Mauvais to find me
and she and her friends came to ask me to teach this boy the art of
singing. I only laughed at them as I was not particularly fond of the
Chinese and never employed them in any way. I refused three times,
explaining that it was useless to undertake such a task. I expected
nothing more to come of it, but in a week I was asked once more and
was told the boy was broken-hearted with disappointment so I
unwillingly consented. I was obliged to teach him after his work was
done and some times he came as late as nine o'clock, tired and unfit
to sing, but nothing daunted, he was there.
At last I believed that I might be able to achieve something in the
development of the Chinese that would be altogether new in the musical
line. Because I have succeeded with "the impossibility" (as he put it)
I have placed the teaching of this Chinese as one of my greatest
achievements in the art of vocal culture. He had the most indomitable
will and determination to succeed, and he was the most faithful and
conscientious and upright pupil I ever taught. It would require many
pages to tell of the difficulties in his pathway. His people were
enraged at me for leading their son away to be like all the "white
devils" of America. I had to hide him for a year. He was the oldest
son of the family and was obliged to marry before any of the other
members could marry and he appealed to me to help him. Mr. Waterman of
the Berkeley high school allowed him to come there and the Misses
Shaw, teachers, took him into their home where he did their work and
went to school.
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