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Ginling College was established in 1915 in order to meet the need for the higher education of Chinese women which the Political and social changes in China after 1911 made urgent. The college has a campus of more than 40 acres lying between the Drum Tower and the west wall of the city. It is in a delightful situation commanding as it does
a view of Purple mountain, and the Yangtze in the distance. The grounds are well laid out, the lawns, trees, flower beds and the architectural appropriateness of the buildings make the whole setting exceedingly attractive.
The University is supported by five Christian missions and is also related to Smith's College in the United States. The college provides the usual courses in pure arts, in social science, in pure science, in education and in addition it offers an advanced course in Physical education. It has an enrolment of 179 and a staff of 39 teachers. We have here then in Nanking two flourishing institutions which owe their existence to American enterprise and which function very largely on American lines. The recent commission from the League of Nations thinks that such close imitation of American methods, indeed of any foreign country, is detrimental to the best interests of higher education in China.
It is easy for the commission to say that China is historically minded and must develop along the lines already laid down by her past, and that modern China will find something of value in Europe to guide her in her present difficulty, because Europe too is historically minded and loyal to her ancient traditions, but the important point is that there are two Chinas there is that of the ancient tradition and culture and that of the new. Young China is in revolt against the old even to a greater extent than America is in revolt against the tradition of Europe. Young China turns to U.S.A. because there is to be found the greatest encouragement and deepest conviction that the future is more important than the past that science is more important than morals, and that progress is the enemy of tradition. Though the influence of U.S.A. in China hitherto has been very great because of her disinterested help and sympathy with young China, there is little doubt that such influence is on the wane, though of course the initial bias which has been given will never be entirely lost. The severe criticism of the American University system by Abraham Flexner has undoubtedly damaged the prestige of American education. The recent economic collapse has shown that the American system of education was not as it was thought to be, the basis of American commercial and industrial prosperity; it therefore suffers a decline together with the economic system to which it was linked. The criticisms of the recent League of Nations mission will also have a considerable effect upon the organisation and principles of higher education in China.
In Hankow we visited Hua Chung College, which as a university represents an amalgamation of Yale-in-China, Huping College and Boone University, Dr. Francis C.M. Wei, who is the President, took his Doctorate in London, his interests being theology and philosophy. He has the true Flatonic attitude towards his work as an administrator for he gives the impression that though he is governing, he would rather be doing something else. He is president merely because he has been summoned to the position but he would rather return to his philosophy and psychology if he could find some one to whom he could entrust his present duties.
This institution approaches the ideal of an Oxford College except that it is co-educational. The intention is to restrict the numbers to two hundred and by various activities such as common meals, discussion groups, informal gatherings he intends to create a closely knit community of teachers and students.
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