Here are the answers to a written examination on the second chapter of Daniel, by a day-scholar, fifteen years of age. The answers are sufficiently intelligible without the questions. This boy has attended our school parts of two years. We found him in a little shanty of one or two rooms, situated below the level of the street, in close proximity to a duck-pond, which afforded his father a means of livelihood. He has never been a boarding-pupil, and his only instruction has been in the regular day session of the school. He has now gone back to China with his parents, and his examination was written shortly before he left. He expects to return in a few months, and again enter the school. He has shown an interest in the school aside from himself, having been instrumental in bringing other boys into it. All his school work has been of excellent quality, and he was able to take charge of his father’s store in the latter’s absence (his father having exchanged his poultry business for that of a grocery). Now for the examination, which I give in his own words:—
“1. Nebuchadnezzar one night was thinking if a new kingdom will be raised after his, after going to bed.
“2. Next morning he felt very sorry that he has forgotten what he been seen last night.
“3. The cause of his feeling is because he had dreamed a dream that he has forgotten all about it, so wonderful.
“4. He called the sorcerers, the magicians, and astrologers to help him.
“5. Daniel helped him.
“6. The God of heaven helped; He know the dream and interpretation.
“7. Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed a dream a great image, the head was gold, the arm, breast was silver, the belly and thigh was brass, the legs was iron, and toes was made part of iron and a part of clay, and stone cut without hands.
“8. The head of gold represented the kingdom of Babylon, the silver represented second kingdom, the brass represented the third kingdom, the iron represented the fourth kingdom, this kingdom was strong as iron; the fourth kingdom shall be divided into ten different kingdom, because the clay and iron wouldn’t stick together.
“9. The stone that cut without hands represented God.
“10. Nebuchadnezzar said unto Daniel, Your God is a God of gods.”
In a physiology examination this question was asked: “Do you want to belong to the family of tobacco-users? Why?”
The following answers were given: 1. “No!” because it poison my body fats. and weaken my mind.” 2. “I think no one likes to belong to the family of tobacco-users, because if one use, it weakens the mind, and besides that it is very poisonous.” 3. “I do not wishes to belong to the family of the tobacco, because it is harmful thing. If I learn to use tobacco, my father will scold me; because my family has no one got into the habit of using tobacco since I was born.” 4. “No, sir; because it is very bad for me. Suppose I use of it, the poison will kill me; so I don’t want belong its family.” 5. “Hoping I will not do so; because the physiology say so.” 6. “I do not want to belong to the class of tobacco-users because it bring moral, mental, and physical ruins; because most users of this weed are selfish and mean, they do not care for others, but about themselves, by poisoning the air and spitting everywhere; because I tried to smoke, and it made me sick; I tried to chew it, and it gave me great nausea, and make me vomit so much that my bile was drawn out. If God will help me, I will never use tobacco, alcohol, or anything of that kind.”
Only one of this class of six boys has formed the habit of cigarette-smoking (the only form of tobacco-using we have yet met among the boys in our school), and that is the one who gave answer No. 2. This fact is quite clearly indicated in his impersonal, evasive answer.
Not long ago our advanced physiology class had a written review on digestion. Of the six papers handed in, I laid aside the two best, and from the remaining four, selected answers, each one complete in itself, to all the questions put. Following,
are the questions, with the answers in the pupil’s own language:—
“1. What is meant by digestion? Ans.—The digestion means to dissolve the various food substances, and prepare for absorption into the blood. 2. Where is the process of digestion carried on? Ans.—Process of digestion carried on along the alimentary canal and connected with the various glands and different organs of the body. 3. Name all the digestive organs, and tell where each is located. Ans.—Mouth, tongue, and teeth contained in mouth; esophagus, which from mouth to the stomach about nine inches long; stomach, which is situated on left side, it is somewhat like pear in shape, and it capable keep one or two quarts of foods in it; small intestines, which is about twenty feet in length, fold in the under of the stomach; colon, which is about five feet in length. It is from right side to the left, and it is much larger of the small intestines; the pancreas is left upon the stomach; the absorption is in anywhere, until the digestive fluid digested done; the liver is in right side, and it is a large organ cover the stomach. 4. Into what five general parts is the digestive apparatus divided? Ans.—Mouth, stomach, river (the characteristic confusion of l and r), pancreas, intestines. 5. Name the digestive fluids, and tell where each is produced. Ans.—Salivary glands, producing saliva; peptic glands, producing gastric juice; the small intestinal, producing intestinal juice; the liver, producing the bile. 6. Name the five digestible food elements. Ans.—Starch, albumen, sugar, salt, oil. 7. Tell what food element each fluid digests. Ans.—Starch digest by saliva; albumen digested by gastric juice; fats digested by the bile; cane-sugar digested by intestinal juice. Every one of the fluids digest salt. Pancreatic juice digests starch and albumen. The intestinal digests cane-sugar, starch, albumen, and fats.
8. Name the ten digestive processes: Ans.—There are ten digestive processes: mastication, salivary digestion, deglutition, gastric digestion, biliary digestion, pancreatic digestion, intestinal digestion, peristaltic action, absorption, and liver digestion. 9. What is the nature of gastric juice? Of bile? Of what use is each besides the work of digestion? Ans.—The gastric juice prevent the food from fermentation. The nature of its juice is acid. Bile prevents decay of food substances in the bowels, aids absorption, and stimulates peristaltic action. 10. Tell all you can about the work of the liver. Ans.—The liver is a store to keep the food elements in a small box and give it away little by little when the body needs to use. The liver can digest the sugar and also poison and alcoholic drinks, and tobacco, narcotics. 11. Tell some things in the apparatus and work of digestion that show God’s wisdom and kindness. Ans.—We should thank the God all the time because He made our body so wonderful, and give to our life all the power of action.”
