[Some paragraph breaks added for ease of reading.]W. C. College, Cathedral P.O.,
Madras, India,
September 4th, 1925.Dear Miss Turner,
Your breezy letter of July 27th came about a week ago. I loved it, especially the most explosive bits! Since it came the whole question of my furlough and some months in the mofussil (I must use that word because of its convenience. It applies to all of India outside the large cities.) has been discussed by our college Council. That body is equivalent to a Board of Trustees at home, and I, if you please, am its internal secretary! This is how the situation stands at present. I am granted furlough leave from April 1st 1926 to October 1st, 1927. Three months of that time will be without salary, since the usual time allowed is only 15 months. The remaining 6 mos. of the college year (i.e. Oct. '27 to April '28) in the mofussil for language, etc. The Executive Committee in considering my request said the College could not pay me a salary but would try to negotiate with some Mission to take me on as a paid worker for a year. I raised protest in a letter to the Council; here's the gist of my letter.
"Even if such a vacancy could be found, I feel that, to one without experience and with little facility in the language, the work would be so absorbing as to prevent my getting from the mofussil period what I had hoped for. My purpose in asking for mofussil leave is not primarily to be enabled to understand better the work of Missions in the mofussil, but to be better fitted to work in the College. I was hoping that I might get into closer personal contact with the students, if, during this leave I could come to understand more of the language and thought and life that make up their background. This I feel that it would not be possible for me to accomplish if I were to go into the position of a paid missionary worker."
It was worth while to protest. A very interesting discussion rose as a result, in which much sympathy was expressed with my point of view. The Council has recommended to the Home Boards that a special fund be established to enable members of staff to take a year in the mofussil from time to time. Meanwhile there is no money for me! Edith Coon is suggesting that Holyoke should finance me for that six months. Holyoke pledged $1000 a year to us but last year they actually gave $1500. The $1000 goes into our regular accounts and is appreciated & needed for running expenses. Edith hopes that Holyoke will continue to contribute an extra $500 & that that may be used for special purposes. She has written this week to the Chairman of Community & to Miss Wild suggesting it for use for one year.
Of course I am hoping very much that they will do it. The longer one stays here the greater one feels the need of understanding the people among she is working. There is great danger in institutions of higher education that one's own western outlook does not broaden to include or understand the Indian outlook. Last Friday night I went to dinner with a Brahmin girl who lives in Madras. She had invited in a few others of her Hindu friends, one of them one of my own non-resident zoology students. That student, Lakshmi, comes and goes in the college; I see her only in classes where she is very timmid, and all along I have felt that she was not at home in the class. The other six are Christian girls, all of them from a much lower stratum of society.
That one evening with Lakshmi and her friends did much to show me the cause of her seeming aloofness. The gentle breeding, dignity and charm of a Brahmin woman, with her generations of culture (Indian culture) behind her stands out in great contrast to our little Chritian girls, most of whom come from the out-eastes. If we are to be able to do anything for these Hindu girls, we must know more of their background. I should like to spend a month of the six in such a house as the one where I met Lakshmi. There are not many Hindu houses (apart from those which have become much westernized) which would be liberal (i.e. unorthodox!) enough to take in a European guest, but there are some, and a month of that sort would be invaluable. Another month I should like in a middle-class Christian house, preferably in the family of an old student. And then some time with different missionaries, helping where I can, keeping my eyes open, and doing Tamil. That I shall concentrate on thruout the 6 months.
Here are all my pipe-dreams! Oh, I do want to do it! Now about that furlough. I wrote you a fortnight ago about places to study physiology. I shall be waiting eagerly for your reply. Really, Miss Turner, I should like to major in Physiology. This systematic has nearly killed the zoologist in me. I want some zoology to rekindle the flame; but my greatest interests are physiology. I really have hopes that we may have it for the B.A. course after two years, in which case I shall want just as much of it as I can possibly get during furlough, particularly lab work, I should think. Oh, I wish I could talk to you. I shall probably be home at about the end of May, but that is late to be deciding on the place. I very much want your advice about physiology work in the East, if possible a place where Zoology is good too.
Finances are going to be a real difficulty. Our furlough salary is $800 a year, plus $200 study allowance. If only September to June were to be considered that would be quite comfortable. But for the 3 summer months of 1927 I get no salary; then will come the 6 mos. in the mofussil, with I hope, Holyoke's $500, and then a hill-season here with no salary! However, I expect I shall manage somehow. But I did want to go home via China & Japan. That is hopeless - crossing the U.S.A. is too beastly expensive.
I wrote Miss Morgan about my substitute. If I can have the mofussil year, we shall want a zoologist for 2 years. I think for so short a time it should be one more experienced than I was when I came. If I had gone at the end of two years I should always have had only a feeling of despair & defeat. But by patient digging & hanging on I have got to a stage where I am at least not ashamed. The work is so different from Zoology I had done. You can understand, I think, how hard I have had to work over this systematic, the minutest details of a structure of every single group! Edith Coon & I had hoped that someone might come as Miss Wild went to Peking. That seems less likely for a two year furlough, but do, please, you and Miss Morgan find us somebody good. We get so out of patience with the Home Board in the U.S.A. We cable to England for a History substitute & at once five excellent candidates are at our disposal; while in the U.S.A. they are still looking for the Chemist they were seeking before they began to look for me! It was Edith Coon who picked up Miss Langwill. At present we have no permanent secretary then. Dr. W. I. Chamberlain, 259 22nd St., N.Y. City, is continuing to act until one is appointed. I shall be writing an official Secretarial letter to him this week and shall ask him to receive and hand over to the new Secretary any correspondence concerning my substitute. So will you please give that address to Miss Morgan and ask her to communicate with him when she has anything to communicate.
This is a lengthy screed! I hope you'll survive it. Please give my love to my friends there when you see them.
Much love to you,
from
Eleanor.