Letter dated 28 November 1937 from Emma Boose Tucker to her children

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Chaotung, Yunnan, CHINA. Nov 28,1937, • Our ear uni # Your father has w r i t t e n of our pleasant Thanksgiving. ¥ i th I r e n e away, the remainder of the "foreign" personnel of the Hosp Staff, v i z ., Dr (and Mrs) Lyth and Miss Pullan we enjoyed having with u s . Miss P u l l an * t pa­r e n t s were m i s s i o n a r i e s ^ Hankow, and she attended the American Schl on top of Kuling Mt - -where i t continues, unless closed now due to war - and, where the Schl observed ALL AMERican as well as a l l B r i t i s h holidays*. So, she wastimili-ar with not a few of the traditions*. Our f e s t i v e goose, the'piSbe de resistance was most tender. That n i g h t , the day was topped off by one of those almost i&- p o s s i b l e o b s t e t r i c a l cases. All doing well - and we are again g r a t e f u l . Each year there are several tens of mothers and babies who would not now be on the e a r t h were i t not for modem o b s t e t r i c s as pracUced^n^^giii^Hospital, t h e ir abrupt departure from the e a t t h would have brotAtheir^nT$Td sorrows. We had been having "Indian summer weather" - such golden mellow days. But, the p a s t week the sharp t e e t h of northern winds have brought COLD. Ice fo­rmed on the drinking wa$er in our bedroom. Our t o o t h l e s s l i t t l e old serving woman complained of the cold. I pointed to the widely open window before which I was taking my d a i l y cold sn-en-ge (or plunge or spray) b a t h , w* custom for these many y e a r s , and r e p l i e d that I knew i t to be sol Another milestone has been reached. The day following Thanksgiving,vi&, the 26th, we moved i n t o the fine, big, new Men*s Ward, not before completed t i l l now. The walnut wood f i n i s h i n g s , covered with the T*ung Yu, or Felspar varnish, make rich-looking rooms. We h e l d A M p r a y e r s therein that day, as a u n i t e d voice in dedication. Now we have moved into the l a s t big Hosp u n i t , and b i g g e s t e f f o r t s will now be turned upon enuipment of a l l p a r t s of the Hoiso.A f i n e new,-and 2 n d , - c i s t e r n i s Just completed. Our r a i n l e s s season here i^bo long and dry, t h a t , we must do somewhat as we did at Tehchow, encompass the Hosp with an armament of c i s t e r n s , for preservation of the precious rain water for "laundry and other uses. The 2nd big Solarium - t h i s one off the Men* s Wardr i s not yet completed,, A Mortuary has been completed recently? and, a l a s , has been in use several times. Recent surgery has included a v e s i c a l c i l c u i u s in a small boy of 5, and an aooendectomy in a young losu woman - 7 days journey d i s t a n t , aged 21*. Both doing very well. No recent robberies of mails, but, our messenger going to Stone Gate­way r e c e n t l y , with goods t o t a l l i n g $100, nickel - the coin that maintains here, and only worth 1/15th of a gold d o l l a r in value ~^r*obhed of those goodsl The loads a l l were being c a r r i e d on the backs of Miao 'men. They included 8 prs of shoes, nearly a l l for the l e p e r s in the leprosarium; white flour; rice;sagar? oranges for the Moodys; and numerous other things. At l e a s t 3 times a week,yr f a t h e r a r i s e s early to get loads of goods off to Stone Gateway. He outs such p a i n s uoon the Durchase of these thingsySc seeing that they are carefully packed - many things are f r a i l , as, a l l glass for alii buildings of that place and t h e i r o u t s t a t i o n s and schls*- yr father cuts a l l t h e i r glass for them, after purchase here, and sometimes - very f r e q u e n t l y , - there are drugst There/in a Mohammedan family of 7 b r o t h e r s , not far from h e r e , who have committed most of the robberies of the years,between here and S G* or, between here and S2 Fang Ching., Again and again, s o l d i e r s have gotten on t h e i r tracks they are never at home when the s o l d i e r s go" to t h e i r home. The house has tT&enjrazed to the ground Only 4 bros are l e f t , the others having died violent deaths. And STILL they roj Frankie t e l l s of h i s f i r s t Sabbath spent in Boston, attending divine 3 s e r v i c e at T r i n i t y Church where P h i l l i p s Brooks once preached. He should know t h a t before that edifice could be constructed, the^cemetery occupying that site had to be cleared of graves. Among the l a t t e r wereJji!fsvTucker ancestors. Their remains were removed to Mt Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, and, your father has been c o n t r i b u t i n g to t h e i r upkeep yearly for the years since Ms father* • dea­t h . Most r e c e n t l y that cemetery has made the proposition to have the Tucfeer family turn over the unused p o r t i o n of the big l o t , in return for permanent upkeep. This i s now being done. All signatures of a l l descendants, now l i v i ng must be f i r s t secured. Don*t I well remember my f i r s t v i s i t to that cemetery^ where l i e SO MANY renowned personages, as Hawthorne, Emerson, Louisa X Alcott, e t c . - o r , am I mixed? Don* t.Uift** naTn^ I T * in ^T^™T « „., Anvwav* m « • » • i s , . y , , * ™ A x ^ c ^ V r ^ MfMtfkA^