Myfather, HuChuan, , hetookgreatinterestinthestudyofgeography, , withaletterofintroductioninhispocket, traveled42daystoKirininNorthernManchuriatoseetheImperialCommissioner, WuTa-chen, whoisnowknowntoEuropeanSinologuesasoneofthegreatestarchaeologistsinChina.
Wureceivedhimandaskedwhathecoulddoforhim.“Nothing,” saidmyfather, “exceptletmefollowyourmissiontosettletheboundarydisputewithRussia, sothatImaystudythegeographyofthenortheasternprovinces.” -workingassistant.
Onetimemyfather’, .When40yearslaterIusedthisincidentasanillustrationinapaperonProfessorJohnDewey’stheoryofsystematicthinking, severalsurvivingacquaintancesofmyfatherstillrecognizedthisstory, thoughIhadnotmentionedhisname, andwrotetoinquireifIwasayoungersonoftheirlong-departedfriend.
AlthoughWuTa-chenhadoncerecommendedhimtothegovernmentas “amancapableofgoverningprovinces,” myfatherneverachievedpoliticalprominenceand, afterbecominganofficiainKiangsuandFormosa, diedattheageof55whenFormosawascededtoJapanasaresultoftheSino-JapaneseWar.
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, , hewrotehomethathehaddecidedtomarryagirlofthegood, sturdystockofthefarmerclass.
Mymother’, , fourcharacters—“Tai-pingTien-kuo” （HeavenlyKingdomofEverlastingPeace）—, afterterriblehardship, , cultivatinghislandandpracticingtailoring, , married, andhadfourchildrenofwhommymotherwastheeldest.
Mygrandfather’, selectthreeheavyloadsofstone, ,, whosecretlyregrettedthat, beingagirl, shewasunableinanywaytolightenherfather’shardshipandacceleratetherealizationofhisdream.
