GRACE COPPOCK
WHO TAUGHT ME TO KNOW AND LOVE
THE WOMEN OF CHINA




Preface


During a stay of some months in China in the year of 1909, I had an
opportunity to see something of the educational work for women, and to meet
several of the educated women of that interesting country. I was greatly
impressed, both by the excellent work done by the students in the schools,
and by the useful, efficient lives of those who had completed their course
of study. When I returned to America, and spoke of some of the things which
the educated women of China were doing, I found that many people were
greatly surprised to learn that Chinese women were capable of such
achievements. It occurred to me, therefore, that it might be worth while to
put the stories of a few of these women into a form which would make them
accessible to the public.

It will be noted that the majority of the women of whose work I have
written received a part of their education in America. My reason for
selecting these women is not because those whose training has been received
wholly in China are not doing equally good work, but because it is
difficult to gather definite information in regard to the women whose
lives have been spent entirely in their native country. The fact that most
of the biographies in this book are of women in professional life is due to
the same cause. The great aim of the girls' schools in China is, rightly,