Putnam patriot., 1913-12-26
Miss Crnff HOmeward Bound

Dear readers of the Putnam Patriot: "0h, it's home again, home again, America for me!
 My heart is turning home again
 To Gods country,
 To the land of light and freedom
 Beyond the oceans bars,
 Where the air is full of sunshine
 And the flag is full of stars"
 These words of Van Dyke have been on cur lips more than once recently. Just eight weeks from Swatow to Thompson. The more one sees of the world the dearer America becomes, al- tho we are not always proud of our fellow countrymen abroad and we see many customs and characteristics superior to ours.
 How shallI crowd the impressions of eight weeks constant sightseeing into one letter? How describe the Oii- ental atmosphere, the touch with the Oriental mind when il is all totally unlike the West? But I'll try.
 The first stage of the journey was an all.night wretched steamer ride down the coast on the Hai Ching to Hong Kong where we stayed three days as the guests of sonae English missionary friends. The hospitality of the East is remarkable. After no little business preparation we were ready for Cabin 301 on the North German Lloyd S- S. DeItfiinger where three of us were to spend some of the jolliest days ot our lives for four long busy weeks. Life busy on ship board? How could that be? A mail steamer is making fte- ,guent short stops, passengers coming and going to get acquainted with or bid farewell, letters and postais 10 send from each port, borrowed books to hurry thru and discuss, sewing, seven eating times a day, band con- certs, regular promenades, etc. Twen- ty of us were from mission stations In Japan, China, Caroline Islands and India, so there was the quiet hour tor hymns after the sandwiches and lem onade each forenoon.
 AtSingapore and Penaug we enter ed an entirely new world for us and spent the time mostly in driving about in gharries. It was so good to sit back of pony rather than Chinese eoolie. The natives were fan- tasucaly draped with brilliant pink, red lor calico that well set of their dark rich chocolate eomplexions. The business wagons were often drawn by white bulloeks. The native thalehed bungaloes were on poles. The cocoa nut palm groves were beautiful by moonlight. At Penaug misslonary family entertained us with picnic lunch on the seashore by moonlight. We were almost loathe to leave the tropical beauty. The Sunday at Co- lombo we sang about the "spicy breezes" and ,"only man IS Vile. " Every port had it's o@n peculiar arti- eles of sale. At Colombo precious stones were sold at very cheap prices, either mounted, or by the dozen al : most. The toy ebony elephants and ebony canes were nost popular eurios. Ostrich plumes and dainty laces were 10 be bargained for till the pur- chaser carried off her reward Of Il . diculously low prices. Many. many Christmas packages were sent along the way.
 At Alden the scenes changed. The small boats that lowered about the huge white steamer were filled with Africans selling bright beads, eggs of mamraoth size, ostrich tips, horns of wild animals, etc. They were not d. lowed 10 come on board with their wares as had been done at other places The shores of Arabia looked bleak and bare. The Indian ocean and Arabian sea had been slightly rough to the sem sitive traveller; now the Red sea was calm but oh, so mercilessly hot. The sermon on Sunday was about Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red sea- Nc wonder they smurmured. We did all day long at the heat and nies that unexpectedly appeared.
 The Suez canal had many beautiful and interesting spots, real Egypuan scenery with eameis, pyramids, palms and some exquisite coloring al sunset l twas surprised at its being so very narrow. Our progress thru Il was very