The midland journal., 1917-04-27
LETTER FROM CHINA.
To Westminster Guild BY Member In
Mission Field
Continued from last week.

Mission Field
Continued from last week.
1 have been helping quite little
the past few weeks in various
childrens' meetings, and it has been
very interesting, can assure you.
About three months ago we decided
to have a separate meeting for the
children on First-day mornings.
Mary Naish is especially good at
working with little tots, and she,
with the help of some Of the un1ver-
sity students, got the thing started
They learn hymns, are told Bible
stories, etc. At first they were
rather shy about coming, especially
the little girls. But now we have
from rs to 100 or more every time.
They are very grateful bunch of
kiddies, though they are just street
urchins and not So we'll behaved as
some of their brothers and sisters
who come from better homes. One
day. when l went out into the street
about ten or fifteen minutes after
little folks at once clustered around
me and wanted to escort me to
where I was going. l told them 1t
was quite too far, as I was going out
to the university, an hours walk,
but still it took quite a little per-
suading to get them to go back.
Sixth-day night we have a play hour
with them, first for boys and then
for girls-they will not play to-
gether. You would be interested If
you could see us, Kathleen Davidson
and myself, with about forty little
folks clamoring around us, and our
vocabularies so limited that we have
only few words that we know how
to say to them. But you can do a
tremendous lot with signs, one dis
covers. We feel that it will be no
small thing if we can teach them to
play games fairly. Last Sixth-day
night we had Christmas tree for
them and gave each child stocking
filled with Chinese candy, cakes, and
nuts; and also an orange. 1t was
the first Christmas tree any one of
the so or more children had ever
seen, and we did enjoy doing it for
them ever so much, even if some of
them did repay our efforts by SNUG
Cling away the first stocking so as to
get second.
Roses are still blooming in The
garden, and few last chrysanthe-
ums, but I must say think they are
pretty brave. I never was so cold
before in my life, and yet there have
been only two nights when 1t has
been cold enough for frost. It is a
damp sort of cold that goes all
through you and makes your fingers
and toes just aches with chilblains.
One reason is that the houses are
mostly built for summer rather thar
for winter, and there are no stoTer
except in the kitchen, but only open
| fire-places. This is the way people
do in their homes in England. and
think the people from that countrF
do not mind the winters here IL
much as we Americans. l wou'd be
Just happy to get out into some rca
bracing zero weather and wade
through snow up to my knees. and
then come back into a E-arnl, com
Portable house. 1t is in the Nous
rather than out doors t>'1r o"o nut
on extra coats here, and one goes
out doors to walk around and get
warm
The telegrams tonight eta.e tha'
our country is on the verge of war
or rather that she sis being drawn
near the verge of war" They also
tell that President Wilson has cahled
to all belligerent and neutral nations
suggesting that the nations at war
might now state their terms of
~oace. The English people here
feel that in doing this Wilson has
done the very best thing that he
could do, but we also feel that he is
in about as hard position as any
one could possibly be placed in.
know that you at home as well as
we out here are all praying most
earnestly that he may be given
power to see and do the right thing
in this tremendous crisis.
With best wishes for all the new
year-1917,-I remain your far
away, but much interested friend
and relative
JANE C. BALDERSTON.