Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-07-13
WRITE HOME FROM
MISSION STATION
Some Harrisburgers in China
Give Interesting Accounts
of Their Doings

Mrs. Helen Carruthers Poteat, the
daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. j. b. Car
ruthers, of 1850 State street who is
working at the Peking Station in
China, writes of the dust storms, of the
remarkable wistaria and of dairying
III the Dragon Kingdom. Mrs. Poteat
tells of the rapid stride and remark
able ability the Chinese have mani
tested in athletics. A few excerpts fol-
low
There was a terrible dust storm
Saturday when the sky was dark like
a cloudy day - came up all of sud-
den and blew at a terrific rate. Sun
day the air was as clean as If there
had been a refreshing rain. I sup
pose the dust had the same effect in
cleaning the atmosphere but it took
Il out in the shape of securing instead
of washing. There is an epidemic of
measles, etc, scattered about the city
and makes one anxious for rain.
I'VE were invited to town A miles
from here, Tungchow, to DR.. Arthur
Smiths college. DR.. Smith, as you
know, wrote all those books on China
Chinese Characteristic" etc. They
have the oldest student Y. NJ. c. A.
there in China. The college is in the
country. They have many acres of
beautiful land planted with many
trees, willow. locust, poplar and ash.
except around the houses of the mis-
sionaries. These are enclosed with fir
hedges, the large yards planted with
rose hedges, shrubs, a large vegetable
garden with plenty of strawberries -
real luxury. The houses are of gray
brick. Four out of seven had perfect
wistaria vines covering the whole
front--a mass of the most beautiful
wistaria 1 ever saw don't believe it
grows so thick at home.
Chinese Conduct Diaries
"One of the most interesting spots
in Tungchow is the dairy conducted on
American principles with American
COWS. The Chinese don't drink milk
and so use what cows they have for
work, consequently the art of giving
milk is not in their line. The owner
had 80 or 40 cows, some from Siberia
these were smaller than the Amer
lean variety, but six that had come
all the way from America at great
expense, Holsteins, were what you call
cows
Participate in Track Meet
Gordon Poteat writes OF an interest
ing track at which he and Donald
Carruthers were judges. A few rec
ords approach some of those of the
American colleges.
They had a great track meet on
Saturday lasting all day despite the
terrific dust storm that arose in the
afternoon and made it at times i'm
possible to see the runners as they
encircled the track. Using Hua and
the Peking Methodist University were
the other contestants. 1t is a new
China where those who read books as
tho scholars are sometimes called are
out in their running suits doing the
half-mile or the discus throw or the
pole vault instead of lolling in the
house or being conducted by servants
in cart to friends for a call Nine
teen, feet, eleven and one-half inches
in the running broad. nearly ten feet
in the pole vault. 10 seconds and a
fraction in the hundred is pretty good
for Chinese schoolboys isn't it? They
had their banners and their cheers
and college songs, boys to rub the win
ners down with oil and catch them in
blankets at the end of the race, a silver
trophy cup and medals for places in
the events. Scratch the skin and we
all bleed and blood is the same color
all the world around"