The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-06-07
~The Five Years I Have Spent in Soochow Working
 Wonderful" Says Miss Burkhead, Missionary to China
By DOLLY DALRYMPLE

! II anybody who has pioneered; :
 people who do things for the first
 time, blaze the trail" in other words
 are always unique.
 As Miss Frances Burkhead of Ral- eigh N. C.. the first business mission
 ary woman ever sent to China by the Methodist Episcopal church, south, up
 to the year 1912, talked to me of her
 work yesterday her serious blue graz eyes sparkling as she told the story, her aristocratic, high-bred manner and enthusiastic recital of the exotic con Iditions surrounding her life for the past five years. I was impressed with how she emphasized the fact that those who pioneer" are to be envied for nobody else ever has just such ex- periences
 | Tt was rather in the order event of events Miss Burkhead said, that I should do the sort of work that I've been engaged in since 1912, as I am the daughter of a Methodist minister and attended the Scarrtt Bible and Training school at Kansas City, either of which would indicate my purpose in life. l was deterred from going as a missionary for sometime on account of my health but that difficulty was over come and finally in 1912 there was an insstent demand for a business mis- sionary to go to foreign fields and be- ] fore my papers were filled out the urgent call for trained business woman seemed to point to me. which 1 l regarded as an undeniable call to the work so I accepted"
 Tell me something about your life in Soochow?" I asked
 "It is really very interesting" Miss Burkhead said. Since I have work ed with the embroidery women of the orient I have learned many things and have met many wonderful people: I Hive of course in the Moka Garden Mis- sion, but in a separate house from the natives, as we cant eat their food. The missionaries are all beautifully edu- cated, trained, men and women. and many of, the tourists who frequent Soochow are wonderfully interesting people, Soochow, you know, is the most ancient of all the Chinese cities, it was built in 800 B. C.. and the walls remain standing just as they were then. The streets are the narrowest ina ginable, an average street in Soochow being eight feet wide; a few streets in the residential sections are 12 feet wide Soochow is called the Venice of the east, on account of many of the streets being built on the water"
 Tell me about the embroidery mis- sion and how it happened to start?" ked
 Fifteen years ago the embroadiery mission at Soochow was established" :" Miss Burkhead said" but only in a general way. When China became a re- public after the the revolution the em- broidery women who had been em- ployed in doing embroidery for the royal family, found themselves entirely without work. Form erly their work, sent to Picking in lots of a thousand trunks full at a time, was discon- tinued and they began to apply to the mission for work. About 200 were given employment during 1910 and 1911, and so in 1912, with 10000 em broidery women looking for work our church opened the Moka Garden Elm broidery mission and since that time we have kept steadily employed some 150 to 200 embroidery women"
 Are they well paid for the wonderful work they do?" I asked, recalling the marvellous embroidery I have seen by the women of China.
 Skilled labor receives from B to s7 month"; Miss BurlShead said, which is regarded as good wages in China"
 put lHc ItSl COoI OI NlilS-iiOW SoAi they afford to exen exist on so little?"
 The Chinese eat very sparingly," Miss Burkhead said. "Often the embroidery women come to the mission without breakfast; but they don't mind. It is frequently the case that they eat only two meals day. With a couple of pen nies they buy soup or cakes or some thing of the sort for meal, and as rice is their most substantial food article. and it is cheap they use that more than anything else'
 How has the war affected conditions in China?" I asked.
 held on the second and fourth Thursday in the month.
 Miss Shipp will conduct an al;-day dem- onstration at the exhibit hall on First avenue on Thursday, June 2s, when she will demonstrate the art of canning under the asuspices of the Housewives league.
 There will be a canning demonstration at the Lakeview school this morning at Ii o'clock. The public is invited.
 Miss Pearl Rosenfeld will give pu- pills demonstration of the Fletcher piano method at the Cable hall this afternoon at 330 o'clock.
 A play will be presented at the Woodlawn city hall this evening at $ clock for the benefit of the Boys club, which is to be established in W oodlawn
 The Chatwork club will meet today at the home of Mrs. McCleary, 1880 North Twelfth avenue
 The Birmingham chapter HIS Of the Eastern Star will meet this evening at s o'clock at Masonic temple to work. All members are urged to attend.