But most teachers, continued the speaker, would think it, altogether too radical to propose the dropping of Chinese from college curricula, and would look upon such a course asa fatal mistake. No Chinese was considered educated who had not a knowledge of the literature, history, and philosophy of his own country, and who was unable to express his thoughts in good literary style, The authorities in China were. much perturbed over the fact that students who returned from ab had so'little knowledge of their own language and literature, and strict regulations had been issued reqniring a knowledge of Chinese from students before they could be given a post in the Government. English education had a higher pecuniary value, but the necessity of a good education of Chinese was realized. and missionary schools and colleges would lose much of their popularity if they did anything that appeared to cast a slight on the value of jing, and to underrate Tt was important that students educated through the medium of English should be able to translate their knowledge into Chinese, and this was not the case at present. Returned students preferred to lecture in English, and if they spoke in Chinese they were frequently obliged to make use of foreign words and phrases, It was not to be believed that higher education in China would always be given in a foreign language. If Western knowledge was to become indigenous, and cease to be an exotic, it must be spread in the language of the people, For decades to come the Chinese would cling to their wonderful characters and their marvellous literary style. and students must therefore be instructed to pour the new knowledge into old moulds.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.