Class ,^ZiAy^cC Gopightl^ f COPYRIGHT DEPOSm A BEAUTIFUL GEM JI YUNG IN HER GRADUATING DRESS, THE LONG-DESIRED DIPLOMA IN HER HAND. ^l%1 Copyright, iqii BY Smith & Lamar /"^To ©CI.A846143 THE DEAR SISTER WHO TAUGHT MB TO LOVB MISSIONS INTRODUCTION. The revelation of a young girl's character through her own words, written with girlish abandon to her trusted friend and teacher, sums up in a sentence the contents of this book, en- titled "A Beautiful Gem." Girlhood in any land is full of charm to people who think of its latent possibilities for growth and beauty; but the unfolding of the character of a young girl of high rank in Ching. has an added attrac- tion for students of life as well as of missions because the opportunities for such a psycholog- ical study are rare. Miss Janie H. Watkins, a missionary of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and a member of the faculty of the Laura Haygood Memorial, in Soochow, China, has rendered a beautiful service in collating the letters of Ji Yung written to her while this attractive young girl was her pupil. As Miss Watkins received her training in the Scarritt Bible and Training School, we feel pride akin to hers in the unfolding of Ji Yung's (7) 8 INTRODUCTION. character under her influence as shown forth in these letters. Our pride extends beyond hers to the teacher whose affection and interest helped to mold and mature her pupil. We com- mend the book to members of young people's societies and to young women who enjoy a charming story. The Oriental setting of this beautiful gem is given in etching only by Miss Watkins in her desire to let Ji Yung portray her own life and character. She entered the Laura Haygood Memorial at thirteen, and then the polishing of the gem began. She remained a heathen sev- eral years, and her teacher wrote: "To the daily study of the Bible Ji Yung brought a heart steeped in prejudice." But God laid this young girl on tfie hearts of her teachers, and the transformation of her life — a miracle of grace — was their reward. The schoolgirl's letters compass the great events of her life — her conversion, marriage, and graduation — and record the fact that after their marriage her husband, a nephew of one of the Grand Councilors of the realm, had entered Soochow University to continue his studies. The book closes leaving the young couple as students In Soochow, and one feels that a INTRODUCTION. 9 sequel must be written in which we must find a faithful portrayal of Ji Yung and her husband, Mr. K. Y. Tsz, as enlightened, earnest, educated Christians fiilfilling their obligations in New China. The story of her life is not ended, and as we read the last page we felt that we were leaving Ji Yung A lovely being scarcely formed or molded, A rose with all its sweetest leaves yet folded. Maria Layng Gibson. Kansas City, Mo., November 22, 191 1. FOREWORD. The story of this young girl told in America never failed to interest those who heard. Aft- erwards came the thought that she might speak for herself through her letters, and in this way a larger number of people might get an insight into her heart and life and might better under- stand and love the womanhood of China. To enlist interest in her and in many others is the "why" of this little volume. The letters have been copied just as they were written by her. The meaning of the last syllable of her given name suggested the title, "A Beautiful Gem." (II) A BEAUTIFUL GEM. |HE early setting of this beautiful gem is thoroughly Oriental. The house, built at the close of the Tai-ping Rebellion, and perhaps the most beautiful in the city, is surrounded by high walls. Within are many apartments and dim, narrow corridors, where an uninitiated Westerner could lose the way many times. There is also a quiet, picturesque garden with shrubs and flowers, rockeries, and a miniature lake — all making a bit of restful and pictur- esque scenery. Several generations have lived in this house, since it is the custom in Chinese families for each son to bring his bride to the ancestral home. Here Ji Yung grew up with her sisters and brothers, and there were almost an equal number of amahs, or women servants, to watch over the children. The city is Wusih, a progressive, cultured place thirty miles from the more widely known city of Soochow. Within the past five years a (13) 14 A BEAUTIFUL GEM. railroad has been built between Shanghai, "on the sea/' and Nanking, the old Southern capital of the first Ming emperor; and this railroad passes through Wusih. But in the days of Ji Yung's childhood the railroad with its fast trains was a thing undreamed of for China; perhaps heard of, however, from the grand- father as he told the children stories of things he had seen in the busy cities of Europe when he served his government as ambassador to Italy, Holland, Germany, and to the Court of St. James. The great highway of travel at that time was the Grand Canal, which passes near her door. This triumph of human labor was com- pleted in the time of Kublai Khan, between 1280 and 1294, for the easy transportation of tribute rice to his capital of Cambulu, or Pe- king. The junks on the canal with their ma- jestic sails were doubtless objects of interest and wonder to her childish eyes. The women of other generations in her fam- ily had been more or less content to live the conventional life of the secluded Chinese wom- an of her time, with its weary monotony and enervating luxury. But a strong undercurrent of dissatisfaction, as well as forces from with- A BEAUTIFUL GEM. 15 out, were bringing new factors into play in the education of young women. When Ji Yung and her sisters were growing into the school- girl age and beginning the study of the written character with teachers in the home, mission schools were being built where girls of their position could go and be real schoolgirls. At about thirteen she entered the Laura Hay- good Memorial^ in Soochow. Quite notice- able was the pale, delicate girl, earnest in her school work, but cold and unloving in her atti- tude toward the other girls. With her entrance the polishing of the gem began. Grammar, arithmetic, history, and music were the first subjects that claimed the atten- tion of her eager, questioning mind. In the course of the next few years she advanced to rhetoric, literature, botany, physiology, chemis- try, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, ethics, psychology, logic, and astronomy — all of which she pursued in the English language, besides Latin and a course in classic Chinese. In each of these, in turn, she proved to be a quick, diligent, and thorough student in whom her teachers found pleasure. An upright and truthful character is part of her heritage from a noble ancestry. l6 A BEAUTIFUL GEM. Among the subjects that she took up in the curriculum there was one entirely new, one which she had never thought of even in an elementary way, and that was the Bible, with its story of the great loving heart of the Eter- nal wrought out in the cross before human eyes. To the daily study of the Bible she brought a heart steeped in prejudice. From the first she was laid on her teachers' hearts, and there was direct, earnest prayer for her, fol- lowed by personal approach on the subject of salvation. The answers, though always polite, were such as to show an unconvinced mind and heart; and we knew that we must "bide a time." But we were not without cause for hope as we watched for several years the transforma- tion of her daily life. The cold-hearted girl be- came the friend to all who were sick or lonely ; the ambitious girl became the tutor to smaller girls who were learning to "totter" in the road to English ; the proud girl became the one who was called on for various services. And we who watched her smiled and said : "She is near the kingdom." The freshness of spring now clothing the grass and trees of our Trueheart Home lawn is not more pleasing than the un- folding of a human heart and the lighting up A BEAUTIFUL GEM. 17 of a young girl's countenance. She grew from childhood to womanhood in our midst, and we took more pleasure in her each year. At the end of her sixth year she wrote the letter here introduced. It tells its own story. My Dear Teacher: Thank you so much for your kindness to me, and I wish I can become of what you said. I read the Bible carefully this morning, and I did find a comfort in it. I love not the honors and pleasures of this world ; so although this man is the son of Chang Chih Tong's sister, and his father is one of the higher officers of the province Hunan, I don't please at all. I wish rather to be a teacher, that I can always help others and do work. Truly a very unfortunate girl I am, and it seems no one can help me; yet I decide to go forward bravely and do what is right. I hope very much that I can always find comfort and help in the Bible. I am willing to try to love God and Christ with all my heart as I love you. With many thanks. Your loving pupil, Ji Yung. l8 A BEAUTIFUL GEM. This letter came as the result of a long con- versation on the school lawn one Sunday after- noon. She had come for comfort; had come to tell that the marriage arranged in early childhood must be completed now. That she had strong ambition and had gained new ideas for her life was apparent. Poor child! my heart ached for her, and the sympathy and comfort I tried to give were sincere. My only hope for her then was that when she should enter into this new home, hundreds of miles in the interior, she might go as a Christian. This letter shows the state of her own mind the next morning. The letter held a surprise for me. She says : "This man [even that much of reference to the betrothed or married is not the custom of Chinese women] is the son of Chang Chih Tong's sister." I knew Chang Chih Tong as one of the Grand Councilors of the realm, a Chinese statesman who had won by his own integrity a place for himself near the Manchu throne. Soon after that time Chang Chih Tong died. The regent commissioned one of the roy- al princes to weep before his coffin, and ordered memorial temples built in the two provinces he had served as viceroy. A BEAUTIFUL GEM. 19 After a few weeks she sent another letter. My Dear Teacher: I want to thank God, for he has mercy on me and opens my heart to recognize Christ as my Saviour now. Though I am unworthy to be called a Christian, I can say that I love Jesus and believe that he died for my sin. But my heart is still troubling over one thing which many times makes me to re- fuse to be called and saved by Christ — that is when I think about the unbelieving of my whole family. My mother is believing in worship- ing idols from her youth up to now, and my father, with the rest of the family, believes nothing to be worshiped in this world. They are very hard to be converted, because I know their hearts ; so I am very sorry. Since all my dear ones at home cannot be saved, I will not myself to be saved alone, and I am willing to be perished with them. Though I know that God has great power, and that he can change every one's heart, it is how hard to change my family. O, I want my home and country to be saved ! 20 A BEAUTIFUL GEM. ' How sorry I am for the sins and ignorance of my country! Now I will ask you to pray to God that he will change the hearts of my fa- ther, mother, and all my family. I love you, and I am sure that you will help me. One thing I will also tell you, that I have never made a certain prayer to God, because I cannot. Sometimes I try to make a short prayer to God, but feel that no one receives it. It is because my heart is full of sin so I cannot talk with God, I know. I am not well to-day, and I am afraid I can- not go out to the service this afternoon; but I will see if by tfiat time I am strong enough to go. I wonder that I have so many things to trouble in my heart, and I cannot tell you all. Many things cannot be done as I hope, and I do not know what shall I be later. I am will- ing to give up all myself to God, and I wish that in this life I can always do God's work and help others, then I suppose I will be happy. With sincere love. Your pupil, Ji Yung. A BEAUTIFUL GEM. 2 1 This letter was written during the first of the annual revival seasons Soochow has been en- joying for several years. Sometimes in praying the question, "How long?" had come; but this letter, with its glo- rious news, inspired our minds to ask, "So soon?" The days, weeks, and years vanished in the presence of victory. Any one who won- ders at her expression of unwillingness to be saved without her family must remember sim- ilar expressions from Moses and Paul. It seems a witness of the sincerity and reality of the work done. Ji Yung stood to confess Christ before the school and took her place as a Christian, contributing money and teaching in the "ragged" Sunday school. On the day the school closed for the summer holiday I found this letter on my table : My Dearest Teacher: Several months ago I did not know that I will leave you and the school this time ; but when my father sent for me that time he told me that I cannot go to school any longer, and the reason I have al- ready told you. At hearing this I was exceed- ingly sorry, and begged him to think out any 22 A BEAUTIFUL GEM, plan for me ; but he said that he could not, be- cause he had no right to refuse them strongly. So he is about to let me marry sometime in the summer or after it, and I believe that this will happen. I am praying to God that he will change this if he pleases. How sorry I am to leave you I cannot de- scribe with my pen. For six years we have been together and have loved each other. After my departure I suppose we will not meet again anywhere. Now my heart is full of sorrow over myself and all the sisters of my own country, who al- ways suffer worse than I. How poor it is to be a Chinese woman ! She is but a toy or slave to man. She cannot do what she pleases, and even has no chance to decide in her own life. The house I will go to is said to be very, very conservative, and every one there hates the new customs. They regard not the education of woman. So when I go there I may have good things to eat and fine dresses to wear, but I will only be a slave and will have no freedom A BEAUTIFUL GEM. 23 at anything. I am not the girl who is content to enjoy the pleasures of ignorance, but rather to suffer and live ideally. So certainly I can- not endure to meet this thing. I think I will surely die before that time unless God helps me. My sisters, Van Yung and Ling Yung, are very fortunate, because they can study as long as they want to. I always hoped that after I had finished my study here I would go to study in America, your country. Now all these things seem impossible. But I hope I will have; a chance to visit your country during my life ; then I will be very happy. I will also tell you one thing. That is, since I have confessed I believe Christ most of my dear ones at home and many relatives displease me. They call me foolish and ignorant to be- lieve such things, and they said that though religion should be free and according to one's own conscience; but anyhow they are bitterly against this. There are many people in China who for religion's sake are badly treated even by their own parents, brothers, and sisters. I 24 A BEAUTIFUL GEM, fear I will also happen this. So I think when I go home this time I will be very much dif- ferently treated. But I will be only patient at anything, and wish I can show a better char- acter in order to glorify God. O, I wish I will not return home this summer, and I want to be with you ! I am just like a struggling bird that will soon be shut into the cage. Pity me, dear teacher. In order to remind you of my perfect, un- broken love, please take this jade ring; and if you do not like it, only please keep it as a token of my love. The napkin ring I meant to send you when you go to America, but now I can- not see you at that time. The characters on it mean that, though we are separated thousands of miles by oceans, we will always remember each other. Farewell. I hope you will be always happy, strong, peaceful, and full of God's grace. Your affectionate pupil, Ji Yung. The fear of the last few months had become a reality. The mother-in-law had died, and the A BEAUTIFUL GEM. 25 family was insisting that she come into the home to take her rightful place, that of the eldest son's wife, as head of the household. That night we had a talk in the prayer room, where tears — unusual in a Chinese girl — showed the depths of her sorrow. To receive a diploma from the school was the goal toward which she had been looking for years ; and to give up now within a year and a half of its accomplishment to marry a man she had never seen and go far away — all this made comfort impossible. Young women in our homeland who have easier access to the world of learning, or those who willingly leave school for the pleasure of a debut into society, can scarcely understand the grief that Ji Yung felt. She had burst the strong bonds of custom that had held the wom- en of her nation; she had tasted some of the rich pleasures of a thorough education ; and in front of her lay disappointment. What she loved and valued most in life was gone. As she went away next day her pathetic face would have touched a heart of stone. And some of the life of the school seemed to go out with her. The next letter was not written from her home, but from Shanghai, where she had gone with her mother, who was seriously ill. 26 A BEAUTIFUL GEM. Yung Tai Silk Factory, Shanghai, July 7. My Dear Teacher: Several days ago I re- ceived your letter with great pleasure, but could not answer you soon. Thank you for the card of Miss Woo that you mailed me. I cannot tell you how much I miss you. Now I am in Shanghai and in our own factory. It is nearly midnight now, but I cannot sleep, and I am alone. It is raining and thundering, which makes me more sorry to think about myself and more to think about God's power and thankful for his loving-kindness. Who can know my , loneliness and sadness now ? Only God knows me, I believe. I am thinking of you earnestly, and I must rise and write to you. To-day, after dinner, my mother and I went to the Margaret Williamson Hospital. The doctors there are very kind. We will go there again to-morrow, and Dr. Reifsnyder will ex- amine my mother carefully to see her blood with the microscope. How happy I will be if A BEAUTIFUL GEM. 27 my mother will be well and strong again! I am not well too, because every time I go out I will be very carriage-sick. Though Shang- hai is a busy and beautiful place, full of merry people, I do not like to stay here. I love Wusih and Soochow better. I am glad Miss Pyle has written us a letter, and am very anxious to see that. Certainly, I often think of Miss Pyle, and will be glad to see her again when she returns from America. Since my mother is sick, my affair is not mentioned at home, and all the family are sorry and afraid of my mother. Van Yung is keeping house now, and I take care of my mother. Good-by. I hope you will be very strong and have a happy time at school. With most sin- cere love. Your affectionate pupil, Ji Yung. Margaret Williamson Hospital, Shanghai, July 16. My Dear Teacher: I received your letter with great pleasure just now. I am very glad to 28 A BEAUTIFUL GEM. hear that your eyes are good and need not glasses. Wednesday I left the hospital without any dinner, because I hoped to see you ; and when I could not find you, I was certainly disappoint- ed. But I was very happy in hearing Mr. Mey- er preach, though I could not understand all. Last Sunday I went to the church here, and I enjoyed the sermon very much. The preacher said that every Christian must not be unhappy ; and, moreover, if one is unhappy, he cannot raise his voice to praise God. It is true, and I will make myself happy now, whatever happens to me. We will leave here next Monday. With love. Your faithful pupil, Ji Yung. Having gone to Shanghai to hear the cele- brated English divine, F. B. Meyer, preach in the Union Church, I had made an effort to take Ji Yung to one of the services. Yuan Tai Silk Filature. My Dear Teacher: Your letter was received several days ago, and I did not write soon be- A BEAUTIFUL GEM, 29 cause I wanted to send this picture. We left the hospital on Tuesday, and now we are stay- ing here. We decided to return home to-day; but my mother is very sick now, so we will go home to-morrow or day after it. My mother's sickness cannot be healed in a short time, but she is very homesick and decides to go home, anyhow. My school pin was lost, and I am very sorry, because I have used it for many years. But a new one is already made, and it is larger than the old pin. Is Miss Tarrant with you ? Please send her my love. I read the Bible every day. With sincere love. Your faithful pupil, Ji Yung. The next letter was written from her home, after she had her mother returned to Wusih. She was sick ; the heat was intense ; the family scolded because she had become a Christian. Altogether it was the saddest letter I ever read. I burned it. When the next letter came, I dreaded reading it, for I was suffering with her. 30 A BEAUTIFUL GEM. West Gate, Wusih, August 4. My Dear Teacher: I received your letter last Saturday. My mother is better now. I am still not well. My father knows that I am an eager-hearted girl, and always have no pa- tience to endure anything against my will, and he fears I shall die. So he said to me yes- terday that if I will promise that I will not be baptized in the school, he has a plan to let me go to school again. He has already written several letters to my father-in-law to tell him that it is impossible for me to marry at this time, because I am very weak and I am also too young. My brother-in-law, Vung Yung's hus- band, with some others who are all relatives to my father-in-law, also wrote a letter to him and persuaded him to invite an old lady to keep his house and also let his son go to some school for several years. My, father said that he will let me become a Christian after marriage. So now I promise him that I will not be baptized in the school. But I truly believe in my heart ; and when I have a chance, I will do what I JI YUNG AND HER OLDER SISTER. A BEAUTIFUL GEM. 31 want to. I hope you will not think that I am a weak girl in faith. I do this only because I think that if I can constantly believe in my heart, it makes no difference for me to be baptized earlier or later ; but if I can still go to the school and often hear the beautiful teachings, my faith will be strengthened and my character can be improved. Certainly, I am very much afraid to go to Hunan, which is very far from here, and live with those unknown persons. Now I am very happy, because there is sorrie hope for me to go to school again. When I am well, I will teach my brothers language lessons and Ling Yung her grammar. I will also try to study some history. When will Miss Pyle reach China? I will be very happy to see her again. It is not very hot now. I hope you will be very strong and have a good rest at school. My mother and sisters send their love to you. With most sincere love. Your faithful pupil, Ji Yung. ^2 A BEAUTIFUL GEM. Our almost faithless prayers had been an- swered, and Ji Yung could come back to com- plete her work. There was an undertone of song in my heart for days. West Gate, Wusih, August 9. My Dear Teacher: Your letter was received with pleasure last Saturday. I am better now. I hope you are also very strong at school. My father is sick, and most of the time I take care of him, so he is very fond of me. Yester- day my mother sent me to the hospital to get my father's medicine and also my own from Dr. Lee, who is very kind to us. The church is very near th^ hospital, and I am so glad that I took the opportunity to enter there and worship God. That was the first time I went to the church in Wusih, and at home no one knows this, because I did not take any servant. My eldest brother is very affectionate with me, so I often talk with him about God. He is anxious to be a good boy, and he likes the Bible very much. He said to me that he will become a Christian with me later. But he does A BEAUTIFUL GEM. 33 not look at this thing as so important, because he does not feel he has sins yet. Wai Wai wrote to ask me to visit her. I think I will go to-morrow. I am very sorry to hear that Me Vong is dead, also Su Ziang's father. I think Su Ziang cannot go to school again, because her step- mother is very cross to her. I am in sympathy with Su Ziang. My mother and sisters send love. With sin- cere love. Your faithful pupil, Ji Yung. West Gate, Wusih, August 16. My Dear Teacher: Your letter was received this Sunday when I just returned from my sis- ter's home. I am well, but not very strong, so I rest all the time. I am glad that the school will open soon and we will meet again. I think you are very busy now, but I hope you will be strong and happy. How many new pupils have you this time? I hope there are many to come. My two brothers will, I suppose, go to Japan 3 34 ^i BEAUTIFUL GEM. with their brother-in-law this fall. They will take a Chinese teacher and a servant with them. My second brother is only twelve years old, but his Chinese is very good. I am always happy, because he is such a wise boy. At first my fa- ther wanted me and Van Yung also to go to Japan. I refused. I am only content at Soo- chow now, but Van Yung said that she would study medicine in Japan next year. I am studying my history, because I hope it can be finished before you go to America. I am also writing many large Chinese characters, because I am lonesome. I am glad to have great improvement in my Chinese characters, and my father and others said that if I will write dili- gently three months now, I can write on those beautiful papers [scrolls] that can be hung on the walls. I am always reading my Bible, and I pray every day. Now I believe God is good and true, and he is my protector. With sincere love. Your faithful pupil, Ji Yung. A BEAUTIFUL GEM. ZS No happier girl than Ji Yung came to school that autumn. The report of her marriage had spread among her schoolmates, so they showed their joy that she had been permitted to return. Her thoughtfulness and her helpful ways had made her a favorite, while her class standing had won sincere respect for her. How she enjoyed her new books! It was a disappoint- ment to her that she could not enter the Church. My Dear Teacher: I cannot tell you how sorry I am because you will leave so soon. I hope I will see you again ; but the time of more than a year is very long, and there must be some changes happened during it. I will always be a good and faithful girl. I will only trust myself to God and obey his will, that he may let me go to heaven after my death; and there, I believe, will be no sorrow of departure or any kind of sadness. Remem- ber me in your prayer always. Now, I have nothing to tell you except I will ask you to write to me some when you are at home. You know how sincerely I love you and how much I will miss you. 36 A Beautiful gem. I present you these gold buttons in order to remind you how anxiously I will hope to hear from you. The characters on them mean: "Kind words or good news will always be given me from you." I am sorry the buttons are made too small by the storemen, and I do not know you can use them or not. Since small buttons are very fashionable with us now, the store- men have mistaken to make foreign ones also small. Will you please give this piece of silk to your mother, my grand teacher, in order to show the good will of your pupil to her? My presents are slight, but my love for you is unmeasurable. I hope you will be very strong on your journey. With most sincere love. Your affectionate pupil, Ji Yung. After my return to America on furlough, letters still came at intervals. The teachers at the Laura Haygood wrote of Ji Yung's progress as a student and of her beautiful Christian life. From her home during the New Year vaca- tion she wrote a letter about her mother's fif- tieth birthday celebration. A BEAUTIFUL GEM. 37 West Gate, Wusih, February 5. My Dear Teacher: How happy I am to re- ceive your two letters just now ! I am also glad to know you are enjoying the happy time with your dear ones at home. We returned home last Friday just before my mother's birthday. All my examinations were passed nicely. The grade of my chemis- try is perfect; history, ninety-nine; and psy- chology, ninety-eight. The grades of the other books I do not know yet, because we went home before we could receive our papers. I shall have no history lesson next year. I am happy because my parents let me go to the school a year more, and I believe we can meet again. On my mother's birthday we all were very happy. There were many guests present, and we had many feasts. My present to my mother was a beautiful gold ring. I am all right, because God is merciful to me, and I will always love him and be faithful to him as I love you. I am exceedingly glad to know that you do not forget me. 3g A BEAUTIFUL GEM. Our New Year is coming, and we will have many guests and will be very busy. My little niece, Vung Yung's daughter, is very lovely. She can call me aunt, and I play with her all the day. My sisters send love to you. No words can express how much I miss you. With best wishes and sincere love. Your affectionate pupil, Ji Yung. March 12, 1910. My Dear Teacher: Our vacation is over, and the school has been open for more than a week. My two brothers entered the Soochow Uni- versity week jDefore the last. My first brother is in the third year of the preparatory, and my second brother is in the second year. At first my parents wanted them to go to another coun- try to study, but later they thought my two brothers are too young to go abroad; there- fore I persuaded my parents to let them come to the University. I hope they will enjoy the gospel very much. My sister, Vung Yung, will go to Peking this A BEAUTIFUL GEM. 39 summer. Before she goes she will come here to visit her teachers and schoolmates. Now I will tell you my own story, which I am very sorry to speak about. During the win- ter vacation I was told that I must marry on the twenty-first day of the Chinese seventh month. On hearing this I cannot tell you how sad I was. I could not make myself happy and quiet, and I was certainly disobedient. My family were all very sorry for me. My father said to me that it was not because he was un- kind to me^ but because he could not think out any plan. He has refused this thing for me more than three times, and this time he cannot refuse any more lest that family will be very angry with him. He also promised me that I can study as long as I like. If I cannot receive the diploma in this school, he will certainly help me to go to America. Therefore I can still come to school next term, and my father will send that man to the Soochow University too. During the winter vacation I have studied one-third of the trigonometry, which was taught 40 A BEAUTIFUL GEM. by a teacher with the salary of thirty dollars a month. In the summer I will study the rest of the book. Now I think if I can finish the study by the end of the year, I will help my school next year. I will do this because I want to see you. I am teaching the little girls in the Sunday school, and I love them very much. The weather is very fine. I hope you will be happy at home. You cannot think how I miss you all the while. Good-by. With most sincere love. Your faithful pupil, Ji Yung. Miss Pyle tells me that when Ji Yung says, "I was certainly disobedient," she refers to her having broken her gold bracelets to atoms as a means of showing her displeasure. Laura Haygood Memorial, SoocHOW, April 8. My Dear Teacher: Your letter was received several days ago, and nothing makes me more happy than to hear from you. The weather is A BEAUTIFUL GEM. 41 mild and delightful. I hope you will have the happiest time at home. I am very happy be- cause there is a great meeting in the Baptist church again. Most of us go there every day, and we enjoy the sermons very much. The meeting will last after this Sunday. I wish you were with us. I returned home for three days this Easter. When I reached home, I saw there were ten tailors making my dresses. My mother and sisters were very busy in preparing the things for my wedding, but I told them that I cared not about those things. They made me satin and red silk skirts which are very beautifully embroidered. I will show them when you come. They will buy me two rings, one dia- mond and one ruby. That family has sent to my parents three thousand dollars for prepar- ing my things. Since I do not like too many beautiful things, my father will give me more money instead of these. I have stopped my music for many days be- cause I am very busy. I am beginning Church 42 A BEAUTIFUL GEM. history with Miss Smallwood, and I like it very much. With earnest love. Your faithful pupil, Ji Yung. Laura Haygood Memorial, SoocHOw, May i. My Dear Teacher: Our examinations are over, and we have a holiday now. My psychol- ogy and chemistry are perfect, and algebra is ninety-eight. We will begin our geometry to- morrow. I will tell you the happiest thing in the school, which you will be very glad to hear. During the revival meeting here, led by Mr. Li, all the pupils of our school except seven stood up to confess their sins. During the meeting we prayed five times a day for our schoolmates, and certainly God heard our prayers and gave us the greatest blessing. About ten girls be- came associate members of our Y. W. C. A. We divide the work of leading the new believ- ers among eight girls, and I am one of them. Me Yung and I have charge of two rooms, which contain more than ten girls. Now every A BEAUTIFUL GEM. 43 day we have a Bible-reading meeting in the morning and a praying in the evening. I thank God for his many blessings upon us, and I will always be his true and faithful daughter. Yesterday an American lady, who came from Shanghai, gave us a nice sermon. She played the harp and sang many beautiful songs for us. There is a great exhibition of the products of all the Chinese provinces at Nanking, so our essays and the most excellent papers in exam- ination will be sent there. The weather is warm, and we have already worn our white uniforms. I am well, but very busy. Though I cannot write you as often as I want to write, truly I miss you all the while. With most sincere love and best wishes. Your faithful pupil, Ji Yung. Laura Haygood Memorial, SoocHOW, May 26. My Dear Teacher: Twice your letters were received when I was sick, and certainly they gave me great pleasure and much comfort. I had several chills last week, but I am well now. 44 A BEAUTIFUL GEM. The weather is warm here. I hope you will be very happy. Vung Yung and her baby came several days ago, and stayed with us for three days. The baby is very cute, and now she can say the English word "happy." I have finished psychology and will begin my ethics to-morrow. We are studying geom- etry now, and I am glad it is much easier than algebra. I have also finished "Hamlet" just now, and I think it is a very interesting play. I will remain in the school for a month this summer, because Miss Pyle will teach me logic and astronomy during that time. I am very, very glad to stay here with Miss Pyle and I am very much thankful to her. There is a great meeting held near Kong Hong. There are more than a thousand people present every day, and now I hear that there are six hundred who determine to follow Christ. Certainly this is only God's power which can touch the hearts of so many persons. We still have prayer meetings every morning and night. A BEAUTIFUL GEM. 45 I will return home in August, and my wed- ding day is the twenty-fourth of that month. I am very sorry, and I wish that day would not come. But I will ask you to pray for me, that after then my life will be a more useful one. When will you come back? I hope I can have several months together with you. My sisters send their warm regards to you. With most sincere love. Your faithful pupil, Ji Yung. Laura Haygood Memorial, SoocHOw, June 19. My Dear Teacher: Our examinations will begin next week, so we are very busy ; but to- day is Sunday, and I have the best time to write to you. The weather is very warm here. How are you? After more than ten days, all the pupils here will go home for summer vacation. But I will remain here with Miss Pyle and the matron for more than a month. I am glad Mrs. Coath also will teach me some English during that time. 46 A BEAUTIFUL GEM. Yesterday our teachers invited us to a tea party on the Trueheart Home lawn, from seven o'clock to nine. At first we had a program given by the Literary Society, and then we ate cake, drank lemonade, and played games. All were very happy, only I missed you very much. The moon was bright, the gentle breeze blew, friends talked together merrily, and all had a nice time. The Nanking Exhibition, of which I told you before, has already begun. This is our first national exhibition, and all hope to go there, so multitudes reach Nanking every day. Many new and 'wonderful things are seen by them. I do not know whether I can go there or not. I am sorry you cannot see our exhi- bition. Everything here is in good condition. Miss Pyle and my other teachers are well and happy. Please excuse my poor writing, because I am not well, and suppose I will have another chill. Good-by. My sisters send love. Your affectionate pupil, Ji YuNG. A BEAUTIFUL GEM. 4;^ Laura Haygood Memorial, SoocHOw, July 17. My Dear Teacher: I have not heard from you for a long time, and I miss you exceedingly much. The weather is very hot here. I hope you are happy at home. I returned home for several days after vaca- tion began. Then I went to Shanghai and re- mained there for six days. I bought only a few things, because my father wants to give me money rather than things. But he will buy me a diamond ring, which costs about a thousand dollars, a ruby ring, and also some pearls for hairpins. I bought this fountain pen, and I think it is very nice. I have also bought two pairs of foreign shoes, one scarlet silk and the other blue, for my trousseau. I am in school again. I study six lessons every day — astronomy, ethics, logic, "Mac- beth," "As You Like It," and Lamb's "Essays of Elia." Miss Pyle teaches me astronomy and logic, and the rest are taught by Mrs. Coath. So I am busy and not lonesome. 48 A BEAUTIFUL GEM. Now there is a great woman's meeting held in our school. We have about forty guests from Shanghai and Sung Kiang. In the morn- ing I have my lessons, but in the afternoon I go to their meeting every day. I am very, very happy- I will go home about a week before my wed- ding. I cannot tell you how troublesome my heart is all day and night, only I always feel happy in thinking of you, and believe you will not forget me. Moreover, I try to trust every- thing to God and pray sincerely that he will let me come to school again. My father has prom- ised me that J may come next term. I suppose Miss Pyle, Mrs. Coath, and Mrs. Nance will come to my wedding. I regret so much that you cannot come, but certainly I will miss you. Miss Pyle is very kind to me, and I do not know how to pay her. I am very comfortable to stay here, because I bring a servant with me from my home. Please give my love to your mother. Your affectionate pupil, Ji Yung. A BEAUTIFUL GEM. 49 Miss Pyle says that Ji Yung's servant fol- lowed her about on those oppressive days, fan- ning her as she studied. One day I opened an envelope which con- tained the wedding card : Mr. and Mrs. Y. Y. Sih request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter, Ji Yung, to Mr. K. Y. Tsz on Thursday, August the tzventy-Hfth, at four o'clock. The next letter I opened with bated breath. What would she say ? Would she be happy ? WusiH, September 11. My Dear, Dear Teacher: I haven't written to you for a long time, but I miss you every day. I hope you are always well and happy. Your beautiful gift came to me just the day before my marriage. I am exceedingly glad to receive it, and I do not know how to thank you. I will keep the spoon with great care as a re- membrance of you. 4 50 A BEAUTIFUL GEM. There were not very many guests at my wedding, because it was very hot. There were about eight schoolmates and my own relatives. All things were done partly according to the old custom and partly new. I am very glad he is determined to go to the Soochow University. So before long we will together go to Soochow. Moreover, my father- in-law will soon be an officer in some Southern province, and the whole family will, I suppose, migrate to Nanking. For these reasons I be- lieve I can go to school again next year. I want to thank God, who is merciful to me. Please don't forget me in your prayers. I think of you often. With most sincere love. Your affectionate pupil, Ji Yung. Laura Haygood Memorial, Soochow, October 8. My Dearest Teacher: Your letter of August 22 was received with many, many thanks some days ago ; but I could not find any opportunity to write you, because I had many things to ar- range after my marriage. First of all, I was to JI YUNG, THE "beautiful GEM/' OUR FIRST GRADUATE. A BEAUTIFUL GEM. 51 make my husband to enter the Soochow Uni- versity. At first his father did not want him to come ; but at last my father arranged it, and he came last Saturday. His Chinese is excel- lent, and he can write beautiful poems ; but his English is not good. He cares for learning better than anything else, so he wants me to study as long as possible. Everything is going on hopefully with me, and I have nothing to trouble about now. The only thing I am hoping for is your return. I will remain in the school next year in order that I may enjoy some happy time with you. I will begin to write the essay for my gradu- ation soon, the subject of which is "Woman's Duty." Unfortunately the two great events of my life, marriage and graduation, both oc- cur during your absence, and I am very sorry to think about this. The time passes quickly. Soon Christmas and New Year will come, and after these you will start for China. Every one in the school is well and happy. God is kind and merciful to me, so I will al- 52 A BEAUTIFUL GEM. ways do good and be his faithful daughter. I hope you and every one of your family are well. With most sincere love. I am ever your faithful pupil, Ji Yung. The Soochow University is across the street from the Laura Haygood Memorial. Ji Yung returned to finish her course in the one, while her husband entered the former. Letters from the others told me that she was a radiantly hap- py bride. Her marriage did not change her at- titude in school. Laura Haygood Memorial, Soochow, October 22. My Ever Q ear est Teacher: Your note was received from Miss Pyle several days ago. How thankful I am for your kindness to me ! I will always be a true, faithful girl. I hope you will have a good rest at your brother's home. I am glad to think that after about three months you will be here again. My graduating dress has already been pre- pared. It is made of a piece of light blue satin, embroidered with eight flowery baskets. The A BEAUTIFUL GEM. 53 material was given to me by my father's friend as my wedding gift. It cost about sixty dollars. At the present time there are only three pieces like it in China, but later I think there will be very many. So my dress will be very fash- ionable and beautiful. Everything is going on very well with me. My husband enjoys his studies very much. I think of you all the while, and hope you and all your dear ones at home are well. With most sincere love. Your faithful pupil, Ji Yung. The commencement day was January 12, on which day throngsr of visitors, prominent offi- cials, yea, even the Governor himself and the American Consul General, Dr. A. P. Wilder, came. And Ji Yung, our first graduate, the beautiful gem — now more beautiful because of the polishing — read her essay on "Woman's Duty," and was applauded till the walls rang. Afterwards she received her diploma from the Principal, Miss Pyle, and spoke a few words of thanks for all she had gained from the school. On the steamship Mongolia, returning to 54 A BEAUTIFUL GEM. China, I was praying for her. Letters were awaiting me at each port, and from these let- ters I gleaned interesting items about the prep- arations and the success of the day. I give extracts : "I am sorry you will not be here to see Ji Yung graduate. The day is going to mean so much to her^ and she seems radiantly happy. She is a splendid girl to send out as our first graduate." "We are just over commencement. Ji Yung was all you could expect of her and more. We are all proud of her." ''Well, commencement is over. Everything went off beautifully. Ji Yung was so hand- some, and we -^yere proud of her." "Ji Yung covered herself with glory. The Governor astonished us by delivering a speech through an interpreter. Ji Yung is magnifi- cent." I insert the words of thanks Ji Yung spoke; also the editorial of an English newspaper in Shanghai in regard to her essay. Speech of Thanks. "I wish to avail myself of this opportunity to express my thanks to all my teachers for the A BEAUTIFUL GEM. 55 great advantages and moral teachings I have obtained from them during these years, and at the same time I wish to say a few things in ap- preciation of the good order and the successful methods of teaching in our school. "First of all, I would state that when I came here I was a little girl and was very weak physically; but soon, under the kind protec- tion of my teachers, by the regularity of meals, sleeping hours, playtime, and by exer- cise in the gymnasium, I became stronger every day. This can show the excellent hygienic con- dition of our school. "Next, before I came here I knew nothing except a few Chinese characters. Now I am sure the improvement in both my Chinese and English has been great and rapid. Above all are the precious teachings of love and truth my teachers have given me. O, I cannot describe how much my life has been enriched and en- larged through study since I came here! All these things can prove the enthusiasm of my teachers in education and the influence of their characters. I hope that many, many more girls will be glad to come and enjoy the same ad- vantages that I have already obtained. "Now, learning is infinite, and nobody can be 56 A BEAUTIFUL GEM. content with what he has already attained. Just as one who starts to cHmb a mountain feels that he must reach the highest point before he stops, so this diploma does not mark the end of my study. It is but encouragement for my future work and hope. Hereafter I ought to be more industrious in my study and press forward to reach the highest degree of learning. On the other hand, we students ought not to be selfish in our learning, and should not study for our own benefit alone, but for the general good. To-day we know education is one of the most important things to be regarded in our country, and certainly China is expecting every success- ful student to do his duty in uplifting education. Therefore, though I have but a little learning, I will not be seMish, and will be very glad to help even with my little. Some one has inspir- ingly said : Do what you can ; be what you are. Shine like a glowworm, if you cannot like a star. So I will do all I can, and wish to shine like a glowworm among my people, if I cannot shine like a star. ^'Again I wish to thank my teachers, and I also thank all of you, our guests, who by your A BEAUTIFUL GEM. 57 presence here manifest an interest in this my graduation day." Editorial in a Shanghai Daily. An Educated Chinese Lady. "We have before us as we write a copy of a graduating essay written by a young Chinese lady and read before her friends, schoolmates, and tutors at a recent commencement. It is fair to say that it was neither written nor read in Shanghai. The interest in it, therefore, is not local, except so far as Shanghai is interested in the undoubted progress that is being made by China, thanks to the stimulus of the West. Knowing something of the work of the local colleges and schools for native boys and young men, the present product is all the more attrac- tive, since it is the first advanced feminine work of the kind that we have seen. When one re- members the abysmal darkness of the ordinary woman's intellect in China, and contrasts it with this, one cannot but recall the case of Lady Jane Grey, whose accomplishments were to those of her contemporary sisters much as those of the lady we now have the honor to refer to must be to the average Chinese woman of to-day. 58 A BEAUTIFUL GEM. "The essay takes for its theme the importance of woman's duty. It is written in charmingly simple and very pure English. Briefly at the start it marks the difference between the duty of man and that of woman, the various kinds of the latter being freely sketched. A very natural digression then follows in order to show how different times and circumstances may modify the duty of woman; for there is of necessity in such a case a contrast drawn between the condition of woman in China and woman in the West. The answer to the ques- tion, How is woman to attain liberty and equal- ity with man? is answered thus: To perform her duty is the only possible way.' Duty, more- over, has a political side in China at this mo- ment. It is not alone the masculine element that is restless and ill at ease. Enlightened women are no less anxious respecting the im- mediate future, and the adoption of a constitu- tion creeps even into a girl's graduating essay. "There is plenty of internal evidence as to the breadth of reading which the writer has done. She quotes Spencer on the matter of the sur- vival of the fittest ; she has an apt citation from a speech of Mr. Gladstone's; she refers with some pride evidently to Abraham Lincoln's A BEAUTIFUL GEM. c^g declaration, *A11 that I am I owe to my moth- er/ and shows that China has had mothers of precisely the same type. She has also a passing allusion to Milton. All this, taken in conjunc- tion with the excellence of the English, points to an extremely good system of instruction in English language and literature. We should not have expected anything better from a stu- dent of Girton or Newnham [higher educa- tional institutions for women in England]. Nor is it English alone that has apparently oc- cupied the time of this young lady. She quotes from the lives of notable women in Chinese history, mentioning some half dozen or more and comparing them with Joan of Arc. "The ordinary foreigner, not too well ac- quainted with the inside of Chinese life, would find in the essay various rays of enlightenment. *I learned in the study of ethics,' says the writ- er, 'that a human personality is never an iso- lated and independent phenomenon;' and with this as a text there is a pretty little homily on social duties which in China are not exactly according to the writer's taste as yet. Speak- ing of the use of opium and the binding of women's feet, she says: 'We all realize how great is the grief and desolation they have 6o A BEAUTIFUL GEM. wrought to our people/ Idol worship is simi- larly deplored, together with waste of time and money, especially on the part of women in con- nection with them. We might go on for some time discussing the excellencies of this remark- able paper, but must refrain. "What, however^ should be done in closing this brief reference to a very interesting sub- ject is the old-fashioned duty of pointing the moral. That Chinese youths were getting ex- cellent tuition in various institutions we were aware, but it is quite news to us to learn, and that so practically, that Chinese young ladies are being equally well prepared. If we had any doubts before as to the promise of the future for China, this Hew evidence would have dis- pelled them all; for when both fathers and mothers of the future are as well fitted for their duties as these, there can be little fear that the enlightenment so well begun will con- tinue and bring forth those results which Chi- na's best friends most desire to see. Congratu- lations may therefore be offered on such an auspicious occasion both to the students who do so well and to the teachers who have borne the burden and heat of the educational day." A BEAUTIFUL GEM. 6l The Laura Hay good is never more beautiful than to those who return to find a home and welcome there. I reached China during the festive New Year season, when China is her gayest and usually her coldest. The pupils were all at home for the midwinter vacation. Ji Yung's letter of cheer and welcome was one of the good things that came to me. West Gate, Wusih, February i6. My Ever Dearest Teacher: Nobody can feel more happy over your return than I do. I can- not describe the joy in my heart just because I will see you soon. How much I wanted to go to Shanghai to welcome you! But circum- stances prevented me from going. Though I haven't seen you since your return, I have already met you more than three times in my dreams. I saw you dressed in linen of cream color, and you called me to come to your study to talk with you. I am sorry I cannot go to the school with my sisters to-morrow. I will come a few days later. My husband is here, and he will enter the normal school at Nanking soon. So he is busy studying algebra, 62 A BEAUTIFUL GEM. grammar, and chemistry. He will leave Fri- day. Good-by. With most sincere love. Your ever affectionate pupil, Ji Yung. Ji Yung came a week later, sweet, simple, true, and faithful. She is studying some while she gives her services to the school. Our beautiful gem must soon go to be the glory of her husband's home as one of China's matrons. There are doubtless other lights that the great Master sees which must be brought out from this jewel, other rays to be emitted as time goes on, softer and more subdued lights that maturer years will cause to glow. "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament ; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever." k?n 9 Md LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 010 501 222 6