36o CHINA. 



ideas and not sounds ; but in the use of the Arabic numerals in 

 allEuropean languages, there is an exact parallel to the Chinese 

 method. The numerals i, 2, 3, represent ideas of numbers, 

 and though a Frenchman, German, and Englishman alike 

 understand them when written, when reading them aloud they 

 use different sounds as equivalents, and would not understand 

 one another unless specially instructed. 



So it is exactly in the case of Chinese characters, only the 

 system is extended to all ideas, and not confined to numerals. 

 Some at least of our numerals, and all the Roman numerals, 

 correspond even further with Chinese characters in having been 

 derived originally from graphic representations of the numbers 

 themselves. 



Though English words are expressed by series of letters 

 strictly representing sounds, yet, nevertheless, when the result- 

 ing words are taken as a whole, they are read very differently 

 by the little educated in the various dialects. So much so, 

 that a book read aloud in broad Scotch, would be little under- 

 stood by an uneducated Englishman at least. Just in the 

 same manner two educated Chinamen, but speaking different 

 dialects, can each read a Chinese book to himself with perfect 

 understanding ; but neither can comprehend it if it be read 

 aloud to him by the other. 



A Chinese book is very interesting in its construction. The 

 back of the book has its edges cut, instead of the front as with 

 us, and the front is left doubled in the condition in which we 

 leave the backs of books. The numbering of the pages and 

 the title of the Chinese book are placed on the front edge of 

 each leaf, where the paper is doubled, so that half of each 

 character is upon one side of the edge, and half on the other ; 

 and the folded edge has to be straightened out if the entire 

 characters are required to be seen. 



All the leaves in a Chinese book are double, and only one 

 side of the paper is printed on. The back surface of the 

 paper is blank and wasted. The idea of cutting the pages 

 and printing on both sides of the paper seems never to have 

 been attained. Sometimes Japanese picture books, drawing 

 books, and song books, have drawings or printed pictures 

 on both sides of the paper ; but even then, the pages are 

 not cut, so that the two sides of each leaf should follow 

 one another consecutively. 



Such a book is merely a folded roll. After the folded pages 

 on one side have been looked at, the book must be reversed 

 and opened afresh at what before acted as the back, and thus 

 the opposite sides of the folds are brought into view. If the 

 pages only follow one another in the requisite order, there is 



