In the January issue of "The "didn't take to it," ete. There is Chinese Recorder" Dr. Wu Lien-fundamental reason for the teh, the well known head of the failure of these manual schools and Manchurian Plague Service Bureas that reason cannot at present be and leader of the medical profes-removed. And that reason is the sion in China, made certain amazingly cheap rate at which the criticisms on Mission work which pauper labour of this huge country we reproduced. In particular he can produce its goods. seemed to suggest that industrial Aw Oceax or Hanns. and manual training did not figure sufficiently in Mission Has the reader ever watched in schools. In the following extreme-these last few years the construcly interesting article our Haichow tion of a railroad in China If he correspondent, who has a wide is familiar with the way roadbeds experience of China and keen jate built in the homeland he will practical insight into facts as; turn away from the sight in utter contrasted with mere desiderata, dreariness. He misses the clouds answers Dr, Wu and makes certain of smoke from the steam-shovels, suggestions which are of interest the puff of the donkey engine, the to business men as well as mis straining teams of mules and horses sionaries. as they haul out great steel scoops from the ditches laden with a ton Every fair-minded missionary is of dirt (and often as not the grateful for such an article as appicturesque profanity which is peared in the "Chinese Recorder" mingled with all). He sees instead for January, by Dr. Wu Lien-teh, a long disorderly line of coolies and should be doubly grateful for the who patter back and forth with a attention it received in your leader small basket on each end of a pole of January 28. And I take it that each of which contains only a you and he and your readers will hatful of mud. be glad to see "a continuance of Yet he finds in charge of the such discussions as long as they works a highly paid engineer from are kept upon the same frank and the best that the West produces, friendly basis. who will point with pride to his T want to select one single phase cost sheet and show how this is the of this article, recognizing, how-cheapest construction he has ever ever, that it was by no means the done. principal dex under discussion.
Manual schools succeed in western Dr. Wu says:—countries because of the enormous "Even from the view point of the! economic value of a pair of hands.
nary, the establishment of manual even unskilled. In an ocean of training schools, where thousands of hands, no matter how eager and young boys and girls may find product employment and recreation, will be a willing some may be, it is funda-Dlessing."" mentally impossible for a large The expression "producti value to be placed on any small employment" is my theme, for number, for the simple reason of is the rock against which the the ease and readiness with which manual school in China has come they can be replaced. to wreck and ruin.
Lasove Lost Enrirety.
A Foreign Srepiixe.
Inasmuch as cloth is a universal Let us rule out at the start the need and as both mission and schools in or near the great ports, government schools almost invarithat, produce articles of foreign or ably select some sort of weaving semi-foreign nature, which are as one of their main industries, let absorbed by foreigners, tourists or us lock at it for a moment in those fortunately situated Chinese detail, starting on the common who have the taste for such and the} white cloth at which the novice is means for indulging the same, for first put to work.
We are at first the bulk of such schools, to say; much impressed with the readiness nothing of the comparative needs, {of the pupils to learn. Their hands must be in the interior and must quickly become trained to rapid, produce standard articles for which delicate motions, and the looms there is a steady demand at all form a pretty, picture of industry seasons, and the click' of the bobbins is a most enjoyable sound. But a A Forercy Frower. decided shook comes in the market-The manual training school is one! ing of the product. We find after of the ideas that have been brought careful calculation that the finished over from a foreign soil and like' cloth sells for no more than the many others it has drooped and cost of the original thread of which died. Manual schools have been it is made. The labour is lost established time and again andi entirely! The thing is puzzling and few are the missions that are takes patient investigation to dis-Without an experience or two, Few cover the causes, and happy is he realty understand the basic reason who discovers them all. for their failure. It is easy, after is found out and appreciated the event, to say that we did not for the first time on how amazingly bhava the proper man in charge or small a margin of profit cloth is that he concentrated his energies produced. Incidentally it will be on articles for which there was no found that few men make their demand: or that the Chinese living by making cloth alone—that
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.