Bulletin of Catholic University of Peking

CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF PEKING Tz

ligious or commercial, as a non-Catholic writer declared not long ago. They can offer valuable suggestions drawn from a wide experience with the Chinese on topics directly or indirectly relating to education. The expansion of schoolwork naturally involves financial outlay. Such a matter, of course, must be determined by each vicariate for itself. Itis certain, however, that most of the vicariates can arrange their budgets so as to provide for schoolwork, especially when a considerable part of the operating costs can be met by tuition fees. Under present conditions, at least, it is not a good policy to have free mission schools. Perhaps many deserving boys and girls are thus deprived of a chance for an education, but in such cases other provisions can often be made for them without violating the general rule. So much, then, for our resources.

Concerning the difficulties, Dr.Ferguson notes, without agreeing with the objection, that education breeds nothing but a class of troublemakers. is the vogue at the present time to lay all China’s ills at the door of education. It is rightly said that if the young men and women had not been educated on modern lines in the new schools of China or by residence abroad, we should not have had the present political chaos.’’ Hence it is well to consider in reference to education, the spirit of the present-day student class, and also that of the older generation of students who, as the Doctor says, are gradually getting control of the government. It is undoubtedly true that the student class have rendered themselves obnoxious not only to foreigners, but even to conservative Chinese, by their participation in recent disturb-

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ances. But from this it is illogical to conclude that educational work in China is exceptionally difficult. The circumstances responsible for such conditions must be taken into account. As described by Dom Francis Clougherty, O.S.B., in the last number of the Bu/letin, the status questionis may be put as follows: Given an average boy, with just an average boy’s maturity and love of learning; a curriculum staggering on with tremendous handicaps; teachers unavoidably ill-prepared; an inability or unwillingness to curb student activities on the part of the public authorities; and, finally, some outlet for youthful idealism in the shape of a patriotic demonstration on an occasion such as the betrayal of China by the Allies at Versailles: and what kind of order, or rather disorder, is to be expected under circumstances of the sort? Perhaps, it was at that time, too, that certain interests realized the fossibilities latent in the Student class, since it alone stood united in all parts of the country. At any rate, six years later the students again rose as one man to demonstrate against the unfortunate tragedy of May 30, 1925.

From that time on, the Chinese students seemed to be the leading agitators of the country. These facts, however, do not militate damagingly against the Chinese student body. They simply reveal the absence of a firm and efficient guiding hand over their doings. In spite of present appearances, the Chinese are extremely peace-loving, and students as such are no exception to this rule. It is rare to find students settling personal grievances by recourse to fisticuffs. Their obedience to parents and superiors is proverbial, so that discipline can al-