The Young Idea in China. 



give in my honour in a garden outside the city. All were rich 

 men and had met most of the famous travellers who had passed 

 that way. In religion they were Mohammedan, the majority 

 haihng from Bajaur, a district to the north-west of India under 

 British suzerainty. We remained in conversation for some 

 considerable time, discussing the trade outlook and the country 

 in general. The elder ones related stories of the early days 

 and the times of Yakub Beg, when the country was in the throes 

 of a long and bitter struggle. 



The Amban had arranged a programme for the following day 

 to commence at g a.m. with an inspection of the Chinese school 

 and the scholars therein. 



Giyani and Nadir looked forward to it with much gratification, 

 for the Oriental love of " tamasha " was strong within them, so 

 when after an early breakfast I prepared to sally forth they both 

 appeared on the scene looking very chic, Nadir in flowing robes 

 like a Sultan, Giyani in the smartest of his regimental mufti. 

 The dinner was to be given in a garden the Amban had engaged 

 for the occasion outside the city. The inspection of the school 

 being the first item on the programme we rode there through 

 the bazaars. The Amban gave me a very cordial greeting and 

 together we took our seats in the courtyard to watch the 

 boys at drill. Their ages varied from 8 to 17 or 18, and they 

 were drawn up in two lines under a Chinese master armed with 

 a sword, the Lihputian dimensions of which reminded me of 

 nursery days. 



The children then went through their drill, a form of exercise 

 on the Swedish model, acquitting themselves creditably. The 

 close of the parade was signalised by a march round the ground 

 singing a song that the Amban informed me had been specially 

 composed with a view to instilling into the children a love of 

 country, and is, I understand, now in vogue in all the schools 

 throughout China. We then proceeded to the schoolroom to 

 watch the children at lessons, and their struggles with the 

 brush, for the Chinaman is no wielder of the pen in its literal 



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