "A young English
"boy who goes to Queen's College and is placed in a low class is
"compelled to sit idle under a Chinese Assistant, who teaches his
"Chinese pupils in the Chinese language. Could any plan de devised
"more calculated to render a boy listless and inattentive throughout
"the rest of his school course ?" This I think is the right ground
to take. His Lordship in introducing the question of morals, (the
petition p. 82, second paragraph) "Chinese children are fully conver-
"sant with many matters which are purposely kept from the knowledge "of European children "K.TÀ not only confuses the issue, but exposes
himself to a charge of inconsistency while in his own Diocesan School
Chinese and European children share the Class-rooms Playgrounds and
Dormitories.
Dr. Wright, in his very interesting memo-
randum on the Committee's Report, justifies the admixture of races
on very startling grounds. In his 5th. paragraph he states that "in
"combined classes it is rare for a non-Chinese boy to be among the
"first dozen". That is to say that the Chinese boy, handicapped as
he