Bulletin of Catholic University of Peking

CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF PEKING 75 : Se

ern science and philosophy into Chinese education. It is by all means desirable that the technical terminology should be uniform, so that philosophy could draw freely upon the natural sciences for facts and analogies. At present, in the selection of new terms, there are two conflicting tendencies. One tendency is to import, indiscriminately, from Japan the scientific terminology which that country employs. This tendency has the merit of employing well-defined terms which are current in Japan and consequently wellknown. The Chinese educated in Japan favor, asa rule, this method of coining new terms for the Chinese scientific use. The other tendency is to search out in the admittedly rich vocabulary of the Chinese language for exact corresponding terms. This tendency is commendable, but it has the disadvantage that each scholar invents, as it were, his own vocabulary which, while probably scientifically exact, is not in current use. The Cath-

olic Church’s scholars thus have the .

opportunity, in default of a National Academy of Letters, to give currency to the appropriate terminology. In the second number of the Bulletin, a doubt was expressed as to whether the Chinese language is suitable as a medium for teaching certain of the higher branches. In particular, the possibility of finding terms for the study of trigonometry was questioned. However, there is really no difficulty about finding mathematical terms in the Chinese language itself, at least for that subject. The trouble is that translators have not agreed on particular characters to be employed for certain terms. At any rate, it is obvious that work of this kind is only possible in a

university or, better still, on a basis of collaboration between university and secondary school teachers.

More indispensable than all other factors is the teacher, properly trained and with a proper focus on life. In this matter, the service to be rendered by the university to the secondary schools by preparing such, is commensurate with the importance to the schools of having teachers of this kind.

It has been mentioned that one of the principal reasons for the recent outbreaks on the part of students was a lack of control. One might better say a lack of proper discipline, since the wrong kind of restraint eventually leads to the same results as little or no discipline. Hence, it is extremely important for the teachers to have correct ideas regarding the methods of keeping discipline. They must, moreover, be taught to look upon the enforcement of proper discipline as an integral part of the teaching office.

Of the many secondary schools which it is hoped will be erected as soon as conditions are sufficiently peaceful, the majority will be under the control of foreign priests who will have to appoint courses and select the staff. An essential requirement for a teacher in China is a comprehensive acquaintance with literature. However, there are few or no missionaries who could even attempt to pass upon the literary qualifications of a Chinese teacher. We know that circumstances alter cases, and-so it is that mistakes of composition which might appear slight to foreigners, reveal to Chinese readers gross ignorance on the part of the author. The writer has in mind a letter written by a teacher who has held a fairly responsible position in charge