October 15th, 1937.My dear Miss Turner:
Your letter dated August 20th came. I was glad to hear about your vacation of the summer. You had a combination of vacation and study. I was able to get one letter to you thru Mrs. Robinson who was on way to America. Now I am trying to get this letter to you thru another friend who will sail for America soon. If I should mail it thru regular post office the letter often would be censored and may not get to you. Your account in the paper about China is not overdrawn for Japanese serial force is bombing our open cities and villiges [sic] daily. The fighting is going on at Shanghai almost daily. Japan is trying to get to Nanking thru land, sea and air forces. So far our resistance has been good and strong. China is really fighting for existence. Japan is fighting a war of invation [sic] and aggression. We are not allowed to live in ourown [sic] land peaceably. The suffering of our people is geart [sic] so the war is being carried in our land. Many innocent people have died thru bombings. For the last summer we have lived some hectic days. In midist [sic] of trouble I was able to get my two nephews away. One is in America now studying agriculture at Berrien Springs, other has gone to Changsha to an united university. All universities in North China are closed. Japanese military power has been most cruel to our intellectuals both professors and students. They have been arrested and many killed. Japan is telling the world that she is fighting communism in the Far East. We have no cmmunism [sic] here at all.
After the military training of my nephew I got him off to Shanghai immediately for he would not be safe here at all. My fourth nephew sailed in midst of fighting on August 14th. I have had a cable from him in telling me of his arrival to Detroit. So far as we are concerned we are safe here. But the trouble is that no progress can be made of our work any more under the present status. Every good person is considered detrimental to Japanese interest. Japan has taken everything at Tienstin [sic] in way of ecoomic [sic] inporatnce. [sic] Japan said that she has no territorial ambition but how foolish she is in saying this for ofcourse [sic] she cannot take a bite of our land to Japan but she has taken everything to enrich herself such as telephone, telegram, railway, tax bureau, radio, and puclic [sic] utility. You have no idea how poor we are. Japanese soldiers have taken our foods, our houses, our clothes and whatever amount of money they could find. With poor people Japanese soldiers have torn their brick houses and used these bricks for road making. They have pressed our men to work for them. They have guns and we cannot resist. Often one would see two soldiers sitting in one ricksha pooled [sic] by one man. Our hearts are bleeding for want of justice. What have we done and that we are in such suffering state.
Japan is telling the world that she is chastising China for her insincerity. How can she enforce friendship by such strange methods as killing, bombing and burning. Nankai university is under ruins now. Our students at Tientsin have no university to go. I have a very fine young girl friend who has just finished two years college work and now she is staying at home. I have thought of writing to Dean Allyn about her. She would be able to pay about five hundred dollars per year providing the college could give her a tuition scholarship. She is an excellent student in languages. She knows Chinese, Japanese, English and French. She is about twenty years old. But there are so many young men and women who have to remain at home. Japan has blockaded Chinese waters so we cannot travel. Railway service to South is also cut. Professors have gone to Nanking to help so we hav[e] very few remaining here in North China. Our young people is [sic] comparable to a flock without a shepherd. Right here in Tientsin most high schools in Chinese city have few students. Japanese military power make life miserable for our students thus they do not dare to return to their schools. Some have come to schools in British concession. For my two girls we live in British concession so they go to municipal school anyway. But for thousand others they have no school to go in concession. Education is a great problem today.
Winter is coming. Cold and hunger are staring at our poor people. All factories are closed so workers are without wages. They live from day to day anyway. Now without work they cannot live but die. Business is at standstill. Most shops are closed in Chinese city. Those are open only open for few hours during day time. People cannot afford to buy anything but just necessities of life.
When your paper is published I would like very much to have a copy. . [sic] Just now no work is going on in China for war is being carried on in evry [sic] important city by Japan. The bureau of public health at Nanking was destroyed by Japanese aerial force two weeks ago. Vung Yuin worked some with Dr. Kahn in his laboratory on tissue immuninity. [sic] Dr. Kahn is most famous for his Kahn test which is being used in every country now as routine test for syphilis. I am really glad that Vung Yuin did this for I do not want her to be so active in student welfare work. She has been too active in social affairs at times. Now I think that she would devote her energy and talant [sic] to useful things to life problem. [sic] This is her junior year and she would have plenty time for actual study of patients at university hospital. Ofcourse [sic] I do realize this is a difficult time for our young people. They are so patriotic and they want to do so much for our government. Always tell them to devote their time to study. I always like to quote what Dr. Hu Shich said to our students one time in his famous article. He said Pasteur did one hundred times more than Napolean [sic] for France. Our students must devote their time to studies.
Our work is going on but with very little to do. We were forced to close our station work in country districts. Cretain [sic] places are still occupied by Japanese troops. We were forced to send all our wounded people to other hospitals operated by foreign nationals for Japanese military power would not allow us to treat our wounded soldiers. Spiritually we are in suffering. We are not allowed to do this and that. We even cannot have public meetings here at Tientsin. Living under such a condition is of no pleasure. But again and again we are saying to oursleves [sic] to be patient. Justice must win in the end. Right must win in the end. When this letter will reach you I do not know. But I send this letter with much love to you.
Yours lovingly.
Me-iung Ting.P. S. Mary Jean and Abby were happy for their post cards. They will write to you for Christmas.