Weihwei, January 3, 1924 We are now at work again after the New-year break. The boys had entertainment Monday and Tuesday afternoon. Their purpose is to raise money to carry on summer vacation schools. There were not so many present as last year but I think that they took in something like $70. Each day they do some clown stunts, a farce and a tragedy. They had some pretty good help but it was not satisfactory to me from the standpoint that some of it was rather low and none of it was particularly elevating in morale. The first day’s (play) they had a deputation of the primary school teachers calling on the minister of education demanding redress for their grievances. The police wounded several of them who were taken to the Peking Union Medical College hospital for treatment. One of them was a woman teacher who was engaged to the deputy minister of education. When he finds that she will have a permanent scar on her face he breaks the engagement. She however is in love with one of the teachers who was mortally wounded and the closing scene is where she slips a ring on the dying man’s hand and will go to his home and care for the widow’s mother who is sick. The second day the main play was one in which the student went to France and brings back with him a French wife. It indicates (… unreadable). When the real condition of things comes out the French girl tries to shoot him, but really kills the wife. She then kills herself. I suppose these two were all right for plays but I must say that I have no taste for all this killing We are having most wonderful weather. I was surprised the other day to see that the moat was really frozen over. It seems too mild for that though we have had a few sharp nights. Three years ago this week when we arrived from Canada it was about zero. Just now it is 58 in the shade. We have been waiting for a letter this week by the Admiral Line steamer, but noe has come yet, so I suppose this will not make connection. I have since gone into the post office and got a lot of mail among it three of Morrison’s sent by way of Will. There is nothing direct from Jessie, only Morrison’s mention of her to Jess. The calendar came from Will. The picture googah will be along alter I expect. Thanks. If I send this to this evening’s train it may catch the boat on the 9th, so I shall sotp now with much love. Keep looking up to the source of all good… Your loving father, Robert A Mitchell ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Changte, January 21, 1924 Dear Morr: The books sent from you and Jessie have arrived. One I marked as Birthday present for Father, Another for my Birthday, which is today; the third one as a Christmas present for both of us. We have not time to read them now but shall do so when the Chinese New Year comes, which will be when presbytery is over. Mrs. Ross came up here today with us. She told us Gordon was working hard. I hope you also are doing good work and that you will make your exams GK.. What about your ‘star’. Hope you get it off. The longer you carry it the heavier it gets. Try and not carry it long. We are quite bothered about Jess. So many times she has given me sleepless nights. I do wish she would settle down with some one course, get to work and not think so much about clothes and having a good time. Grandma wrote some very nice things about Jessie but she too feels its too bad she does not study better. Thanks for the books. We have been wanting books of travel and biographies. Sometime when at home where I have a list of what we want I shall send it to you and you can send us something we are wanting. We came up here today where we expected to be onece a week. Father is getting his report as Treasurer of (can’t decipher) ready. We have been up late for several nights and are very tired. It’s now 8:30pm and we shall turn in before 9pm. Last week we had several station meetings and as had parties. We have been invited out very little this autumn and it seemed to come all at once. The evening at the M.C.S. we played biographies, we cut pictures of a magazine and also write a little. It is heaps of fun hearing them read. Mrs. M Forster wrote me a Christmas letter I shall try and answer it shortly. She spoke about you and Mary having joined the Band. Why not tell us about such things. Bob MacClure is in Peking and has begun his language. We will be happy parents when one of our boys is with us and happier still when two of our boys is near us. We are very lonely and sad. I do not think I shall ever get over the separation from my children. It seems to have taken from me part of my life and I cannot be joyous and happy though not always going around with a long face. If we get good word about you all it makes us happier. Live near the Lord. He will help you at all times and prepare you for what he has for you to do. We ask God’s blessing on our children twice every day and often between times. So far all quiet near us and work goes on as usual. Recruiting for soldiers still goes on. It is a shame nothing can be done to put a stop to it; for now there are more soldiers than there should be. Good night my dear boy. It is almost 9pm with us. You are beginning your day. May it be one in which you will get much real satisfactory work done. Write often. We do enjoy your letters. Heaps of love from Father and Mother… Lovingly Jennie H. Mitchell ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Changte January 25, 1924 Dear Fred & Morr Your letter of December 17 reached me sometime ago with enclosures from Mother and Bill. I always enjoy the enclosures. We are up here attending Presbytery where we expect to be for ten days or more. I began this letter yesterday and there were many subjects in which I was interested. I have been listening. Just now we are talking furloughs and as we are not near time for going I am not too interested in this as in other affairs. My Bible School Committee has been meeting when we had time between sessions, which has kept me busy. But here more women workers have a vote and a share in the discussion so you see I have to be busy and watch what is being said. We have a difficult time arranging workers. Then too our money is not enough to go around and we have heart rendering times making places to carry on the work. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Changte, January 26, 1924 Dear Fred and Morrison Your letter of December 16 reached me sometime ago with enclosures from mother and Bill. I always enjoy the enclosures. We are up here attending Presbytery where we expect to be for ten days or more I began this letter yesterday and there were so many subjects in which I was interested I have been listening. Just now we are talking furloughs and as we are not near time for going I am not too interested in this, as in other affairs. My bible School Committee has been meeting when we had time betweens sessions, which has kept me busy, but here more women workers have a vote and a share in the discussion so you see I have to be busy and watch what is being said. We have a difficult time arranging workers. There too our money is not enough o go around and we have heart-rending times making plans to carry on the workers. This fortnight we listened to please from the different stations pleading for more workers saying it was impossible to carry on as they were some men and women breaking under the heavy load they were carrying. Bob is one of the numbers. He is going to get help now in the person of M. Flemming who has just finished his language. The work is growing and pressing you, as we are unable to plan or carry on, as they should. The Chinese we hoped would rise to the occasion but in many cases they cannot because they are weak. Their time of study and living a Christian life has been short and they cannot be expected to get under our orders yet for a few years. 28thJanuary: We are having a little fall of snow this afternoon. The ground is looking white. Some moister is badly needed, as there has been no rain this autumn and no snow. The farmers have been irrigating and thus far the has not been spoiled but if no rain nor snow comes soon it will be dried out and some may be ruined. I have had no word from Canada for some time. Bill was thinking of the trip to the Volunteer Conference. I hope he was able to go around to your place. Poor boy must be lonely at times and has no congenial company I fear. Jess we know nothing of her plans. Sorry she does not settle down to some one line of study and make it a success. She must soon decide what he life work is to be and get to work preparing herself.. We cannot do much more than we have done. Distance prevents us helping much in the making of decisions. Morr has his work cut out for him for the next few years and we hope he makes a success of it. He rooms with another boy from Honan who is also studying medicine. Tonight we have an English service in a few minutes and Communion after the sermon.. This is our usual custom. Now I must say adieu for another time. Shall be glad when these meetings are over and we start home, which will not be for five days yet. We have a comfortable room but home is better for persons in cold weather. I was weighed the other day and weigh 154lbs, (so you) see I am not thin though I cannot get near you. Heaps of love to both of you Love, Jennie H Mitchell --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weiwhei, February 4, 1924 Dear Morrison Jan 29 we went to Changte for Presbytery. We had had Mrs. Menzies with us for a few days and then we went along together. We were guests of Drs Dow and Mac Tavish. They had started up for the time in the Goforth house. We lived in that house after our return to Homan in 1901 and so often I found myself thinking over those days. Bill was only a baby of five months. Father had to leave me once and I did not like it very much. I was the only woman in North Honan for four months and five men of the mission too their meals with us. And now our children are all grown up and away from us. We often feel lonely for them but are glad to hear they are doing well and keep looking forward to the time when we shall be reunited again. Presbytery was a trying one. There were several things difficult to decide upon and the persons concerned felt they had not a square deal. We had one resignation and have appointed a committee to try and change the person’s way of looking at affairs. We came home completely used up and have been trying to rent. I told a friend this morning I felt as though I would never do any more work. However the Bible school opens Feb 23 and I have some studying to do and also a small station class of beginners. Today is dark and dusty. A strong wind is blowing. We have had very little snow and would be glad to see snow. When we returned from Presbytery we were delighted to have a big bunch of letters – two from each of the children and one from Aunt Lottie. These dated from Dec 16 – Jan 3. We arrived about 9pm and got our letters from the other yard soon as we could and read ‘til after 11pm. We are satisfied with Jess’s change of plans if she sticks to it. This changing from one thing to another without finishing up any one thing is disturbing to us. I have always preferred the teaching for Jess but she has been so set against it . However I hope she makes the grade in June and then gets her Normal without any further changes; more when writing to Jess. You must have had a big time Dec 21 at Llewellyn. It is pleasant for you all to get back but Jess must have been tired to go to work the next morning. We had heard of the party through Mr. Armstrong. He seemed to have enjoyed it. Bob McClure has arrived in Peking and is hard at work on the language. Mr. Eadie invited him to come to Presbytery but he wrote he had enough work to keep him off the street and he thought he had better stay at it. I hope Morr stays close on his job this spring and ges his exam. It will be a great sorrow to us if he fails. However if faithful work is done one cannot be so distressed over stars. Now Morr, get down to real hard work and knock everything ahead of you next April when your exams come. It is only a few years for you to deny yourself and then you will have the time your own and be in a position to earn your own money and take your place in the world beside other men. I used to feel when in college how I wished I could go to bed at a reasonable time and used to promise myself what good times I would have getting to bed early and you see I now do so. You too will have your longings to have these hard years of study over but stick close now for a few years. We hope Jess will stick to what she has started now. Our difficulty is the way she shifts from one course to another without finishing anything. I shall be delighted to haver her go on with the teachers’ course. I never wanted her to go nursing for I know too much about the course and felt with Jess’s disposition it would be hard for her to eat so much of the time the ‘humble pie’ which every nurse must do. Try and keep her at this even if she gets a star.. Have her get it off in the autumn. What about your star? When can you take it off? Do not venture too long along your course without for you may find as some have done you have lost your year. We are so pleased you took this course rather than he engineering. This is one where you can help others more and a position where there is always work to be done. Now dear boy write us regularly. We do enjoy the letters. We are glad you had so pleasant a Christmas. The aunts are good to you. Hope you appreciate all their kindness. The Llewellyn Hall was also a happy affair. Today is Chinese New Year. So far we have not been bothered with callers and will not likely have many. Having the two New Years to celebrate means neither is celebrated. We are to have a station meeting this afternoon and the new officers for the year will be appointed. There is an Empress leaving Shanghai Saturday and I want to get letters off to Bill and others so shall say adieu for this time. Heaps of love from Father and Mother. Be careful about your Bible study and daily prayers. The soul needs feed and nourishment as well as the body. Lovingly, Jennie H. Mitchell ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, Feb 10, 1924 Dear Morr Another week has gone and here I am at 5pm Sunday evening beginning a chat with you. Tuesday of this week was New Years day (Chinese). We had a few callers; not many and in the afternoon had our regular annual meeting of the station when all the officers for the year are appointed. We are free from the Sunday school and this afternoon had a long rest. I think it is going to be fine for Father. I shall have work when my Bible school is open but can choose my time as I cannot when going to the Sunday school. The Flemmings are in charge now and as he has finished his study it will be good for him and her also to get into the work. It will be easier for them if the older people are out of the way. Then Thursday Father went to Changte for a School Board meeting and returned last night. Miss Brown came with him and goes on to Hwaiching tomorrow. While father was away I have been dabbling in an engagement case. The daughter of one of my Bible woman was without the mother’s or the girl’s knowledge engaged to a man as a concubine. Her father wanting some money put the transaction through. When it was found out the mother and daughter were nearly wild. They went to Mr. Lochead who wrote a letter to the Middleman and also had the girl do the same saying she was unwilling to marry that man. There has been a new law lately if a girl writes she is unwilling she cannot be forced by her parents to marry. Well the clothes and jewelry was handed back & $23 of the $30 but there was the seven unpaid and they would not hand over the engagement papers. Just here it was decided by some of the Christians the girl must be engaged at once in a w Christian family or her father would do the same again but the next time cover his tracks and there would be no plan to save the girl. Imagine my surprise when I was invited to an engagement feast for the girl. I said no not till the engagement papers are in our hands. I said I would lend her Mother the seven dollars and the Chinese who invited me to the feast had to make a plan to get the papers back. The man sent for them brought me the wrong papers and I sent him back to say so and that they need not try to fool me as I had been in China too long for that.. In a couple of hours the true papers came to me and I am keeping them as a curio. Miss Brown came back with Father on Saturday and goes.. I see I said this above. Mr Copeland was here last evening for supper and his father read Bill’s letter re: Indianapolis Conference.. We were interested in the report of your exams. Hope you make the grade next May. They like to get at the young fellows for they feel they have lots of time but they do not realize what it means in a financial way for a fellow to have to repeat his year. Try and avoid it. What about this summer. Have you or aunt Mabel or Bill done anything about getting yourselves a job? ( 7 sentences unreadable) Sometimes I feel I must go to you and then I see it is impossible. Dad is none too well and as you know in China a man cannot go to live with another family very well. Let us all do our duty while separated and live near our Saviour and He will help us. If you all get along well in your work it is easier for us. I do hope Jesse makes good in the course she is at now. She must stick to one thing and finish it. Give your advice along with that line when she asks for advice. She has started this and I think she should finish it and try teaching for a few years and see how she likes it. Her first class will admit her into other lines of work if she doesn’t like teaching. Now I must say adieu for this week. Father is fixing his bicycle this morning and is going to accompany Miss Brown to the station this afternoon. Lot’s of love and good wishes for a pleasant morning’s work. Love, Mother, Jennie H Mitchell ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, Honan, China February 20, 1924 Dear Mo Another week has gone & here I am at 5 P.M. Sunday evening beginning a chat with you. Tuesday of this week was New Year's day (Chinese). we had a few callers, not many & in the afternoon had our regular annual meeting of the station when all the officers for the year are appointed. We are free from the Sunday School & this afternoon had a long rest. I think it is going to be fine for Father. I shall have work when my Bible school is open but can choose my time as I cannot when going to the Sunday School. The Flemmings are in charge now & as he has finished his study it will be food for him & her also to get into the work. It will be easier for them if we older people are out of the way. Then Thursday Father went to Changte for a School Board meeting & returned last night. Miss Brown came with him & goes on to Hwaiching tomorrow. While Father was away I have been dabbling in an engagement case. The daughter of one of my bible women was without the Mother's or the girl's knowledge engaged to a man as a concubine. her Father wanting some money put the transaction through. When it was found out the mother & daughter were nearly wild. They went to Mr. Lochead who wrote a letter to the middleman & also had the girl do the same saying she was unwilling to marry that man. There has been a new law lately & if a girl writes she is unwilling she cannot be forced by her parents to marry. Well the clothes & jewelry was handed back & $23 of the $30 but there was the seven unpaid & they would not hand over the engagement papers. Just here it was decided by some of the Christians the girl must be engaged at once in a Christian family or her Father would do the same again but the next time cover his tracks & there would be no plan to save the girl. I said "no, not till the engagement papers are in our hands". I said I would lend her Mother the seven dollars & the Chinese who invited me to the feast had to make a plan to get the papers back. The man sent for them brought me the wrong papers & I sent him back to say so, & that they need not try to fool me as I had been in China too long for that. In a couple of hours the true papers came to me & I am keeping them as a curio. Miss Brown came back with Father on Saturday & goes. I see I said this above. Mr. Copeland was here last evening for supper & Father read Bill's letter re: Indianapolis Conference. We were interested in the report of your exams. Hoe you make the grade next May. They like to get at the young fellows for they feel they have lots of time but they do not realize what it means in a financial way for a fellow to have to repeat his year. Try & avoid it. Now about the summer. Have you or Aunt Mabel or Bill done anything about getting …………….. I must say adieu for this week. Father is fixing his bicycle this morning and is going to accompany Miss Brown to the station this afternoon. Love and good wishes for a pleasant spring's work. Love, Mother Jennie. H. Mitchell --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, Honan, Feb 24, 1924 Dear Morrison We had a letter from Mrs. Grant yesterday and she mentions something about your being about their place. We had letters from Bill and Jess. Jess mentions that Mr. Maxwell had had a letter from you saying that you had finally decided to become a missionary. Good!! That was your early decision; but there is plenty of time for a person to change his mind between the age of eleven and when he has to make decisions for a life work. We have not urged it in you for we feel that it is for everyone to make the decision for life work. All that we should urge is that the decision be made from the motive of putting the life where it will best count. If that is done one need not be so particular as to the particular land. We shall be greatly delighted if we are spared to see you return to the land of your birth. We had heard before from Miss Forster that you were in the volunteer band. I hope that you will be greatly blessed in a spiritual way through your life decision. Jessie’s letter was a great comfort to us. I hope that she will be able to make her mind up to solid work and that she will make the grade. We are reading the life of Dr. Alexander Whyte who did such a work in Free St George’s church, Edinburgh. He had to get his study while hw was serving his apprenticeship to a shoemaker. In college two of them had to share one book. One studied till three in the morning and then woke up to the other to let him have the book. That was going some, was it not? He showed similar determination throughout his life work. In speaking of your Christmas exams you did not mention whether or not you get off your sup. Was there an opportunity then, or does it hang on till the spring examination? Don’t neglect it. We can begin to see the green on the wheat. In a short time the pussy willows will be in evidence. I noticed the poplar buds swelling. Mr. Djao was at Kikungshan last week and brought us up some azalea and some pines. I think the former will grow but I am not sure about the latter. How did your bulbs do? Ours are all over but we have some stocks, sweet peas, nasturtiums and geraniums in bloom Mr. Ross was here the other day on his 3way to Changte to a committee meeting. Some of the people are away to the Hsun Hsien fair. Mr Lochead is away to a station class in the country. Dr. MacVicar is going into the country this week. His wound is bothering him some. Dr. Auld says it is only fatigue. Griffiths arrived back in CT last week. I have not yet sent hem. Heaps of love from both of us. Keep up the writing regularly. Your affectionate father. Robert A Mitchell --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, March 1, 1924 Dear Fred & Mona The lion began to roar about noon today and now at 3pm he is making himself heard and felt. The last week has been very cold. We had a very mild winter and now we are getting freezing weather. Some plants which were through flowering had been put on the South verandah and the leaves were touched with frost. Usually about this time we let the furnace out and just have fires in a grate. I have done that this week but have not been comfortable. Rob is away again and I am out most of the days. I hate to burn so much coal for one. There is a little stove in the conservatory and I am very comfy there but there is a run from here upstairs and I waste no time going. Rob is off to the university board meeting in Shantung. He will have to go in June. This is the third meeting this year. It takes a week and they have two meetings. I am hoping he will be here tomorrow. The plan for the addition to the high school has just come in and now we shall be able to talk with the contractor and hope to have the buildings ready for use in September when we open. It will make work easier for Rob. I have a crow of women in at present and will have a busy time for two months. I have fifty names on the roll and as well there are several locals who attend during the day. My two little girl teachers are by me making out the timetable. They cannot manage by themselves and I shall turn shortly and help with the difficult places. They are new at the teaching job and while they do very well yet I have to be after them more than the teacher I had before. But she went and got married and cannot help me. Such is life. We are free from Sunday School which we have had for years and now have Sunday afternoon to rest. While these women are here I shall have to get out but can wait till late for they will be in the yard and there anytime I go over. The finances of the church have no improved any this year and we find ourselves faced with deficits and instructions from home calling a halt. We halted last year but we cannot stop work that has been going for years and have said it is better not to send out missionaries that to have us close up such work. If the union were once settled it would probably help finances. One of our men has taken a position and his wife also so that will be a little money to turn into the work. Well Fred that was a big batch of letters you enclosed in your last. We enjoy all the letters we can get even if they are old in time. They evidently have had lots of fun with Van. Hope he and the woman he has chosen will have a happy life. He is getting a very fine house for her I believe. Of course house is not all. Jessie wrote about Van being in to see if she was working. They all seem to be doing what they can to bolster Jess up and get her interested in some line of preparation for her life work. Hope she keeps at the teachers course till she makes a success of it and if she should get tired of it her standing will be a help in getting into other walks of life. Morr seems to be enjoying medicine and is plugging the subject he says is to be the plucking one this year. We will be pleased to hear he has passed. We never worried or wondered whether Bill would make the grade. He never stood very high but did not meet with failures. He is having a strange and I fear over strenuous time where he is. We have been writing him to get to bed earlier. March 2 Rob came home last night. He surprised me. He had had a cold trip and was almost sick with a cold. All night and most of the day without fire on the train. I was afraid of pneumonia last night but he is feeling better but will remain in bed and it is only bronchitis, which has off and on through the winter. Hope he will be over the worst to-morrow. I suppose it will be impossible to keep him in bed when he has missed so many classes, but shall summon Dr. Auld if he gets beyond me. There is no wind today but it is cold and I shall be glad when the morning service is over. We never heat the church much as the Chinese do not like it too hot for they wear fur and thick wadded clothes, but we Canadians do not feel warm enough. The warm days will soon be on us. I must say adieu for the man who is acting presenter for Rob will be in to try the hymns in a few minutes and then off to church. A Chinese is preaching; One of our high school teachers. He is a B.A. from our University in Shantung but is a better teacher than preacher. Heaps of love to both of you from both of us. Best wishes for much Blessings in the work of the Spring. Lovingly, Jennie H Mitchell ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei March 2, 1924 Dear Morrison: Once more the Sunday services are over. Dad is sitting reading . He is in the big arm chair. The black leather one ou kiddies used to love to crawl over the back and tumble into the seat. Then too several of us could sit in it in the early days. Father has been away for a week. I did not expect him home till tonight but he came in last evening just chilled through. He gave me a little bit of a fright at first. I was afraid of pneumonia but a night in a warm bed with a hot water bottle & the day in bed has fixed him O.K. I hope he will be able to take classes tomorrow but there ,must be a fire on in the school. He has not been up till since 4pm. I had invited Miss MacLennan for the Sunday & we were at supper when Dad arrived. She remained on of course & left us just for the evening service. We are remaining at home & have a nice fire on in the grate upstairs in the S.W. room. This is our sitting room and what was your bedroom is our sleeping room. Between seasons we just have a fire here and the chill is taken off the bedroom. We eat here in the mornings & in the conservatory at noon. When Father was away I had no fire upstairs except when I was dressing I turned old papers & ran down to the conservatory where I lived when not sleeping. I have fifty odd women in the school and we have some nice women. Hope we all keep well & can give them good work. I teach Kings 15-25 & the principle events in the life of Jeremiah John 1-12, Matt 16-28 Galatians & Acts 20-28. As well have morning prayers most of the time. None of it is new work but it keeps me busy preparing lessons. Father saw Bob MacClure when in Peking. It will be nice when he is in Honan. He has not forgotten as much of his Chinese as some & will likely get in this Autumn. The patients are coming in again & they will be busy over there. A little baby was born in the HPT last week; the first to lie in the pretty baskets & pink room provided by money from Mrs. Henderson. Most are afraid to come to the HPT because they must have a bath. Never having had one, they are afraid it will make them sick. it will be some years yet before the Chinese are as used to bathing as we in Canada. They have public baths which are used frequently but are not very sanitary. On the trains when one has finished dinner towels rung out of hot water are brought to each person. Then they are put in water again after being used and passed on to someone else. You see how difficult it is to prevent infection. Some day the doctors & nurses will put a stop to this kind of thing but not yet. The weather has been so cold thus far we have done nothing in the garden. Some peas planted last Autumn are through the ground & the strawberries & asparagus have been watered. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, March 8, 1924 Dear Bill and Morr We are getting on toward the middle of the month and thus far have not had much of the “Lion”. But Feb was cold and we have not had mild weather till the last two days. Only one nasty cold wind. We have all our winter clothing on and also a fire in the furnace. Yesterday and today I have on my suit and hope I will not have to go back to my big coat again. Father has been wearing two pairs of trousers and two sweaters. Yesterday he went to church with one of each. This is the time of the year when we get dreadful winds and as here has been no rain since last summer and no snow this winter there is lots of dust. As I look out the air is full of dust. This week we had a funeral from the Girl’s school. One of the girls had not been very well for a few days but no one thought anything about it till Monday her heart showed signs of failing and by midnight she was gone. Her parents lived at Hwaiching it made it sadder. Her father sent word he could not come and she was buried in the Christian cemetery. Father had the service. The High School boys carried the coffin to the big gate where the hired carriers were waiting. There were representatives from Bible School as well. The Hwaiching women went as mourners and wore paper flowers of white and a little pale green. The School (girls0 wore white flowers. White you remember is the mourning color. We have two pansies in bloom some geraniums also two stocks.. The garden stuff is being out in. This week the strawberries and all the roses and shrubs had their second watering and I will have to get it frequently from now on. Father got up early this morning and off to the drill at the school. It is at 6:45. some of the boys do not get out to it and father goes the rounds and gets them out. If he has a regular morning they know he will be around and get out but the time to catch them is by going at irregular times. One has to press the outside sports more with Chinese boys than at home because there is so much T.B. out there. Mrs. Lochead is taking morning prayers for me this week so I will not need to get to the school till 9:00. Mrs. Luttrell was with us Saturday and yesterday. She went to the hospital just before we went to church. She will return to us on Thursday when her hubbie and the boys come to take her home. They will all be glad I am sure when they are once more in the home altogether. The boys could not get out to Chefoo for a time and the principal Dr Judd has sent them in their work and I will give them an exam in July if they get it up and also keep their places for them. Mrs. Luttrell will help them with their lessons. Holborne was sent home last August as they feared he had T.B. of spine. He was in bed forenoons ever since but seems well enough to return to school. You will understand what the above is. I got my carbon paper wrong. Bill will be having a busy time now for it is near exams. We are praying for you all as the stress and strain grows. Hope you will be careful about the division of time. Let us know Morr. About what time your exams come on. Father has been pruning trees and some time this week the trees will be sprayed. Morr will remember how he used to help the boiling of the materials. It is very funny to see the gardener with overalls on at the trees. Then for the next few days it is interesting to hear the remarks of the passers by they never saw yellow trees before. You remember there is a lot of sulphur in the mixture… it is nearly time form e to go over to school so must say adieu. There is a man who is attending High School who has opened up a dairy and we are getting milk from him. I do hope he makes it go for it is so nice to get milk. Ever since our return we have been having it most of the time from Mrs. Auld till last Autumn. She had to leave her cow behind at Weida ho because of the fighting and she and the children got out on the last train as it was. As they go home this spring they did not invest in a cow again and we missed the milk. This boy’s father kept cows at Hwei in South Honan. Best wishes for good questions at Exam time Bill and hope you get work you like this summer. Heaps of love, Mother Jennie H Mitchell ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, Honan March 9, 1924 Dear Morrison Mother is off to Sunday School at her school and I am all alone to write to the young folks while she is away. There is nothing much to record of events. Last week I arrived home in time to have a Sunday in bed because I got a bad chilling on a heatless train from Peking. The week has had its ordinary round of school work. I had a couple of testings of a committee on the re-organization of the congregation here. It was submitted to our station after prayer meeting of Thursday and to the Chinese after this morning’s service. The idea is that the Chinese and Foreigners will continue to elect elders and deacons for the congregation to get things going again. In order that it should not interfere with the liberty of the congregation when they want to call a pastor, it is to be a trial at the end of 1925 or till they call a pastor. The elders and deacons shall be chosen from various bodies, one each: - hospital, high school, boys school, girls school, mission employees, foreigners, two from Christians not connected with these institutions and one foreign and one Chinese woman. The four men with largest votes will be elders and the rest deacons. We shall hope that we shall get a working congregation again. I had prayer-meeting on Thursday night and sermon this morning. Wednesday evening two visitors came in; Dr. Wannop from South China and Dr. Murray (lady) from Korea. They had both been attending a series of lectures at the Peking Union Medical College. Dr. Wannop is married to a sister of Mrs. MacRae. Dr. Murray is an easterner and was in college with Dr. Baird of this station. It is not often that we have visitors from two missions at the same time. Dr. Wannop went on on Friday evening. I think that he was going to have Mr. Menzies as a companion to Shanghai. That would relieve him of trouble in the region where neither English nor Cantonese is spoken. Mr. Menzies is just starting on his rest in Formosa and Korea. While I was in Peking I had a chance of an hour’s chat with Bob McClure. It was nice to have it so. He is fretting about the difficulty of the Chinese characters. Of course he is betting on to the spoken again but he never had any of the written language. The evening I was there he had to go out to dinner at Bob McCann’s. I had it with the three men with whom he is living. They all think that McClure is tiptop No. 1. Bob was saying that he was sorry that McCann’s wife seemed to think her chief purpose was to spend Bob’s money. She has no interests in Peking with the people of course. How empty is the life of the person who is living only for the pleasures of life! They really get little of the satisfactory pleasures. Bob and I were talking about your course. He seems to think that you have chosen better than Gordon, who seems to have no time for the life of the college. One does well to keep a happy medium in such things. I suffered from lack of college life. But others wasted an awful amount of time and energy, which might better have been put on their studies. Bob could not understand how you got into the medical course if you have not a clear slate on your work. Whatever you do, don’t let that Latin Composition drag on. We had a student at Tsinan who failed in Biology; he had a notion that the teacher had plucked him on spite. He did not put in good work because he was grumpy with the result that he was plucked the second time and had to drop out of his course. He asked me to speak to the Dean of medicine to see if he would be allowed to enter and try whether or not he could keep up. When I mentioned it to Dr. Cochrane I got a reply straight off in the negative.. He mentioned a class of nine fellows who had been liberally treated in that way but eventually had to go back and lost a year and a half. Now I am not hinting that you are doing anything of that kind but just to warn you of the dangers of neglect of the supplementals. Make that the dead sure thing even if a little lower mark is the consequence on some other subject. I suppose that you must be really plugging pretty hard for there has been no letter from you the last twice we have heard from the others. By the time this reaches you, you will all be scared stiff at the nearness of exams. What about the summer? If you could get an outside job it would be well. The college work keeps one in so much that it is well to get built up as well physically as possible during the summer. Is there anything near Will? Can you get anything like fire-ranging? Now I must stop off and send this to the office. I want it to catch the Empress on Saturday and it is now Tuesday morning. With love from both of us, Your father Robert A Mitchell --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei March 18, 1924 Dear Jess Another cold week has gone by. A week of cloudy days. Since Jan. we have had very few sunshiny days. The sun may come out fo part of the day but the days have been dreary and cold for this time of the year. Usually there is no fire on in the schools after New Year (Chinese) but that rule was broken and for two weeks we have had fire in the furnace. In the house we have a fire in the grate upstairs and in the conservatory. Our last big stock is withering but we have a couple of geraniums oxalia and nasturtiums in bloom. A number of seeds are up and we are trying to have tomatoes in June before we go to K.K.S. The lilacs and other shrubs which have been east of the school have been moved this year to different places to make way for the new building which was marked out yesterday. I have had several moved near the house and grouped in four places. Then we have made a hedge from the North gate south for a short distance. We’ll till opposite where the cart track turns to the school. The cedar hedge east of the house is very pretty and I think these new shrubs will also add to the appearance on entering the gate when they once get well started. As I mentioned the new building was marked out yesterday and tomorrow they begin work. This classroom and dormitories, for which the Langlois gave the money, have been contracted for a little over $600gold. That is masons and carpenters work. There is the oiling etc to come later. We hope to have these ready for the opening this autumn. Then as well as moving shrubs we are having the trees pruned. Father is doing the fruit trees and in another week Sing Li will be spraying them. Morr and Jess will remember this process but Bill has probably forgotten it. Some of the elm trees look horrid and are cut so badly I do not think they will ever grow shapely again. How nature often does wonders. The hospital is filling up. There were eight women in the war yesterday when I was there. One of my pupils from the Bible school went in yesterday for heart trouble. She has had the trouble for some time. The Dr. says she will need prolonged treatment and will never be real strong. She is a very nice little woman; married a couple of years ago. There is a new lot of nurses in this term but I am not giving lectures now but shall begin May first and take two months. It is now nearly church time so shall stop for the present. (handwritten) I asked Mrs. Lesson about David going with the Presence and Jehova and submitting to his will so that we might arouse that spirit. II Sam 18-26. Heaps of love. Father did not get up and soon I shall go to bed and have a good rest and read till tomorrow morning. Mother Heaps of Love Jennie H Mitchell ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, Honan, March 23, 1924 Dear Morrison Last week mother hurried off her letters on Sunday so that they would not miss a chance to get on the Steamer - Shwei Djib-dao that on the Monday morning post would be a letter from each of you and a bunch of them from Morr. My but it was refreshing!! Work goes on in the ordinary lines from day to day. Dr MacVicar came in from the country on Monday and has been home all week getting up back to work and resting a bit. The doctor wants him to go easy as his wound is giving him some trouble. He preached for me this morning and thre lots of vigor into it as he was preaching on the cities of refuge. We had dinner and supper with him for a couple of days as the cook was getting married. He asked me to marry him and mother and I were at the wedding and had dinner there. Wednesday we had a little out of the way affair. Mrs Auld got up a surprise party to go in to Miss McIntosh’s in the city. It was quite a nice little outing and a change from the ordinary thing. I felt almost as if I would rather stay and get up my work for the next day but then thought perhaps it would be better to see some other scenery than the classrooms and the study and the bedroom. Mrs. Baird and the Kings gave us some music. Mother is awful spry today. She has been teasing me all day long. She even gave me a dose of the atomizer in the ear. She has just come in from her class with her women. Work began on the school building this week and we have a hole four feet deep just west of the cedar hedge between here and the church. The new building is running north and south just east of the old one overlapping a few feet so that we can connect to the verandah. We have to take out some of the trees and shrubs in that neighborhood and we shall have cut down the cedar hedge a lot. It should have been kept down from year to year like our own is. Ours looks fine. The one in the west yard was cut away down last year and looked a fright, but is looking better now. It is wonderful how nature coves up old defects. Grace can remake us notwithstanding many very bad twists in our natures. We have been having typical spring winds this week, a little more than usual of whirlwinds. But there is still a good deal of cloud. If we could have a good rain and then clear weather we would be glad. The wheat is beginning to have a green appearance. It was fine to have your bunch of January letters come in. I noticed that you managed to get them through on one stamp even though you use such heavy paper. Apparently you are good on economizing on stamps, taking a month together. If you are going to economize so I believe you could get some lighter paper. I suppose you would like if I did better in the way of carbon paper so that your copies would be clearer. I may sometime when my ship comes in. Is it Knox or Meds that you are representing on the basketball and hockey teams you were speaking of? I am glad to see that you are getting proficient enough in skating to be able to get in hockey. You were handicapped by not getting at skating so young as some of the rest of us did. So Aunt Jean puts up as good a meal as she used to eh? Well that is pretty good. How is she keeping; and uncle Peter? The latter has just passed his sixtieth birthday lately but I rather think that I can show him as many gray hairs as he can. I go like my sisters in that respect. On this weeks mail I had a letter from Mr. Langlois written from Naples. He is the father of Mrs. Napier Smith who was at Keiteh. Mr and Mrs. Langlois sent me a cheque for $1,000 before he left the country when they were visiting their daughter out here. He is on his way home. Their son Lawrence, who had just finished in S.P.S. was with them. They live at Dovercourt Road. I thought I had the number but have forgotten it. The name is W.H. Langlois. You could get it in the directory. It would be nice if you would ccall in and see them sometime. Tell them who you are and they would be glad to see you. I sometimes say that it was my overalls, which brought me that $1,000 for the dormitories for Mr L. severally times said to me at Kikunshean last summer when I was working around in my overalls, “you are the only white man I have seen doing that kind of work in China”. I gave mother the message about the underclothes but she does not know yet whether anyone is going home this summer. She was to write to Miss Dinwoody and enquire. So Struthers has gone in for the radio? We shall have to learn some of it when he comes out. It is such a new thing that I do not know anything of it from experience. I am glad that you are not hot on frats. I think that there is a good deal of money required for such things and no great advantage got out of them. The time spent on them would be better spent on the fraternity of Christian work. I suppose that by this time the approach of examinations is getting a bugbear to some people. I hope that you find they are a good test of what you know. Love Father. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei April 20, 1924 Dear Jessie Easter Sunday once again.. I wonder where our three precious children are. I am thinking of Jess & Morr in Toronto and poor Bill little fellow alone with those rough workmen. I hope you remembered him and sent a letter or Easter card to him. He has few congenial companions as you two have. Father is working with the order of service. We are repeating last year’s service. The seven words of the Cross come first and then the resurrection hymns and sermon which will be short. The different schools each sing one of the hymns bearing on one of the words of the Cross. The nurses sing a resurrection hymn and the congregation two resurrection hymns. I shall enclose one and Morr can have Mr Djang of Knox read it to him. We ate going out to dinner today a very unusual thing for us to do on Sunday. But Mrs. Ratcliffe has a friend visiting her over Sunday and it is the only opportunity for us to see her when we are free from the Sunday School now though Father speaks to the hospital patients today. I got my fifty old women off this week and now hope to have a little rest but there are two committee meetings I must attend. One which will keep me away this week and next week the Bible School meet in Siuwu and after that I have promised Miss Dinwoody to go to Toskoi and that will mean I shall not return before Saturday. The two weeks I shall be away from Tuesday till Saturday. I think this is the first time I have gone away for so long and left Daddy by himself. I tell him he wills ee how it feels. He thinks he knows too well having had it for two years. There are no mails in for sometime so that means no letters. However if they were written there will be a steamer to carry them to Shanghai. We hope to get some in a week or so. The exams are drawing near for two of you. Hope you are prepared. Bill will not have that strain this spring but I fear he is not overdoing. We shall be glad if you get work for the summer. The plans of Jess and Helen going together to that hotel sounded good. Also if Morr can get on a steamer. Did no one do anything about the fire rangers? Of course it is too late now. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wheiwei April 30, 1924 Dear Morr I did not write on Sunday because I wanted to spend the time with mother and write while she was away. She is at Siuwu today at her Bible School committee meeting. She is doing Tsokou tomorrow and will be home on Saturday. The boys went to Heihsien on their spring hike yesterday, so I have some time to do a few odds and ends which need catching up. Last week mother was away at Kwaiking from Tuesday till Saturday. One evening we were all over at King’s for a birthday surprise party. Another evening I was at Flemmings and one evening I had my geography class in to complete a journey across Canada by lantern which we had begun some time ago and got only as far as Winnipeg. Monday we had a nice rain which will do a good del of good though a man about five miles west of this told me there is still not enough there to put in the crop. Yesterday I saw some people pulling up their wheat to feed to the animals. Beside it however there was a field, which was headed out pretty fairly. The building is going along and they are putting on the joists for the second floor today. Half of the concrete stairway is in and they should soon be ready for putting in the other half. The other day we got some snaps and I send you along one or two. Our place does not look at all bad in a picture. Roses are beginning to bloom pretty well. Besides them we have peonies, bridal wreath, yellow roses and carnations in bloom. I had letters from Dr Struthers and Mr. Grant the other day and clipping about the action of the Ontario Legislature on the church union question. What a muddle things will be in now. I hope that some reasonable way out may be found which will open the way for carrying on the union and leave feelings not too hard to allow of future drawing together. I had a letter from Bob McClure last evening asking whether we had heard any word of his father lately as Janet said a cable had come to their mission with some mistake in it pointing to the fact that their father had died. He had had no word and wondered if we had had. Bill’s last letter is full of his new radio outfit. One person who had read the letter asked if he had a typewriter and remarked that he was a strange student who could afford a typewriter. You see there are students AND students. We had a school sports last Saturday. It went off very nicely. One lad took six firsts and a third. It is not often that the same man leads in 100 yards and a mile. We mays end him and another one or two to Kaifeng to the North China sports the middle of May. It will probably never be so near us again. It was set once before but the fighting stopped it. I had a letter in which Dr Struthers tells me that you seem to be doing pretty good work in your studies. He says that the majority has to be warned by the supervisor to pull up on something. I am very glad to know that you are keeping up. I suppose that just about this time you will be getting close to exams. Good success to you. With much love from us both Your affectionate father, Robert A Mitchell -------------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei May 4, 1924 Dear Morrison I ti s now almost supper time and I am only beginning a letter to the children. There have been no letters for sometime now but hope this week brings in some word. I have been away for two trips the last two weeks and only arrived back last evening. I was at Siuwu for a committee meeting on Bible schoolwork. After a four hour meeting we managed to get three minutes put through all about the proposed new building It is likely that we shall put up classrooms this autumn, as soon as the building of the middle school is finished. Most likely father will have to do the building and it will be best to wait till he has this off his hands before adding to his burdens. Some rough plans have been drawn by him and will have to go before the building committee of Presby before we can turn a sod. Such is custom and woe betides the one who does not observe rules. There has long been a hope that the RR from Chinghwa would be continued to Waiching and just about the time I went down there the first sod was turned on the earth work for the continuance of that line. We all wish the same line would go on to Tsinan through Daodjow. If we had a RR that way it would be so much shorter a route to Tsinan for our students going to the University. Bob McClure heard from Janet of a cable, which announced the death of Dr MacClure having been received in Szichuan. No word has come here and it is very hard for Bob to wait for definite word. It may be that Mrs MacClure has asked our board not to cable preferring to write. The Meth Board not having such a request might have cabled. We must all wait for another couple of weeks. Bob wrote Father to know if there was any word here, but none had arrived. Mr Flemming preached this morning in Chinese. He used one of Dr Baird’s children as an illustration and told of several things the scamp had done like falling into the well and walking out on the edge of the verandah (upstairs). His parents were always watching him, not because they wanted to punish him but because they loved him and wished to prevent him from doing injury to himself. So it was with our Heavenly Father. He is a very good speaker and quite dramatic in his preaching and this always takes with the Chinese. The roses are coming out and we also have peonies and the latter are lovely today. The larger roses will be out this week and we must have some picture taken for you all. We have four or five large bouquets in the house and from now on shall have heaps of flowers. We are all longing for the strawberries to come on and they are full of bloom. A few of the Chinese berries have… ------------------------------------------------ Weihwei, Honan May 11, 1924 Dear Morrison I think that it is this week that we got a fine long letter from Morrison, dated March and a short one from Bill dated April 4th. Each of these showed the signs of fire. The Post office on the President Madison had a fire and a good deal of second-class mail was destroyed as well as some first class. As no papers of that week came along I suppose they were destroyed. Our last Presbyterian witness is April 3rd and it has no word of the Church Union bill in the Ontario House. We hear that it was withdrawn after being so mangled in the committee. We got extracts from The Globe which Dr Struthers sent telling the result in committee. We have had no further word about what was being done. It is a time for the true test of Christian self-control in order that the right thing should be done in the right spirit. This week has been a cloudy one with occasional showers. It is raining some at the present time though there is still not enough rain for the crops. The wheat and barley are in head and the cutting will begin in about a couple of weeks. The building operations are going along fairly well. The walls are up two thirds of the windows on the second story. All of the hallway concrete floor and stairway are in and they are getting ready to put in the stair between the two verandahs on the second story. We hope that before harvest the roof will be on. Now that mother has gone over her committee meeting we have been having some of the teachers in to supper. Last evening we were asked to Aulds. When we got there we went in to the strains of the wedding march. Mother was presented with a beautiful bouquet of fragrant foreign roses and I got a box of candy. Mother also got a lovely ivory necklace, which she was warned, was not to give away to Jessie. There was a three story iced cake with wedding flowers on top. The guests were Kings, Miss Christie, Miss Somerville, Miss McIntosh, Mrs. Ratcliffe, Mrs. Flemming. Flemming was out in the country over Sunday. The seal was up on the Auld’s west verandah, which is all screened in. It was a very nice treat for us and good of them to remember us. Today is really the wedding day. Twenty-four years ago in Tiensin we were joined together. There have been some changes since then but we are thankful that we have been spared to one another all this time and hope that the coming year we may be more worthy of each other than we have ever been. It would have been so nice if you could all have been here. This week a number of the Tientsin papers have had results of athletic meets in various places. They are getting ready for the North China Meet in Kaifeng this week. It will take in nine provinces. We are sending four boys. I do not know what they will do. One of them has had a sore foot for a couple of days and may not be able to compete. Mr Flemming and one of the Chinese teachers are going with them. All the events are according to the metric system so that they are not so easy to compare with what we are used to. Your last letter was a fine long one and full of news. It was a treat to get it. I am glad that you are finding the work more interesting as you go on. Your experience re: getting a more unified grasp of your work is an example of one of the best effects of preparing for examinations. It enables a man to get down and systematize his work so that what was formerly a series disjointed units becomes a related whole. The unfortunate thing is that this unifying process in many cases comes so late. If one had more frequent reviews of his work for this purpose the good effect of it would come as he went along. He would find where all of it belonged as he went along. Your last made no mention of date of examinations. I suppose that it was not then posted. You must be getting into them about this time I suppose. Good success to you! I am glad that you found that Latin was not still hanging over you. What is your word for summer work? How are finances coming on? I hear that aunt Mabel is lending you $100 a year free of interest. Did you need any this year? From your Eaton account I thought that perhaps you would not be too badly off for a year or maybe two. I am glad that you have learned something in the matter of care for your money. Keep it up as you will need the money before you are through and you will need the habit throughout life, which is very important. When we read of your scraps between faculties we say “what barbarians these westerners are!” I suppose that if that kind of thing was in our school we would be for some suspensions if not expulsions. We fuss about the Chinese student movements on Shame Day and the like but I suppose they are quite as sensible as such things at home. Friday our school had a shame Day meeting in the church. I insisted that it should be in charge of the teachers not the pupils. It was not too bad. Good-bye, with much love from us both.. Your loving father, Robert A. Mitchell Ps. Mother has decided not to send pyjamas. -------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei May 27, 1924 Dear Morr It is a long long time since we had letters from our loved ones in Canada. Hope there is a steamer soona nd that it has letters from all of you. So often they come after I have sent off my letter. Then father has something to write about which is in your letters. Last week work went on as usual but we’re looking forward to a trip to Taogou to help celebrate the Forbes wedding anniversary. He received a note Friday morning and Mrs. Forbes was ill.. We had been invited to a feast for a baby whose father is a teacher in one of our schools. We had declined but sent word we were at home and we went. We had a good time and while eating a telegram came telling us to go up Saturday morning, which we did. It was hot and the journey was made in the middle of the day. Soon after dinner we got to bed and had a good rest. Then came tennis from 6 to 7pm They have a little grove at one side of their lot and we had supper there under the trees. It was dark and the flies were not troublesome. The table was lighted with four candles and looked very pretty. We talked till almost 11 o’clock and then went off to rest. I had breakfast in bed but all the others were downstairs. We started back for Weihwei about 8am and were back and at work by 10:30. I had wanted to stay till afternoon but father always has extras on when some pleasure is ahead of us. Then last night we had a station meeting till a late hour and we are tired today. So you see what we have been at the last few days. When we arrived we learned a telegram had come for Mrs. Ross to go home on account of Gordon’s breakdown. Of course we imagine all sorts of things and certainly it will be harder for his parents to keep on doing so till they have definite word of the trouble. We had been hearing how closely he had been applying himself and now this comes. Mrs. Ross hopes to sail with some of our people who leave Shanghai on the Empress of Australia June 6. it will be long anxious time for her. Today is a roaster and I was nearly baked coming in from the school after my class at 2:30. Last week we did up ten quarts of cherries. I have a few left to do up tomorrow; possibly two more bottles. The strawberries are on this week and we are to have a guest to attend the educational Board meeting. Shall be glad when it is all over. We are thinking of you being over exams and wonder where you are going for the summer. We also wonder how Gordon’s illness will affect you. Hope you will try and help him all you can till his mother reaches him. We shall be glad to know what you are going to be doing this summer. Bill will be working away at the electricity I suppose. Hope he gets something that will be good for him later in life… the experience certainly will be helpful and also the money. Just here he went down for tea and Dr. Mac Vicar came over. He has gone also with father to a class in the school. Then comes the period of athletics. Keep up your day work when in College; also basketball and tennis. Soccer is what is played out here.. Not rugby for which I am thankful. I must say adieu as I want these leters to go off tonight so as to catch an Empress on Saturday. Miss Dinwoody sails on this same steamer. Hope you see her while she is home. Heaps of love from all of the Mitchells this side of the Pacific. The world flyers are in China, at least two. The French man had made good progress till he reached Shanghai and just as he was landing something went wrong and he lost control of his machine. She ran her nose into the soochow creek and smashed the machine. The flyer was found with his feet dangling in the water. The machinist crawled out from under the debris into the water. Neither were hurt. Two Chinese generals have offered him the use of their machines to finish the flight to Tokyo which was the end of his journey. What a lot of money is spent in this way nowadays. Wonder if we can go home via airplane. Heaps of love. Write often Lovingly, Mother Jennie H. Mitchell -------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, Honan, June 1, 1924 Dear Morr Since last week we have received a mail with letters from Will and jess. We have had no direct word from Morr for some time. I suppose that examinations have been the absorbing topic for him for some time. We shall hope that it was with good success. I suppose that it is all over by this time. When we arrived back from Tackou on Monday w heard of the cable telling that Gordon Ross had broken down nervously and suggesting that Mrs. Ross go home. She has been down here part of the week for Miss McIntosh to help her with some dressmaking. She hopes to go by the steamer on the 16th of June on the same steamer as Miss Stewart and Miss O’Neill. They were here a day this week and went on the express on Friday. They are going to call at Kuling on the way to see Miss A. Ross. Mrs. Ross went back home yesterday and will leave for Shanghai later. Thomsons (Jean and Mackay) will be on the same boat. The Educational Board met this week from Wednesday till Friday. We seemed awfully slow in our work. When committee work is not completed beforehand it is bound to be that way. I was in the chair so I suppose I am partly responsible for the slowness. It makes a break in the teaching of classes and makes the boys careless at our attendance. Last evening when we were at supper we saw rickshaws pass; one of them contained Bob McClure. We gave him a halloo as he went by and then went to the other yard to see him. We had him in to dinner all by ourselves today. We had a fine chat. My but it was good to see him back. We talked mostly family affairs and the young folks at home. It is nice to see him back but it made us very lonely for the time when we should get a chance to see our own children back. Of course Bob has not seen any of you very lately but it is since we did and he has the standpoint of the young man and he gives us some fresh sayings. Building operations are not so lively just now as wheat harvest is on and only some of the carpenters are at work. They are putting in the hoists for the ceiling and they do not show up. Some of the rafters are not on yet. They should be putting on the iron this week I think. Teaching goes on for another couple of weeks and then examinations. I have to leave for Tsinan two weeks from this evening. Mother may go to Hankow for dentistry abut the same time but it is not certain, partly because of the examinations. The weather has been pretty warm the last week with a little rain. It brings out mother’s rheumatism some. There was a talk of an executive meeting this week but the word is now that the meeting is postponed temporarily. It is so long since we hard from you that we do not know much about your plans. I hope that you found examinations not too difficult. We were all sorry to hear about Gordon Ross. You never gave us any hint about the danger. Bob McClure at Peking had told me that he did not pay enough attention to his exercise. I hope that our medical student will know enough about hygiene to keep right there without getting the other extreme. I did not know till today that you play lacrosse. Bob was saying that his father liked to watch you at it. I was fond of it as a lad but was not in a position to play it after I was your age. What about the summer? We have had no word, nor had Bill when he wrote. Have you got a position? Let us know how finances go. You have had a year now in medicine. What has it cost you and what re the prospects? You will have a birthday shortly after getting this. Many happy returns!! We do not know of anything you are needing so I shall just ask Eaton to transfer $5.00 to your account which you may use as you need. I hope that you get an outdoor position for the summer, which will produce both healthy body, and some funds for the autumn. Wherever it is do the straight thing always, in the strength of fellowship with Jesus. With much love from us both Your affectionate father, Robert A Mitchell ------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei June 15, 1924 Once more Father is off to Tainan for the University Board meeting and the commencement. I have just waved goodbye to him. He will be gone seven or eight days. It is a tiresome trip for him and a lonely time for me. It was ninety six in the shade as he went off at 5:30p.m. – not so bad for this time of the year. There has been a little breeze today & I hope it keeps up till we get to sleep. Mrs Ratcliffe went to Changte yesterday and Miss Mitchell was alone. She slept on our verandah & will do the same tonight. I shall have a Chinese woman sleep the other nights with me. I am always afraid of getting a pain or so sick I could not go for a doctor & like to have someone around. When I had my dear children with me I was all right. I always felt it hard to let Daddy away but it is much worse now that you are not with me. I like someone around to keep the scare away. Of course the country is more unsettled now than when you were here. The soldiers are just dreadful. The weekend we were at Taokou just as we rode up to our gate a soldier was trying to force his way into our garden. The cook said no you cannot come in. He had his hand uplifted to hit the cook when Father grabbed him by the collar. We had come up so quietly neither he nor his companion heard us. It was funny Father holding on the top collar of his coat walked him down to the gate. All the way he was asking to be forgiven, said he would Kao tou etc, and never come in the yard again. He also held tight his hand over his number so that Father could not get his number to report him. We do run into funny things out here and that was one of them. The soldiers are no protection to the Chinese community nor us. They oppress & live off the people in the district. Our station was quite thinned out this week & more will leave this week. Mrs Locheed will go to K.KS. to get the house open and then on to Hankow to meet Marnie and her Aunt. I hope to go June 24 right through to Hankow for dentistry and then up to K.KS. My tooth has been aching the last two days and I sometimes fear I may have to pick up before then but shall try not to go till my work is finished at the school. Dr MacVicar is away today at Wuan. He will be back tomorrow but Miss Mitchell and I are the only Canadians in this East yard. However the High School boys and three teachers live in the High School grounds. Bob MacClure was here between trains with Mrs Menzies Friday. He is full of life and it did us good to have such a person around. With all his nonsense and jokes he is a steady boy and has some good ideas re the hospital work. He will not be extravagant and just at present some with an economical strain is needed in the medical work. --------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, June 23, 1924 We got quite a surprise. Well I did.. Father had not yet returned from Tsian when letters from all three loved ones in Canada arrived Sat 21. It must have come by an Admiral Line. I had been looking for letters tomorrow by the Empress, which brought Margaret and her Aunt. There may possibly be another letter tomorrow. We are all anxious about Gordon Ross and glad to have any word. I do hope he improves. It seems that before he went home that summer in Chefoo he told his Mother he was so tired he feared he would never get rested again. Morr used to fuss when I was taking care of him when he returned to Canada but I have always felt had he not been watched closely he would not have turned out the big healthy boy he is at present. Gordon was tired when he went home and the strain of getting used to a new way of living without either of his parents with him made it doubly difficult. Then too he was anxious to avoid supplementals and delays, which meant the expenditure of more money. All has been trying on the poor boy and I do hope he comes out all right. Many will be praying for him and his parents at this time I am sure. We have been very warm the last week and today will be trying. I go off tomorrow right through to Hankow to visit the dentist. Hope it will not be too hard work I shall have to have done. Father arrived about 11p.m. Saturday night. I was glad to see him back I assure you. He had a good trip back but trying one going over as he had to take a slow train. The Board of Managers finished up Thursday but father remained a day longer to try and find a teacher. No word of one and he may have to keep on one he has though he has told him to look for another place. One of our own boys leaves us to go to varsity. It is nice to have them go further with their studies but it is difficult keeping teachers on hand. More than half of the people are away and this week will see another exodus. I hate the moving around and the packing up and putting away of things is always a piece of work. Coming back is not so trying for one packs up only the stuff one has taken away. Then too the weather is not so hot and more strength with which to do the work.. The roof is on the new building and if rain comes it will not delay the men ‘carrying on’. It will be occupied this Autumn. Some of our boys may not return, as there is a Junior Middle School at Changte now. Mr Eadie may have to go home. If Mrs Eadie can return they will come out this Autmn late. If the F.M.B. doctors do not pass her, then he may be forced to remain at home till she is able to come or permanently. It will be a great loss to our work if he cannot come back. -------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei September 2, 1924 Dear Bill & Morr Another week has gone & as Father is busy I am going to take his place at letter writing. We are just home from church where we heard an address by a Theology student from Chinan. He is a graduate of our school but he gave us a long sermon on "Fatih", tried to say all there was to say on the subject. Often these young men feel they must give out all they know at one time which may be good to fix things in their mind but is hard on the people sitting in the pew. Misses Stewart & O'Neil of Heaiching were part way to H.K. when at Sinahang shien they heard Meng hadien had been looted with bandits. Not knowing how Hwaiching was as no foreigners had yet returned they decided to come here. Boyd went through yesterday & word has come it is all right so they hope to go on tomorrow. This is the first city looted North of the Yellow River. It is not far from Wu Pai Fu, one of the Militarists so it looks as though he was not on his job. We are wondering what is before us & now that our good official is being moved we wonder more. The last two days we have had two big rains - water lying in pools on the ground in the High School yard. Father has one hundred pupils thus far this Autumn so you see there is not likely that he will have much play between now & the next summer. There has been a great time with supplementals this year. Over thirty from government schools applied, usually we have five or six. He wondered but gave them their exam. Later found personating was going on & when they were told their pictures would be taken that afternoon a number did not return. One boy under the same name wrote at the Gaodeng & at the High. In the exams at latter place received 91 marks in English & at the primary two or three. They began looking into other signatures & there was lots of fun. Then when exams were all over the morning they were to be admitted short orals were given each pupil & after all this fuss six pupils were admitted - four in Primary & two at the High. Lots of work for little result. The Government Schools must have photos & at each exam the teacher in charge holds out the photo of the name he calls & exams out to see if the boy who answers to the name is like the photo, etc.; the photo remaining with the teacher until the boy has been in school several days. Father thinks they will have to introduce the judging by fingernail stunt. Well, here goes the first letter to Bill & Morr. I do hope you will have very happy year together. Bill, do not boss Morr too much. He is a man now. Morr, Bill has lived more years than you & had experiences you have not had with worldly men & take his advice when it is given & so far as you can follow it, remembering there is no other student of the 'Varsity' as much interested in you as your big brother is. Take turns writing us & Jess. That is one thing you can learn from Bill how to be faithful in writing your lonely parents. The next letters will likely tell us what course you have really decided to take. You are the one such a decision affects. I would not want you to take up a course you were not interested in & feel that was to be your life work. One should be sure of what they want to do through life. Personally the engineering course would have no attractions for me & it is a work where it is difficult to get positions, I understand, for so many are into it. You are where you can make enquiries & know what you want to take up. Think it well out before you get too far into the course. Talk with Bill about the Fire Rangers & also with Aunt Mabel. I think it might be a good thing for you next year & possibly Bill also. Bill has had a Mission for two summers & if he gets some preaching to do this winter it might be good for him to take a position like the Fire Rangers, live a free life without study & rest his brain while he used his legs & arms more. But this is only a suggestion. There goes the S.S. bell so I must be off as I have to play the organ. Best wishes for both of you. We shall be glad to hear all the little events of your college life together. Love from both of us, Mother, Lovingly, Jennie H. Mitchell If you should get an opportunity to send two Record Albums with someone returning this autumn please do so; One for the small & another for the large records. Ours are full. J.H.M. Do not forget to go & see Grandmother & give her my love. --------------------------------------------------------------- Weihwei, Honan Sept. 15, 1924 Dear Morr & Bill The middle of the month and I suppose that you are all looking forward to being back in school again. We have been at it for nearly two weeks but not full steam. We were short teachers. One came on Thursday and another at midnight last evening, whom I have not yet seen. He is from Hanchow in Kiangau. Now we shall get down to our full complement of studies. It is a little cooler than it was but still is not too cool. We will soon be in the long spell of dry weather. It has been cloudy the last few days but no more than spits of rain, which we are needing. Mr. Hattie has been down here this week getting their things moved out of house No. 1 so that the Kings can move into it. There was a good deal of leaking of roofs this summer in the rains and in that house three ceilings upstairs and three downstairs have fallen down. Miss Hodge's room also both lost their ceilings. I was asking Mr. Hattie what the flood cost them this summer at the women's hospital at Changte. He said a little over 1100 dollars. It is rather hard when we are financially on the rocks. Last evening Miss McIntosh gave a little party for Miss Manson, Miss Hall, and Mrs. Hillary. Mrs. Hillary is leaving tomorrow morning for Changte and will go next day on the express to Peking. Mr. Lochead is taking her. They are not sure yet whether they will go to Shanghai or whether she will take steamer straight from Teintsin to Kobe. If they go to Shanghai they will have to go by boat, as the trains are not running through from Nanking to Shanghai. There has been fighting in that region for a week or more. It may be that it will spread. The Kiangsu tuchun is fighting against the Chehkiang tuchun. The latter has the lower half of Kiangsu under him, including Shanghai. The Kiangsu man has the support of the Chihli party and it is a problem whether or not the Manchuria governor will hake a hand to help the Chehkiang man. If so there will probably be fighting up north along the great wall and the line east of Tientsin. It is hard to tell what will come out of it. This morning Mr. Ma is preaching on the works of the Devil, mentioned that the government schools in Kiansu were not being opened because there was no money for them. It must all go into ammunition. Mrs. Hillary and Marnie were down to Hwaiking. They had a pretty strenuous trip and had to take a rest in bed when they got back. Mrs. Hillary says that she is going to make a point to see you all. I wish that you were as near seeing our children as she is. Cheerio, the time will pass if we keep busy at the right thing. Mother was just in to tell me she wants Bill to try to get into the choral society so as to get some experience of that kind. I hope he succeeds better than I did. However, he was caught younger than I was and some of his base habits broken. Mother enjoyed her practice in the choir very much this summer. I have just asked Mr. King if he will help her in the way of a glee club in the school. He is going to do so, so I hope that we shall have some more good singing than we have had. I suppose that you have been so busy at other things and so tired with hard work that you would not be able to keep up much on the violin while you and Morr were together this summer. Bob went down to Hwaiking the other day. He stayed out a little longer than the other folks in order to see his father. he went to Tsinan and had twelve hours with his father who had just arrived. he did not come to Weihwei but got off at Sinsiang. I hope that you get good companions when you get back into college, having pleasant neighbors in the rooms. With such love, Your father, Robert A. Mitchell P.S. We just came home from seeing Mrs. Hillary off at the train, when we got the mail. There was Morr's letter of July 23rd, telling of sports, etc. Sorry you couldn't get the 40 cents an hour. We often do not get what seems the just thing for what we do, nevertheless, we can cheerily go on and do our best faithfully. It will tell in the end. Glad to hear form you. Goodbye. R.A.M. ------------------------------------------ Weihwei Sept 21, 1924 or 1925 Dear Bill & Morr We have been talking of you soon starting for Toronto. I shall be glad when you are all in the same city where you can phone or see each other & in case of sickness be helpful to one another. The week has been as usual teaching for Father, teacher's meetings, etc. I am a little free just now till my Bible School opens next Saturday. Mrs. Auld returned this week & had a hard trip home. They were twenty-four hours making a trip of eleven hours. She & Dr. Auld had a seat between them & took turns occupying it, part of the way. After Peking it was slow as they were help up for troop trains but they were comfortable. Dr. Auld has not returned yet as he is taking a special course in P.U.M.C. & will not return for a couple of weeks yet. The cow had to be left behind & there is no telling if they ever get it. Most likely will have to sell it to someone up there for his price. Do you remember the time father took us to Tientsin in 1911 just after Jess & I had been sick, when the civil war was on? The baggage was all piled to the ceiling & what a time we had getting seats & poor Jess was so weak she could not walk but had to be carried. Mrs. Auld's account of her trip reminded me of that time. You will see there has been fighting North & South. What is to become of poor China one cannot say. Wish a few of these militarists would get killed off & some strong man arise to control the country & ring peace & quiet to these peace loving people. So far we are quiet & likely will be for the fighting will be North at Peking or beyond or down South around Nanking & Shanhai. We will be inconvenienced with moving of troops etc but hope the removal of soldiers will not mean the growing bold of the villains. No word means all quiet. Should there be trouble here there will be a cable & if we are shut up & cannot send it Mr. MacKenzie at Tientsin can get it off. Colborn Luttrell has had to leave Cheefoo for this term & rest. His mother will help him & his place is being kept for him & all hope he will return the end of January. He has some trouble, not serious, with his spine & the doctors do not think he should exercise. In fact the C.I.M. doctor only allowed one or two forms of exercise last term. Be sure and give us the word you have on Gordon Ross. This morning Father turned faint in the pulpit; could not go on with the service & I got Dr. Baird who was in the church to help him out. We brought him home. Dr. MacVicar was in the pulpit prepared to take the communion service after Father finished his sermon. It was before sermon time. ----------------------------------------- Weihwei, Honan October 12, 1924 Dear Will & Morr The middle of October and I suppose that you folks will be feeling it cool. We have it some here. Yesterday when we were playing tennis we saw Copland, George Grant, Marnie and Ruth run up the riverbank in their bathing suits. They jumped in and swam down to the wharf. I heard Marnie shout, "Jove, but it's cold!" It has been cloudy for several days but does not seem able to rain more than a little bit at a time. We should like a good downpour so that the land would be ready for the wheat. Last Tuesday we nearly all went over to the station to meet the Grants. There was a troop train standing on the riding and it was not very pleasant with the man crowding all about. The train was pretty well on time. There were the Grants for here, Leslie for Changte, Bruces and Miss Anderson for Wuan, and Miss Stevens who went right on to Peking as the language school is already in session.. It was quite a re-new time. Miss Somerville and all the kiddies had gone over in an open march. Four or five people went to Sinsiang to meet them. We had Grants in for supper on Friday evening and had quite a nice talk about things at home. I had a letter from Mr. McRae this week. He told how he went to call on Morr and Gordon Ross, and asked Morr where he might find Morrison Mitchell. I wonder if I would recognize you myself. I think that I should risk it if I got the chance. Friday was a holiday because it was Republican day. Thirteen years ago the revolution began in Wuchang. There was a meeting in the church, where there were music and speeches. It was all prepared by the Chinese themselves. The girls sang sweetly in two parts. The middle school boys also had a two-man piece. It began with a bass solo and was pitched too low so that they were scraping the rocks all the way through. In the speeches there was not the amount of bombast that has often characterised the meetings. You may know the note that was struck from Mr. Shih's speech. "You will notice that the others were wearing red flowers, but I am wearing white. Today is not only a day of rejoicing for us, it is a day of mourning. We have been thirteen years a republic, going from bad to worse. There are millions in the country suffering from the floods and the government, instead of giving aid to them are putting on extra taxes to pay for the expenses of the civil war which is being waged, only for the advantage of certain militarists." The meeting ended with the Chinese national Song and a yell. One of the boys gave the instructions and led from the platform. They did very well for a yell. Schoolwork is keeping us both pretty busy. Mother has not such a large number of women this autumn, but lots of work. There is not much more to say about things about the place. I am expecting Copland in shortly after Sunday school. I do not know whether he has something particular he wants to talk about or just a friendly chat. He asked me after church if I would be at home. Mr. Flemming was to have the service this morning but he got Mr. Dwan Gwang Lu to preach for him. Dwan is the fist of our men to graduate from the theological college. He finished this summer. I suppose that when the rest of us graduated we had to get our old lectures off our chests, as we had not much else there. I thought that perhaps he would come to earth and preach the gospel after he had been at it for a while. He talked about when we were going to build a house we wanted the architect to make us a good plan and then we would decide how we were to accomplish the work. I was inclined to think when I looked over the congregation, "Good man, these folks' mud huts have tumbled down, and they want to know how they will get them built again, while you are urging them to plan like a good architect for the building of the President's palace." I do not know whether or not I am getting cranky but when I look out over the congregation of five hundred people at a Sunday morning service, I am jealous for them, that they should get a message of life from the Lord and so when a sermon flies over their head or has nothing to appeal to their hearts, I grieve for the lost opportunity. I suppose that it may be because I feel more the shortness of the time now. But a man cannot be expected to preach at his graduation in a way which will suit every old fogie who hears his, can he? So I had better shut up and recognize that I am a back number with the present generation, shi bu shi? Goodbye for the present. I hope that you are comfortably settled in Know and that you are fitting nicely into the arrangements for the winter's work. Keep straight, do the fight, get enough sleep, and do it all for our good Lord. Your loving father, Robert A. Mitchell I did not notice I was getting thin paper for this and should not have written on both sides. R.A.M. --------------------------------------- Weihwei October 19, 1924 Dear Morr & Bill The bell for service has just gone so there is only time to begin before we start for the church. We had breakfast in bed & got up only in time to get ready for service for it is real cold. We shall get in again for our afternoon snooze & when we get up have the fire, which is already lit. The last week has been cold & we have been having a fire of papers from the crap baskets, which were put in the cellar during the warmer weather. One night we had a coal fire & several times used the coal oil stove Uncle Van gave us. We are out so much it is not worth starting a fire in the morning. In a couple of days the stove in conservatory will be fixed & we shall have a fire there. That little room is a great pleasure & comfort to us. We have been having such high winds lately. Two trees blew down the last time; One quite a large one in the High School yard & a smaller one in the church. The wind was making so much noise though I was quite near where the tree fell & saw it fall while teaching a class I heard none of the noise it made in takes its new position. Today we are having another & the flower boxes on the verandah will have to come in I expect. Service is over once more. I read a book while the preacher held forth. The man this morning is one who knows so much he talks way above everyone & soars into the unknown to show his education & as I cannot soar, being so used to keeping my feet on the ground I prepared my lesson for tomorrow. Locheads have gone to the country & Marnie is looking after the home Ruth & Dorothy. We are having them over here to supper. I think they are feeling a little lonely. Jess wrote she was going to have as roommate a girl from Oshawa. Marnie has a picture of her & is bringing it over tonight. Father has just gone out for his study class, which lasts till 9pm. He has to go only once a week. We shall be glad when we hear how you are both settled in class work once more. Tell us about friends at North Toronto. Will you keep up with & so spread the interest in Missions. George Grant has been made president of the C.C.G.U.T. society here. They say he makes a good President & makes them keep to business. Mr. G. reports about his surprise at finding Morr such a big boy. He will be disappointed in having to reurn so early to Tsinan but the President has broken down & Mr. MacRae they say is the best one to take up the work in his absence. I must off to bed now as I have some lessons to prepare & it is cold in the study. Heaps & heaps of love from both of us. Lovingly, Mother Jennie. H. Mitchell Thanks for illustrated papers… we enjoyed them. ------------------------------------------ WeiHwei, Honan October 26th, 1924 Dear Bill & Morr As a C.P.R. steamer is about due in Shanghai, I think that I shall not finish up this letter today, but I shall get a start at it. It has been a week with the ordinary routine of work. Mother was used up for one day with gripes. We were out to Miss McIntosh's on Thursday evening to meet Dr. R.B. McClure who you know as Bob. He and Miles Manson had come up from Hwaiking. They came one day to the station but the train had gone. They went back and came the next day and got it. But they walked, as they could not get conveyances. Bob was going back last evening. Friday we were out to the Bairds' for supper. I had to go to the hospital to address a meeting but went back later for mother. It is the first time we have spent an evening at that house. We had quite a nice time chatting. It seemed quite like dissipation to be out two evenings in succession. Yesterday noon we were surprised to see Mr. Kelse of Hsing Ise Hsien here. He had brought his wife up with an attack of appendicitis. I think they are intending to operate tomorrow morning. I expect that this is the first time Auld has done an appendicitis operation on a foreigner here. Some of the folks seem to hve a joke on Auld's tendency to send people to the PUMC instead of undertaking things here in his big hospital. I heard someone say he needed his furlough to get a shaking up in one of the hospitals at home. Mr. Flemming went off to Hwaiking to give a week in evangelistic work down there. Mr. Copland is taking his Sunday School work for him. Our mail has been irregular this week. We have not had any Tientsin paper since Tuesday's. Friday I understand there was no southbound train. There are various rumours on the street. It is said that Feng Yu Siang has returned to Peking from his front and had declared himself neutral in this fighting. We have no way of confirmation but we may expect all kinds of turns in a civil war. I expect to be going to Tsinan in another month. I do not know how I shall best go. I was wanting to go by Tientsin but perhaps I shall not be able to do so. I have a tooth, which needs attention, and I should like to have it done when I am away rather than making a special trip if it gets worse. It has not ached but has dropped part of the filling since I came from the mountain. Your loving father, Robert A. Mitchell ---------------------------------------- Weihwei November 3, 1924 Dear Morr & Bill Since father wrote about the stove we received letters from Morr & Bill Oct 1. They were just back. By this time you are all settled down & hard at work & play. Hope Morr. will not overdo at sports. Bill, I think should not try to take on M.A. work but it would be a good idea to take the B.D. I do hope you will keep some time for music for everyone needs it so much out here. Have your voice trained some if it will train, either in a choir or vocal lessons or both. We had a letter from Jessie while she was at Uncle Van's. Hope she likes the work at Normal. It is about 8pm, supper over, and father entertaining the fourth person since we had supper. They come thick & fast. In a minute or so he will go out to the school or it is his night to take charge of the study class. He will not be in till 9.30. I won't wait up for him. I am an early bird. I am in the conservatory & there is a little fire in the stove. This is the first day we have had a fire on all day & I tell you we needed it. Not much about the war for trains are not running regular. Indeed there are few troop trains. However the last two days we got papers. Where the papers of last week are I do not know. We shall likely never see them & possibly there were letters as well. It all depends on how many stay beside Marshal Wu, how much fighting there is & whether peace will come soon or later. Many feel the Christian general has played a mean game & for a time at least his action has turned a number against Christianity. Leading articles in many of the Chinese papers are against Peng & his treachery. At the same time, blaming Christianity for his actions that is the way with all those Christians. Locheads have been in one of the county towns not far from here. Mrs. L was supposed to come home last night but has not yet arrived. I do not know whether there will be one tonight or not. I am sure Margaret will be glad to see her return, to help take care of Dorothy. Halloween night the children at M.C.S. dressed up in all kinds of shapes & funny guises. They went to call at all the houses. I met them as I was going over to the Bible school for a lantern show. I asked them to go there after they had been at the other places. They came in shouting, blowing horns & singing. The old women were delighted to see them & after a little talking off they went & we had our lantern with pictures of Pilgrim's Progress. What do you think we had for supper tonight? Mien tiaoer & it was good. I cannot think of anything more to say so will say goodnight. Give love to Grandma & go to see her as often as you can all of you for she will miss Uncle Van's visits & he will not be able to go so often now that he has a wife. Much love to both of you from both of us Lovingly Mother Jennie H. Mitchell ------------------------------------------ Weihwei, Honan November 9, 1924 Dear Bill & Morr A mail from Canada is due in Shanghai last Friday. We hope that it may be along here in the early part of the week, so that we shall not send this off till we get it. There is not much news to tell you as things are running along in their usual way with us, work from morning till night. It is over a week since we have had any mail from the north. Most of us take Tientsin papers; so we are without any information of what is going on up there. You people over there perhaps have fuller word of the state of things than we have. Mr. Lochead was just telling me he heard Wu Peu Fu had gone down the coast and up to Hankow. If so it must be that his forces in the north have gone to places and he is going to try it from the south. We may have worse times in the way of railway service than we are having now. Mr. Djao came from Kikunshan some days ago. He bought a ticket for the passenger train but the cars were coal cars. Those steel cars are water tight. It rained almost all night. As they were sitting in the car the water would swish from one side to the other and keep them from getting over heated. I have about determined that I ought not to try to get over to Tsinan for the meeting of the Administrative council on the 27th. There is no knowing when the trains will run. It may be a meeting of some importance but I do not like the prospects of travel. The weather is turning cooler but it is not such as you will be having now. Just now I am writing in the sunroom with the glass at 70, without any fire. We have a little in the sitting room. Coal shortage may be our next cry. The freight trains have ceased to run on the Taoching line. We have been buying some coal this week but its all the fine kind, which cannot make a hot fire. None of the other in stock here I understand. The gatekeeper says there is a little of the lump coal which is what they steal off the engine tender. Friday evening we had Miss Hall, Miss Somerville and Marnia in for supper. On Wednesday we were out ourselves. The Aulds and Mrs. Grant were in to tea yesterday afternoon. It seemed almost strange to see Dr. Auld about except on some business. I had the service this morning. Mother will soon be back from her afternoon class when we shall go to the hospital to call on Mrs. Laine. I enclose an order on Eaton's to transfer a fiver from my account to each of yours; also a $10 bill, which is half for Jessie and half for grandma. We hope you will all have a joyous Christmas. Would that we could have it together! Your loving father, Robert A. Mitchell ----------------------------------------- November 18, 1924 Dear Morr & Bill These letters were not sent off as we hoped each day the Canadian mail would come. The mail from Shanghai goes to Hankow, four days by steamer & then twenty hours if trains were running on time. Usually Shanghai mail reaches us in three days or a little over. There is some break in R.R. between Shanghai & Nanking & because of that mails go to Hankow. The line is not broken between there & Weihwei but the service is very uncertain. Also the kind of train one gets. Some travel by open car. Then another day there will be a good car on. The Military are evidently preventing communication because in the summer when floods destroy the R.R. the postal service put carriers on at once & after a couple of days letters & papers come through regularly, though late. We hear that Feng has appointed a man as Governor of Honan & as most of the military here were under Wu Pei Fu & are supposed to be on his side there is great excitement. Why? Well how can a man appointed by Feng get in? We must oppose him if we are true to Wu & that means fighting. Hence people living near the R.R. are hunting up their country relations & sending their women off to visit them. No one knows how it will go for the men here may do as a lot in the North did go over to Feng to save fighting. And later if it seems wise link up with Wu if he comes along this way. Their excuse for seemingly deserting him would be "Mu fa er". It is reported that a Shansi general came down to Loyang Wu's old place, surrounded the city with his men & Wu cannot return. If this is so he is far away it will be easier to prevent fighting in this Province. So far all quiet here. We are watching closely, have place made to prevent people bringing their money & valuables in the yard lest that encourage people to come & loot. Our greatest difficulty will be getting money as all communication with the north is off. Father is Treasurer & there is not much money on hand; what we shall do has not been decided. There are salaries to chinese employees as well as our own needs. Your letters of Oct 10 came in on Friday 18. Now Bill I do hope you will give up all idea of trying M.A. work. The other two are enough. These three years are your last in Canada for a time & y9ou should take in some other things, which will be enjoyable & educative at the same time. Hope you make the soccer & get a trip to U.S.A. If you are near Oberlin try & find Margaret MacClure. She is in attendance at Normal there but I have no idea of the address as they moved just before her mother died. Pay attention to music in some form or other. I wish you could get into a choir or chorus. Also give special attention to the elocution in your course. It adds to one's enjoyment out here & others very much. Father even now is asked often to recite. Now Morr, be careful about your sports & do not overdo. I think it would be better to specialize & not undertake so many things & one of course I would leave out would be Rugby. However you probably feel different. Did you let Walter MacCutcheon off easy in the initiation. Also Gordon Cock. It is difficult sometimes when one runs across friends in that way. Because of a little fun in my soph. year I lost a good friend & I was ignorant of the fact for three years. Because of illness I dropped out one year & later graduated with this girl & never till then when we were out on a com. together & she refused to act did I know all the vexation she had stored up in her heart. I had forgotten the affair till she told me & she never regained confidence in me again. Let us know where you decide to go to church. Jess is thinking of taking a class in Eglinton. Bill where are you going? I hope you keep in touch with Eglinton for it is Mr. Bach's wish you should do so. It is almost time for church so I must say adieu. Heaps of love to both of you. We pray often for you both - your sports, your companions & your own religious life. Do not forget the study of the Bible & Prayer. Heaps & heaps of love Mother Lovingly Jennie H. Mitchell ---------------------------------------- Weihwei November 30, 1924 Dear Bill & Morr. This week we received two letters from Knox College but none from Jessie. The letters were dated Oct 21 & 28. Sports filled a good part of the letters as I suppose it does in your life.. I wonder if Bill got off on the trip with the soccer team. We have had a week of excitement; the closing at the Bible School when nice women received diplomas. None of the members of the committee could come because of fighting & upset RR traffic. Even Mrs. Grant the member at the station could get down except for a few minutes at the last. Mr. Grant has been very ill but it is hoped is past the worst. The evening of Graduation troops retreated from Maokou & were near the city. All the gates were closed, persons set to guard them. Every third was planned but only a few got panicky & the next day most of the troops centered around the stations & by Friday all had gone north. The Struthers came up by rail all the way & had no trouble. They stopped at Y.M.C.A. at Hau Djow & at Herrings at Chengchow. Most of the journey was in open cars, but the weather was lovely & they got in just after the soldiers left. Of course none except those who lived near here got home. I have over thirty women in that yard yet. There has been fighting near Changte & today we hear the troops of Wu, the southerners have retreated & carried several wounded soldiers with them. The city gates were closed this morning & we are wondering if we will have a rush into the church tonight. There was an awful crowd of women & babies this morning at service. We have several places where we will allow people to come & persons already appointed to look after each. The gates are to be locked & there is a foreigner to keep the key of each gate for the Chinese cannot stand up against their own people lest they get into trouble with them later. I have a few neighbor women who have been given permission to go into the Bible School yard but no others are to be let in. If there is fighting near us, which is hardly likely, I shall go over & stay with the women. There are two houses in which people are to congregate; the women, children & I shall go to one of those places for a meal if necessary. The hospital people go to Hpt. Father will have to be here most of the time & I am sorry but I must go part of the time with my women. The worst will be retreating soldiers but everyone wants to get in our yard & I think we shall not be bothered. We are allowing people to come in but insist on all parcels being left outside. If no money or valuables are taken in they will not come here to loot. It is generally known that we do not keep money. One man of the city was killed last week. He has three boys, relatives, in the High School. He had a grain shop & they knocked at the door he opened to them not knowing who it was and they shot at him to get past & terrorize others & after getting money and not very much grain, off they went. The man died a few hours later. Many of the people have their treasures hidden - buried is what they usually do. Do not know about the banks. If they rob the man with whom we get money we will be in a fix certainly. Dec 1 I did not finish this last evening as I thought something might happen. But everything has been quiet. A telegram has come from Taokou asking Auld to go up for Red Cross but he will not leave W.H. It is more important that he be here where there are so many foreigners; especially children & we are as near the fighting s they & will get wounded. All quiet. If any serious fighting there will be a cable to assure friends at home. Much love & prayers for our dear boys that they may live near the Savior. Mother, Lovingly Jennie. H. Mitchell As Jess to tell you about the engagement of Marnie & Copeland. I have not time to write it again. J.H.M. A telegram has come saying there is fighting at Taokou. It has stopped at C.I. but we hear two villages have been wiped out - mostly people killed & houses broken down. ---------------------------------------- Weihwei, Honan Dec 7, 1924 Dear Morr. Another week gone! The regular round has been going in my school. The anxiety of folks has cooled down to a considerable extent, as the militarists seem to have spoken terms to some extent for a while. Last week we were having word of fighting at Changte, but it is over now and the new military governor passed through to Kaifeng yesterday. While that is so things have not at all settled down to normal conditions. Mother's women are still here. She has sent a man to the station several times to see if there would be a train. Friday morning it was said there would be. However she decided it would b too great a rush for them to get to it. She wired to Changte that they would be sent on Saturday. She hustled over to the other yard yesterday morning to see them before they got off. They spent most of the day at the station and then came back. Several trains had passed up, some without stopping, but all military trains with no chance of a passenger. Last evening she got a letter from Mr. Parker that while they used to hve two trains which they could start from each end of the line, now they have only half a train in all. And they could only say from day to day what it would be on the route. She was advised to send to the station in the morning when it should pass through to Paokow and then she would know if there was a train going the other way. Last evening she had the Hwaiking women in and they decided to go the first chance they got without sending word to H.K. They would stay over night at Chinghang and hire a cart the next day. So it looks as if they might be off before the Paokou people. The weather has turned somewhat colder the past week. We started coal fires in the school. Our small coal is not good for the furnaces and some of the rooms in the Maxwell building do not warm well. The east rooms are in the shade of the Henderson building and so get less sun than they used to. The south rooms in that building do not warm so readily as the north ones, because there is too long a line of pipe to them nearly level. But they are much brighter rooms than in the old building. At home we have had fire only in the sunroom till yesterday when we put one in the furnace. The primary reason was because I had taken a cold on Wednesday evening in the church and was going to put in yesterday in bed. We wanted the room of even temperature. It was my birthday and was spent largely in adding to accounts. There were the half-year materials used by the workmen. The thing totaled up to about $700 but it is in little bits of amounts. Of course, as I usually do, I did not get the thing to balance. I shall have to spend some more time on it but just got the account out so that the folks could charge them in this year's accounts. Mother is just going out to church. We hve decided that I shall stay in today till the evening when it is English communion service, led by Dr. MacVicar. Mother has been keeping wonderfully well, but will be relieved when she gets her women off. They have been now over ten days over the closing. One is not just prepared to go right on with a new term's work and it is hard all round. Mr. Grant is getting better and they are not anxious about him like they were. The Struthers have been having a great week of getting the house in shape. They have brought paper for most of the house and are going ahead with it. When they do get straightened up they will be all spic and span from top to bottom. Robert A. Mitchell Dec 22 We were glad to hear of your successes in sports. Be careful & do not overdo. I shall write Dr. Fowler something again. Glad of his gift & interest which means prayer for the boy. Our boys have most gone home. They had no money & the P.O. would not accept money & so there was nothing else to do. About fifty are here & we have classes in the morning & in the afternoon they do as they wish but during the evening study hour they go to the school & a teacher presides. We shall look for the little stove; it has not come yet. Many thanks to our dear boys. Shall be very glad when we can see you & have Christmas with you. Try & live the Christmas spirit throughout the year. Live for others. I think likely Presbytery is to be held here as the country is still unsettled & trains sun at all hours. It will be hard on some people who did not get in stores for an extra number of people. Perhaps some of the Hwaiching people can let us have their extra supplies. I am pretty well supplied. I think I can manage. Now adieu. Best wishes for the Spring's work & a good stand at exam time for both of you. Bill you should not put 10cts on a Christmas card. Mr. Copeland was telling me this evening. Dr. MacVicar also has a card but do not know about postage. Heaps of love Mother Jennie H. Mitchell ------------------------------------------ Weihwei December 22, 1924 Dear Morr & Bill Last week letters could not get out so the one written on 7th is still here & will be enclosed with this. We hope the fighting is over but it may be that it will commence in the Spring. Of course time is a great healer & some of the present ill feelings may have died down by that time. There are different feelings about the Christian general & time will tell whether he is going to have the confidence of any of the Chinese. His two-faced policy has not done Christianity any good. He was such a prominent man. Most foreigners believe he is sincere man but before this 'coup' of his many doubted the religion of his army. However it is just as well not to say these things out & thus let those who believe in him get all the good out of what they read of the army. Many are Christians because their general is. It is the order of the camp. That talk of Goforth's about how much better they are than the members of assembly is all rot. Men who have come out of heathenism a few months or years (at most three or four) cannot be stauncher Christian than those who have been in the Lord's arm for years are found to be; Even if the latter do take a smoke now & again. Military orders are to be obeyed & while there is no doubt some are earnest Christians some are so because it is the custom. There is no doubt Feng's men behave themselves better than other soldiers & are an example to those in other parts of the country but to say they are superior to Christians in Canada would be said only by an extremist & narrow minded person. Of course you do not need to blab this all around but do not be led away by the enthusiasm of one man who worked among Feng's men. There have been a number of Missionaries who have helped Feng with Christian work among his army. One would think to hear than man Goforth that he was the only one who was responsible for the high moral standard of Feng's army. But among his men as in every walk of life there are some good men & some who are not much credit to the Gospel. Very few think Feng really means to get out of the country. He may yet take a hand in affairs in Peking. He certainly will want to stay around to see that if he cannot get in, Wu is forced to remain out as well. The women at Bible School got away three weeks after the closing. A few got away before that but most were unable to do so. We had a couple of scares & were all ready in case the worst happened so that we could care for the frightened ones. There was not much ganger to we Canadians unless a crowd got out of hand but even then we are usually unmolested for it is generally known we do not keep money & the mod is after money first & furs & expensive clothes second. Yesterday we had a great feast letters from the boys Nov 4,9,,16 & a couple of days ago Bill's from N.Y. Nothing from our girlie but in the boy's there was mention of her. Today a letter from Aunt Mabel came in with here idea of how to spend Christmas. Glad you all had a pleasant Thanksgiving. She also wrote about it. The Christmas will be over long ere this reaches you. The Christmas dinner is to be at our house. We will set tables in the Study. That will leave two rooms for the gathering of the friends & before games begin we shall have the study cleared up & tables moved out. Struthers, Grants, Kings & the W.M.S. Menzies join with us. Locheads will be by themselves & Mr. Copeland will be with them. Marnie & he always come together to our services. I think Marnie will not go home this next June but remain another year & finish her first year in Chinese. There is some talk of Ruth also waiting another year & spending most of the time at music. Time will tell. I do not believe Marnie will take nursing but expect they will marry in a couple of years. We had them here last week one night. The closing at M.C.S. was held last week. It was very good. At the last there was a play for which Marnie was responsible & most of the names of the older pupils were worked in. Morr, Dr. Mitchell, was off on a well-earned holiday after his hard summer. Jess was in charge of a High School & was looking for more teachers. Just then George Grant piped up "Did you not hear Mary was coming out to take charge of the medical department at Tsinan." George was a cowboy & when asked how he took to that work said well * got used to chasing cows & goats around the yard in Weihwei. Then later some one asked if they knew Alex was coming out to build a new Bridge over the Yellow River. John said yes he came over in his airoplane to tell mother he had the job. It was very good & we all enjoyed it. Christmas Sunday is over. I did not think the service was as good as usual. Christmas day there will be service at 10am & each school will sing - the congregation sing twice & Mr. Ma will preach. In the afternoon all will go out to preach. We will have dinner in our homes in the evening. Mrs. Grant & I are the committee on the dinner. I must say adieu. Hope by the time this reaches you, you will all be back at work & enjoying it. Do not forget to keep a high standard before you. Heaps of Love, Mother Jennie H. Mitchell