China; Chinese -- United States -- Education; Education -- China; Yung, Wing, 1828-1912
hopes of the most of those who were around him, and by it, being without
pecuniary means, he cut himself off from the resource of those
charitable foundations that would have aided him as a student for the
ministry. And so he was poor in college; he smiles now to remember how
poor. Yet he received help from persons interested in him at New Haven
and elsewhere, mainly through the medium of Professor Thatcher, whose
care for him in that matter claims his liveliest gratitude to this day.
And he got through. He came to college in his cue and Chinese tunic, but
put off both in the course of his first year.
His nationality made him a good deal of a stranger, and this, together
with his extreme natural reserve and his poverty, kept him from mingling
much with the social life of college. He had not many intimates, yet he
so carried himself from first to last as to merit and win the entire
respect of all his class. It was in certain long walks and talks he had
with his classmate, Carrol Cutler, now president of Western Reserve
College, that he opened and discussed the project then forming in his
mind of this Chinese Educational Mission. The idea was born, the dream
was taking shape, but the way was long to its realization.
His graduation in 1854 was the event of the Commencement of that year.
There were many, at least, who so regarded it, and some of them came to
the Commencement principally for the sake of seeing the Chinese
graduate. Among the latter was Dr. Bushnell of Hartford. He had heard
of him and being strongly interested, according to the size of his great
mind and heart, in the Chinese race, he desired to meet Yung Wing. An
incident of their meeting on that occasion, which the writer has heard
Dr. Bushnell tell, will bear repeating: When they were introduced, the
Doctor gave it as one of his reasons for seeking the introduction that
he desired to ascertain who had written certain newspaper articles on
the Chinese question, as it then stood, which had attracted his
attention as evincing marks of statesmanship. He thought Wing might
know. Whereupon, as the Doctor said, Wing hung his head, and blushing
like a girl, with much confusion of manner, confessed that he was their
author. It is only fair to add that Mr. Wing says that he does not
remember this incident. But it is equally fair to add again that in a
case of this kind Dr. Bushnell’s memory, or anybody else’s, were more
worthy to be trusted than Yung Wing’s.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account