The Chinese educational mission., October 9, 1872

The Chinese educational mission.

To the Teachers of the Chinese Students:

The new Chinese educational mission awakens a profound interest as a prophecy of great progress to the oldest and largest nation on the globe. America congratulates China on the inauguration of this noble work and gives a cordial welcome to these ambitious and earnest students. Every possible effort should be employed to make this experiment a success. If wisely managed at the outset, it will expand into broad agencies and vast results. That nothing may be omitted to give efficiency to this comprehensive and liberal scheme, the following suggestions are submitted for your careful consideration:

• These students should have regular school-hours for study and recitation, as well as for exercise and recreation. So far they seem to be exemplary, cheerful, studious, and promising, but their youth necessitates a parental supervision and watchful control—a kind but firm and steady government. While their habits of prompt and cheerful obedience must be continued, they should be thrown upon their own resources, and trained to self-reliance, self-denial, self-command, energy, and perseverance, and every manly virtue. The Chinese justly despise vacillation and effeminacy. They scorn sloth, love labor, and practice industry and economy. Resisting all temptations to indolence, prodigality, fickleness or irresolution, these boys should emulate that patience and persistence and frugality, which are the pride and practice of the true Chinaman.
• A regular record should be kept of the branches daily pursued, of the progress made, the deportment of each, and any aptitude shown for special studies. If any student should so underrate his privileges as to become irregular in his habits or negligent in his studies, he should be promptly reported to the commissioners.
• As these students are preparing for positions of responsibility at home, it is important that they should continue the study of their own language and literature. Hence at least one hour a day will be set apart for each student to devote to the Chinese studies prescribed for him for a period of three months. Thus the knowledge and use of their vernacular will be kept up and enlarged.
• Filial piety and patriotism are to be inculcated. Love of country and ambition to become the exponents of our science and culture, and thus the benefactors of their own land, should be an incentive and inspiration to them as soon as they can be led to appreciate their privileges and responsibilities.
• They should be early instructed in the laws of health, especially as to neatness and bathing, precautions against “colds” in the sudden changes of our climate, protecting the feet and the person, guarding against currents of air, of a sudden chill after violent exercise and when in a perspiration.
• For the present, reading, spelling, drawing, and writing, and especially writing simple English sentences, should be their prominent exercises. Geography and arithmetic, and particularly rapid addition and “mental combinations,” will soon follow.

The commissioners will frequently visit and inspect the boys, and the continuance of the boys in each locality will depend upon their progress and improvement.