rry trees in the
school grounds for feeding the worms; four thousand catties of leaves
are used every day for their food; five hundred immense trays of
silkworms are constantly at work here. The worms are in the charge of
scholars, whose names appear on the various racks under their charge,
and the fact that feeding takes place every two hours, day and night, is
sufficient testimony that the boys go into their work with commendable
energy. As I was being escorted around the building, through shed after
shed filled with these trays of silkworms, several of the scholars made
up a sort of procession, and waited for the eulogy that I freely
bestowed. In another building small boys were spinning the silk, and
farther down the weavers were busy with their primitive machinery, with
which, however, they were turning out silk that could be sold in London
at a very big price. The colorings were specially beautiful, and the
figuring quite good, although the head-master of the school told me that
he hoped for improvements in that direction. And I, looking wise,
although knowing little about silk and its manufacture, heartily agreed
with the little fat man.

There is a department for women also, and contrary to custom, I had a
look around here, too. The girls were particularly smart at spinning.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote AC: Soon afterwards a disturbance occurred among the students,
and had it not been for the promptitude of the inspector, some of them
might have lost their heads.

The electric light had just been laid in, and was working so well that
the authorities found it imperative to charge each of the 400 resident
students one dollar per month for the upkeep. This simple edict was the
cause of the riot In a body the boys rolled up their pukais, and marched
down to the main entrance, declaring that they were determined to resign
if the order was not rescinded. The inspector, however, had had all the
doors locked. The frenzied students broke these open, and incidentally
thrashed some of the caretakers for interfering in matters which were
not considered to be strictly their business.

Subsequently the Chancellor of Education visited the college in person,
but no heed was paid to his exhortations, and it was only when the
dollar charge for lighting was reduced that peace was restored.

The Chancellor, as a last word, told them that if they vacated their
schoolrooms a fine of about a hundred taels would be imposed upon each
m