China; Chinese -- United States -- Education; Education -- China; Yung, Wing, 1828-1912
In the Sophomore year, from my utter aversion to mathematics, especially
to differential and integral calculus, which I abhorred and detested,
and which did me little or no good in the way of mental discipline, I
used to fizzle and flunk so often that I really thought I was going to
be dropped from the class, or dismissed from college. But for some
unexplained reasons I was saved from such a catastrophe, and I squeezed
through the second year in college with so low a mark that I was afraid
to ask my division tutor, who happened to be Tutor Blodget, who had me
in Greek, about it. The only redeeming feature that saved me as a
student in the class of 1854, was the fortunate circumstance that I
happened to be a successful competitor on two occasions in English
composition in my division. I was awarded the first prize in the second
term, and the first prize in the third term of the year. These prizes
gave me quite an éclat in the college as well as in the outside world,
but I was not at all elated over them on account of my poor scholarship
which I felt keenly through the whole college course.
Before the close of my second year, I succeeded in securing the
stewardship of a boarding club consisting of sophomores and juniors.
There were altogether twenty members. I did all the marketing and served
at the table. In this way, I earned my board through the latter half of
my college course. In money matters, I was supplied with remittances
from “The Ladies’ Association” in Savannah, and also contributions from
the Olyphant Brothers of New York. In addition to these sources of
supply, I was paid for being an assistant librarian to the “Brothers in
Unity,” which was one of the two college debating societies that owned a
library, and of which I was a member.
In my senior year I was again elected librarian to the same Society and
got $30.00. These combined sums were large enough to meet all my cash
bills, since my wants had to be finely trimmed to suit the cloth. If
most of the country parsons of that period could get along with a salary
of $200 or $300 a year (supplemented, of course, with an annual donation
party, which sometimes carried away more than it donated), having as a
general thing a large family to look after, I certainly ought to have
been able to get through college with gifts of nearly a like amount,
supplemented with donations of shirts and stockings from ladies who took
an interest in my education.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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