Tar question how Western knowledge is to be diffused throughout China, is one of deep importance and interest to Western nations, and deserves more attention than it has hitherto received. For, until the intellectual darkness of the "Middle Kingdom" is dispelled, there appears but little chance of the country being fairly opened to foreign inter course. The sooner the strongholds of the sooner China will'become fit to ignorance and superstition are removed, enter the comity of nations, and every branch of commercial enterprise have fair play throughout the eighteen pro-
But how is this work to be accom. Plished It is easy to see thatit is the duty as well as the interest of Western nations not to keep to themselves the secrets of their own moral and intellectual superiority. There are few foreign residents of any standing in China who have not endeavoured, in some way or other, to forward the work. But what has already been done by philnntropical sacietiesor private individuals, is but-as n drop in the bucket compared, with the vast requirements of China.
The great difficalty which stands in the way, at the outset, of any attempts that can be made in this direction, is the question of what language is the medium by which China can be best inshucted? Is the Chinese Iaugnage hest suited for the purpose, or must Foreign languages be leaned? In other words, is it better for three hundred and sixty millions of people, possessing a written language of their own, which has been the growth of thousands of years and embodies a remarkably extensive field of literature, to discard the whole and begin, de novo, by learning the various spoken and written languages of the West? Or, on the other hand, shall a few competent Foreigners come to China, learn its language, study its various departments of literature, and then, with the assistance of the best qualified native scholars, compile works which shall be intelligible to every Chinaman of moderate capacity, throughout the empire Bach of these plans has its supporters among the foreign residents in China. A glance at the results that have already been produced by both plans may not be out of place here.
Virst, then, what results have followed ihe teaching of Western knowledge through Western languages, in China. Nearly forty years ago, the Morrison schools were established in Hongkong. Than followed the Anglo-Chinese college and St. Paul's college. At Ningpo and Shanghai, missionary schools for teaching English were also established. The scholars as a general rule were obtained from the very lowest classes, and received gratuitous education, with board, lodging, and sometimes clothing. The curricalam of study required them to listen patiently to sermons, addresses and prayers, by the hour; and to read and commit to memory, page after page of the Bible or theological trea~ rises. A modicum of instruction in the English Language and a smattering of, the rudiments of science, was the reward for these tasks. Bach of these schools existed but a few years, and then collapsed. The scholars, with few exceptions, scattered themselves among the various treaty ports, and have since made good uso of their knowledge of, English in the all absorbing task of dollar-getting. A few of the more intelligent among them went so far to be able to rend the Greek Testa: ment and work problems in the Cal-cals; but now they are merely petty traders. And how can it be wondered at, when it is considered what little attraction subjects only half understood, and shrouded in the difficulties of a widely different language, must present toa Chinaman! Such attempts may almost be classed as absolute failnres—the Western knowledge thus imparted, so far from spreading through the Empire, has gone no farther than the few imperfectly educated pupils who were its recipients.
There are other philanthropists again who, at their own expense, have sent Chinamen to Europe and America, to he eduented in schools or colleges. Some of these pupils have gone successfully through the usual course of study, and have even graduated. The iden of their patrons was that, on retarning to China, they would apply themselves to instruct and enlighten their own countrymen. But their Chinese education having been neglected, they have invariably occupied no place at all among native scholars; and have proved themselves to all intents and purposes to be far less competent to impart instruction than foreigners who lave acquired proficiency in Chinese. As far og benefitting the masées of their fellow-countrymen is concerned, their foreign education has been thrown away. As a rule they have settled down ay interpreters or traders, and contented themselves with being able tomake money, through their knowledge of foreign languages, with as little exertion as possible. They have done no more to advance the diffusion of Western science in China, than pidgin-English speaking compradores or petty shopkeepers. In short, to give good foreign education to an ordinary Chi-aman, although of the greatest' benefit to him individually, is not calculated to make avy appreciable impression on the nation at large. The foreignized Chinaman is nobody among the better classes of his own countrymen; and is obliged to keep close for safety and protection, to his foreign friends, among whom alone he is able to gain a com-forrable independence.
Nest, let us see what has resulted from the attempts made to teach Western knowledge through the Chinese language. At present the work is only in its infancy, yet very satisfactory, results have already been obtained. The translations of foreign books into literati. Leaving the works published Chinese are eagerly bought up by the by the early Romish missionaries out of the question, the labours ofsach men as Hobson, Wylie, Muirhead, Edkins and others, in translate ntificbooks, have alrendy been largely crowned with success, The nomenclature they have employed has been readily understood and approved by Chitiese scholars, and the hardworking translators have their reward in. seeing their works well known and appreciated by the intellect tual classes. The Chinese Government, so far from checking, the spread of Western knowledge through the empire, has reprinted many of these works and supplied them to booksellers at cost price. The establishing of the translation department at the Kiang-nun Arsenal shows the eagerness of the highest officials in the Empire to become acquainted with the secrets of foreign power and prosperity. Some twenty works that have been translated at that establishment are now in coarse of publication. The immediate benefit that accrues from the transla tion of useful foreign works into Chinese is not perhaps very great; but as they gradually become known and spread over the Empire, it is manifest that Chinamen must begin to regard foreigners ina new light. Such ideas as their kidnapping children to make medicine of their eyes, as the " Genii Powder" nonsense, for instance, will then appear as absurd to the Chinese as they do tons now. And, what is of still more importance, Mandarin obstructiveness will have to give way before the progress of the telegraph, the railway, and the coal and iron mines, when once the advantages and
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.