Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-12-22
Former Salem Girl
Writes from China

bower of tropical vegetation, stately
palms, loaded with bananas, eocoanuts
etc, wonderful gorgeously colored
flowers and everywhere a heavenly
perfumed atmosphere.
Japan is surely land of beauty and
color. Everywhere are dainty kimona
clad figures, dwarfed trees, little bridg-
es, pagodas and temples And yet there
| is another side, too. The lower class
are little better than animals, half
clad, over worked, men and women
with no joy in life at all.
| The shops are glorious wonderful
silks, embroideries, lacquers and CHI
mas. They managed to lure away con-
siderable of my cash, for 1 couldn t re-
sist the beauty of them. One can hard
| ly send them home to America tho be-
cause the duty is so enormous.
China is Just as wonderful as Japan
but in other ways. There is not so
much beauty of form or color but ever
so much more stability and lOveable-
ness. The Japanee are o naughty and
proud that it is very hard to work
among them but the Chinese are more
teachable.
While in Japan the girls in one of
the Japanese girls boarding schools
gave a dinner in my honor. All Japa-
nese food and | ate it kneeling on the
floor (shoes off of course) and used
chop sticks. 1t was my first attempt
but 1 managed it some way much to
the delight of the girls.
| The Japanese thought l must be very
wealthy because | always wore black
| (Which is their ceremonial cOlor) at
! least nv friends heard remarks to that
effect wherever we went-and another
| funny thing, l am never taken for Am-
erican since | left the good old U. 5. A.
but always for French, Spanish, or
| Egyptian! What do you know about
that9
| All of us on the ship, who had Ger
Imam names, were followed everywhere
in japan by secret service men to see
THAT we were not German spies. 1t was
bit annoying but we also had the
consolation that there was no danger
of our getting lost with such watchful
escorts A passport is an absolute ne
cessity and one must keep it constant
ly under lock and key.
I wish you could see the darling
Youngsters of the Orient. Both Japa-
nese and Chinese are dears. Just now
| the little folks las we'll as their faith
ers and mothers) are all sewed up for
1.-THE winter in their padded and quilted
garments, and how they do stick out
lin all directions and in the most unex-
pected places.
The tiny ones are afraid of us for
eigners but the ones who are able to
walk will make up to us. l would love
to get hold of a bunch of them and
use a wash rag and handkerchief ON
them for once in their lives for they
are really so pretty and attractive and
oh, so dirty.
| There are so many interesting places
around here and have been able to
find time for only very few of them
so far. You see our school work keeps
US busy
Speaking of being busy, I suppose
when YOU get this you will be deep IN
the holiday rush. How I will miss the
Xmas shops and all the fellowship of
this happy season, and yet it will be
much easier to- spend this first Xmas
g alone" away from the old scenes and
associations-it will be hard enough
here.
| want to wish you very, very
merry Xmas and happy new year. Ism =
lit strange to be writing that in No
Ivember But this wish could not be
more real if it were spoken Xmas
morning itself.
Well it is bed time so 1 must close,
write often to
Your loving friend,
| ESTHER.
P. S. Be sure and ask about anything
Iyou are especially interested in and
will try to answer. Give my love to
the other girls and remember me to
lMr. Barnes please.