Catoctin clarion., 1918-05-23
news FROM THE ORIENT.
Yochow City, China.
Feb. %, 1918.

Feb. %, 1918.
Dear M
The beautiful moonlight nights
have come again, reminding us that it is
almost a month since we were plunged
into this series of awful events. None
of us can realize that it has been so long,
for we have all been so busy that the
days, as the Chinese say, "are like
shuttle, time is like an arrow"
Since my last account of the troubles
here the events have been so varied that
my scattered wits refuse to recall them
in order, so if my letter sounds rather
jumbled and lacks unity and conference,
don't be surprised-the next one will
probably be worse.
What we have feared most is fire. At
Chinese New Year, when the soldiers
were having their fun, (the people for
the most part had no heart or finances
for much this year, we dreaded what
might happen. One crowd of soldiers
sat in house and knocked cigarette
sparks into tin of coal-oil to annoy the
people and burned down several shops.
One Of our street chapels had already
burned, and as this fire was within few
doors of our second chapel we were very
much worried However the Red Cross
boys managed to save it.
There is absolutely nothing to be had
in the business section of Yochow. 1t is
so completely destroyed that even little
things like pens rice bowels, chopsticks,
etc, are not to be bought linen, silks
and silver are dreams of the past and
considering present conditions | fear it
will be long time before the merchants
will begin business,
At present neither North or South
seem ready to make peace. The South
ern commanders met one night in Yochow
and with their own blood signed vow
to take Wuchang and Hankow. They
sent word to the President that they
would consider no peace terms until these
two towns were captured. Wuchang is
is directly across the Yangtse River from
Hankow and is important because there
is huge arsenal there. Hankow is, of
course, one of the important cities OF
China. The President issued proclama-
tion stating that no peace terms would
be considered until Changsha and Yochow
were re-taken and as Yochow is the key
to the military situation, we are in for a
jolly time.
No longer do we look out upon the
thousands of white tents which once
occupied every open stretch of land. The
Southern soldiers have very economi-
cal way of living. They simply walk in
to any house that pleases them and stay
there until they see fit to leave. Some
families have had to provide for as many
as thirty soldiers. The people of the
house have to wait upon them and if
they show any hesitation reluctance or
! things do not quite suit, the soldiers
tickle them in the ribs with their swords,
/ shoot at their feet and do other pleasant
incentives to quicker and better service.
When feeling rather bored with their
slow life they break into another house
| and loot it or set off cannon crackers and
throw them at the feet of passersbv.
There are edcts posted all along the
streets stating that soldiers firing at ran
dom or for any cause without orders will
be punished by decapitation 80 thev must
seek amusement in some other ways.
| Our first guards here behaved beautiful
ly. OF course, although repeatedly for
bidden, they gambled at every opportun-
ty; yet this so mild compared with what
they might have done that we didn't
worry much about that. Considering
some of them are Kwangsi bandits-the
dime novel blood and thunder kind there
are lots of things which might have hap
pened but didn't One good looking little
chap who guarded the hospital gate was
the subject of more hero worship than
any man I've ever seen. He always had
an attentive admiring crowd around him
listening to his tales of wonder, and
imagine he had plenty to tell judging
from the number of gold rings on his
fingers and the wrist watch he wore and
exhibited with pride, he'd probably had
some interesting escapades or conquests.
The guards at Lakeside were very
funny. They had to be housed in one
of the dormitories. fed on school food
and when they found that the students
had foreign iron beds with springs, not
the Chinese wooden ones, they sent
word that they must have the iron beds
as the wooden ones hurt their backs. Of
course this was the first time their
eyes had ever rested on spring, to say
nothing of their backs; but of course
their request was complied with.
These lean. fiery-natured little South
erners from Kwangsi especially, do not
seem to be as well acquainted wi tn for
eigners as the Northerners, and the way
they stare and take you in is caution.