HOW I PREPARED FOR AMERICA.
On our arrival at Shanghai, my cousin took me to see our aunt whose
husband was a compradôr in an American tea warehouse. A compradôr
is usually found in every foreign _hong_ or firm. He acts as
interpreter and also as agent for the company. He has a corps of
accountants called _shroffs_, assistants and workmen under him.
My uncle was rich and lived in a fine house built after European
models. It was there that I first came in immediate contact with
Western civilization. But it was a long time before I got used to
those red-headed and tight-jacketed foreigners. “How can they walk or
run?” I asked myself curiously contemplating their close and confining
garments. The dress of foreign ladies was still another mystery to me.
They shocked my sense of propriety also, by walking arm-in-arm with
the men. “How peculiar their voices are! how screechy! how sharp!” Such
were some of the thoughts I had about those peculiar people.
A few days after, I was taken to the Tung Mim Kuen, or Government
School, where I was destined to spend a whole year, preparatory to
my American education. It was established by the government and was
in charge of a commissioner, a deputy-commissioner, two teachers of
Chinese, and two teachers of English. The building was quite spacious,
consisting of two stories. The large schoolroom, library, dining-rooms
and kitchen occupied the first floor. The offices, reception room and
dormitories were overhead. The square tables of the teachers of Chinese
were placed at each end of the schoolroom; between them were oblong
tables and stools of the pupils.
I was brought into the presence of the commissioners and teachers;
and having performed my _kow-tow_ to each, a seat was assigned
me among my mates, who scanned me with a good deal of curiosity. It
was afternoon, and the Chinese lessons were being recited. So while
they looked at me through the corners of their eyes, they were also
attending to their lessons with as much vim and voice as they could
command. Soon recitations were over, not without one or two pupils
being sent back to their seats to study their tasks over again, a few
blows being administered to stimulate the intellect and quicken memory.
At half-past four o’clock, school was out and the boys, to the number
of forty, went forth to play. They ran around, chased each other and
wasted their cash on fruits and confections. I soon made acquaintance
with some of them, but I did not experience any of the hazing and
bullying to which new pupils in American and English schools are
subject. I found that there were two parties among the boys. I joined
one of them and had many friendly encounters with the rival party. As
in America, we had a great deal of generous emulation, and consequently
much boasting of the prizes and honors won by the rival societies.
Our chief amusements were sight-seeing, shuttle-cock-kicking and
penny-guessing.
Supper came at six when we had rice, meats and vegetables. Our faces
invariably were washed after supper in warm water. This is customary.
Then the lamps were lighted; and when the teachers came down, full
forty pairs of lungs were at work with lessons of next day. At eight
o’clock, one of the teachers read and explained a long extract from
Chinese history, which, let me assure you, is replete with interest. At
nine o’clock we were sent to our beds. Nothing ever happened of special
interest. I remember that we used to talk till pretty late, and that
some of the nights that I spent there were not of the pleasantest kind
because I was haunted by the fear of spirits.
After breakfast the following morning we assembled in the same
schoolroom to study our English lessons. The teacher of this branch
was a Chinese gentleman who learned his English at Hongkong. The first
thing to be done with me was to teach me the alphabet. When the teacher
grew tired he set some advanced pupils to teach me. The letters sounded
rather funny, I must say. It took me two days to learn them. The letter
_R_ was the hardest one to pronounce, but I soon learned to give
it, with a peculiar roll of the tongue even. We were taught to read and
write English and managed by means of primers and phrase-books to pick
up a limited knowledge of the language. A year thus passed in study and
pastime. Sundays were given to us to spend as holidays.
It was in the month of May when we were examined in our English studies
and the best thirty were selected to go to America, their proficiency
in Chinese, their general deportment and their record also being taken
into account.
There was great rejoicing among our friends and kindred. For the
cadet’s gilt button and rank were conferred on us, which, like the
first literary degree, was a step towards fortune, rank and influence.
Large posters were posted up at the front doors of our homes, informing
the world in gold characters of the great honor which had come to the
family.
We paid visits of ceremony to the _Tautai_, chief officer of the
department, and to the American consul-general, dressed in our official
robes and carried in fine carriages. By the first part of June, we
were ready for the ocean journey. We bade our friends farewell with due
solemnity, for the thought that on our return after fifteen years of
study abroad half of them might be dead, made us rather serious. But
the sadness of parting was soon over and homesickness and dreariness
took its place, as the steamer steamed out of the river and our native
country grew indistinct in the twilight.