Indifference to Foreign Suggestion: China her own Instructor From Our Own Correspondent, Kashing; Aug. 2.
All possible varieties of summer school are now in vogue. The outstanding educational accom-pushment this year is the testing cout of the 1,000 character schools. About 100 graduated, each pupil, age from 45 down to 11 years, suc. cessfully recognized, 500 characters in four months of night study. A newspaper limited first to 500 characters is being printed and is very popular, later it will use 1,000 characters and attempt to reach the unlearned with the facts of the day.
This city, being in the Wu dialect section, does not take any interest in the widely advertised. phonetics.
The public-spirited citizens have secured enough money to open five schools in the autumn and winter, one at least for women. It is interesting to see how eagerly the Chinese respond to efforts to teach them their own language in their own ideographs. The study of English in these summer schools is also increasing.
Politics are mentioned languid-Ay. People here do not fear invasion. Chekiang has been at peace so. long that it would require a real revolution to excite our population.
T am told by careful observers of Chinese opinion, that the leaders now in power are indifferent to foreign suggestion and that the Chinese are slowly coming to feel that they can in time work out their own problems ignoring rather than opposing the foreigners. Student station seems less effective than listless resistance. The average Chinese is not worried in the least about what happens if it does not happen to him. However, if it does happen to him, he gets out from under as soon as possible and waits for better days.
The rice crops are now very promising, both early and later plantings. Tobacco leaf in the Tunghiang district is flourishing. Fruits are abundant. Vegetables freely offered.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.