I say that the real solution of the knotty Anglo-Chinese problem has never been approached yet. For it is, like every other educational problem, at bottom a question in psychology. I mean in the science of the international affinities and incompatibilities of human nature. So long as Victoria College continues to disregard the peculiarities of Chinese child-nature, and persists in omitting to link the old world of Chinese thought and life, from which these children come, with that new world of English mental and social life into which they are plunged when they take up an English primer or reader, this refusal to lead the children on by easy steps from the known to the unknown is bound, by the laws of nature, to result in continuous failure as to the results of the English teaching of the School, Oral and pictorial object lessons ought to be a principal means not only to teach conversational English but to lead up to elementary science lessons, of which there is next to nothing at present, throughout the School. Instead of cramming the boys' heads with dates and events, facts and genealogical details of English history, for which they do not care a straw!
Instead of worrying them to remember every country and river, hill and promontory of England with which they have no connection, they ought to be taught the geography of Hong-Kong, the Canton province and China before they are expected to learn any details of the geography of Europe. Here again object lessons, by means of blank maps, ought to be largely used through oral instruction, with a view to create in them imaginative ...
93
I say that the real solution of the knotty Anglo-Chinese
problem has never been approached yet. For it sxxx is, like
every other equcational problem, at bottom a question in
psychology. I mean in the science of the international af-
finities and incompatibilities of human nature. So long as
Victoria College continues to disregard the peculiarities
of Chinese bhild-nature, and persists in omitting to link
the old world of Chinese thought and life, from which these
children come, with that new world of English mental and
social life into which they are plunged when they take up
an English primer or reader, this refusal to lead the children
on by easy steps from the known to the unknown is bouna, by
the laws of nature, to result in continuous failure as to
the results of the English teaching of the School, Oral and
pictorial object lessons ought to be a principal means not
only to teach conversational English but to lead up to eie-
mentary science lessons, of which there is next to nothing
at present, throughout the School. Instead of cramming the
boys' heads with dates and events, facts and genealogical
details of English history, for which they do not care a
taw!
>
pin, they ought to be thought the leading facts of universal
history with special reference to Hong-Kong and China. Ins-
tead of worrying them to remember every cou try anu river,
which they Day and promontory of England with whe- y have no con-
nection, they ought to be taught they of Hong-Kong
geography the Canton province and China before they are expected to
learn any details of the geography of Europe. Here again object lessons, by means of blank maps, ought to be largely used through oral instruction, with a view to create in tuen
imaginative
93
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