the boy fills his
brush and begins at the top, right-hand corner of the paper. He writes
toward the bottom of the sheet. He puts one word under another instead
of beside it as you do. Then he begins a new line at the top, and
writes to the bottom again.

[Illustration: Chinese writing.]

Chinese books are printed in the same way. Where do you think a
Chinese book begins? A Chinese book begins where our books end.

In China many girls and women have very small feet. When they are
babies their feet are bound up tightly. They sometimes wear iron
shoes. Then their feet never grow, but are so very small that they
can hardly walk. Poor parents know their girls will have to work hard,
and so do not bind their feet.

Chinese girls make beautiful paper flowers. They paint pictures. They
sing and play. Some of them pick the snow-white cotton in the fields.
Some of them take care of the silk-worms that spin the soft silk.

But they do not work all the time. They play many pretty games.
Chinese boys, too, have many kinds of games and toys. One game is
like battledoor and shuttlecock. They use their feet to strike the
shuttlecock. They do this so fast that the shuttlecock hardly ever
falls to the ground. The Chinese are fond of flying kites. Even old
men fly kites. They fly their kites in the spring-time. Chinese kites
are of all sizes and shapes. Some are like birds. Some are like fish.
Some are like butterflies.

[Illustration: Chinese Kite.]

There is no other such land in all the world
for lanterns as China. The lanterns there are made of paper in the
shape of balls, or flowers, or animals. Some of the lanterns have a
wheel inside. When the candle is lighted, the draft of air makes the
wheel go round very quickly. When the wheel begins to move inside, the
figures on the outside of the lantern begin to move. Then men are seen
fishing or fanning. Sometimes children are seen dancing.

The Chinese are so fond of lanterns that every year they have a "Feast
of Lanterns." On that day and night lanterns are to be seen
everywhere. Bridges and houses and trees are covered with lighted
lanterns.

They have fireworks, too, that look like stars and trees and flowers.

A Chinese dinner begins in the wrong way. They have fruits and nuts
first. After this comes rice. They eat more of rice than of anything
else. Then they drink tea without either milk or sugar. They use
neither forks nor kni