[Written on the reverse side of Tientsin Evening Journal letterhead]132 Chengtu Road, Tientsin ( 10), China.
Dear Miss Turner;
Your airmail of October 8th came to me within one week. This is indeed quick mail for such a long distance. Now with strike on America western coast we cannot send any mail to you by ocean line. Christmas would be here very soon and I do want to send at least a Christmas Greeting to you before the rush time. I want to thank you for going to see Miss Purington and also mail my letter to Miss Griffith. My high school English teacher by the name Miss Lydia Judson Tuttle also lives at Greensboro, North Carolina. I know southern part of America quite well for I was with a family at Edgefield, South Carolina one summer. I am happy to know that Miss Purington looks stronger to you than past. It is wonderful that she is 86 years old with so clear a mind. Kindly remember me to her if you should go by her way again.
Colleges have started also here in China. We are having problem of shoratge [sic] of foods. All rural areas have been occupied by communists and farmers have fled from their homes to cities. Thus most of the land is lying in waste. We are depending upon American wheat for food. But this is not the outcome of our real trouble. American marines stayed too short in China. They should stayed here long until communists were outed. But with Rusian [sic] influnece [sic] students gave too much propagenda [sic] and got Americans out. Now the same way is with Korea. As soon as American military force should leave Korea, war would start in Korea, and this would be true of Japan also. The world is going mad for something new which would end in ruins. However with all this trouble and turmoil we must continue to believe for the final best for all concerned in God's plan.
Dr. Cooke an American doctor took my work two weeks in September and I sepnt [sic] one week at Summer Palace and one week at my friend's. During the week at Summer Palace I walked thru all halls, pavillions, hillroads like Empress Dowger. [sic] Early in the mornings I would go to market to get breakfast for two British youngsters who were living with me at the same cottage. They never had Chinese food before and they certainly enjoyed these hot Chinese cakes. We did much fishing but did not get many fishes. I was very happy to study some thing of Summer Palace. During Japanese occupation I never came this way. I was also interested to know that there are more schools for children even around this summer resort than ten years ago. Children are more intelligent than our times. It was a good vacation. We did not get to beach at all this last summer as there was too much trouble on the railway going to Mukden. I visited Yen Ching and I had an hour with Miss Alice Boring. She is doing much for her premedical students. It is very hard to get in P. U. M. C. and fifteen passed. Of the fifteen one of our technicians passed the examination for freshman medicine. She is a daughter of my patient. The four students are going to finish their B. S. at Yenching and they are going to try for P. U. M. C. next year. I visited P. U. M. C. again and made my heart happy to see it opening for patients and students. Most of the old teachers are back to their seats. Ofcourse [sic] if there should be further trouble in war to this area my poor country and my poor people would be under suffering again.
Since my last letter 8735 Koreans have returned homeland. In their places we have now 10000 refugee students from Manchuria. They are placed in three schools. You can imgaine [sic] our problem to feed, to shelter, to clothe these students plus schooling. It is like edodus [sic] of a city population. With one job not quite finished yet thre is another one. There are 600 Koreans yet waiting for boats. These have to return by merchant boat for American military government would not be able to send another boat for them after their due date. The rpoblem [sic] of their health is a big one with so little food available[.] At each school I have sank a well for washing. Every boy and every girl must pump for the use of water. This is very economical for they do not have to pay for water. City water is rather expensive for everyday use.
How I wish that my nephew can return next year with his wife. If they can return I want them to do so. They are thinking of doing so[.] In December they are expecting their first baby. Because of unsettled condition I rather stay here myself than to involve them. If normal condition both Warren and Yoen Ming can work at Tientsin also. The unsettled condition upsets everything in view. Onejust [sic] cannot plan anything. However one must learn to be cheerful. This much I know that is I can be of use to less fortunate people. I have often joked with my nieces and my nephews that they do not have half of my energy for work. My regular progarm [sic] starts at eight in morning and ends 8 at night with three half hour meal times. Now I am chairman to Internatioanl [sic] Relief Committee looking after welfare of refugees and also allocation of medical supplies to local hospitals. I do have an office with four workers for relief work. They do most of the work under my planing. [sic] Just now we are busy with clothing relief. Now I am also busy with United Nations Children's Emeregency [sic] Relief. We are opening up 64 kitchens for 30000 children for this coming winter months. So I have plenty to do with work here. After my vacation I feel very strong. uring vacation I had a little tumor removed at P. U. M. C. on my left wrist. It was not too successful[.] This was the second operation I went under. The mass has grown again after this operation although the pathological diagnsis [sic] was lyofibroma. It gives me a little pain at times.
I am glad to hear that you have so many young children in America now for I use to travel in Maine without seeing children miles and miles of tarvelling. [sic] You have plenty land and you can well afford to have more people. If China is settled China can support her population also with improvement of her land cultivation. Inspite [sic] of everything, I do see progress and changes. Even in myown [sic] family now there are ten college graduates and at my time there was none. But becuase [sic] of the largeness of the country and so many years of war there is no prosperity. But these sufferings have made people somewhat hardier than our time. I think it must be for the good of the future.
Kindly excuse this paper as I am hurrying to get this mail to you. My regular papers are at hospital office. With love. May God's peace and love be with you this Christmas and days to come.