The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1899-12-01
MORE FROM CHINA.
Interesting Letter from DR.. Samuel Coch-
ran, a Medical Missionary

Marking, Oct 18th, $780,
At last we are settled down to worl
and things move along in more or
derby way. Our principal occupation
is studying Chinese. Our teacher
comes at nine and stays till twelve
and again is here from half past one
to four or half past. We have caller.
come occasionally in study hours anc
have spent part of three afternoons
assisting DR.. Jellison operate in the
hospital next door.
This afternoon it is raining little,
the first time since Sept. 10Th, the
day after we landed. The weather has
been splendid; generally neither toe
hot nor too cold though yesterday and
today have been chilly and we have
started a stove in the study.
The tea things were removed and
the dinner proper was served. Nine
bowls about the size of large porridge
bowls of different viands were placed
in circle in the middle Of the table.
The correct number should be 4, s IL
or 16, but by mistake they had nine.
They had:
1.-Meat balls, much like sausage
and excellent.
"A substance called bean curd,
which is said to be nutritious and
which Chinese like. americans
don't
3-Boiled young bean sprouts.
"A sort of marcaroni or spaghetti,
cooked somewhat as in Italy; excel
lent
5-Chicken stewed with chestnuts,
also excellent.
GA kind of tree fungus boiled !;
tasted like mushrooms and very good.
7-Boiled fish; very nice.
9-A kind of boiled sea weed, some
thing like Irish moss; very good.
The ninth dish l forget.
The boy then brought each bowl
of rice about the size of a porridge
bowl. Everything was eaten with
chop-sticks and any unedible parts,
such as bones, were placed on the
table beside our bowls instead of
throwing them to the floor, Chinese
fashion. When we got down to near
the bottom of the bowl of rice we
each put the edge of the bowl to our
lips as if we were going to drink out
of it and then swiftly shovelled the
rice in by the chop-sticks until our
mouths were full. The effect of this
to European eyes is striking, to say
the least, but it is the Chinese way.
We are getting to feel quite at home
here now and much of the newness
about Marking than | did but perhaps
/ might be able to throw a little light
on our situation. We are living in
~ 49,
only in length to that of Pekin. 1t is
about thirty miles long approximate
ly)and 60 to so feet high and about 40
to 80 feet thick, being filled in with
earth. The city proper only fills a
small portion of the space. The
thickly populated part with city
streets and closely built shops is clus-
tered about the South Gate about two
miles from where we live. We are
about half mile from the
West Gate. We are said to live in
Han semen, which means West
Land Gate. - The wall extends all
the way down to within quarter of
a mile of the steamer landing at Shaw
Gwan and in another direction over
five or six miles to the foot of Purple
Mountain opposite u.s. 1t encloses
much farming land and very re-
spectacle little mountain down near
the river. All along the West and
South side of the city great wide
canal, or rather river, runs close under
the wall and connects with the great
river. On it is a great deal of traffic,
everything heavy being brought up
that way. The land inside the wall is
rolling and great stretches of the hill
tops are covered by mounds, the Chi
nese graves, made by depositing their
huge wooden collins on the ground and
heaping earth on them; (see "Cen-
fury" for September for a picture of
golf links among the graves). From
the river, right across the city to the
Southeast gate is good broad car
riage road called here the Man Loo or
Horse Road.
Our houses are not in the closely
built part of the town. All around us
are gardens or fields (Which amount to
the same thing here, as the fields are
really gardened). There are uumer-
GUS of little ponds varying in size
from few yards up to an acre or so.
These are used by the Chinese as, ID
source of water for the fields which
they irrigate by hand; ~ as station
airy wash tubs for everybody in the
neighborhood of course for clothes /
mean; | havn't yet seen any adult
battle himself in them; (3), as drink
ing and az cooking water. OF course
also everything drains into them. The
Chinese fortunately for themselves
never (aNle in this neighborhood)
drink rainy water boiling or very
near it and all their food is cooked.
We have wells and always boil our
water besides filtering it, so we are
safe also.
| wish | could help you to imagine
a Chinese street, such as we rode
through to get to the country.
There has just come a new magis-
trate or Hsein Il think, to Marking.
The word is pronounced Shane. He
rules half Marking and half the coun-
try round. He made the round of all
the missions, calling on all the gentle
men. He wanted to make our acquain-
lance as he is pro-foreign in sym
pathy. He sent his man one day with
his card which meant he would call
in a day or so. He appeared two days
later with his interpreter, young
man, who spoke English very we'll.
They came in Sedan chairs and had q
crowd of servants with them. DR..
'Jellison received him in the hospital
which is next door and / was asked in
by the Doctor and so received him
there also Next day we of the Pres