1922 Weihwei January 1, 1922 Dear Jess & Morr Happy New Year. My wish for you all is that you may grow gooder, more clever, more bright and capable as the days go by. I hope you all get the exams you are writing on this year and so be able to go on with the next stage in your life. You will of course get all the fun you can out of sports and parties by the way. But I know you will play the game fair at all times. The last letters told of Christmas and this will tell of New Years. Today of course it is church and S.S. This morning the seventy boys from the Primary came over in a body, lined up before the door. Dad had just gone to the H.S. and I as I went out they were quite military in their salute. They were at attention, then orders were given to remove hats, bow and in English they said their "Good Morning". When dad returned they did the same. Then formed again and marched off. We invited the teachers in for candy and Christmas cake. There was no water so we could not serve tea. Last Friday 30th we were all at Struthers for the evening when games were played. Cake and ice cream finished off a happy evening. Last night we had Auld, Grants, and three single ladies; nine in all. We had a pleasant evening and everything went off very well. I have entertained very little since my return partly because of having new servants and also I did not have energy enough. I would like to have the other half of the station in this week if I can manage it. Then I shall not likely do any more till next May after my Bible School is closed. If the Armstrongs come here I must have some entertainment for them; probably a tea and a few in at a time to a meal. The Chinese pastor, Dr. Auld, and Dad are arranging the meetings for the week of prayer in the study as I write. It is almost time for church. You people are not off to bed and it is still 1921 with you. Miss Hodge is in Shanghai and will arrive this week we expect. I want to have the party I spoke of above for her. Jan. 2 The English service was here last night. Dad had it. I moved the organ across the corner where the door used to be. Dad stood at the south end and people were seated partly in the dining room, as well as sitting room. Dad is in bed today. For some time he has had a cough and the last two days it has been hurting him. He offered to stay in bed today and I put on mustard back and front and hope that may make the cough less troublesome. An invitation came to us to go to the High School to drink teas but neither of us was up. We had breakfast in bed and I did not move till 10. They came in for us about 9am. There are three services in the church for prayer this week and the English services the alternate days so it will be a busy week. I hope you will both settle down to the Matric. After your return and plan to get up most of the work by Easter. Then take a good rest and then you will be ready for the long last pull till you get the chance in June to have your grand opportunity to let the Department see how much you know. Heaps of love, Mother Jennie H Mitchell -------------- Copyright 2014@JTMitchell, Toronto, Canada All rights reserved. May NOT be shared on Facebook or elsewhere without written permission. You may however share the site address as http://www.themissionarychronicles.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei February 5, 1922 Dear Jess & Morr Bill's letter written just after his return to Toronto & Morr's from Cornwall reached us a couple of days ago. The Xmas letter has not arrived yet but we are looking for it shortly. It probably got on a slower Steamer. Grant's have theirs and told us a little about the tree in Oshawa. I am sorry Morr. got his ears frozen but by the time this reaches you, you will be out of danger of freezing again yet the ears will need a little extra care next winter. This week I have been out every day to the country at one of the places where preaching is going on & shall have three more days. Yesterday I was out a little over a mile and you should see the way the crowd ran after the Rickshaw. It was the first time they got so close to one. I had a big crowd for a small village (about one hundred) men & women. As the men were quiet I allowed them to remain. After preaching had gone on for nearly an hour several speaking we decided to leave the yard and go inside the rented room where we tried to get several to study hymn sheets and scripture selections. A number at this place knew not a little of the plan of Salvation & were able to read parts of the sheets but were not willing to go any further. At the other place where I go it is different. They do not know so much & there is more pleasure in dealing with them. They are struggling with the new idea of One God in relation to them personally, while at the other village where they have had so little help at famine time they are thinking partly what monetary gain is there for me in this. So many come with wrong motives to begin with & it needs faith & patience to teach & help them quietly till they see their great need of a Savior. Dad is at present getting his sermon ready for the morning. We have communion & he has the sermon while the Chinese pastor has communion service. We had a very nice preparatory service yesterday led by Pastor Djang. Dad had been busy all week with a Teachers Institute. Teachers of the Primary School from all over the field are here. Some of the girl teachers came. I chaperone them at the night meetings. In the daytime there is a Chinese woman looking after them. This is our first attempt at co-education & we are trying to be careful. This week when we are busy & cannot accept we have had three invitations out. We we managed one an afternoon tea. We went after the preparatory service yesterday. Mrs. Struthers has a Miss Stewart from Chinto visiting her. This lady is a teacher from Montreal who has been granted two years leave of absence. She took a school in Japan for a year & has one for this year in Peking. Her father is or was Presbyterian minister in Clinto for many years. She came down to C.T. here & goes on to H.K. to see the work of our Mission. She wanted to meet as many of the Missionaries as she could hence the tea yesterday. She keeps a book and is writing up all her information & impressions in a systematic way to use when she returns to Canada We liked the snaps. Morr is a young man now. Have you a toque on your head, Jess? Dear Morr and Jessie Our last word of you was about the return from Cornwall. I am glad you had such a good time down there. We shall be glad when we get the letter telling of the Christmas -- we suppose there is such a letter though I am sorry that you have again got the habit of not getting the Oshawa letters written. Don't let us lose connection. Will has been very good in that way. I am afraid that you are not taking it so much to heart as you should. Also in the matter of expenditures. Before I left I tried to impress on you the necessity of keeping a careful account of such. Up to the present I have not had any account from either of you as to how your funds have been expended and Mrs. Jamieson's account shows tht Jessie had to draw ahead. Before I left home I asked how much it was costing others and I gave instructions to let you have what I considered a fairly liberal amount of money as compared with that. Perhaps I made a mistake in not keeping it down to the amount that others were giving. The important thing is that we must realize that our income is limited and our expenditures must come within it. It is not what we should like to have or buy what we need to have or buy within our income. It is now you are making your life habits. If you make the habit of living so that there is always a little bit to spare you will have a feeling of comfort and self respect throughout life. If you make the habit of living a little beyond your income you will lose that self respect and feel that you are spongers on society and others will not honor you. I am not saying this with the impression that you are that way but only as a warning to help you do the straight thing as I am convinced you want to. Now you are on the last term for work before examination. I hope that you will realize that your studies are the most important thing in the school for this term. Do not get too much entangled in other activities. to take your time and energy. It is well to have a part in other tings but it must be subordinated to the most important thing. If some things must go, let them not be the studies. We cannot afford to have any failures at examinations. Yesterday Mr. Ross was here. They were to go to catch the boat for Tuentsin but got another wire saying the boat was later. We were talking about the disappointment of failures. Mr Ross in his comical way said "If Gordon failed on his examination I would go all the way across the Pacific to give him a licking myself." Gordon has been heading his class in everything except one subject on which he was a couple of marks behind. He expects to go home this summer in order to enter college. He is talking of medicine. That seems to be the favorite. I wish we were seeing more ministers turning their eyes this way for work. Now it is just time that I was away to prayers at the school so I shall have to say goodbye. God Bless my sweethearts and keep you near him. We were both very lonely for you last night. Your loving father, Robert A Mitchell -------------- Copyright 2014@JTMitchell, Toronto, Canada All rights reserved. May NOT be shared on Facebook or elsewhere without written permission. You may however share the site address as http://www.themissionarychronicles.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei March 12, 1922 Dear Jess & Morr: We had breakfast in bed after which Father rose, dressed and went over to the school where he had a meeting with the boys. There is a volunteer meeting in Peking in a few days and two delegates from our school go. There are subjects to be discussed bearing on the meetings and this is what they are doing every Sunday morning at 8:30am. I hope the meetings will be an inspiration to many of the ministry. They feel they are sort of servant to the church and are not willing to be servants. The same with nursing. They have not grasped the idea of the opportunities in either of these lines of work. Father comes home from this early meeting and goes to bed till time for Sunday school. I have thirty women at the Bible school but it is not so good a class. A number cannot read and it takes so much time to ge them a little way along the path of learning. However I am stronger than in the Autumn and better able to do hard work. Mrs. Struthers has one of the English classes and a few days ago got some information in one of her compositions. The capital of our school is an old Canadian named Mitchell. They meant Principal and were trying to translate the respectful use of 'lao' which is used in addressing one's superiors. We often get funny comps. from our boys. On lad told me his classmates all said he was very clever and he thought he was. He did not really mean it as he wrote it and when I explained all the class had a laugh. I guess we make some funny mistakes in chinese. Work has gone on as usual except Friday I had the Aulds, Misses Mitchell and Brydon in for supper on e evening. The last two days we have had no fire in the house though the furnace has been going till then. If we light up again it will be the grate. The lilacs, willows and poplars are ready to burst out and if we have a few warm days the yard will look pretty. Peas, onions and beets have been planted only a few for early use. Ere this reaches you, you will have father's letter about your future plans. Think them over and let us know your views. I wish you could get work this summer but fear with all the unemployed full grown people around looking for jobs neither of you will get much. Jess what would you think of boarding at Deaconess Home. I think they would take you in. Board would be cheaper than at other places for they would give you the reduced rates. Where is Margaret Jamieson and is there any likelihood of a number of you going together. Let us know some of these things which I wonder about when lying awake at nights. Grants have been in the country over three weeks. Mr. Grant was back once but not Mrs. G. The boys are in the school. Dr. MacVicar & Hattie were down at the yellow river where there may be a dyke built as a means of giving relief to those whose land has been flooded for so long. There is some difficulty about getting enough money and if built in part it will be no use for the water will just flow around behind it. I had a letter from Mrs. Hall at Cornwall. She spoke of your visit. One thing she wrote pleased me very mujch. She said you all seemed so fond of each other. Do try and stick together and be as helpful as you can one to the other. It makes it easier for us if we know our three are trying to be as united as they can without mother and father to hold them together. Years will bring separation close to our Savior who is longing for communion with us all the time. Father does not feel he has anything to say so adieu for another week. Write regularly. we look so earnestly for letters from the three precious ones in Canada.. Lovingly, Mother Jennie H Mitchell ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, Honan March 19, 1922 Dear Jess & Morr Sunday work is all finished. The lesson was a difficult one to teach to Chinese women for they have so little knowledge of O.T. I am tired but have put on my clean dress, combed my hair and am ready for the English service. If I do not get this changing done when I come in from S.S. I get tired and usually decide to remain at home. Dr. MacVicar has the service and as he comes here to supper we cannot remain home very well. I enjoy his preaching and we try to go when he has the service unless very tired. A fierce wind is blowing and the dust is lying in little banks just inside the west windows and dining room doors. shutters are rattling so are windows and it is very unpleasant this afternoon. We shall try and sleep without opening door or window. So far we have been free from winds but today we are having it good and stiff. This week we got out Locheads oleanders, planted the snowdrops Bill sent. They have been in sand since arrival and some had begun to sprout; that looks as though they would get a good start. Only one root of rhubarb came through the winter. I am very sorry for I am fond of it for supper and breakfast. The peas have been planted some time and should soon be up. Spinach is fine and we had two meals off it. We also have lettuce but it grew in the Conservatory. We also have a few plants in bloom. The Jasmine is out in the garden and that Judas tree and lilacs will be out this week unless the weather gets cold. Last night Struthers, Aulds & I were at the H.M.SA. house for the evening. We came home early. Flemings have moved here and we expect he will take some classes in the School. He is to be in the work with Dad but will not be through with his course till next December. One of the Chinese teachers goes to College this Autumn. He wants to study for the ministry. One went last Autumn and there may be two leave this year. Father will try and persuade one to remain another year and if he does that will make it easier for Father. March 22 Father has written you a long letter so I shall not add anything to it. Last week I did not get this letter off. we do not miss you often but this is one of those times mother did not get her letter off. I had a headache for two days and then it was so late I left it over. Bill's letter went to him direct from Mr. Mackenzie and yours was to go direct to Oshawa. Just before writing the above a letter came from you telling about you giving up the dancing party. I do not object to you going to places where you know there is going to be dancing but to such places as invite you to a dance and it is publicly known as such. I prefer in these cases my three sweethearts do not attend. You get heaps of entertainment and fun but those who belong to Christ must make some division and it seems to me that is a very good place to draw the line. All public places like high school dances and all invitations to dances should be refused. Not because you are children of Missionaries but because as I said above you belong to Christ. Now, sweetheart, adieu. Bill wrote you the explanation of Uncle Peter's letter so your mind is at rest on that point. We pray much for you all that you may succeed in what [for] you are trying for in the exams this year and above all that you may all find the place where you can feel is where you can do best work. Now adieu. Much love. Do not forget to write us. We miss your letters very much when they do not come. Morr. has not written much lately. You have no music now and should have more time. Lovingly, Mother Jennie H Mitchell ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, Honan April 1, 1922 Dear Jess and Morr: Well here is All Fool's day; a second time since we left you and again no one has tried to fool me. By the time I get home to you all I will be so easy to fool it will not afford much fun. We have it a little milder this afternoon but we have had it cold for this time of the year. I have on all my winter wear yet and so has Dad. He has an old coat which looks very tough, he would like to discard but alas the weather forbids such action. I have a big pair of boots those aunt Jean gave me for Morr. to use when we were at Roehampton Ave. I can wear a pair of Dad's socks on top of my stocking and I am lovely and comfy. These days I have discarded the socks but have been wearing the boots. this afternoon I got rid of them and hope it is till next winter. Once before I put them away in the closet but had to bring them out. it is so nice to get rid of the cumbersome winter clothing and feel light and free. I have Mrs. Li who used to sew for Mrs. Auld and me. Do you remember? She is much improved and does fine work now. She is making over my fur coat. I am having it made foreign cut. It has worn out in several places and by having the foreign sleeves it will give me some small pieces for patching. My muff I shall also have done over. Mrs. Auld has had her a month and I have her April. She then returns to Chengchow for a year or till the end of the year. I am having my summer sewing done now and shall not have to trouble with tailors when I go to S.K.S. Dad is probably going to be detained for some meetings and I shall likely have to go down by myself. Letters from Bill and Jess came this week. What is the matter with my little chum that he never writes. It seems months since we had any word from him. I hope he has not forgotten he has a Mother and Father a way off in China who long very much to see his letters among the others. Jess asks about the music money. I think Father is or has written to have less sent. He will likely let you know. There will have to be some change made in the amounts next year. I am glad Mrs. Ratcliffe is being asked about Jess' course. I also think Mr. Brebner a good one to get advice from. If Jess goes to Guelph she would live in the College I suppose and that would not be so hard as living in Boarding houses away from all one's friends. The course there is a good one. The chief thing is does Jess like it? I think it would be more use to her than the straight B.A. Jess dear, whatever course you take you must apply yourself and for a few years work hard. The last letters sounded as though all of you were not getting enough rest. Jess dear, I fear your pain in your leg is Neuritis or Rheumatism. Now the former is due to over wrought nerves. I think you are taking on too much outside work. I mean committee work and those extras which are always put on persons who will take them. Some thing it is being popular. Well, one's nerves get more rest when one does not allow one's self to be popular. Get your school work and work in the home done then rest. I am sure from your letters you are going all out too much. Both you and Morr. cannot do it for you come from a family with nerves and such people must rest and sleep or pay the penalty in neuritis or some other form. When this reaches you most of the school sports will be over but be moderate in all sports whether summer or winter and do not get into too many strenuous games where you go home exhausted to study your lessons. I am sorry about the order for your coat. Neither father or I remember in what form the check was to be sent. I thought it was to be taken from my D.A. but they do not allow that being done any longer. Father has written to ask if he would be allowed to transfer from one D.A. to another but has not had a reply. If you have not bought the coat of course you could not get it now and must wait until next Autumn. How is your suit holding out jess? Bill wrote Morr. was wearing his brown suit. Did you ever do anything with that white fur? Did Morr ever wear that suit of Bill's which he grew out of when in Chefoo? If not could he get it off his hands? The electric wires are going up this week and in a couple of weeks we shall have electric light on in our houses. I think you must all refrain from such Xmas giving till your education is finished and next year combine on something like records or have all at home give us a toaster and send it with someone then it will not be injured as it might in the mail. Those little pink bows Jessie sent are very pretty and enough to give from one person. I have enjoyed wearing them very much. I must stop for today and may add more again. jess I am sending you underwear for summer and white underskirts when Dr. Mac Vicar goes so try and hold off buying till he gets home. Also silk teddies, which I hope you can wear but I have not your measurements. I asked for your bust and waist measure. Goodbye my sweethearts. Heaps of love from Mother who longs every day to have a peep at her boy and girl who are growing so much and will soon be adults. Keep on loving us even though at a distance for we need all the love you can send in letters. God bless you both and help you decide what you should do for your life work. Mother April 3rd: Did not get this letter off this morning. I do hope Morr writes soon. I am longing for word from our little boy. Am in a rush so goodbye for this week. Heaps of love from Mother. Lovingly, Jennie H Mitchell ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, Honan April 9, 1922 Dear Jess & Morr This week brought us a dandy lot of letters. Dad called up when the posty arrived home mail. Shortly he came upstrairs and asked three generations which shall I read first. It was Saturday and we sat down before there were interruptions and Aunt Lottie's and Grandma's were not read till dinner time. My but we were happy with so much news from you all. So happy I could not take my afternoon sleep but lived through some of the things talked about in the letters. Especially Morris's cut lip and his game of Hockey. Sorry he meets with so many accidents in his sports. It is largely because he is younger and smaller than most of the boys he plays with I suppose. I hope all of you will put just as much energy into your exams from now on as you have into the sports through the winter. Well, Mrs. Arthurs was married yesterday I suppose and now is Mrs. Strong. The children are in the school and Miss Dunn takes them up at Easter to their new home. I hope she will be happy. We have just heard the Flemmings had a little baby come to their home last night but it died and will likely be buried this afternoon. He has been appointed to High School with Dad. They were at Siuwu till a few weeks ago and we are not very well acquainted with them yet but are sorry they have met with this sorrow at this time. The lilacs are out but the bushes are not very full this year. That Judas tree the bright scarlet flower. It looks beautiful and brightens up the yards. I hope we have a few pomegranates. All the trees were frozen last winter and last summer grew up fresh shoots from the roots. I am very fond of the pomegranate. The flower is such a rich red. The snow berries have not yet sent out shoots but they had little rootlets when we took them out of the sand and we expect they will come on later. Mrs. Mowatt and her mother came here Friday between trains. I gave a tea and all the friends came here to say goodbye to them. We went to the station. They go overland across Manchuria and take train at Yokohama. They go by southern route. Mrs. Stevenson leaves them at San Francisco and goes right home. Mowatts are buying an Auto in Los Angeles and are going cross country to Niagara where they spend a couple of days then on to Toronto and Montreal. They will be five months on the journey. We shall be interested ot hear how they get along. Armstrongs are in South China about this time; go to Formosa and to Honan about May 15. Jess was writing about your lights going out. we have the poles up and wires mostly up for our electric light. Dr. Struthers has worked very hard at it and I hope he does not have much more trouble. You girls must have had a great time sliding down on your stomachs. When you to Toronto Jess you may bob your hair again for Bill writes most of the Varsity girls have their short as it saves time. Hope both of you can get work this summer. I think Geneva would be good for Jess. I am sending Jess underclothes and shall make pajamas for Morr and send them with Dr. MacVicar. Between the wounds Morr gets at Rugby and hockey there will not be much of him unbroken by the time we go home. We had better take someo of the chinese Dju-es with which to mend him up. You know those little pieces of iron with which they Dju the broken dishes. I shall take some with me. I hope Morr does not continue Violin. I wish that sopped as well as Jess' piano and we can talk again this autumn about taking another quarter. Dad will try and send you silk shirts when he is in Shanghai at the conference in May. Sorry Jess sprained her ankle and that Morr had a cold but you are both all right ere this. Take care of yourselves. Rest more. I think all Sunday evening should be dropped out till after Exams. Go to bed and let yourself get calm and quiet.. That is what one needs in these days of rush. Dad is getting his hymns for the English service and I must go and get ready, so adieu. Be good. Do not forget your prayers and Bible reading. Love, Mother Monday afternoon: Your letters not off. Dad was too busy this morning to get them off and I have a headache and am lazy. Hope you all get settled for the summer to your satisfaction. Hope both of you get some work even if it gives you little for board. Heaps of Love. Jess must rest if she wishes to keep those pains out of her leg. Dad sends love Mother Lovingly, Jennie H Mitchell ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, Honan April 16, 1922 Dear Jess and Morr Easter afternoon! I suppose that you have been to some fine service in church where the same glad theme was spoken and sung; the resurrection. Our church would not be so fine though mother and the boy had it looking nice with green and yellow; the briar roses which are just coming out. we had the printed service as last year arranged for by mother. I preached on Thomas confession. "My Lord and My God", God to adore and Lord to obey. There was a smaller attendance than usual as the primary school boys are away home for the change of clothes. In place of their going piecemeal four days are given spring and autumn for them to get clothes, money, etc. Ordinarily there is a break in the high schoolwork a little before this for our hike. But as the North China sports are coming on next month we are waiting till that time in the hope that the boys may all attend there. They are at Kaifang. Some will go by train and some on foot. They are busy practicing. Yesterday we were having test to see who might enter. We did not get all done. We shall have some in the pole vault and the high jump and the hop step and jump who are over the mini8mum for entrance. Some will also enter for races. I haven not the least idea what chance they have. I shall not be there as it is at the time of the conference in Shanghai. We have been having cool weather all spring. Only the last few days have we changed underclothing to light ones. Today it has come out good and warm and we wish we had on summer clothes. It was a little over 90 in the shade when I went to Sunday school. Last evening the two delegates whom our schools sent to Peking to the World's Student Christian Federation gave their reports. There was one teacher and one student. There were representatives from thirty-one nations present. One thing which seemed to impress both of them was the attitude of the Japanese delegates and they advised all not to think the Japanese were all bad. Among the Chinese delegates, men and women sat at the same tables in the dining room. This week the M.C.S. is closed for their Easter Holiday. Miss Dunn has gone to Peking with the Arthur's children. the Grant boys are in the country with their parents. Last evening we had a supper on Miss McIntosh's lawn. There were no children but the little ones. Dr. Struthers took a trip to Kikungshan to see that their house was all right as they do not expect to be there for some years. Rain is the order of the day there. Auld's house and some others were partly unroofed by a wind. From this on I suppose that you will be getting settled down for harder study. Most students begin to get a scare on the latter part of the term. I hope that you have kept your work well up during the term. I know one does not usually write letters about the everyday routine of things. So it is likely the studies bulked larger in real fact than they did in your letters in proportion to sports. I have just been reading the announcement that was sent out by the universities as to entrance requirements. I see that they are aiming at making it hard for the loafers. That is a good idea. It is a pity when pupils get into their heads the idea that going to school is for the fun of the thing. There can be lots of joy got out of doing well one's work and a person ought to be ashamed to get his fun by shirking his work. Parents have to work hard to get the money for children's education and the children ought to rise to the opportunities they have and get the education while it is in their reach. You are both of you of decent ability and I hope that you will never have a failure in your examination from lack of doing your duty in the matter. With ordinary health and diligence there is no reason for a failure. Some time ago you mentioned the music money which I have not yet given the treasurer instructions to cease sending. that can be divided equally between you and put into your deposit accounts. It is not for present everyday use. The ordinary amounts should be sufficient for that. You will have to both be looking ahead to make a dollar go as far as it can during the time of your con-earning period. Mother has been very busy the past week putting away the winter things and looking after the sewing woman so that she is tired. She will not write this week but sends abundance of love. She has been very lonely for you sometimes lately. With much love, Your father, Robert A Mitchell ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Weihwei, Honan April 23, 1922 Dear Will It is now 9:15 Sunday morning. We had breakfast in bed and are now clothed and in our right minds, I hope. It is cold dark disagreeable day and there will likely be a very small attendance at church for it is drizzling. Thursday it rained and we were glad to see it. Cleared up Friday somewhat but last night began again and there was about an inch of rainfall. Last Thursday over an inch. do hope it clears up and gets warm or the wheat will rust. This is a great country, so dependent on rain, and yet at certain times a few days rain spoils the grain. We hope the Forestry enthusiasts may be able to teach the people the necessity of reforestation of Hills and mountains and all of which are bare. A good deal of local planting of trees has been done and the people do not steal the trees as they used. So you see the education has gone that far. The morning service is over. Very few were out except school pupils. The rain seems to be over for the present and if it clears there will be more this P.M. The Yellow Rose has been lovely but is fading now. The Wisteria is lovely or was till the rain yesterday. I got in enough before the rain came for the church and it certainly looked pretty. Rev. Djang was preaching and spoke on 'They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength'. He gave a very good sermon. Do you remember the Bridal wreath Spirea. It is in bloom partly and will be out this week. Three or four of the Snow Drops have budded and we hope others will come on later. The grass on the front has only come up inn patches and will look very bad when Armstrongs are here for they were so used to nice green grass at Oriole Parkway. Dad had gone to S.S. It is so cold we went to bed rather than get out warm clothes. Miss MacLennan offered to take all the Christian women this P.M. as there will be very few out and I am to rest. She has just returned from a four weeks holiday and feels ready for anything. I had four boxes made to fit in between the arches on the porch and am having flowers in them. I think it will improve the approach to our front door. we never can keep potted plants there for we get such dreadful winds. The boxes will be too heavy to blow over. They are right beside me in the study painted green but not quite dry. Hope to get them fixed up this week. Dad goes off Thursday to National conference in Shanghai. Mrs. Ross and Miss Pyke go under his wing. I hope the military situation does not prevent their return at the close of the conference. This week I had a new Vesting (white) dress made with grey organdy collar and belt. Also a white gabardine skirt and two thing blouses made. I got nothing new last year though I brought these materials with me. I did not have energy to plan how to have them made. I used some of the style sheets Bill sent me. I have not gone to S.S. as Miss MacLennan offered to take all the Christian woman who may come. it is not raining now but the roads are bad and few will likely be out. I am very tired with my dress making classes etc. Four women who came late to the class did not want to go home yet and they come for three or four hours study every morning. One woman whose husband beats her stole away from home. she says her husband beats her not just because she studies but as a matter of training I suppose. I said he will be very angry when he finds where you are will he not. "Well", she said "when he beats me I shall slip to one side where he cannot hit hard and make a big noise. Some of the neighbors will come in pull him off and he will not begin again for a few months. He may scold but I just keep quiet and let him talk." She hopes he will yet believe in the doctrine and then she thinks the beatings will cease. She says I have had so much help since coming here the beating will not hurt much for I can just keep thinking about something I have learned. She is an awful stupid woman but is getting so she can read the Gospel of Matthew fairly well. It is hard to get ideas in her head so they will stick but we will work with her after she has gone to her home and lead her into all Truth. Now I must say goodbye for this week. Dad may add a few lines. If not, God bless our big boy and keep him true to the Savior through all his studies.. Heaps of love Mother Monday morning: Your letter of Mar 22 of your trip to Oshawa came in last night and was a feast for us even though there was nothing directly from the little children. Sorry you did not get your extra point in basketball but you made a good attempt at it. Better luck next time! Your loving father, Robert A Mitchell P.S. Let me have your opinion as to what arrangements I should make for you all in the financial line this autumn. I don't want to scrimp anyone but you know that we are not flush with money. I ought to give instructions to the treasurer what to pay. Of course your plans will have to be known first. R.A.M. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shanghai May 11, 1922 Dear Morrison The big conference is over. We were intending to leave by tonight's train for home. But the last few days the governor of Honan has been cutting up 'didoes' about Cheng Chow and Kaifing so that the railway is blocked. I don't know why he was so foolish as to oppose Wu pei Fu at this juncture when the latter has already routed Chang Foo Lin and sent him running back to Manchuria. I think it cannot last long. Bishop White had a telegram today that the Foreigners had gone from Kaifing to chungchow at the governor's request to ask for an amnesty. Mr Boy left here last Sunday but was help up at Hsuchowfu. We have had no word from him since the letter announcing the fact. This morning I mailed to you in the British Post office a parcel: 2 Silk Shirts Size 14 & 14 1/2 for you 1/2 doz pr cotton socks size 101/2 for you 1/2 doz pr cotton socks size 11 for Will 2 pr silk stockings for Jessie I don't know whether or not the cotton socks were any cheaper than you would buy back home. The declaration of contents was just what I paid for them. Postage and export duty were m$1.58 I don't know whether or not there will be any import duty. The dozen socks with postage and export duty would come to about m$4.60. That would be about 20cents gold a pair. I mention this only with the idea that you might compare how they would be with the prices there and see whether it would pay or not to buy there. Those were bought at Sincere & Co here. The parcel was posted in the British Post Office. I do not know whether they send direct by the Pacific Steamers or whether they send by way of upland. If so it will be late in reaching you. It's quite likely that Will will be away from Toronto when this parcel arrives. That is why I sent it to you. I have been seeing something of Bog and Marjory's father these days. he is staying up in this direct and we meet on the car as well as other places. We were having a talk about Llewellyn Hall last night and thinking of our precious ones there. Just now it is getting near dinner time. Mrs. MacGillivray is having all of the C.P.M.'s in tonight; Mrs Ross, Miss Gray, Miss Cafan, Miss Reid, Dr. Goforth, Dr. Auld as well as the Armstrongs and I who are in the house. The Armstrongs have been here three weeks. It is nearly two since I arrived. We had hoped to be home Saturday night. The war has spoiled that. The Armstrongs hope to be in Honan three weeks. This will cut that short. Later Mr. MacRae and the Wheelers were in the party tonight. Mr. MacKay is leaving on an early boat in the morning for the south. He has been having various x-rays of his "inwards". They don't know exactly what to make of him but advise an operation. Perhaps he will be home before his furlough is due on that account. Perhaps you need not say anything just now to his children about it. Let them hear what is to be said from home. Mr. Armstrong and I have been talking several times about the mission field needs. He says that if they get one quarter of the doctors who are volunteers in the medical colleges they will have enough to staff the hospitals. But so few are going in for evangelistic work for which there is such great need and opportunity. He mentioned how many of our missionaries' sons were also looking that way. In our family of course there are two boys; but in McClure's, Griffith's and Ross's only one boy and he's going for medicine. It is really a serious situation. I wrote my opinions on your course before. It is your own life work you are choosing and it is for you to choose. But it really does seem as if there was too much of a swing away from the evangelistic work. There is a great call for such. Now I shall say goodnight with love and hisses to both my darlings. It is our wedding day. I wish I was with mother for it. Your loving father, Robert A Mitchell ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, Honan June 25, 1922 Dear Jess and Morr It is now almost 9:30 and the first bell will ring soon for the morning service begins at 10 for the summer months. Dad is not taking the service. Pastor Li has consented to do so. Father has had an exam every week this week as well as about one hundred affairs to get settled for he leaves for Tsinan tomorrow evening. He goes over there to attend a committee of Theological College and the Field Board of the University. This is the second trip this year. The last time they were trying to work out plans for Union of the two Northern Universities. Imagine trying to get any of the Universities of Ontario or Canada to give up in favor of another. This was hardly the plan but in Peking they would work certain courses and Tsinan others. A plan which was thought workable out here was sent home and the Home Board in U.S. who are in charge of the Peking Varsity threw it out. So now new plans must be made to carry on the two Varsities separately. Father will likely be gone more than the week. I expect to remain here till July 7th and Father join me at Chengchow. I have never remained in here this late since 1906 when we were here all summer. After that all began taking annual vacations for the R.R. coming made such possible. When the children were here I felt I had to take them off to the cool places as soon as warm weather began. Now that it is only the old people it does not matter so much. I am trying to institute a Bible vacation school and as it is a new affair I want to wait and see it begun. However had Father been able to go with me June 30th, I would not have waited for that. He cannot be there before 7th and I do not like being alone at K.K.S. now that my family has left us. I miss you so much at times. Good reports from you and cheery letters make the lonely life here bearable. The bell went a few minutes ago and I must be off for I am still the organist. The time Bill had the first Sunday when he did not know what tunes the congregation could sing and his solo were things I could understand for I used to teach in near North Bay and had to help the summer student with the music. There were only three or four tunes the congregation could sing. But they will improve in time as our Chinese congregation has done. The last week has been exams. In all the schools I gave fifty-four orals in English in the Primary schools and forty-four or so in the high school. I was sick enough of it before I got through. I took Dad's orals for him as he had so much other work on. All of Dad's papers are finished and he has a few affairs about the school to talk over with the teachers tomorrow before he leaves. The gtrain leaves here about 6 and he will likely be in a mad rush all day. There always seems to be so much pileup around one out here. Dr. Auld, Mr. Hattie, Misses Brydon, MacLennan and Hodge are the only missionaries left here. Supper is over and anyti8me now the congregation will gather for our little English service. it is here tonight. I am awfully tired this is the third service at the organ and it is no fun such hot weather. Mrs. Struthers plays at S.S. but she is away. Miss Hodge is in the country. The bees crowd on the vine which covers the North side of the house and just now when in the bathroom one could hear their hum. It has grown up at the two sides of the kitchen and on up the wall above the kitchen roof. The Oleanders are in bloom and there are a few Pomegranates in bloom. The winter we returned they were all frozen down and have since then grown up from the roots and this is the first time any flowers have appeared. The Margarets are also cut and I have a large bowl of them in the room for service as well as the Oleander. All the curtains have been down sometime and the rugs off the floor but the flowers brighten it up. Now Jess tell me all about the underclothes and let me know what is wrong and I can fix things another time. How is your silk skirt holding out? I hope you and Morr can keep at your job for even if you do not clear much you are getting your keep and that means there is more in the Bank for the Autumn when you return to Toronto. Besides you will not have time to spend money for an ice cream so often and will save a little in that line also. Another year you might go back to Pubs. but if you can do this work it is much more healthy. Nearly every year some Varsity girls go fruit picking and I remember MacClure girls did so with some of their friends. It may be tiring but your muscles will soon get hardened and you will not mind the sunburn anymore than if you were out in a canoe. I am putting hair tonic on the thin place in Dad's hair. Trying to keep him looking young for when we go home. Now about Xmas presents next year. Each one you get a photo taken. You need not spend much money on them and get a lot but get them good. Then send us snap shots when you can. I think Morr. said he had a camera. We would like to see some of the stuff he turns out of it. We are thinking of you this week as finishing your exams. Hope it has not been too hot. We had two weeks of very warm weather but the last two days are cooler and we have been hoping to get rain. There have been a couple of cloudy days but no rain thus far. Good-bye now... Must go to the meeting for two have arrived. Monday 26th: 5:45AM Dad had to get up to a teachers meeting at 5:30 and so I am up also. Shall make up for it when I am alone. Father leaves tonight about 6pm. Twelve days from now hope he joins me at Chengchow and we make for KK's. We have an apple tree with apples almost ripe. For several days we have had them ripe enough to make sauce and yesterday we have been eating them. I shall try and get a few bottles of applesauce put down before I go. There were no apricots this season and that means we are short of jam. We also have an early peach nearly ripe; ripe enough for the birds to get at them. Father shot a couple of those Saucy Magpies. Do you remember them with the white mark around the throat, which gives them the book name of Parson crow. They are dreadful thieves and fear they will not do very good parson work. Since the death of two of their number which were hung where they could see them they have not been quite so troublesome till yesterday. They are getting bold again. They sit up in a tree nearby and keep up an incessant chatter which angers one trying to get a last nod in the morning. We are on the verandah and they get up too early for me. Now sweethearts keep brave and do not forget to go to the Savior with your difficulties. He will help you. I remember how hard it used to be for me to say goodbye to little Morr. that summer he worked in the garden. He had some long rows to hoe and he did it well and came home tired many nights. This summer will have company - congenial company, which should make work more pleasant and of course easier. No matter what walk of life you enter there will be unpleasant and trying things to do. Both of you remember that. Be careful not to lift heavy things for our family have a great tendency to hernia. We shall wait anxiously to hear how you are getting on. Bill's first letter has come and while his work will be different from that in which you are engaged yet he has a hard job and has several heavy problems. Only Grace, patience and prayer will put him through and that is true of all of us. Now adieu my dear boy and girlie... Mother Jennie H Mitchell ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, July 2, 1922 Last night Bill's letter of June 7th arrived. This is the third letter without any word from the two at Oshawa. There was a letter from Grandma. It was written just before and after Mother's day. You had all been up to Aunt Lottie's. Am wondering what will be the plan for the two. Hope they are where they can earn at least their keep. In these hard times the Chinese are glad to work for their food for the Summer and we would be glad to have Jess and Morr do so if they cannot get anything more. Father left last Tuesday, no.. Monday night and I am alone again. The High School boys left this week, so did the Nurses to the North of me and I am all alone in this yard with the exception of a few boys who cannot go home. The Robbers are so bad in one district, the parents are afraid to have their boys return, lest they are kidnapped and kept for a ransom. I hope the New Governor gets hold of affairs soon and puts his soldiers after these bandits. Miss MacLennan goes tomorrow and Mr. Hattie and I will be the only Canadians in either yards. I hope Father is not delayed past 7th for it is warming up again and I would like to get up on the Mountain where it is cool and where rain falls. It is very dry on the mountain I hear and there is scarcity of water. People are not allowed to use all they wish from the spring. Can you imagine it being that dry at K.K.S. Wednesday I gave seventeen Diplomas at the Primary school; one boy failed. Thursday at the High school I gave six boys a little box which made them happy. One boy it was feared would not make it and father did not write a Diploma for him. I did not like to do it but two of the teachers assured me it was all right in China. They thought it would never do to have him loose face by not receiving his with the others. I wrote father's name and I think it is hardly likely that anyone will compare writings. There was about 150 at church this A.M. The girls who have been at Changte at High School have returned this week and they had a great time meeting and talking.Tomorrow I shall open a Bible Vacation school and after four days get out and leave the management to the Chinese. There will be days when rains will prevent anyone coming but I hope there will be a fair attendance other times. Bill tells of a snowfall and here we are sweltering and the temp above 100. All doors are closed, also windows till after 5pm. What a change a little difference in latitude makes. July 11 From Grandmother's letter I learned your exams began June 19. I had thought you would be nearly through by that time. Hope you both came out OK. You will not know for sometime yet. It was fearfully hot at S.S. today. The man who was leading the service , his grass cloth gown was wet more than half way down his back and he fanned all the time he talked to the school. I was the only Canadian out this morning. Miss MacLennan claimed to be too tired and Mr. Hattie is sick. I had two services of playing the organ and taught the character class before S.S. and my class during S.S. So, you see, the over fifty old lady did more than the young people. Grandma speaks about Anderson's house having been sold. Where are they living? Have they really gone out on a farm? Everything is ready for the cook to start to K.K.S. in the morning except giving him the money. If it keeps hot like this I shall long for the mountain every day. I hope you two will write us some day. Remember it means so much to the two lonely parents out here. Nothing cheers us up more than letters from you. We have had some hard and trying days this month. Things have bothered Father very much, so much he did not sleep for several nights. Teachers striking for higher wages, etc. and blocking things when we cannot give what they want. The church at home is behind in the funds and we cannot get the money so there we are. These things are trying and the letters help us to forget them for a time. All the troubles and difficulties are not in Canada. Now I had better say adieu for this week. I think Bill needs your letters so please remember him. He will read letters to us and in that way keep in touch with you. Precious ones how AI wish I could have you with me tonight when alone and I must be alone for four days yet. There is no one in this yard. Mr. Hattie is alone in the west yard. He is sick and that means it is harder for him than me. Heaps of love. I pray so much for you that you may be kept from sin and follow the lead of the Saviour. Adieu Kisses and hugs. Mother Lovingly, Jennie H. Mitchell ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kikungshan July 11, 1922 Dear Morr & Jess You see that we are at last at the summer house. We arrived last Saturday, the 8th, about noon. Mother says she does not like the hill this year because it has not rained since we arrived. It was really cloudy this morning with a little mist for a time but now the sun is shining hot. It must be very hot on the plain. Rain has not yet come with us in the north and the crops are not sown. Since I last wrote you I have been in Shantung. We got through with our work on the Board on Saturday morning and I arranged to go down with Bishop Scott to Taian for the Sunday. Our train was due at Tsinan at 7:30 but it was after eleven when it arrived and it was two before we got to Taian. Seeing that I was there I decided to go up to Taishan. It is one of the five most sacred mountains in China and has been a seat of worship since long before the Christian era. While that is so and there are some good bronze incense urns, etc., as well as brass pillars, there is nothing striking in the way of buildings. Some of the temples have iron or brass tiles. The trip up the mountain is interesting from the point of views. I went up in a chair. The chair is a little wood frame like the bent wood Chinese chairs we had but without legs and with a rope seat and a swinging stick for a footrest. The poles are only about seven feet long and two men carry. As a good part of the way is up steps the bearers slew you across sideways, making you go like a crab. When they want to change shoulders, suddenly one of them makes a rush forward and across, making you wonder for the moment what has happened. Then you settle down to the slow sidewise motion again. The lower part of the road is short stretches of paved road with flights of steps. As you get higher up the steps get more frequent till up at the top it is altogether steps. About 350 steps from the top the bearers suggested that as there was no handy way of changing shoulders from there on I had better stroll up. I did walk about 200 but told them I'd let them take me the rest of the road. The last 135 have heavy chains at the side for the tired pilgrims to grasp in order to rest their legs some. The first three months of the year there are many thousands of people who make the climb to burn incense. Formerly they came from long but nowadays they are mostly from the one province of Shantung. There were some women going up the day I did. They were going to spend the night up there and come down the next day. They say that is a good way for sightseers also, seeing the sun rise from the top. The mountain is about 5,000 feet high and one can see for a long distance in all directions over the smaller hills. Leaving Tsinan seems somewhat ridiculous that she should be thinking of such a thing at her age. Yet I suppose that she supposes she is just about the right age for it. The strange thing is that we all of us think we are just the age to do the thing we want to do. We have been longing for word from you two. I expect that you were so busy at preparing for examinations that you allowed the writing to go. Will has kept us in touch with him each week. Some of his last letters have come quite promptly since he is so far west. It seems as if he is almost half way here. So often we long to see you all. Mother finds it very hard to be away from all her children. Sometimes it is her little girlie, sometimes her little Morr and then it is her big boy. Tomorrow will be Morrison's birthday. Las Sunday as we saw some big boys in church we thought of Morr. but I suppose he is much larger now and we not really know what he looks like. July 12th. We're thinking of our laddie and wanting to see him dear lad. We hope that someone is able to make the day a little special for you, seeing that we cannot do it ourselves. Let us hear all about how you get on with the fruit picking. We have been having lots of apples and apple sauce lately. Two well loaded trees came on about the time we came away. It is a pity to have them ripen just at the time as there are not enough people around to use the fruit. We shall have another two trees in the autumn. We had one peach in before we left but the others are all autumn, except one which will not ripen in this climate. We have some prunes on our prune tree this year. Good-bye for the present. Much love from us both. Yours affectionately, Robert A. Mitchell ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kikungshan Aug 20, 1922 Dear Will Mother has just gone out with Misses Hodge, Anderson and MacDougall to a bible reading b y Miss Parmenter, so I shall begin the letter to the rest of the family. A few minutes ago postie came along, and said there was lots of mail for us. He looked at the postmarks but none from any of you. We had one from Mrs. Jamieson with the year's accounts; a total of $755.15 for the year. There was also one from Red Deer, from Mrs. MacPherson, but nothing from Will except the rumour she had heard that we had a son to the west there some place. We also had a picture card from Mabel with a picture of the empress of Australia, one of the new boats of the C.P.R. which was formerly a German boat. I think the Wilhelm II. Mabel says she is a fine boat. We have had a good deal of rain and mist lately. A number of the single ladies have set several days for going down to the north valley but every day set it would rain. At last they started off yesterday for the south valley. All day long it was heavy mist here, often just like a rain moving horizontally. They came back saying that they had had a perfect day in the valley. Not only was it not raining or misting, but they said the sun was shining a good part of the time. We are leaving here the day after tomorrow. Mr. B.W. Smith of Chengcho has arranged that there will be a second class sleeper here that day to attach to the semi-direct train. There are twenty odd persons who booked up for it. I understand that the car will be left here tomorrow night and we may go down during the day and get our places. I only fear that when it is known that the car is assured there will be others added who did not give their names and we may not get what accommodation we expected. The time of the semi-direct suits us better than the express and is cheaper. We would have to take the express at 4:30am, pay extra for place ticket, and pay for a sleeper for a day journey. By the semi-direct, we leave at 5:51pm. We shall get home ten o'clock Wednesday morning. Misses Duncan and Hugill, of the South China mission are going with us to Weihwei. They will then take the Friday's express to Peking and will return to the South by Tientsin, probably sailing from there. We have enjoyed having them here this summer. It may be that when the railway is completed from Canton to Wuchang we shall frequently have people up from the south. As it is, it is rather an expensive trip up by boat to Shaghai and Hankow. Probably Jessie met Miss Hugill when she was in the deaconess' home. She is learning the language in south China and is then returning to Toronto to work among the Chinese women there. You may perhaps meet her in Toronto some time. It is very misty and everything is wet and damp for packing. Adieu for this week Heaps of love, Mother.. Father: This past week the women's meeting and the musicals exchanged nights because Dr. Leonard and Dr. MacKie who were to speak at the women's meeting had to go home. Mother was chairman at that meeting which was on Evangelistic work in Hospitals. Friday I had to read at the concert. The first piece I gave was Saunders McGlashan's Courtship, a Scotch piece. The chairman couldn't read the title as it was written on the programme. Afterwards he came and apologized for not being able "to pronounce the Irishman's name". He was a southern Baptist and probably never came in contact with anything Scotch. Miss Leslie of our mission, whom we usually call Scotty, seemed to enjoy it. She comes from Banff shire, the same county in which my father was born in the north of Scotland. The other piece was "Bounding the United States", representing some after dinner speeches among some Americans. Each one was making things out bigger than the others. At last one arose who asked "Why be so modest in our ideas? Here's to the United States bounded on the north by the Aurora Borealis, on the south by the procession of the equinoxes, on the East by primeval chaos and on the west by the Judgment Days. Of course I put all the bombast, etc, I could into it and it rather took the house. I had not come to the hill prepared for taking part in any concerts but fortunately found that Mr. Flemming had with him a book of Choice Readings belonging to Miss Christie. I got a letter from Messrs. Liu and Li today saying that the primary school had opened with three teachers and something over sixty pupils. They have worked hard on this problem since I left Weihwei and I am glad that they have succeeded. I must thank them sincerely when I see them. I wish we had better prospects for the high school than we have. I do not yet know where we are to get a fourth teacher in place of the one who has consumption. This week we spent all of one morning at a special meeting to the householders discussing taxes. Everyone has his own ideas when it comes to being taxed. Some have a great penchant for keeping out of work themselves and letting the other fellow do it. I have been trying to keep out myself the last couple of years but I was put on the council again this year. However it was a 2 year substitute, not a three year term. Mr. Boyd is getting stone on his lot for a house. It will be right in front of the Mowatt's. It will cut off a good deal of the south view from the east end of the Mowatt house but it will not be any nearer than we are to the Struthers and will be lower. This morning we had a fine sermon from Mr. Larsen. I wish that we could have preaching of an equally high calibre every Sunday. It did not take up the common strain "we're the most orthodox summer resort in China" but rather asked to examine ourselves and see if we were not the "not as other men are" type of Pharisee. His text was Ye shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. He urged our judging men not so much by the orthodoxy as by the spirit's power shown in their work Lovingly, Robert A. Mitchell ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei August 29, 1922 (2) Dear Jessie & Morrison Your letter of June 29th put in with that of July 19 arrived today. I am glad you were able to get in the two picnics when at Helen's and that you had such a good time. Now sweethearts, settle down to work and get your Matric off next June & then in the Autumn go to Toronto & take the Domestic Science Course. I like that idea very well. We were amused about Morr not getting enough to eat. I know you and Aunt Jessie can not understand each other and yet do the best your can to keep peace. Next Xmas if Grandma is still living you will have the same difficulty as last year and cannot go to Shaws for Xmas dinner. How would it be for you all to go down to Cornwall. You and Morr could go when school closes and Bill later if he wants to work some of Xmas holidays. You would have more fun at Cornwall at Xmas than in the summer for all the young people of the town will be at home and not down at the Summer Resorts. You need not tell Aunt Jessie where you are going till the last minute and she can go into Toronto if she wishes. I am glad the shirt was all right. I thought it would do you between the seasons or coll days with a dark shirt. Send me a Teddy bear pattern & describe the white shirt more particularly which is in two parts and I shall try and send you one next spring when some are going home. Did Mrs. Lochead find a dressing gown like you want? Dad came home about 1:30 a.m. I happened to be awake and heard his call at once. They had so much rain they did not have as good a time as they had hoped for. The leaders & boys could not get together at all for when classes & service were over they had to keep inside and went to their exams. Dad sprained his ankle playing volley ball and came home with it bandaged. One of the gentlemen there had his ankle sprained badly in America last year and the doctor wrapped it up in small strips of adhesive and it has been very comfortable & much more easily obtained than plaster of Paris dressing. Well Morr dear.. I hope you are now in a place where they understand boys like to eat and eat a lot. Go to and get good and strong. Jess has given us some future tenses.. you do the same .. "had been had" .. So you had a play with the orchestry in North Toronto S.S. Keep up your violin my dear boy. Do you ever play the piano at all. I hope you have lots of fun in your Luxis Square this year. Do not overdo but keep even in your exercise & you will improve and grow more healthy. Dad is having a teacher's meeting and I am very tired so shall say good night to both of my dear children in Oshawa. Read your Bible daily and do not forget your prayers. God bless and keep you each day we are separated is our prayer. Heaps of love from both of us Lovingly Jennie Mitchell Send your letters to Bill. It rains or snows.. no sunshine Stamps are for Morr. I am sending Morr a kimono in a couple of weeks. Mr. Grant is taking dinner & suppers with us these three days and then he goes to K.K.S. Glad Marnie & Ruth are going to be together with you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei Honan August 29, 1922 Home again! I suppose you will soon be back at your winter haunts. Last week when we were at Kikunshan, the weather was not very promising that we would get away dry. It was certainly not favorable for getting things dried up before we left. But it turned fine Tuesday so that we got away nicely. There was a second-class sleeper on the track when we got down. There were twenty-two tickets and by the time we got all our baggage weighed and got settled in it was time to go. The car was clean, the weather not too warm, and the company congenial so that we had a very good trip home Those of our mission aboard were the Forbes, the Flemmings, Misses Duncan, Hugill, McIntosh, Dr. Leslie, and ourselves. From this on Leslie would have the car to himself. Dr. Struthers met us and we had dinner at his place. Misses Hugill and Duncan went to the station to meet Mrs. Struthers, but found all the trains going south cancelled. It made a problem as to what the two ladies would do who were going to Peking. Eventually we took them over to the station and the station agent said that as they had not had orders not to sell tickets they would sell to Peking. So we started the ladies off on their journey. The postman told us yesterday that the train had not got beyond Changte. The cause was a strike. Last evening Dr. Struthers got a telegram that his family were coming on the express today, which they did. We saw them for a little while. They knew nothing of the ladies going north, except that a train was expected in to Peking yesterday noon. It has not been very hot since we came back. I have been a bit bothered with hay fever as last year and Mother is trying to hurry the men getting the grass off. I do not remember ever having it before. I had the first Sunday school today. It was not brilliant. Mother had a headache so that she did not go out except to teach her class. We shall be getting to schoolwork by the end of this week. There are 82 pupils in the primary school. I do not know how many there will be in the high school but I suppose about that number. I wish that the problem of our teachers was solved. I do not yet know where we are to get a mathematical teacher, for the one who took sick. Mr. Fu has gone to Changte so that he will be nearer home. I fear that he will not last long. Crops are not looking very good here as there ahs been too little rain. We have been having some apples and pears to keep them away from the birds and wasps. They are not really ripe, but those things do not wait for ripening. Dear Bill: You will be nearing ‘the last things’ while I write you and ere you read these lines you will have said goodbye to the friends in Eckville and will read these lines in your comfortable room in Knox. I hope the summer’s work will have developed you in many ways and that you may have a good winter. Do not have too good a time with the ‘pretty girls’. Remember Grandmother’s advice. I hope you may be able to see the children some time. They may be up some Sunday with Uncle Van. We have just finished reading ‘The Little House’ and Maria Chapedainella and I enjoyed them very much. The letter shows up the French Canadian life in an attractive way. They are trying to form a Library at K.K.S. and I lent some books. Those among the number and because of that we did not get reading them earlier. I may give a few books to them next year, possibly Ralph Connor’s. These two I think I shall keep. I liked ‘To Him that Hath’ much better than the war book, ‘The Major’. Now I must say adieu for another week. Hope to hear form you in a day or so as an Empress was due three days ago. Heaps of love and prayers follow you daily. Lovingly Mother “Jennie H. Mitchell” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei Sept 9, 1922 Dear Jess and Morr Last Sunday was my date to write you but there was no time and the first two days of the week went by and still no letter. Then I decided to let one week pass and give you a longer letter. If I remember correctly this is the second time we have missed the regular writing time. Bill will have two more Sundays with his work at Eckville. Then he goes Eat and you will likely have a meeting. This is the longest time you three have been separated since we left you. I wonder if you are spared; if you will all be in Toronto next year. Grants came home this week and had their first meal with us. Hattie also arrived this week and now we are all back but Aulds and they come this week. Mary Boyd was left here by her mother on Tuesday and a telegram has been sent for her mother and we hope she will arrive tomorrow. Mary has dysentery and is a sick girl. Since the death of Hadley Auld and Jimmy Ainsworth everyone feels anxious when it is announced that dysentery is the cause of illness. This week a conference of girl teachers is being held here and I am helping Miss MacLennan and have a class in Jeremiah every day and medical talks every three days. Two more days and I shall finish and then I hope to have a little rest before the Bible School opens. I have been having some trouble with a girl teacher I put in one of my day schools. She eats up all her money and left in debt. I had to pay about twenty five cents for her. She did not do good work and a change had to be made. I had trouble to get a teacher for all our Chinese are on strike for higher wages. When in KKS we heard of Cholera being in Kaifeng but it is around us and two boys in the high school have had it. Both recovered. One was sick only a short time for he reported at once. The other boy was poorly some time before letting others know, for it was a light attack and he thought he only had diarrhea. For a few hours it was feared he would not pull through but he is around again. The other boy came in on the six o’clock train and was taken during the night. Our first English service of the year opens tomorrow and Father has the service. He often reads a sermon but is trying to preach one of his own. He did a good one. We have some apples on the trees, which are quite green, but the wasps are eating them so we must pick them. They eat the whole apple except the skin and core; the empty shell still remaining on the tree. Father has a prune tree with a few prunes on it and he has a frame made for drying fruit. He dried a few grapes and we had a pudding (rice) with them in one day. They are quite like raisins but the pits are troublesome. The borers are going for the Apple-trees. Some are in the limbs away high up in the trees. Sept 11 The date-keeper came in to say that there was a hole in the fence and likely someone had been over to get apples or peaches. The apples are picked to keep them from wasps and other thieves. And the peaches will come off this PM. Saturday we were wakened by the gatekeeper to tell us there was trouble up street. He thought the soldiers had mutinied again, but the shots and the noise sounded far off so likely it was robbers east of the city. Some few nights we were up part of the night as it was rumored the soldiers were likely to rob the grain shops. However it was quiet and we since heard the officials and gently paid them their salary the day before. Mr. Fu, the H.S. teacher who we all liked so much is dead. He was taken home three weeks ago. The robbers took his Mother and she has not yet been redeemed nor anyting heard of her whereabouts. The soldiers and robbers certainly make life hard in China. Now Jessie, you are the one to decide which course you take. There are advantages on both sides and you think it out. We are satisfied with either nursing or the dietician’s course. The latter means less night work after you are through and less weariness of the flesh for in nursing one must stand so much and keep smiling even when tired for the patient’s sake. Mary Boyd is sick and no better this morning. We are always anxious when anyone comes down with dysentery. Now we had hoped to have letters this A.M. but there are none so hope for them tomorrow but will not wait before sending this off. You are back at the Lllewellyn Hall, so we think of you both and hope soon to hear you both got your Matric. If not work well and you will get it and what you are after this year. We love our girl and boy very much and pray that this year may be a happy one for both of you. Think of others and do not be selfish. Lovingly Mother “Jennie H Mitchell” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, Honan September 17, 1922 Dear Jess and Morr Grey skies and weeping clouds with a change to warmer clothes make one think that summer is over. We have been in need of rain and the folks will be glad of it. They can get their wheat in through more rain would be acceptable yet. Our full numbers are back at the station now, the Aulds having arrived home on Friday. The Boyds are both here the last two days on account of Mary’s sickness. They are still anxious about her, though she is better than she was some days ago. Having had two children and an adult die of that disease in the mission two years ago, people are afraid of it. Our two cholera cases in the high school are both at work now, all right. We should be very thankful that they were both spared. One of our old boys is back today making the number up to the even eighty. We could have had more if we had been able to get teachers to carry on our plans for normal and preparatory work. But there was the double scarcity of funds and of teacher supply. I have failed to get a mathematics teacher, but Mr. Liu Ru has agreed to stay over for the year to help us out and we have made an arrangement of classes to get things taught. I have to take some arithmetic and geometry while Mrs. Struthers is taking algebra for us. We have not got the physical work settled, yet, but we want more stress to be put on it than formerly. During the last few years we have had a t least three pupils and one teacher who shortly after stopping school have died of tuberculosis and we have been short of the teacher this year from the same disease. We shall have to do more in the way of preventive and bodybuilding work. This morning Mr. Grant preached for me so that I had a rest. It is long time since he preached in Chinese here. Usually he is away from the station in his own field but as he was to be in over Sunday I asked him. As Mr. Lochead will be back in a couple of weeks it may be that I shall not be responsible for the services very long. There are a number of things, which I would like to pass off when he comes. The party is due in Shanghai next Saturday and will probably be here a week later. That reminds me that the last Empress had no letter from any of our children. We have the Presbyterian Witness of Aug. 19th but the last letter from any of you is dated July 8th from the east and July 19 from Will. I hope that there is nothing wrong with you. We have had all of our apples picked this week because we could not save them from the wasps. I do not know whether or not we can keep them. They pits now. It seems warm weather for things to be put in the ground. I do not know how they will keep. “R A Mitchell” Monday As I have more spare time than Father I am going to finish the letters. This morning I have been trying to clear up Father’s bookroom and it is some job. It gets a general cleaning up twice a year and looks wild the remainder of the time. I have just gotten up from my afternoon sleep and before doing so nearly every day I count up what time it is with L.H. two & then follow on out west to Eckville. You are sleeping soundly I hope and Bill is over his Sunday work I expect. I try to imagine what you look like in your sleep now that I cannot slip in and see you at it. Then I offer a prayer for all of you, get up and begin my afternoon’s work. It is always hard when we have been so long without letters as this time. It may be no steamers, or Bill’s last letter may have missed the steamer. We hope it is that and not that he is ill. There is an Empress steamer this week but that means arrive Shanghai 23 and would not receive letters before 26th at the earliest. We may get three letters quite close together as we have once or twice before. I think this is the longest wait except once before when your letters lay in Oshawa probably in your writing pads. Now adieu for this week. You will likely see Dr. MacVicar at Oshawa sometime this month. He is going to call upon Dr. Cameron and give him the Brass tray and teapot we sent him. Mary Boyd is a little better but still a very sick girl Jess. Will remember how hard it was for her to lie in bed and Mary suffers all the time. We should all be more thankful for good health than we are. We do not know what it is till we are deprived of it. Mother sends heaps of love, good wishes and prayers with this letter. So does father… Lovingly, Mother “Jennie H Mitchell” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, Honan, China September 23, 1922 My Dear Jessie Your three letters July 26, Aug 1 & Aug 6th all came in this morning & I tell you we were glad to have word from our dear ones in Canada. We have been a month without word from even Bill. I think that is the longest period without mail since we left you. You had a good time & not too much word at Fisher camp I gather from your letters. How about the expenses? You never mentioned that & we have been wondering how you came out. Long before this you will know that the money in your account at Eaton's is Father's share form Aunt Frances estate. I am glad you have only the one star & hope that you wrote it off in Sept as you planned to do when you wrote last. You will be lonely at Llewellyn but soon you will drop into your place & work. Shall be glad when we get word from you about which course you are going to start on next year. I am glad you are taking the senior Matric & remaining in Oshawa. It will make it easier for your parents financially. You will have long enough without a home & in boarding houses & I am glad you are to have that nice home for another year. You speak about Erine using her ukulele. Do you every play yours? I have hoped that now when you are not practicing so much you would take it up. When you are in boarding houses & going out picnics, etc, it is very nice to have it to help along with the singing. Yes I know where Simcoe is, & know the Jamiesons lived there for years. Glad you hunted Grandma up so soon after your return to Oshawa. go to see Uncle Van often. I think he is lonely. Glad to hear you & Erine lay in a few times. Try & be careful about your rest. Try & keep rested up. One does better work & can throw off disease better if careful about rest. Now my little girlie no more for tonight but shall add more when writing the regular weekly letter. I just felt after reading your letters I must have a chat with my dear girl. How I would like to throw my arms around you & give you a good night kiss. But that must be in the future & in the meantime we must try & do our work faithfully & well so there will be no great sorrow when we do meet. Adieu for this time. Sept 26. This was not finished & now for a little chat. it is 6 A.M. & I am up & dressed. Dr. Dow spent the forenoon with us yesterday & Father & she left on the noon train for Taokou. I hope the former returns this morning. We are hoping to get some photos this year form you children as our Xmas present from you. Do not spend much money when it is needed for school. Just little reminders. Father wears dickies all the time now so ties need not be sent to him. But the pictures are what we want this year. Those little pink bows you sent me last winter have been very much used & appreciated by me & admired by others. Mrs. Grant was also wearing one. Now, good morning & a good evening's study & a sound sleep for you. You are just out of school. Lovingly, Mother ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei Sept 24, 1922 Dear Jess & Morr This week we had the pleasure of a letter from Bill & three from Jessie. I guess Bill forgot to write one week because the last letter from him is dated Aug 3 and the letter just to had is Aug 22. We had been a month without any word and I was fearing Bill was sick. Today we think of Bill more settled in the lovely home at Oshawa. I wish you two would remain under its shelter and Mrs. Jamieson's care till your education is finished. Father is off to S.S. As it is review I am taking the day off. It is not often I play off. My women will be here for the Bible school work next Sunday and then there will be a rush two months ahead of me. The executive meet at Taokou this week and father has to go up to consult about salaries of High School teachers and graduates. Dr. Dow comes on the 6am train tomorrow. Will have breakfast with us and go on to Taokou with him. The Mr. Forbes wants Father up for next Sunday when he is having all the gentry and official for a meeting. That means two trips for Father in the one week. The summer at Fisher's camp was a pleasant one I gather from Jess's letters. How about the expenses? Did what you earned pay for the outing? Then too Jess says nothing about Morr's return. She and Irene seem to have gone back alone. We shall hear when Morr writes I suppose but when we laid down the splendid letters for we did enjoy them we could not but ask where was Morr? When would he return to Llewellyn Hall? Try when writing and tell all the little things like this for we are interested in every detail. Last week nothing but the every day affairs have come to us so there is nothing to write about. School work takes all Dad's time and when not at that a committee meeting or school board calls for his attention. While he has been at that I have been putting up the curtains and all are now up but the back hall. That window has always been a trouble. It is so high we can not get it dusted. The high window in Father's study which we had hoped would heat the conservatory has been a failure and we may make some changes. Close up the window in the study and after removing the high one in the back hall put it in there. Then use the back window on the verandah downstairs and close in another archway. The glass makes it very warm and we could then have room to sit in the conservatory between seasons. As it is we often have afternoon tea there and with a little more room could have more meals there. If we do it you will hear later. We have been sleeping inside for about two weeks and now have the head of the bed against the east wall in the room Jess and Morr used to occupy. Our bedroom to the west of it is an upstairs sitting room and it is in that room I am writing you. Now adieu for this week my dear children.. God bless you in your year's study and every day life. Mother ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, Honan September 23, 1922 My Dear Jessie, Your three letters July 16, Aug 1 and Aug 6th all came in this morning and I tell you we were glad to have word from our dear ones in Canada. We have been a month without word from even Bill. I think that is the longest period without mail since we left you. You had a good time and not too much work at Fisher camp I gather from your letters. How about the expenses? You never mentioned that and we have been wondering how you came out. Long before this you will know that the money in your account at Eaton's is Father's share from Aunt Frances estate. I am glad you have only the one star and hope that you wrote it off in September as you planned to do when you wrote last. You will be lonely at Llewellyn but soon you will drop into your place and work. Shall be glad when we get word from you about which course you are going to start on next year. I am glad you are taking the senior Matric and remaining in Oshawa. It will make it easier for your parents financially. You will have long enough without a home and in boarding houses and I am glad you are to have that nice home for another year. You speak about Ernie using her ukulele. Do you ever play yours? I have hoped that now when you are not practicing so much you would take it up. When you are in Boarding houses and going out picnics, etc. it is very nice to have it to help along with the singing. Yes I know where Simcoe is and know the Jamiesons lived there for years. Glad you hunted grandma up so soon after your return to Oshawa. Go to see Uncle Van often. I think he is lonely. Glad to hear you and Erine lay in a few times. Try and be careful about your rest. Try and keep rested up. One does better work and can throw off disease better if careful about rest. Now my little girlie no more for tonight but shall add more when writing the regular weekly letter. I just felt, after reading your letters I must have a chat with my dear girl. How I would like to throw my arms around you and give you a good night kiss. But that must be in the future and in the meantime we must try and do our work faithfully and well so there will be no great sorrow when we do meet. Adieu for this time. Sept 26 This was not finished and now for a little chat. It is 6.A.M. and I am up and dressed. Dr. Dow spent the forenoon with us yesterday and father and she left on the noon train for Tokou. I hope the former returns this morning. We are hoping to get some photos this year from you children as our Xmas present from you. Do not spend much money when it is needed for school- just little reminders. Father wears dickeys all the time now so ties need not be sent to him. But the pictures are what we want this year. Those little pink bows you sent me last winter have been very much used and appreciated by me and admired by others. Mrs. Grant was also wearing one. No good morning and good evening study and a sound sleep for you. You are just out of school. Lovingly, Mother. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, Honan October 1, 1922 Dear Jess & Morr Father is away to Taokou and I am once more alone. I had decided not to bring any of the servants to the house but did so after all. I am so used to dad carrying the key when we go out I went off to supper with Misses Mitchell and Brydon and forgot to take a key and when I returned home could not get in. I sent for the boy and then had him remain. I must watch out and not be so slow today. The church bell has just gone but I have handed over the organ so can go to church or not as I feel like and if I do go do not have to be ahead of time. The young people are ready for such work and as I have plenty to do thought I would get free of that. About twenty women came in to the Woman's Bible class yesterday and I have my work cut out for me for the next two months. Locheads and Bompas arrived yesterday. I went over to the station but Father could not go as he was making ready for Taokou and also had three boys in his study writing off Supplementals. One is English and two in Scripture. I hope they get it off this time. If not it is their last chance. They were told to be ready for Sept first but some never took their books home. However the strings are going to be tightened and there will be none of that next year or if there is they do not get a second chance. Since writing the above I have been to Church, over to dinner with Miss MacLennan and have prepared my S.S. lesson. The bell for that service will soon ring. When that is over I must begin on my work for tomorrow. I was thinking of Bill as with Uncle Fred, Jess and Morr attending S.S. in Oshawa and when the time comes studying the same lesson I shall teach shortly. Mrs. MacClure and Margaret come tomorrow and I will have a visit there for a few days. I do not know their plan and am not sure they are to go to Hwaiching or whether they go only to Siuwu and Taoku but shall have particulars when she arrives. She writes about coming 'home'. She and Margaret would like to be here but Dr. MacC enjoys the work in Tsinan and as long as he is able to do that work he will not likely come to Honan. I wonder if Bob will come out next autumn and if so where he will be sent to work. Time will answer all these wonderings. We have had a couple of cool days and everyone had dark clothes on to mee the Locheads but today is warmer and I put on my white skirt and blouse. I did not get up till 10 or perhaps I would have felt cold. There may be a few days when we can wear summer clothes in the middle of the day but we musts soon put them away for a time. I hate adding extra clothes. It takes so much longer to dress but one must keep warm. The day is drawing to a close. 5:30pm - Have just returned from the Lochead House. She began to tell me the latest news from home when a Chinese Tai Tai was announced so I shall have to wait for a time. I do not think she has any more word than we got in Jess' last letter. I do not think Jess will be as lonely at Llewellyn Hall as Margaret will be at the school where she is to attend. Now goodbye to both of you. Shall hear about what you are doing and your sports in your next letter. Keep near to Jesus. He will help you when you ask - indeed often when you do not ask - before you call. Try and keep bright cheerful and helpful. Tuesday, Oct 3 Father arrived at noon and went right to his classes. I saw him at dinner and that was all till after 10P.M. Mrs. MacClure came on the 6 P.M. train and Father met her. Went from the station to Aulds where there was a 'stag' party to meet Mr. Copeland the newcomer, who is to be in Hospital here. I had Madames Grant, Lochead, Struthers and Bompas here to meet Mrs. MacClure. Margaret went to the W.M.S. house and I have not seen her. Adieu for this week.. Mother Jennie H Mitchell ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, Honan October 8, 1922 Dear Jess & Morr We got a feast of good things this week in the batch of letters which arrived; one from Jess, two from Will and several from Morr. Morr's was the best batch of news this time. It was some time since we had heard from him. Then he seems to have improved so much in his letter writing, perhaps because studies are not pressing on him. By this time I suppose you are all back at your winter's work and may have seen each other. It will be good to have a reunion. We would like to pop in on you. We have been having more reunions this week here. Mrs. McClure and Margaret came along last Monday. The former has been with us and the latter with Miss McIntosh. Of course there has been a good deal of visiting and Mrs. McClure has been seeing all of the work. Mrs. Goforth was at the Grants for a couple of days having come up for a medical examination. Of course we compared notes about the children etc. Today noon mother had Mrs. Djang and her school from Cicheng in to dinner and to see Mrs. McClure. The latter puts up the money which runs the school. She used to go out there a good deal when she was living in Weihwei. As it was all a women's party mother had arranged for me to have dinner at Aulds. Today Mr. Weng, our Shantung teacher, preached. Of course his dialect is a little difficult for the people here and he is not very used to occupying the pulpit. He cannot begin to give the same helpful sermons as Mr. Fu did. In the afternoon there were 378 at Sunday school. Mr. Flemming is taking a SS class. He says he is enjoying it. The lessons in the N.T. will be easier for him. As I see him in church a tall young fellow, I wonder how it would feel to have my own boys back in the congregation again. I may possibly see it yet. It looks as if Morr was going to soon pass me in height as Will did. This week every one got an invitation to the Taotai's to a feast. he is the one who was Hsien for a long time here. He was made temporary taotai in the summer and his appointment has been made permanent. This is part of the celebration I suppose. The ladies were in on Wednesday and we on Thursday. I would have enjoyed it better if it had been a Chinese feast. But it was foreign and had too much meat to suit our tastes. When I came home from Taokou on Monday it was expected that Mrs. Forbes would come here yesterday to wait for her baby. Yesterday morning the doctors got a call to Taokou and her baby was born last evening, a girl Margaret Louise. Mrs. McClure is going to Taokou tomorrow and then on to the stations to the west and back to Tsinan by the way of Kaifeng. Monday evening: Mrs. McClure and Margaret got off at noon. Miss MacLennan at the last minute at the station decided to go too and asked me to tell her cook. As tomorrow is a holiday she thought she would not miss much. Tomorrow is Republican Day. There is to be a meeting in the church - Some people think that there is not much of a country to be celebrating about since the republic began but I suppose that it is their Dominion Day and they would not want to give it up any more than we would ours. Shortly I shall send you your Victory bonds which are due Dec. 1st. I see by the Presbyterian Witness that the government will renew the bonds if one wishes it. But I suppose that you will want to have the use of yours in the next year or two so that you had better bank it. Eaton's are now charging a small commission for cash withdrawals. I had notice from them when they transferred from my account to Jessie's. I hope you will do as I said in one of my late letters. Let me have a statement of your expenditures or some idea of how the money is expended. The only thing that I know so far is that Mrs. Jamieson sent a statement by which it would seem as if you had used more than I was sending, as there was a debit balance at June. As I was expecting Jessie to be in Toronto I made a different arrangement. I don't know how it would do but I expect that some further arrangement will have to be made. Let me have some sort of idea as to what would be the most suitable. We have had masons in the house this week taking out the big window in the stairway and putting it its place the high window which was in my study. We are putting the two large windows which have been taken out of the house into one of the arches of the verandah and are moving the end partition of the conservatory so that it will be a sun room extension where we can take meals or sit in the sun spring and autumn and save some oil. Goodbye now for the present. We are so glad that you are keeping well. Morr is quite a strapper. Mother weighs 150 and I 173. Mrs. McClure was 154 and Goforth 180. We all went on the scales the other day when Mrs. G. was here. With love from both of us Your loving father Robert A Mitchell ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Weihwei, Honan Oct 15, 1922 Dear Jess and Morr. I am writing direct to you today because I wrote a long letter to Will yesterday on some business matters. One of them has to do with you two, as I sent to him your Victory Bonds which mature on Dec 1. I asked him to pay them over to you or to put them to the credit of your D.A. at Eaton's. There is a coupon attached to each of them. This with the amount which came from Aunt Frances' estate should give you each a fair amount in your account at Eaton's but I hope that so far as possible you will let it stand and live on the allowance you are getting. I wrote a good deal on money matters the last time and so I don ot want to say much more on the subject except that you have something more to do than to spend it. Form the habit of keeping account of your expenditures. It is two yeas since we left and I have not got an account from either of you. We are in the nice autumn weather. It is really too warm today for autumn clothes but it cools down in the evenings. Our days pass pretty much the same from day to day filled with work. Mother is especially busy now that her school is on. Betgween that, the high school, her day schools, music, and Sunday School she does not get many idle moments to look after all the household, preserving, pickling, making over mattresses, looking after a husband, etc. I dodge along at the work in the high school and the Sunday school with some committees. I have just been asked to go to the Changte Christian conference and give four addresses four weeks from this. I have also been appointed the convener of a committee of Chinese and foreigners to discuss the whole of our educational work for the future. So I shall have to be doing a bit of work in preparation. This autumn the Evangelistic committee have formed a plan of getting help from the other stations in series of evangelistic campaigns. Mr. Menzies and Mr. Luttrell and a couple of Chinese from Weihwei are helping at Tokou at the present time. Mr Locheacd leaves tomorrow to help at Siuwu. I do not know who the othes are. The Weihwei turn will come on in the early part of December. In the meantime they are trying to get a conference of Christians during November. I do not know how the plans for that are coming on. The Struthers left on Friday for Wuan and will be back tomorrow. They have never been there before and wanted to visit it before they go home on furlough next year. They will be away from the station a good part of the spring so they thought they would get the visit in before it is cold. We heard last evening that word from he Peking Medical College hospital says that Mr. Clark is no better and that they are likely to go home. It is terrible the way our staff is crippled. We have received only one minister since Bompas and Forbes came out eight years ago and he stayed only a year on the field. Now another has to give up. The field is crying out for evangelistic workers both Chinese and foreign and there is no sign of them coming forward. Mr. Grant was mentioning it the other night. The younger recruits in the evangelists class are not of as good a caliber as those of a dozen years ago and there are practically none coming on in the college. We have only one in college (theological) from our mission and about a dozen in the medical college. Mr. Flemming is going to go back to his station, Siuwu, to be in at the evangelistic campaign. He perhaps may get a chance for some practice in speaking there. It will be good for his Chinese. Jessie was asking what our ideas about her course are. I am not well acquainted with the dietitians work. There will be an increasing opening for them though the position is not so much recognized yet as the nurse's. If one were expecting to use it in China it would seem to me that the nurse's course would be the surer one. As to Morrison's, he is not going in for the evangelist's course, it lies between a doctor's and an educationalist's. By the latter I do not mean an ordinary high school teacher but one who specializes on modern methods of teaching and prepares teachers. I have dreamed of it for long but it does not come easily. Lack of funds and of teachers has prevented our getting into the training work which we planned for this autumn are practically not doing anything but preparing boys to go on to college, while the bulk of our work ought to be preparing them to go out and do other work, teaching, etc. As to Morrison's idea of taking an extra year in the high school so as to be prepared to take scholarships, that may be all right for one who can afford the extra year and wants the name. but it seems to me that you would be using up say 300 dollars in the hope that throughout a four years course you may have a running chance for say $50 a year. It does not strike me as a good business proposition. Of course I like a boy to have a work well in hand but I rather think that to take an extra year for it is not worth while at that stage. I think a year of practical work teaching or whatever your work is under supervision would be better but that might come at a later stage according to what the work is. I hear the bell ringing for the boys to go to Sunday school so I must away. Love to both of my sweethearts.. Your affectionate father, Robert A Mitchell ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, Honan December 3rd, 1922 Dear Jess and Morr This week brought us letters for which we had been looking before and had been disappointed. It seems that the letters to catch the last Empress had been given by Will to Dr. Mackenzie to post. The letter got mixed up with some that he was carrying with him for delivery and so stayed right with him. On Thursday evening he was here and gave us the letter written by Will the day he left Toronto. Yesterday another came in from Will and Jessie, dated Nov 2nd. We were greatly pleased to get them of course for we are always looking eagerly for these letters. It was good to see Dr. Mackenzie again. he came in to Honan by way of Peking, coming down to Changte on the express on Tuesday. He came here Thursday evening but went on on Friday morning to Hwaiking where he is going to take part in the evangelistic campaign. Mr. Menzies was booked to go down but as he was never very well Dr. MacKenzie took his place. The latter is feeling it pretty hard coming back to Changte into the surroundings of house and everything as Mrs. MacKenzie had arranged them when she was there. In some ways he would welcome to be moved to another station to work but I do not know whether or not he will. Almost his whole work has been in that field. They are having the exchange of workers and cooperative work in the evangelism this autumn. A scheme was laid out for all the stations of the field to have tent meetings for non-Christians with a staff composed of their own with aid from others, both Chinese and foreign. The last ones are on now. Mr. Grant with a staff ate at Chi Hsien. Mr. Lochead and another staff ate here. Then they are going to Sinsiang. I think that they have had good bearing in all parts. They also are getting acquainted with other workers and their methods. On Wednesday of this week Pastor Ding Li Wei of the Student Volunteer Movement and Mr. Gardner Tewkesbury arrived here for two days. Unfortunately they were both very tired and Mr. Ding had to cancel one of his meetings with the school on Thursday night, while Mr. Tewkesbury had to spend a day in bed. He seemed to be having something like the grippe. They left on the express on Friday. Tewkesbury is a China-born man. He took his B.A. in the Nanking University and then went to USA for postgraduate work. The Chinese all say that his language has no foreign accent and the boys sat up and smiled when they saw him write Chinese on the board as naturally and as well as they would themselves. His course was partly in Chinese and partly in English. He was excused from the Chinese literature, as he had not a basis to carry it on, taking English instead. He says that if it had been in the vernacular as how he would probably have taken the Chinese. Mrs. Struthers had been at Peking for an X-ray of her jaw and remove some teeth, which could not be taken out naturally. When she came back she was sick for a couple of days. Then Dr. Struthers was taken down. They thought it was tonsillitis at first, but yesterday it was pronounced scarlet fever. So they are in for a space of quarantine. Mrs. Struthers is upstairs with him while the children are downstairs with the woman. Poor children! It will be hard on them. If this plan does not do we may have them over here, as we are free of other children in the neighborhood. I think that Mrs. Struthers would like not to have them out of the house if she can help it. I don't suppose any of you remember when Bill had the scarlet fever and mother was upstairs with him. How Morrison used to sit on the bottom step and cry while his mother sat at the top and did the same. Miss Brydon went to Hwaiking last Monday on a telegram that Mrs. Boyd has pneumonia. Word has come that her temperature is normal again. So she will likely be all right barring a setback. There seems to have been a good deal of sickness with us this autumn of serious kind, though not severe cases. I think that the Clarks are leaving this week with the idea of spending the winter in Honolulu. In some ways it seems a pity for them to go away. If he cannot get better I think our climate here would be as good for him and this is more home to him than any other place where he would go. Probably, too, they would be able to live as economically here as elsewhere. It brings up the problem of the Huan station again. The Bruce's' furlough is due next year and we have no staff to put in. We surely are short handed in the evangelistic way. I wish we could have a new preacher at teach of the stations in the near future. At this station we have for nice counties, two ministers on the field and one on furlough and the newest of these three came to China sixteen years ago. Some day they will be dropping off and there will be no one left. This morning when the boy arrived he told us with glee that it had rained a little in the night. It has been snowing a little this morning but just now it has stopped. I hope we get a good fall before it clears up. it is quite cloudy but in time of drought it seems hard for the clouds to come down in rain or snow. It will be beyond Christmas when you get this. You will be about getting back to school. We have not yet heard any of your Christmas plans. I have kept this over two days but am too rushed with time to add anything so will just close with assurances of much love. Your Father R.A. Mitchell ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, Honan December 10, 1922 Dear Jess & Morr Yesterday it was cold, cloudy and dark. We were looking for and hoping for rain but this morning opened bright and it is rally a very nice warm day. No rain thus far this autumn and prices are as high as they were the year of the famine. The foreign powers have made a protest to the Chinese government about the foreigners in the hands of the bandits but nothing has been done except making an offer of money for their release. One wonders where China is going to l and if some of her men do not learn to love their country more and themselves and party less. This week we had a Miss Fan, a girl who was educated in Mission in Peking school here. She was with us and we enjoyed her visit very much. She held a meeting with the leaders (Chinese & Canadian) and also took a meeting in the church when she spoke to a mixed audience. She spoke well, has a good voice and I think was heard all over the church. Then last week we had a Mr. Ding who has done much in the way of interesting young men in the Preaching of the gospel. When one meets these people one realizes that there are some who are real Salt and we know that their influence is powerful. Wish we had more. In our station wee have nine counties and only two persons to do preaching. Several years ago before Father went into schoolwork he and Mr. Grant were in charge of nine counties and thus we stand. If we could only get a few more from Canada to help us in the next few years much can be done for now is the time to train the Christians and send them out to win their own people. But why give you people a Missionary address but I have been thinking aloud as it were. Must off to Sunday School now and shall write more later on. Good-bye sweet hearts. Dec. 11: A letter from Aunt Mabel has just come in telling of Thanksgiving Day. I wonder if there will be one from the best people in Canada or if their letter did not get this Empress. The next Empress brings Mrs. Ratcliffe and we shall all be glad to welcome her back. Through Fred we heard that Jess got her star. She wrote she was going to write it off in Sept but she did not tell us how she got along. We are very glad she has a clear road and hope she makes her Senior Matric in due time. Fred also tells us Helen and Harold got their exams also. Do not forget to mention these things. it is better to write twice than not to write. I hope Jess got her sweater she was wanting Bill and Morr to give her for her birthday. Do not overdo in the sport line. Bill's picture of the game between Knox and Vic to my mind was not sport. If any of you are injured in games and it might be you as well as any one else what would we do? You hindered in your courses, no home o go to while you build up and we with no money to pay for you in a hospital etc. I expect it comes hard on any parents but double so when the children and parents are separated as we are. I do wish the boys would leave Rugby alone. The other games are not so dangerous and there is plenty of exercise and fun. In a few years the public will demand a more civilized set of rules as was done with Lacrosse. I am not like some Mothers asking you to give up all sports but Crokey or some old people's games. There is soccer, basketball, baseball and heaps of other amusement. The boys have just come out for recess. Some are at the parallel bars, others putting the shot, others jumping. From 4pm till 4.45pm one of the teachers is with them and they are taking the Canada Efficiency tests. Mr. Flemming takes the Military drill and it is very interesting to watch the different groups. After this period is over they play by themselves football, volleyball, or tennis. So you see we do not object to sports; it is to certain kinds. I must make my Christmas cake this week. Was too miserable last week to care but we like the cake on through Jan for afternoon tea. What we shall do at Christmas has not yet been decided and I wait for others to lead for Christmas does not mean much to two old people. It is the children in the home who make Christmas. I mean the fussy part decorating and eating. I wonder where you are to be this year but time will tell. Now I must say adieu and finish Bill's letter. Heaps and heaps of love to both of you. Hope you are well started in your studies when this reaches you. Jess I think you had better follow Irene into the hospital for you know you do not like study and exams. I did before I began my long course and yet I would be sorry to see any young girl go into these hard courses unless they are really fond of staying at their books. It is only by doing so that they can make the exams. Again here goes a good chunk of love to my two at Oshawa. With all your learning spend time to get to know Jesus. Keep near to Him Lovingly Mother Jennie H Mitchell ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihewei, Honan December 17, 1922 Dear Jess and Morr This week brought in a couple of letters without any from Oshawa, but one direct from Morrison, so that we had a little treat to ourselves and then we shared it with others, for Dr. MacKenzie and Dr. Auld and Mrs. Grant were in for supper with us. Dr. MacKenzie was just back from the Hiking field where he has been helping in the evangelistic campaign. He reports good times, fine listening and a high order of speaking. It is his first experience in the tent preaching and he is quite pleased with the good attention, which is secured in contrast with the old style of street preaching. The testimony is common to all parts of the field as to the good opening there is for preaching but we really do not know what we are going to do for preachers either foreign or Chinese. There do not seem to be coming forward those who will take the place of the present ones. I do not know whether or not the fault is in the training they get in the high school or the lack of training they may get along the right lines. We certainly would be glad to see more whose hearts are touched with the value of the preaching of the gospel both among those who are going to college and those who cannot go on. The weeks go by rapidly with the daily work keeping one at it so that the end of the year is nearly here before one seems to have got any work properly at started. It is just a week till Christmas now. We have been longing to know where you would be for Christmas. last year we knew long before this what your prospects were. We all hope that you will have a good time in Toronto. My! How we would like to drop in on you the end of the week The fine weather has been continuing with us. It seems as if it cannot rain or snow. As I was looking out yesterday I saw quite a number of people irrigating from wells. One would think that in the middle of December they would not want to put water on the wheat but apparently the drought gives them far more fear than the frost. The session of the church decided this year not to have a Christmas dinner in the church but to ask instead for a contribution to the Chinese Home Mission work in Yunnan. We were rather amused at an expression of our boy that "Christmas is not flourishing this year." I suppose that he has got his ideas of Christmas from getting a big spread rather than from helping some one else. I see that I have the other copy of this letter on the other side of this. Such accidents do occur occasionally in trying to do two things at once. It will perhaps mean that some one will have to go short of a letter as I am so pressed with my work that I do not know that I can write another one. I do not know whether or not you folks feel so badly as we do when the mail time comes and no letter. Apparently Morr thinks it is better late than never as the last letter from him was dated Oct 26th I think and the Oshawa postmark was Nov13. Keep up to time old boy!! I am a bit troubled about your finances. In two years I have had no financial statement from you. Mrs. Jamieson's statement shows that without music for the first half year of this year you used up all the allowance with music. Yet you send me no statement at all of the matter. Your letters are full of sports but we cannot hear anything of the things, which are necessary to know. Thinking that Jessie was going to be in Toronto this autumn I made a different arrangement about the drawing of money and wrote you about it. Now that Jessie is back in Oshawa and there is less money being sent there I am afraid that you are going to be financially on the rocks. I don't want it but "it would serve you jolly well right". I do not like to talk this way but you are not children and it is about time you took something of responsibility in such things. My accounts are crooked with Mr. MacKenzie over the allowance paid at home and i do not want to give Miss King constantly changing orders about the amount to be paid. Yet you have never said anything on the matter since I made the change in the summer. I don't know what your expenses are or your needs. WAKE UP TO THE FACT THAT THERE ARE SOME MORE IMPORTANT SCORES OCCASIONALLY THAN THE RUGBY OR BASKET BALL ONES. LET US HEAR THEM. Tell me how you are spending your money whether it is enough or not; how much your earnings were, etc. Otherwise I shall be under the impression that you are making enough money to support yourselves and shall ask Miss King to make no more payments. Enough in that strain! It is not one I like and I wish I thought there was no occasion for writing it. I do hope that you will have a good time at this season. Its will probably have got much to lighten our lives. It is one of the seasons of the year we would like to be able to skip. It is too lonely. It should not be so with the hallowed memory of our Savior but it perhaps more associated with our earthly loved ones than our heavenly. It should not be. Would that we could ever keep Him uppermost where he deserves to be. Let us keep Him close in our thoughts and be constant in our reading His word. Don't let any other book take the place of that which is the best of all. When I know my own failings I pray Him to keep my precious boy and girlie from falling into the same errors. Now darlings, I must say goodbye to you for now. By the time you get this it will be over but is a very lonely time for your father and mother. Your own Robert A Mitchell ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 24, 1922 Dear Bill, Jess and Morr We are standing at the door of another Christmas; the third without our precious children and one cannot but ask "How many more?" We have all been kept in good health for which we should be thankful. It is now almost church time. Father preaches this morning and has the Sunday School. He has just been talking about having all the events of the Birth of Christ. Dec 26. Christmas is over once more. Hope it has been a pleasant one for you all in Canada. Sunday, Father was the preacher. There were eight or ten people baptized and we also had communion. We had all Christmas hymns for the first part of the service and communion hymns later. Then on Christmas morning there was a service in the church. Pastor Djang had charge. The different schools sang and then the pastor preached for three quarters of an hour. I tell you I was tired. Some of the foreign women left but I could not as I am organist. Then in the afternoon the Boy's Higher Primary put on a play and Father and I were at that so as to know what was doing in the church. We made the people keep quiet with the help of one or two Chinese. The play was very good and by our keeping quietness those who were present heard and could get benefit from the play. There is something wrong with the machine tonight. Father cannot find out what is the trouble. As you see none of the 'I's can be seen. After the afternoon play we had tennis for a time and at 5:30 went over to the Struthers for dinner. There was a little Christmas tree in the corner beside the staircase. The table was shoved up against it. Dr. Struthers set on the landing and had a very pleasant evening and visit with them. We sort of feel they and we are relatives and were glad to have a visit with Gordon again. At 9:15 we came home but the other friends who were together in another place kept up their fun till 10. We had duck, no turkey for us in Honan. We must wait till we go to Canada to get turkey I guess. When we came out of Struthers house I said, " Well, Christmas is over for once more". I keep looking forward to a Christmas with our family once more before they marry and go tot their own homes. Hope ewe may all be spared till our regular furlough. But that will be some time yet. Jess, we hear, is going into nursing. Are you going into the Children's Hospital first and later transfer to the General?. Or are you planning to go into some other hospital. If you want someone to recommend you Mrs. Jamieson can do that or possibly Mrs. Armstrong would help you in that way or Mr. Armstrong. Morr, we have not heard what you are thinking of doing. Is it to be Medicine or a teachers course? This year will be a year of decisions for both the two younger. Hope you pray much about it this year that you may be led into the path where the Lord would have you. Now about the Christmas presents. Very few were given this year. Most persons sent cards. We gave celery and turnips to two families who have no vegetables. I also sent fruit (in bottles) to some. Netterfields came last week from Peking and their first meal in their own house Dec 23. They have very little furniture for the carpenters were too busy at the hospital to do work for individuals. However it is nearing completion and soon the men will be ready to take on extra work. Netterfields have been in language school this year and are joining the staff here. We hope to have them at Weihwei. Mrs. Ratcliffe is getting unpacked and hopes to be ready for work next week. She will likely begin training the nurses. There seems to be such a lot of work to do in Honan and very few workers. If there were more of the Chinese trained to go on with nursing, teaching and preaching. I hope Bill will look out some cards for Christmas and New Years at Eaton's and send them out to us. Just the one leaf card will do. We have to send to so many of our graduates. They send to us and we to them. It is the only time of the year we can get in touch with them. Then we also give to gate keepers etc. We gave the servants each a picture of Jesus blessing the children. Bill asked if we rad Abe Lincoln’s play. Yes and I enjoyed it. It must have been nice to see the play. We got a new book from Dr. MackKay for us and the station Dr Whyte’s book on prayer. Also another book of his. The next mail will likely bring a couple more books and calendars we have heard is on the way. I gave father a sweater and for once I kept a secret from him. I had it sent to Struthers and paid the bill myself and he knew nothing about it. He gave me an album in which I hope to keep the snapshots of the precious three in Canada. The second sheet I wrote to send to Oshawa cannot be sent so will you Bill kindly send this on to Oshawa and make the one do this week for the machine will not do good work and father has no time today to look into what is the trouble. It is now Wednesday and I do not want to wait later in the week. Jess and Morr: must get down to business and tell us about where they are in expenses and also underclothes or they are going to be left without money for the treasurers are calling Father down because he does not render accounts and he cannot do so when there is no account from you two as to what you received. Then about Jess underclothes.. let me know what you need and I shall send things with Grants. If Morr needs anything also let me know Bill.. the same about Pyjamas. Now adieu for another week.. With much love Mother… Mrs. R.A. Mitchell PS. Dr MacVicar sent us the records two of McClaskey on one plate and one of Caruso on another. Please send on to Oshawa… JHM -------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, Honan December 31, 1922 Dear Bill, Jess & MorrToday we leave behind 1922 with all its sorrows, all its joys, we stand in the door looking out on 19232 and ask what have you for me? No answer and wait we must till each new day, indeed each new unfolds before us. May you and we endeavor to learn well the lessons our Master would teach us. There is a disagreeable north wind blowing and as there has been no rain, nor snow, there is plenty of dust. Moreover it is cold. North winds are not pleasant for Sunday Se5rvices as our church faces North. Doors bang and the people sitting near the door are cold and get up and move their seat or go out. It is the chinese pastor today and he does not seem to object to noise. When there is talking he just talks louder to overcome the noise and never asks them to be quiet. Father is at the highschool at the 9 o’clock meeting with the boys “Y.M.C.A.” He cannot go the morning he preqches for he is busy with his sermon up till the last. Last week I wrote you about Christmas and this week we have had no company and hve not been out anywhere; not even to prayer meeting. I had a bad cold and thought I had better get into bed early and did so. Yesterday afternoon I went into the city to Miss MacIntosh’s place to see a play Miss MacLennan’s girls were putting on. It was a story of a poor begggar who became righ and married the the daughter of his master. There was a service held in the house when the Pastor and Elders were brougth in to consult about allowing the daughter of the wealthy man to marry the smart well dressed youth who had been servant in the house a few years before. Then for the marriage ceremony a hymn was sung. Of course several of the girls were dressed in boys clothes. This added flavor to the play for them. Some made fine looking boys with false mustaches and felt hats pulled down so as to hide their long hair. In one scene they were soldiers and carried the wooden rifles from the High School which the boys made several years ago. Tomorrow the High School put on a play. They are charging for seats and have made great preparations. Father has been told what the play is as it is in the church. We do this to keep tab on what is coming. The platform was arranged Friday and they had a rehersal last night. Pastor Lyang will be on the platform today and things will be out of the ordinary. Father was not at the rehersal but I do hope they do not put on what theys hould not. The Chinese are born actors but they need to be kept in check just at this stage or they do and say things not wise nor proper. Mr and Mrs King, the new missionariess are here at present. They are very musical I believe and have promised to sing for the boys tomorrow. Bill when you get into theology what about trying to take singing lessons? You must give up some of your committee work though before I would feel like putting money on you. We had a lovely patch of letters on day this week. Morr’s account of the game Lemeens vs Argos was good. What a time they had getting back to Oshawa. My plan would have been to phone Mrs. Jamieson a second time and say “home Monday.” I could not face a walk like that. Dr Struthers is out this week looking after the engine and our electric light but uses a ladder to go up and down from the rooms he occupies upstairs. In another couple of weeks he will be out of quarantine and the family living together again. Now adieu. I shall send this to Bill and then it should go on to Oshawa. The typewriter is not working. Much much love to all three Mother… Mrs. R.A. Mitchell