In these “notes” it is designed to give, in short, detached paragraphs, such features of, and incidents in, the work of conducting a Christian school among the Chinese, as it is thought will be of interest to the general reader. Let it be borne in mind by those who may read these notes, that the pupils in our school have grown up to youth and manhood in homes that, almost without exception, are entirely destitute of Christian influences and ideas of social propriety; so what might pass by without notice or comment in the ordinary school, must be signs of progress in this one.
In a recent examination in language, one boy gave, in illustration of the use of a certain word, this sentence: “I pray the Lord to take care of me, when I lie me down to sleep.” We often have to depend on something of this nature to discover the working of these conservative minds.
A few weeks ago the members of our physiology class requested us to provide boiled water in the home for drinking purposes, as they wished to discontinue the use of tea. We bought a stone container, labeled it “Boiled Water,” set it alongside the one that was being used for tea, and instructed the Chinese cook to keep it supplied with boiled water, putting it in hot, as the boys had been accustomed to using their tea warm, and thus the change would not seem so great as to give them cold water. The thought was to place the boiled water beside the tea, and let it win its way gradually. But before night of the same day, much to our surprise, the cook removed the tea-container, on his own responsibility, and put the boiled water in its place. There it still remains, without a murmur against it, to my knowledge, and the boys may be seen almost any time of day slaking their thirst by the same means as the more careful health reformer.
That this episode may be appreciated, let the reader bear in mind that the Chinaman uses tea as an Anglo-Saxon uses drinking-water—to quench his thirst any time of day or night, to cleanse his mouth and teeth, etc., but very rarely at his meals. The tea-container already spoken of was set out on the dining-room veranda, just as a filter would be in an American hotel or other public place, and was as frequently resorted to. It will be remembered that the Chinese conduct their own culinary department in our school, and consequently we were not responsible for the tea. We are glad, however, to be indirectly responsible for its disappearance.
Two of our teachers and myself made a bicycle tour of this island (Oahu) in the holiday vacation, being out three days, and covering eighty-five miles. One of our home boys accompanied us, and it was interesting to observe that whenever we stopped with a Chinese friend or entered a Chinese restaurant, he, of his own accord, would see that boiled water was provided for us and himself. As we were sometimes obliged to drink such water as we could obtain between stops, he declares that next time he goes on such a trip, he will buy a canteen, and fill it with boiled water before he starts, for use along the way. This young man does nothing by halves, so far as we have been able to observe; and as he is one of the number who recently made a public profession of faith in Christ, we have strong hopes that the same zeal he manifests in the matter of the boiled water, may be exercised in all points of truth that go to make up a Christian character. Here is his picture.
