interesting. Its father has a little push cart made by which
it learns to walk, and the nurse goes about the court with
it repeating ba ba, ma ma, (notice that these words for papa
and mama are practically the same in Chinese as in English,
the b being substituted for p), and all the various words
which mean elder brother, younger brother, elder and
younger sisters, uncles, aunts, grandfathers, grandmothers,
and cousins and all the various relatives which may be
found in its family, village or home.

It is not an easy matter to learn the names of one's
relatives in China, as there is a separate name for each showing
whether the person whom we call uncle is father or
mother's elder or younger brother or the husband of their
elder or younger sister. When it comes to learning the
names of all one's cousins it is quite a difficult affair.
Suppose, for instance, you were to introduce me to your cousin,
and I wanted to know which one, you might explain that
he is the son of your mother's elder brother. In China the
word you used for cousin would express the exact idea.
The child begins his study of language by learning all these
relationships.

These are for the most part taught them by the nurse,
who is an important element in the Chinese home and a
useful adjunct to the child. Each little girl in the homes of
the better classes has her own particular nurse, who teaches
her nursery songs in her childhood, is her companion during
her youth, goes with her to her husband's home, when she
marries presumably to prevent her becoming lonesome, and remains