[Some paragraph breaks added for ease of reading.]230 London Road, Tientsin, China.
My dear Miss Turner:
I am sending this letter to you thru Mrs. A. G. Robinson who is on way to America. I cannot tell you about war news if I mail this letter thru the regular mail. Tientsin was bombed by Japanese aerial force for two days. God was most merciful to us as we were only one block from the bombed area. Japan was anxious to destroy every public building at Tientsin. The police station was the object of bombing. It is very near the hospital. In fact the back door of the police station is opposite of our hospital gate. At the time there were thirty some patients left at hospital. That was July 28 and 29. We lived thru some nervous days alright.
Nankai University is bombed to the ground for no other reason than that Japan wanted to destroy our educational institution. The same fate happened to the Shanghai College. You remember a Mrs. Chen who was at Mount Holyoke for a short time. Her husband Dr. Chen is a biologist and is the dean of the college now. There is no more college but a piece of utter ruins. The ten million dollars Tung Chi Medical School was destroyed recently by bombardment also at Shanghai.
Japanese aerial force attacked mostly our public institutions of cultural value to our people. Yet she is telling the world that she is fighting against communism for peace of the Far East and the world. She promised western powers that she would not destroy but military basis [sic] of China. But the actual fact is that she is war mad and is destroying everything her air force can reach. Since "the incident" which word Japan uses for this war. The western public seems to be spellbound by this word incident. It is actual war in every sense of the word destruction.
You have no idea the suffering of the innocent people here in China. One moving train was totally destroyed by Japanese aerial force at Sungkinag a station two hours from Shanghai. The train contained four hundred refugees from war zone of Shanghai. Here at Tientsin business is st [sic] standstill. Our roads are full of Japanese military trucks. If these trucks should happen to knock people down their soldiers even do not stop to look at the injured pedestrians. This is war and it is a ruthless war on China.
There are three pharases [sic] that Japan always use in her annoucement [sic] for her right to send troops to China. 1 She often talks about the provocative action of Chinese troops when she has carried her troops on our trains and our railways. Everywhere Japanese soldiers go they take everything from our people; food, money and valuables. They went as far as to disarm our police force as to insult us then make a big story out of this kind of incident. The North China war started with an incident of a missed Japanese soldier. Japan wanted to search our villages at night. The magistrate of these villages asked the Japanese authority to wait until morning so as not to frighten the country people. Instead of waiting thier [sic] soldiers started shooting right that night_ which now in the paper stated as Lukuijao incident. The Shanghai war started with similar provocation. A Japanese marine refused to obey order of the sentinel at Shanghai aerodrome. The latter place is not to be visited by any one except with special permit from China's air force. The Japanese marine was shot becuase [sic] he would not halt. Japanese soldiers and marines disregard every order in China in order to create trouble.
2. Japan always complains about bad faith of our government. She wants economic cooperation but terms are always unilateral. China just cannot live under these unilateral tersm. [sic] 3 Japan complains insincereity [sic] of our leaders. This she means that our political leaders must bow down to her wills even [when] they are destructive and detrimental to China. In later years under General Chinag China has made rapid progross. [sic] Japan is too jealous of our success and too greedy in her heart for more aggression. She feels if she does not take the time now it would be too late. Probably this war will last long for China is strggling [sic] for her national existence. China may be dead from this war but Japan may also get fatally wounded. This present conflict is going to be a catastrophe for both countries. If Japan would only have the policy "Live and Let Live" then there would be no war.
Tientsin is getting to be a Japanese military port where China can send her soldiers direct from Kobe by sea and from Manchuria by rail. Even in the world war I did not remember seeing so many trainsful of soldiers in America as I am seeing daily now. Schools have not opened in Chinese city except in concessions (these are leased territories to different western powers.) I am now living in British Concession where I am carrying on my work. Our hospital is going on as usual with practically all charity work. Hospital cannot contineu for months on this basis. We have enough fund[s] to last us six months. If condition does not change then we will be forced to close our hospital with a history of thirty years.
The board was going to celebrate my fifteenth year as a head of this hospital for the hospital has not had any head for such a long period. Our buildings are closed except one main building and our school for nurses. Our nurses are here but all our doctors have left. So you see I am carrying on the work all alone now. How long this will be I do not know. But you can understand my feelings and my heartache for I have devoted every bit of my energy for the last fifteen years for the growth of this hospital. When I feel bad, I comfort myself that there are many other men and women in China who have devoted more years to their work and now thier [sic] institutions are heaps of ruins. Take the life work of Dr. Po Ling Chang the president of Nankai University who build [sic] up his university from a small home school to the present institution and now the whole thing is destroyed by barbarous activity of Japanese military force. I cannot believe that the whole Japanese people is in sympathy of the military action but poor people have no voice whatever. Now the military is in power and the party is intoxicated with military strength. The military party is acting like a maniac dog. Everyone who got bitten
will sucumbwas bitten to death on point. They leave nothing undone. How can we live under such cruel militaristic regieme. [sic]Personally I have no problem for I have myown [sic] house. The worst come to worst I can always earn a living. But the suffering of my people is great and the pitiful helpless sight is a drain upon my nervous system. The world seems to be silent on this ruthless war upon China. First Japan will dominate Chian [sic] then the world. If all western nations would go on boycott against Japan for her ruthless action this alone would bring to her right sense. America does not have to go to war to help the right cuase. [sic] If she would boycott Japanese goods then this will shorten her war in China. She depends upon her trade for living.
I am getting a number of letters ready for my fri nds. [sic] I close this letter with much love to you.
Yours lovingly_
Me-iung.