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Show i*tter from Mrs. George D. f i l l er COPY. lUQghsien, (Near-Feiping), China. June *ind., 1233. Dear friendss« I have no doubt that you are wondering just what we era doing these days, and how the world is treating us, or, perhaps I should say, how *! a certain fewer"ia treating us. I t is nearly three we^tks now since the people began to pour into our compound follcwing the advance of the Japanese inside the t r e a t f a l l . Iwat'tflMag has fallowed in each rapid succession that i t will be bari to write aa orderly report* and I am not feoing to attea f t to je so. Having been through this thing, ar something very amei l i k e I t once before, we knew that -when the tiiee same there weald be & grand rush into our compound, so we decided upon placet to be occupied ani had committees appointed to take care of the Ptefle at eaeh flaee, and i t was a good thing that we had? for with the f i r s t approach ®f the Japanese the rush began; each airplane that came ov^r frightening the people out of their wits* and when they (the Japanese; treated our oity to a short but severs bom-bari. aent, there was a general sta&pede. That aaa the third jajr after the people began t© eaaa la, and by nightfall we h&i ten thouaaad refugees In the compound« Every avaiL» ahio baildinj was crowded full, all the School Buildings, the Social Service Center, the Station Class rooms, the Kindergartens, avery square fact of space la the Charah; a great many eaapad out under the tra#s^ and most of -our c*liars and forehea were cfcewdei to capacity. Most of the people wanted nothing but a place to stay, a place where they would be free from fear, &ai how pathetically grateful tney would be for a place anywhere big aaough for mm to Bpr®&£ their bedding and put the few belongings they had snatched up. All, except a few who came from iar away, and some who had absolutely ao way of providing for theraseives, looked after their own to&&g in many cases this was dene by the sen or older woaea and children* A great maay set up l i t t l e camp cooking places in eut of tne way nooks, and one such l i t t l e stove would answer for several fas- H i e s . After the f i r s t day or go we made a f a i r ly thorough canvass, rmi began giving out good thick millet porridge twice a day to nursing mothers who needed i t , and to those who had no one to provide for them. At f i r s t i t was fear of the Japanese &nJ of bomba that drove the people in, but i t Is fear of their own beastial soldiers that keeps those who are s t i l l with us from going back t@ their houses. This i s n ' t saying that a l l Chinese soldewrs are bad. One of the armies here, the wwlth., gets nothing but praise from the people; but an eld Manshu army i s at large in this par t of the country doing just as they please, mM what they please i s pretty bad! The 49th. army has peea told to absorb them, but i t seems i t went have them, so they are a law unto themselves. They clean the peer villagers out of everything, clothing, doors, window frames, the grain which they haa expected to feed their famiHea until the next harvest, and a l l their loddetf and their carts and animals as a matter of course. The women and g i r l s do not dare to venture back for the worst thing possible happens to thesi if they do. Because of this looting that has been going on, many of the people, who Vera able to take eare of themselves when they fled to oar place, have simply nothing l e f t now, nothing but the premise of a wonderful harvest, If they are allowed to gather i t in peace. fe havo had the most unusual r a i n s , and in a l l my long experience I have never aeon the country looking so lovely, &m- ihe crops so luxurous this early, as? they do now. The sen are going back t© work their fields* but the whole family la used to working in the fields at this time of year when there i s so much fairly light work that the women can do and the work g|g£#t fee done withfttt tueir help. Atjg a?e i§ §M£§US to get beak. |