Wei'er's worry reminded Wan Lei that one important thing had been ignored, and that was the control of public opinion. Wan Lei was only busy with the two major events of establishing an iron factory and establishing a party, so he couldn't spare the time to sort out and control public opinion.
This important matter of integrating the two into one cannot be ignored, let alone turn a blind eye.
Nowadays, many people in Beiping City have different opinions on his marrying a prostitute. Wan Lei also knows that it is time to control public opinion. Only by taking precautions can he avoid losing his temper.
There are no more than two ways to control public opinion. One is to set up newspapers to incite adult people; the other is to set up education to let underage children establish the correct "three views." In addition, running education and running newspapers are still the same thing.
, running education is not just about educating minors, many adults also need to be illiterate; in addition, newspapers are not just for the people to read as tidbits, but also carry strong political advocacy, and use this to enhance the people's civic awareness and identity.
feel.
Of course, it is not difficult to apply for a report now, because you don’t need to have one copy per person. You only need to print out a few copies, put them on the bulletin wall inside and outside the city, and then find someone to read the newspaper and promote it with gongs and drums.
, this matter has become difficult to deal with, and it is education.
No matter what you do, the prerequisite is still one word: money! Currently, Shuntian Prefecture has a serious administrative budget deficit, which depends on trade to make up for it. However, with a squeeze, you can still find money to run education; and the most troublesome thing is
It's a teacher issue.
If you want to run a good education, the most important thing is to have good teachers. Teaching buildings are not a problem. There are many unowned vacant houses in Beiping City. A dozen large houses are enough to provide thousands of children with school. Teaching materials are not a problem either.
Lei has already started compiling the natural science section. He only needs to find some old scholars and add the humanities and social section to it. The key is the teacher.
Nowadays, there are not many literate people in Peiping City, because those rich and literate people have either died or run away, leaving only a few scholars. These people can teach Baijia Sanzi Jing, but asking them to teach mathematics, physics, and chemistry is tantamount to catching up.
It is absolutely impossible for a duck to climb a tree.
Now Wan Lei has seven small paths in his hands. All of them are in the stage of growing knowledge. They are also Wan Lei's "research" assistants. It is impossible for them to be released as "elementary school" teachers. The only way is to find another way.
Therefore, establishing a "normal school" has become a top priority.
However, no matter what type of school you run, you have to have someone to teach. Wan Lei is already very busy. If he is allowed to take time out of his busy schedule to do some important tutoring, it will be okay. If he is asked to stand on the podium every day and give lessons, then it is not possible.
It was possible. Therefore, Wan Lei had to assign someone to take care of the daily teaching of the normal school. He searched around him and it seemed that only his wife could do the job.
Wei'er is attentive and good at managing students. A few days ago, she was in charge of the daily study of the Seven Little Taoists. She was responsible for collecting and answering various questions from the students, and also supervising homework. She was a very good instructor. But the problem was, Wei'er
My son is a girl. Let her be a tutor for some scholars? That is impossible. Because the Ming Dynasty had very strict etiquette and strict separation between men and women. Women could not even dine at the same table as men, let alone lecture on the same stage.
.
To this end, Wan Lei must persuade those prestigious elders to agree to open a women's normal school to allow literate women to further their studies, and then allow these literate women to become "elementary school" teachers. Although most women in the Ming Dynasty were illiterate,
Shuntianfu has a population of 400,000. Of the more than 200,000 women, there are still a dozen or so who are literate, right? First, provide emergency training to these dozen, so that they can "serve as role models" within a few months.
Of course, at the same time as the normal schools are opened, primary school schools still need to be opened, but first let the old scholars teach reading and literacy there, and only those who are literate will be taught some simple mathematics, physics, and chemistry, and those who have achieved academic success will be selected for middle school or even university education.
, this is the way to promote education.
In fact, Confucian culture does not exclude technology. One of the Confucian classics, "The Great Learning", lists the Three Cardinal Guidelines and Eight Objectives. The so-called Three Cardinal Guidelines are to be virtuous, to be close to the people, to strive for perfection, and to encourage people to cultivate their moral character and do good deeds.
. And the eight eyes are to investigate things, to gain knowledge, to be sincere, to be righteous, to cultivate oneself, to regulate the family, to govern the country, and to bring peace to the world. The first of the eight eyes, the investigation of things, is to investigate the principles of things.
Confucian culture is not inconsistent with the study of science and technology, and it is natural to carry forward and inherit it. However, what really rejected science and technology in feudal society was the imperial examination system, because the imperial examination only tested "Chinese" and only discussed the way to govern the country and bring peace to the world. This led to many people dying all day long.
He reads the Four Books and Five Classics, but does not know how to integrate knowledge and practice, so he has cultivated many scholars who have high eyesight but are useless.
Objectively speaking, the scientific system has both disadvantages and advantages. The disadvantage is that it imprisons thoughts, and the advantage is that it provides an extremely scarce social resource, that is, relative equality. It doesn’t matter whether you come from all over the world, or whether you are rich or poor, high or low.
If you want to get ahead, you have to pick up those books, memorize them by rote, and then go to the examination room to compete.
Now, the students of Shuntian Prefecture are excluded from the imperial examination and can no longer enjoy this relative fairness. This is actually a good thing for Wan Lei, because the "smart people" of Shuntian Prefecture no longer have to study hard.
As long as there is proper guidance, many people who read loose books can be cultivated. The more people read loose books, the stronger the academic atmosphere will be, and more colleagues who are interested in managing the world and governing the country will be attracted. This is the way to healthy development.
With this plan in mind, Wan Lei and his wife arrived at the Shuntian Mansion Yamen early and waited for the arrival of his father in the meeting hall. Tie Xuan was not able to attend because he was busy receiving officials from the court, but Wan Lei also
I never thought about asking him to come forward. Anyway, education is a matter for the public. It doesn’t matter whether the government comes forward or not. Wan Lei took the lead in convincing the elders to set up the stall, and the matter was done.
After noon, more than a dozen of the most prestigious elders in Beiping City arrived. Of course, most of these old guys also work part-time as senators and are the undisputed patriarchs of the major surnames in Shuntian Prefecture. As long as they can be persuaded, they will come again.
If you are a drummer among the tribe, you can respond to hundreds of calls. A few months ago, Wan Lei relied on them to unite the hearts of the people in Beiping City. Now he is just "repeating the same trick".
When these elders saw Wei'er present, most of them looked solemn. They had all heard about Wan Lei marrying a prostitute. They didn't know much about what happened, but they all felt that it was too deviant and deviant, and many people secretly discussed it.
Said: Mr. Wan was fascinated by Wei'er's beauty, otherwise why would he openly oppose the court's marriage? This is obviously not the behavior of a man.
When everyone arrived, Wan Lei asked everyone to sit around the table. After a while of greetings, he started talking about business: "Everyone, I urgently invite you to come here this time. We have something important to discuss, which is the establishment of culture and education."
"Establishing culture and education?" The patriarch surnamed Li frowned. He thought that Wan Lei brought his wife out to explain about marrying a prostitute. Who would have thought that he would talk about culture and education as soon as he came up? This surprised him, but he
He was stunned, and then said: "My Shuntian Mansion is now the Tusi Mansion, and the students have no chance to take the imperial examination, so what is the use of promoting cultural education?"
"That is, studying is useless. Even if you don't study, it is better to encourage your nephews to join the army and work hard to have a good future." Another old patriarch said.
"Yes, it is better to join the army than to study." All the elders responded one after another.
When Wan Lei saw it, he raised his hand and pressed it, signaling these old guys not to get excited. After they all calmed down, he said: "Who said that studying is for the imperial examination? Who said that you can't take the imperial examination, just study?
it's useless?"
Wan Lei glanced around and said: "Why study? One of the purposes of studying is to be literate. If nothing else, you must at least be able to write your own name. Otherwise, how will you make contracts with others in the future? Do you use circles?
Another purpose of studying is to be able to do arithmetic. Children will grow up in the future. At the very least, they need to learn addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Otherwise, how will they do business with others?"
"In addition, reading has many uses. From books, farmers can learn how to plant good land, and craftsmen can learn better craftsmanship. Even soldiers must understand strategy to become a general. So, books
It is a must-read. A group of citizens who do not study and are uneducated are not citizens; a nation that does not study and cannot innovate is hopeless."
Wan Lei kept talking like this, and the elders below nodded repeatedly, because what he said was the truth. If nothing else, being able to write is the most basic requirement for a person to gain a foothold in society. These old guys started talking again.
, and finally gave some suggestions, but these suggestions are nothing more than building private schools and actively encouraging private education.
However, in Wan Lei’s view, the private education method of private schools is obviously not in line with the development of the times, because the quality of private school education is mixed, not only the teaching methods are backward, but the management methods are also backward. Although there was government-run Confucianism in the Ming Dynasty, it was not widely popularized.
Not widely, if we want to keep pace with the times, we must implement universal compulsory education.
Therefore, Wan Lei cleared his throat and said: "The suggestions you made are all very good, but building private schools alone cannot benefit all students. I personally think that government-run schools should be set up, with the council funding the hiring of teachers, so that students can benefit from them."
Focus on teaching.”
"In order to encourage students to study, the school does not charge tuition fees and adopts a graded academic system. After students enroll, they must take a grade exam every year. If they pass the exam, they will be promoted to another grade. If they fail, they will repeat the grade. In addition, the academic system is divided into three grades.
For elementary schools, middle schools and universities, every time a person passes the examination, a diploma will be issued as a proof of knowledge. Those who excel in the examination can continue to enter middle schools and universities for further studies, learn deeper knowledge, master the way of governing the country, and accumulate knowledge.
He is a pillar of talent."
"Since Mr. Wan has already made plans, we will just follow his plan. We just don't charge tuition fees and school funding..." asked the mature patriarch.
"Don't worry about this. There are thousands of school-age children in Shuntian Mansion. If we put them all together, we only need a few dozen teachers. Based on the monthly salary of five taels per person, it is only a few hundred taels of silver. I will pay for this first.
All you need to do is mobilize your clansmen to actively enroll in school."
"Well, this is not good. Why can Mr. Wan only be able to pay for this money?" All the elders objected repeatedly.
"It doesn't matter. If Wan has no other strengths, he can still earn a small amount of money. Teaching and educating people is something that benefits today and will last forever. Everything is difficult at the beginning now. Wan should set an example, and there will definitely be more in the future.
Wise people with lofty ideals come together to contribute funds, and then there will be no need to worry about insufficient funds. Now Wan has something to ask for your help."
"Mr. Wan takes the lead in setting an example in everything. We admire him. If there are any difficulties, Mr. Wan will speak up. As long as we old bones can do it, we will try our best to solve it." The fathers and elders expressed their opinions one after another, and they looked at it subconsciously.
Wei'er, who was sitting next to Wan Lei, took a look and guessed in his heart that Wan Lei wanted them to correct his wife's name.
However, Wan Lei still did not mention his wife's matter, and only said: "Since there is a lack of good teachers now, we cannot teach students well, so Wan thinks that at the same time as the school is opened, another normal school should be opened to train good teachers.
Let the best teachers teach students.”
"Oh, since it's a good thing, sir, it's up to you and you don't need to consult us old-fashioned people for advice."
"The thing is like this, because I am too busy and cannot do everything such as opening the school and running the normal school, so I have to find someone to supervise the school. I am afraid that I will trouble all the elders as the school inspector."
"This is what we should do. We are old bones and can't go into battle to kill the enemy. But it's okay to take care of some young boys." The elders smiled on their faces, but they were secretly beating drums in their hearts, because everything
Lei went around for a long time without mentioning the matter of his wife, and they were even more unsure of themselves.
"Then thank you all. As for the normal school, cultivating good teachers is the top priority. No matter how busy Wan is, he will not slack off. Wan will be responsible for this matter. However, Wan wants to ask you to do a favor, that is, help
Gather all the literate women among the tribe, and I will select a dozen students from them."
"Women? Why women? Aren't men better?" all the fathers asked randomly.
"Men have the strengths of men, and women also have the strengths of women. A male scholar who has read a lot of scriptures and learned some new knowledge may not be as good as a woman who has not read many books but has a delicate mind. In addition, I am usually unable to teach and am responsible for daily teaching.
It's my wife, and my wife is a woman, so we can't let her hang out with a bunch of talented people." Wan Lei said with an embarrassed smile.
"Oh!" All the elders secretly let out a breath. They finally figured it out. Wan Lei made such a big deal about setting up a school and a normal school. In the end, it was to rectify his wife's reputation. If he admits it,
Mrs. Wan's teaching position is a recognition that she is a good wife, and no one will be able to talk nonsense in the future.
The elders were silent for a while, but Wei'er was so anxious that her face turned red. She could tell that her husband was trying to clear her name in disguise, but she was even more frightened and hurriedly whispered: "Husband, this, this
It’s not good, Wei’er is not a famous lady, how can she take on such an important task?”
"No problem, I believe in you, husband. You can teach Chixin and the others well, but can't you teach others well?" Wan Lei said.
"Um, um, Chixin and the others are your disciples, so they naturally listen to you and don't need anyone to care about them at all," Wei'er replied.
"Those women are also my disciples, and you are also their master. They dare not disobey you. Besides, don't you still have me? If anything happens, my husband will fight for you, so you can handle it with confidence, husband."
I still hope that you will win glory for your husband." Wan Lei gave Wei'er the greatest encouragement with the most eager eyes.
"only..."
"Sister Wei'er, don't be just this. I've also signed up to study in a normal school. When the time comes, I will support your sister, so what are you afraid of?" Zhao Xueer was also honest and immediately patted her chest to assure her.
"Yes, with Xue'er here, what are you afraid of? This matter is settled." Wan Lei immediately agreed.
All the elders present have also matured with age. You look at me, I look at you, and finally they all agreed: "Mrs. Wan is as smart as ice and snow. She will definitely be able to help Mr. Wan run the school well. It's great that Mr. Wan has such a virtuous wife."
Blessing is also the blessing of my people in Shuntian Prefecture."
The elders have already recognized the identity of Wei'er's wife, so there is nothing to talk about. No need for Wan Lei to say more, these mature old guys will also spread rumors among the tribe, saying that Mrs. Wan is a woman who only meets once in a hundred years.
Zhong Haojie is comparable to Liang Hongyu. Because they are smart people, they know what Wan Lei needs most, and they also know what a win-win situation is.
With this group of elders as drummers, the common people will immediately change their prejudices against Wei'er and accept this fact. In the future, if the emperor insists on making a fuss about the marriage grant, he will have to get through the common people first.