214
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
+
[October 1, 1908. United States was travelling through one interest in learning. but because they | European life as Hongkong, Shanghai, and - of the Western States with a young lady beli ved that they already possessed a monopoly | Tientsin. Here are European communities on and- ~ being an impressed at the immense of useful knowledge. Let us glance briefly at territory that is or was part of the Chinese amount of produce that he saw as the train the forces that have been at work disintegrating Empire, and they have for several decades b-on passed rapidly along, he said—” What do you do this collossal mountain of ignorance and exerting a powerful influence on the people with all this produce? She replied-"We eat prejudice. The most pervasive influence has and rulers of China proper. Considerably more what we can and what we can't we can.” One undoubtedly been the work of the missionaries. | than half a million Chinese passen zers go and of the things that the missionary appreciates is The whole missionary body has been a band of come annually between Hongkong and the canned goods, Notwithstanding much serid teachers. In their preaching halls, hospitals, mainland. The same conditions prevail at the criticism in America and other parts of the dispensaries, medical classes, and schools, northern ports. Here are practical exhibitions world none of us would care to go back to the through their printing presses, Bible and Tradt of the study of sanitation by experts, and the old days when there was no tioned milk Societies, sad through the mirvellous work of enactment and enforcing of beneficent regula. and no tinned beef, Away up in the the Diffusion Society they have been teachers, tions relating to this important subject. Here interior of Chins it is good to get something arousing and feeding the spirit of inquiry, the law makes every effort to protect the in addition to what the surrounding country giving out information that was not otherwise persons, the homes, the invested capital of the produces. That helps the missionary and obtainable. Only recently the local authorities populations, regardless of nationality. We, at he is grateful for it. Railways are not wished to found a school of applied chemistry this distance from Hongkong, scarcely need to much in evidence in China, We hear in the city of Shiu Hing on the West river. be told where the city authorities became a great deal of talk about them, and some are to They looked about for teachers and they were possessed of the idea of such public improve be seen. Hundreds of miles have already been compelled to hand over the school to a body of ments as the river bund, a public water built. Thousands of miles are on paper. That Christian teachers, not through any partiality system and a public garden for Canton. has come about directly as the result of foreign to Christianity, but because among these men How shall wa even enumerate, lot alone ers having come in. That will serve the alone could they find teachers who knew the describe, the results of these powerful influences missionary because we realise that by its means subjects to be taught. These men may find that are apparent to-day ? The educational we have a jo rney of hours instead of weeks as this particular undertaking beyond their ability history of the past four hundred days in Chias before. When Dr. Graves came to China there to handle, but still the point remains that their is startling. Beginning with Sept. 2ad, 1905, were only five open ports. To-day there are close training is in advance of their heathen fellow imperial decrees abolished the old style examina- on 40. The country has changed and wherever countrymeu. Dr. Graves gives it as his tions and literary essɩ78, established educational there has been an open port the trader has press-impression that when he arrived in China in bureaus in every Viceroyalty, incorporated ́ed in, well knowing that if he lost money in the
western subjects like Mathematics, Physics, beginning he would be repaid when the trade
Chemistry, English, and physical drill in had developed. Unintentionally and incidentally,
school curicula; established, in fact, a national but none the less important, he had served the
system of education, including schools of missionary and had helped him to multiply
every grade from the element ry departments himself. Then how much do the telegraphs
up to the Provincial Universitios. The govern. and post office mean to us? The few thousand
ment has drawn up a scheme of studies for missionaries in China are not the only mis.
these schools, has sent hundreds of young men sionaries working in this great empire. Every
to Europe and Americs to study to becom telephone, every steamship, every piece of
teachers and artificers, has imported many western machinery, every clock, every yard of
Japanese instructors for her higher schools. piece goods, every paper of pins, every bag of
has authorized the confiscation of ten les for flour is a missionary at work in China. There
school parpos s, and has sent commissioners is not a missionary here whose way has not
to foreign lands to investigate their institution‹ been made easier because of all these, and many
with a view to adopting the best for China, of these things have been done by the merchants.
and finally, ou the recommendation of the Bev. Dr. WISNEE addressed the meeting on
imperial commission, has promised a constita- the subject of Fifty years of Education." Using
tional government to China in the next ten the word in its broadest and most practical
years. Passimists may protast that official sense, he said-Let us try to see what has
China is not incere in making these c00038- been accomplished in Chids during the pastion of their life. It has been a great teacher, sions, and that the old policy of obstruction fifty years. China fifty years
will continue to render all reform' measures very little changed from the Chins of ope
abortive. The fact is that official China' may hundred years ago. And the China of one
well be left out of the account. It has already hundred years ago was substantially China left
committed itself too far to draw back, The old examination stalls in Canton, where 10:000 ridiculously ignorant scribblers used to compete for literary honors with a view to political preferment, have been destroyed beyond the possibility of restoration, and are being rapidly replaced by a great normal school where the government is preparing to train teachers for its public schools. Besides, this is primarily a movement of the people. Tas officials are doing what they are because the people dem (ud It. twenty or thirty different schools, regardlőss of shades of religious b lief or the lack of it. There is a greatly increased popular interest in the subject of female education. Schols for girls are being started. Even op-education is in places being tried by the Chinese, although with such disastrous résults be predicted. Recently I heard a story. teller on board a river steamer leotaring very intelligently on this fruitful theme, and point- ing out to his hearers that China owed much of her backwardness and weakness to the lack of education for women. Result, as he' stated it, ignorant mothers, no women teachers, badly kept homes, and spoiled children. Institutes and lectureships are being established for the enlightment of the people at large., I have heard that there was in Canton a lectureship for coolies, which was said to be largely attend- ed. Plans for Free Reading-Rooms for the people are being discussed. There is a marked change in the spirit of the students, *Much of the old pride of scholarship and contempt for manual labor is gone. Formerly students were willing to take an education if it came 'enally. Now we find poor boys so eager for a weitera education that they are realy to do any sort of work to help defray their expenses. I have had more than one applicant offer to scrub floorű or do any kind of servant's work to pay his way in school. The fact is that while in Japan reform was imposed on the people by su awakened. government, in Chins that process is reversed. Education and reform are popular moremente 2
•
Bgo was
to herself. She had not in her internal struc-
1856 there were only two boys' schools open in Canton, although others had been closed on account of the Tai Ping rebellion and for other cause", In those days, even in Hongkong, and with board, lodging, books, tuition and even in some cases clothing furnished free, it was with the greatest difficulty that parents could be prevailed upon to send their sons to the school. The same condition of things obtained at the Morrison School, on Morrison Hill, in Hongkong, Such was the distrust of the foreigner and the contempt for his instruction. Commerce has been one of the most potent of the educative forces in modern China Commerce has brought to the attention of the people new products, has revealed new wants and unthought of resources for China and its people has shown them new and better methods of production and transportation, and has opened up the possibility of a larger and fuller expres. I believe it is a true statement that among the Christians and the merchants of China will be found the least of that ultra-conservatism that kept China from moving forward for so long, and also that among these two classes will be ture and life been perceptibly affected by out- found most of that common sense conservatism side influences. In the China of that day there that in these days of rapid change makes for was no organized system of education. In fact peace and opposes revolutionary measures. the Government did not concern itself with China's wars in the past fifty years have been a details of instruction, but only with its results stern school-master but a very salutary one. In It did not teach, it only examined. Schools that time she has by sad experience in successive were established by local gentry, or by families,
wars learned the inferiority of her arms or by men of letters. But there was no general to those of England, of France, and of Japan, system other than that determined by the and finally to those of the combined civilized classics and the traditional method of teaching world. This was a hard leason, but a much them. China bad for thousands of years been needed one. China needed this disclosure to her- living a snoluded life. She felt herself sufficient self of her own weakness and helplessness, a to herself. From a literary point of view she condition that was hopeless except through the rested with proad confidence in the maxim: uppression of inefficiency and the reform of "What Confucius teaches is true: what is concorruption in Chinese officialdom. Probably trary to his teaching is false; what he does not very little had been attempted in the way of Remember that Con- Chinese journalism fifty years ago. It has fucius lived 2440 years ago. The attitude of been truly pointed out that this is one of the the officials towards all things foreign was one direct outcomes of the foreigner's influence in. of extreme contempt and lofty arrogance. China. Yet it is to-day one of the most potent China had nothing to ask from the West. The educative influences in the country. Three years West sought to trade with China, and the ago it was reported that there were some privilege was permitted with an unpalatable sixty or seventy native newspapers and mixture of condesosasion and contempt periodicals being regularly issued in China When Dr. Graves arrived in China foreigners Travel and residence in other parts of the world were allowed to reside in only the five first have proved a great educator. On a conservative opened treaty ports of the country, and this estimate there are to-day probably between two privilege had been wrung from Chins as the and three millions of Ch nese scattered over the result of a war in which she had been beaten. earth, away from home, in the Americas, the That was a day when journalism in China was islands of the Pacific, Siam, Barmah, Australis, unknown. · Commerce and missionary effort, as
New Zealand, and Africa. If these men return
·compared with what they ars to-day, were in
to China they do not return the same as when their infancy. Diplomatic relations had only they went away. If they remain abroad they begun: China's army was obsolete, and she still continue to be Chinese, and in many ways wis practically at least without a navy. Travel make their influence felt among their country. and foreign residence on the part of her citizens men at home. As a single illustration I may were dircouraged. So far se they were able to remind you that the agitation against that time do co the Chinese were living a self-contained honored institution, the queue, which actually life, looking with distrust or scora upon every threatens its abolition during the present thing outside their own country and their own generation, has spread from these Chinese peculiar national life. The problem was how abroad to their compatriots at home. The last to teach a people who had no desire to be of the important educative influences at work taught; no desire, not because they lacked which I shall name is that of such centres of
teach is unneDesKary,"
64
might
+
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.