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Show . - 2 Dr Tallmon has been doing a splendid work for the women, and for the men, too, because her sympathetic heart would not allow her to turn them away. But the work has grown and problems have arisen that makes us feel a man physician is absolutely necessary. Wouldn't you like to hear parts of Dr. Tallmon's last printed letter? • "From both a professional and a humanitarian point of view our patients have been quite as interesting as other years. Ttey have here been quite as willing to listen to the Gospel and perhaps more so as new things in China are treated with less of suspicion. Our patients have included rich and poor, old and young, men, women and children. The official with plumed hat and R o t h e s and the ragged beggar covered with sores and vermin, wealthy ladies and tired thin-faced mothers who never know what it is to have enough food for themselves and their little children. Some come for the slightest causes, and some only when they think themselves at death s door. "There have been several patients who were treated by Dr. Wagner when he was here. For twenty years one of these has carried with her the memory of a single visit to the dispensary and has had the purpose to return. She was told on that first visit that her eyes needed an operation, 'But,' she said in telling her story, 'I could not stay then, for there was no one at home to care fof t h e ^ ^ Now the children are all grown. The one who was a baby then is in a government school.' And she added with pride He has already passed his first examinations for a degree. So now I have come.' Day after day she listened to the Bible woman s^ teaching wiA very intelligent interest, and finally said: 'My son thinks there are no gods, and says he will worship nothing, but if I could just tell him this doctrine as I have heard it here, I'm sure he would believe.' "Another woman the wife of the yamen teacher in one of our neighboring hsien cities, the evening before she was to leave the hospital came to the Bible woman and said, 'Now please tell me again from the beginning all this teaching, everything I have heard, here, so I can tell my husband.' . , , , , . . . "We have always tried to discourage the giving of presents by the patients to any of the hospital force, and have asked that instead money contributions be made to the hospital. However, presents cannot always be refused. These have ranged in elaborateness from a bowl of garlic dumplings to a feast sent by the city official which was truly fit for a king. During the fourth month fair among the many who presented themselves for treatment were three old women from thirty miles away who had been patients when they came to the fair last year They greeted the entire hospital force as old friends, and then singling out the Doctor, told how they had longed to see her aU the year and now were bringing her a little present. The present, tied in a blue handkerchief, proved to be thirteen hard-boiled eggs Some were whole and some demonstrated the fact that they really had been hard-boiled. The women explained that uncooked eggs would have made a more elegant present, but fresh eggs were rather hard to carry. . "The presents brought, often represent a real heart gratitude, wholly incommensurate with the mstnnsic value of the gift. We win never forget the old man, poor and almost blind, who came with his frail wife to bring their only son, a boy of eight years, for an operation The child did not rally promptly after the operation, and the mother herself became ill. Then one of the nurses reported that for days the mother had eaten nothing but coarse millet bread in order that she might so save money for better food for the boy. Condensed milk bought with money sent by children in Africa was most gratefully received. When the child was well and they went home the mother left as a donation for the hospital, fourb-dred cash, about nine cents, all the money she had. wA few days later when the first Ouches frerenpe, she came again, and with teatfof gratitude shining in her eyes, said: 'See the boy, how well he is! His father is so thankful He said to me that such poor people as we have no way of really showing our gratitude, but he sent these few peaches and we want to say thank you again.' It is hard to put a money value on such a gift and write in the hospital account-book, contribution five cents. That tells so small a part of the truth. . . . . "A number of our outcalls have-been to families of wealth in villages several miles from the city. As conveyance is furnished by those who call the Doctor, it is not always easy to regulate the time of one's return. Upon one occasion the hospital party found themselves one of the attractions connected with a family feast, and a t another time became unwilling guests over-night. The thought of many pressing duties at the hospital makes such delays seem useless and most trying, but when people ask to have our 'teaching explained to them and listen attentively, the delay becomes a welcome opportunity for scattering Gospel seed. The more we see of these homes of wealth and education the more we appreciate the charm and culture found in them and the more clearly, too, we see in some of these same homes ignorance and sorrow and sin. Truly there is nothing but the power of Jesus Christ that can save men from their sins and from the misery c j r\ firings 'Have you any conception of the place the missionary doctor has in our community out there? Call up your highest idea of a doctor with all his skill and sympathy and think of the place such a man has in your neighborhood. Then imagine that man put down in Lint7 sing-no one else in the whole region with tooth forceps, no one who can set a bone or lance an abscess, no one who knows anything about germs or anatomy. Can't you see what a scope that doctor would have for his skill? Then think of his sympathy working itself out toward the poor who are always with us, trying to relieve their sufferings. Can't you see how he would be loved? Just as a work of philanthropy, doesn't this appeal to you? But when you add to this practical demonstration of Christ's statement, "I was sick and ye visited me, the picture of this man pointing to the Great Physician who forgives sins and heals wounded hearts, can't you see that he would fill a place there larger than he could ever hope to fill here? The missionaries who labor with him, the school boys and girls with the precious possibilities of their future his own hospital staff including the young Chinese doctors, nurses and evangelists, the neighbors, churchmembers and their friends, officials who are beginning to look up to men who know about Western ways-isn't this a field for a man to covet, and shouldn t we covet a man for this field? '..... -. , . „ » , »r Our plans as far as we see them now, are to spend the winter months here at home; April, visiting friends m Nebraska; May, in and around Chicago; June, back to Seattle; July, in California, sailing from San Francisco, either on the Nippon Maru July 26th, or the Tenyo Maru August 2nd stopping over one boat in Honolulu. Mail sent to Curtis, Nebraska, will always reach us. Our correspondence list needs revising We would consider it a favor if those of you from'whom we have not heard for some time would drop us a card telling of your continued interest. Yours i n t h e M a s t e r ' s s e r v i c e' EMERY W. ELUS MINNIE CASE ELLIS. Permanent address: Lintsingchow, Shantung, China. |