Ningpo, Jan. 3.
Advantage was taken of the New Year's holiday to give a concert and exhibition of work at the Ningpo Methodist College which was very largely attended by foreign and Chinese residents of the port. Amongst the latter were included the Defence Commissioner and Taoyin and other officials of the city and a large number of representatives of the various educational institutions of the district. Altogether about 500 persons were present.
The guests were first conducted round the building, in the various classrooms of which were displayed specimens of the work the students had done during the term. A number of maps and drawings adorned the walls, exhibiting a skill on the part of the students which surprised many of the foreign guests who were not aware how skilful Chinese youths are with their fingers. There were also a large number of neatly written note-books and copy books which were arranged on tables for the inspection of the guests. The Chinese officials were specially interested in the Chinese essays, and said that though they could not judge from the English work of th> school they could judge from_ the quality of these essays that Chinese studies were not neglected. A number of slide rules prepared under the direction of Mr. Tchou n.sc., also provoked great interest, the Chinese mind being quick to perceive the advantages of this counting instrument over the abacus commonly used by Chinese accountants.
Wonpers or rue West.
Whilst. this was proceeding Mr. Redfern's chemistry class was alternately amazing and terrifying a large group of visitors by showing them some startling (though te westerners familiar) experiments in the laboratory. To unsophisticated minds it certainly does seem strange that gun-powder may be compounded of such apparently harmless ingredients as charcoal, sulphur and nitro, or that hot water in a corked-up flask may be made to boil for a considerable time by pouring cold water over it.
The guests then proceeded to the recently erected College Hall, were they were entertained for two hours with a very varied programme contributed by members of the College staff and student body. The chief item and perhaps the most successful was a reproduce tion in English of three scenes from Shakespeare's Julius Cesar," which had been prepared by the elder students under the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.