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the neighbourhood able to read and write with ease. 
The instruction imparted was a parrot-like acquain- 
tance with a few Chinese classics and the use of 
the abacus. 
Since 1911 however the Chinese have founded many 
schools to give their children a modern education 
in their own tongue. Some few are free schools 
maintained by the generosity of individuals; others 
are run by District Societies (or associations of 
people from the same district in China) for the 
benefit mainly of children from their home district; 
some are run by Christian Missions but most are 
managed by a committee of enthusiasts who under- 
take to collect from the public the necessary funds 
for upkeep. The financial depression of the last two 
years has adversely affected the income of these 
schools and the Governments of the Straits Settle- 
ments and the Federated Malay States have recently 
decided to assist such vernacular Chinese schools as 
voluntarily apply for help, by grants-in-aid. 
All but two of the schools are of the primary grade. 
In their curricula, the Chinese classics are super- 
seded by modern readers, and the art of penmanship, 
formerly so important in Chinese education, is 
neglected. The moral teachings of the classics are 
replaced by text books on ethics, inculcating habits 
of cleanliness, politeness, industry and good citizen- 
ship. In arithmetic, Arabic numerals have replaced 
the Chinese and text books have been devised on 
European lines. Handwork, painting and drawing 
are taught, often with surprisingly good results. 
The pity is that the Chinese in their craze for 
modernity are abandoning their own canons of art 
and ruining their artistic sense by copying inferior 
European pictures. 
