University of Nanking - Linguist Yearbook (Nanking, China)

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SOCIAL LIFE 97 SOCIAL LIFE V The solemn, long-faced, sanctimonious missionary is out of date. -ln fact, if he ever existed, and there is abundant evidence to show that he did not, he has long since joined the company of the dodo, the dinosaur, and other extinct species. Given, a group of Language School students, any time. any place, under any circumstances, and you have proof more than ample to convince the most skeptical. F rom the tirst morning when we haltingly introducedxourselves, until the present moment, our work has in itself been characterized by such a fSpirit of comradeship and social-mindedness between student and stu- -dent and between students and faculty that arbitrarily to select a group -of activities and classify them as .Usocial life is to leave a false umpression. W'e cannot. however, include everything, and if we Sketch only the high lights, it is with the hope that you may be able Ito fill in something of the background of larger fellowship which we -enjoy in the Nanking Language School. ' '-Those absenting themselves from this party do so at their own risk was the gruesome warning attached to thenotice of our first get Together and get acquainted party given by the advanced students -early in October at the home of Mr. and Mrs. James McCallum, and anyone who had the bad judgment to think of staying away certainly Pan a risk-the risk of missing a good time. Shall we ever forget it-the riclcsha ride over when ricksha rides had not yet lost their novelty, the usual blood-curdlmg quarrel with the coolies. and then the lantern-lighted yard and the jollity of Three Deep. It was not -an outdoor party for long, however. Before everyone had stumbled more than twice, we were lI'ldOOI'S and engaged in hunting through dusty corners of our brains for stunts,,' those born in January pre- fsenting one stunt, those born in February another, and so on. u QQ Oman jesse ran was present of course. Du sh wygwha ran has probablybeen translated in ways that are various, but we doubt whether it ever created the sensation that it did when rendered by Louie Bysted as f-And Ikie said to his little boy, 'This is one grand Ship. ' It was on this occasion too, that we were first introduced to that immortal classic In My Little Cottage .Pudding by the Sea. As sweetly and harmoniously sung by Earl Otto and judy Allen, it had -Hn appeal to the emotions which mere printed words can never have, .but we quote a stanza for what it is worth.

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96 'l'H,li l,lNGUIS'l ' COURSE OF LECTURES Hy Re-zf. Franle Rawlimmzi, 17.19. Editor of the Cliivzvse Rt't70.l'll't'l' on Some Elvimwzts in the Spf-ritual lnlzvrifanrv of Cliilna. This subject was treated in eleven lectures. The general aim was- to study, to some extent, Qlj, the religious psychology of the Chinese- and QZJ, the points of contact between Christian and Chinese religious- concepts and attitudes. The first 'lecture dealt'with The Approach. This showed how the first responses of the Chinese to the Christian message are apt to- lme to the ideas already known to them. Throughout this and all the lectures it was evident that there is no distinction between religious and secular life in China. The second lecture gave a running' description of temples and images under the title The Objective Reminders of Religion. The religious systems of China were than treated briefly, Confucianism being included. Considerable attention was paid to Confucian ethics, both as taught by Confucius and as heldf by Coniucianists, and the close approach at some points to Christian ethics emphasized. In connection with Buddhism the ,l-linayana and. Maha fana s stems were noted and com ared. The nadir of reli ious l Y P g life in China was found in Taoism, and in the lower idolatrous aspects. of Buddhism. The lectures then dealt with some religious conceptions of the Chinese derived in large part from these religious systems. lim turn the Chinese conceptions of sin, salvation, prayer, veracity the soul and the future life were discussed, all being illustrated by reference to Chinese literature and custom. Two lectures were given to the subject Some Chinese ldeas of a supreme Being. Here it was shown that while the worship of a. Supreme Being has been secondary in emphasis, yet many references to the concept of a Supreme Being are found scattered throughout literatureg thesereferences have to do, in the main, with the characters. for Heaven, S-hangti and Shen ln connection with these ideas of a Supreme Being and the religious conduct of the people, many' true theistic ideas were pointed out. The germ of faith, the sense of personal and social responsibility, together with the prominence givenr to love were, with others, presented as important permanent elements in the religious life of the Chinese. Some attention was given to the points of conflict between Christianity and Chinese religions. The correlation of Chinese ethical ideas with conduct was treated in a general way. The importance of preserving the valuable elements ini national festivals was also indicated. Comparison was made of some Christian and Chinese religious ideas, and the way these Christian ideas im rove upon the Chinese religious ideas indicated. And finally it was sliown how Christ's revelation of God and lflis Sonship make available to the Chinese that fellowship with God which they have 'failed ,to emphasize or experience to any extent personally, and. provides that life which is the only dynamic of true spiritual living. 0

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98 THE .l.INGUIS'l ' The bed ticked and they also say the sea sighed, The cellar stared to see the chocolate drop, A waterman's fountain pig pen'a?Q'afeatnre ' Xvould be extremely novel, would it not? And that is all, won't some courageous creature Step quickly up and flag my train of thought? CHORUS. In my little cottage pudding by the sea, ' My Gwendoline is waiting there for me, And she surely is a prize with her sweet-hazel eyes, In my little cottage pudding by the sea. Unfortunately one of our members was unable to resist the lnlling combination of so many dulcet strains and the delicious refreshments which had been served to us. 1-le went to sleep in the corner and dreamed through It may be that only in Heaven I shall learn to speak Chinese and even the selections by the Meigs I-fall quartet, but apparently his nap was unsatisfactory, for later he joined with great enthusiasm in Oh Iwent to sleep, but it wasn't any use-sing Polly Wolly Doodle all the day. As we followed his obvious suggestion and said goodnight, if there was one thought up- permost in our'minds even stronger 'than appreciation of the hospitality we had enjoyed, itwas the wish that our friends at home might have been there. To anyone who still thinks of China as only one degree removed from the jungle, a place where ordinary human intercourse is impossible and social development ceases,the normality of that party would have come as a revelation. ' I Halloween! What visions of hobgoblins, ghosts, and witches the word conjures up! What memories of childhood pranks and tricks! And in a land where superstition and belief in an outworn system of magic are rife, what freeedom in the consciousness that after all, our revival of equally outworn practices is only play. How we did play too! There were some familiar features of our home Halloween parties that were missing to be sure-the futile drippings that one gets in bobbing for apples, the trip backwards down cellar, the refreshments of doughnuts and cider-but there were new elements that more than compensated for the loss of these old favorites. Who would hazard a fall downstairs when by purchasing a piece of paper from the hag who brewed fortunes in her kettle, he might know his fate, or who would have'exchanged his balls of puffed rice for the best American doughnut? The costumes in the procession that passed through the hair-raising experiences of the Chamber of Horrors that evening were original and varied to say the least. Mr. Iiolleite, our distinguished and tactful president, gave'