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“...is
this—that, in spite of all that I had heard up and down China during
the 25 years that I have been in the country about the excellence of the
Chefoo schools, I remained somewhat incredulous. It was not in fact
until I had had the good fortune to be stationed in Chefoo myself that
a very brief acquaintance with the school knooked the bottom out of
my prejudices and made of me another enthusiastic admirer of every
aspect of the Chefoo education, the Chefoo atmosphere and the Chefoo
tradition.
That is a pretty disgraceful confession to make but I would plead
as some excuse for my graceless attitude that, without the evidence of
one’s own eyes and ears, it is rather difficult to believe that, with all
the handicaps inseparable from location in China to contend with, a
school has really been created that can look any of our homeland Public
Schools in the face and not fear comparison....”
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“...enter-
tainment that Chefoo has to offer. They come round every year like a
breath of clean fresh air in the rather materialistic routine of life in a
China Treaty Port, and are so redolent of home memories, home school
scenes and that essential wholesomeness of youth, which we miss so
much in China, that I feel that I am really not to be blamed for not
having anticipated their significance before I experienced it for myself.
It is in the imponderables that the significance lies—the things
that can be felt but hardly described. A conscientious parent must feel
that the touchstone of a good school is not so much the academic suc-
cesses that it can show, important as those are, as the state of feeling
among the boys and between the boys and masters—the atmosphere, in
other words. The intimate contact which such occasions as these Prize
Distributions afford leaves no room for doubt about that.
One is apt to take a school like this for granted. Perhaps indeed
schools as good are common enough...”
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“...following statement:—
So long as the Chefoo Schools Association was publishing a
magazine for the Old Boys and Girls the Chefusian Committee felt it
would be unwise to insert material about former members of the schools
unless the Association approached the Committee on this point. Recently
however, correspondence has been passing between the C.S.A. repre-
sentative in England and Australia, and Chefoo. Consignments of
Chefusians are now being sent regularly to these countries, and it seems
probable that the Chefusian will become a very strong link between the
past and present members of the Schools. Naturally distance prevents
satisfactory arrangements being made very quickly, but our readers may
rest assured that all is being done that can be, to expedite a scheme
that will please all parties.
Since the Chefusian has now run into eight issues and appears to
have gained the confidence of Old Boys and Girls, parents and present
members of the schools, there seems to be little doubt that...”
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