TEACHING A CHINAMAN.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume V, Issue 46, 15 November 1890, Page 19

TEACHING A CHINAMAN.

The imitative and retentive powers of the Chinese mind have long been proverbial, and they are but rarely questioned, but a kind-hearted lady who undertook to base her efforts to educate a young Chinaman upon these faculties had her long established belief badly shattered. There area score or more of ladies of means and leisure who are greatly devoted to the cause of the Chinese, and they devote a large share of their time to efforts to educate and Christianize the heathen sons of the Celestial Empire. A Mrs Brownlie is one of the latest additions to the corps of philanthropic ladies, and her first effort was an experiment in teaching the English language by a method of her own devising. Her pupil was a bright burking young Chinaman named Ying Shenn Lee. To carry out her plan of teaching English in object lessons Mrs Brownlie took young Lee out to the Zoological Garden, thinking that his interest in the animals would he sufficient to fasten in his memory what she might desire to say about them. This is the way she proceeded : — ‘ Ying, this is an elephant, the largest land animal.’ ‘Yes. Lelephant. He heap big.’ ‘ This is a camel from Arabia He can go many days without water.’ ‘ Yes. Camel can go long ’thout water.’ ‘ Here is a monkey. The monkey lives in a tree and swings by his tail.’ ‘ Monkey heap tail and lib in tree.’ ‘Now, Ying, that animal in the water is a seal. Hisskin makes a nice cloak.’ ‘ Cm. He sleal. Him make belly good coat.’ ‘ This is a cow. She is tame and gives milk, ami this is a hen. The hen lays eggs.’ This kind of antiphonal service was conducted by Mrs Brownlie until she had gone the rounds of the garden. Meeting Head Keeper Byrne on the way, she introduced Ying Lee to him and told the Chinaman that he watched all the animals and saw that they were properly fed and cared for. Then she sat down and endeavoured to draw from her pupil the information she had imparted to him. ‘ Now, Ying,’ she began, ‘can you tell me what an elephant is ?’ After a moment of reflection Ying replied with a thoughtful air:—‘Lelephant—he little animal, heap long tall. Climb trees, I guess ?’ Mrs Brownlie kindly corrected Ying’s erroneous impressions about the elephant, and started anew with her catechism. ‘ You know what a cow is, don't you, Ying ?’ ‘ He-he-he gif eggs and swim water?’ was the halting query of the Chinaman. ‘No ! no 1 no I’ impatiently interrupted his instructor, and then she sifted out of his head his mixed idea of a seal, hen and cow. Then, with some misgiving, she proceeded : — ‘ Do you remember Mr Byrne?’ ‘ Oh, yes ! We know him. He come from ’Rabia, and dlink belly little water.’ The Chinaman gave this answer with a look of supreme triumph, but poor Mrs Brownlie hesitated between laughing and crying. Finally, concluding to do neither, she wearilv restored Mi Byrne's character in Ying’s mind, and with all the courage she could muster sue tried over again. ‘ The hen, Ying. Do you remember what I told you about the hen ?’ Ying did not answer at once, but buried himself in thought for two minutes and then began :— ‘ I know him hen. He heap big, gif milk. He hat" one tail front one tail back. He ’— But Mrs Brownlie did not wait for any further revelations concerning the hen. She led Ying away from the Garden, anil as they passed out through the gate the ticket seller heard the Chinaman innocently ask:—‘Him monkey libe in water or lay eggs. Miss Brownlie ?’