The men’s hospital is larger, and is complete—very simple, but thoroughly practical, and attracting patients from all the country round. Our visit took place at rather a slack time of year, and it was undergoing a New Year’s cleaning, as that is the occasion when all patients, if possible, return to their own homes. After visiting both the men’s and the women’s hospitals we went to the girls’ school, and met with a great surprise. Three years ago the school was not in existence, and when the children first came, mostly from Christian homes in neighbouring villages, they were absolutely ignorant of reading and writing. Now we saw them examined in geography, arithmetic, algebra, singing, and drilling. There are about fifty boarders: they are under the charge of a Chinese matron, with four senior girls as monitors to help her. These girls were examined last term along with the boys, who had been studying many years. The best girl pupil obtained an average of 84 per cent. marks, coming out ahead of the boys in arithmetic, Scripture, and algebra. She got 100 per cent. for arithmetic, 95 for an essay, 96 for Chinese classics (memorised), and 85 for explaining the Chinese classics. The children’s sums were as neat and the figures as well written as one could wish to see, their maps excellent, and they answered the questions in geography on all parts of the world, pointing out the places on the charts on the wall. I am forced to admit that the examination in geography was more painful to us than to the examined, for we were required, without book or map, to ask questions on Australasia and South America, parts of the world with which I was sadly unfamiliar. We happened to go back into the schoolroom after school had been dismissed, and found a child who had not been able to point out on the map the way from Shanghai to England now receiving a lesson on it from the monitor. The Irish master told us the girls are “tigers” for work, and far keener than the boys, to whom education has always been open. We went into the courtyard to watch them drill, and here again we were struck with the success of the monitress, who had learnt the exercises from a book, with merely an explanation from the foreign teacher when she failed to understand it. The singing is entirely taught on the sol-fa system, and the children have already learnt to sing creditably simple part music. They are nearly all Chinese, but apparently there is little appreciable difference between the intellectual ability of Chinese and Manchus. Morning school closed with two or three short prayers by the girls, and the repetition of the Lord’s Prayer: they always dismiss themselves. The education is free, but the children’s food is provided by the parents: they looked thoroughly well and happy, and comparatively clean, and none are allowed to have bound feet. They have a large measure of freedom, except that they are not allowed outside the large compound.