Daily Kennebec journal., 1922-05-23
Letter from Ruth P.
Nuzum to Juniors N. p.
Branch, w. F. M. S.

Peking. China, Feb. ". 19Z2.
To the, Juniors Of New England
My dear young Friends:-A letter
from Mrs. Packard a few days ago
brought the best news ! have had TINS
year-I am to be your missionary and
you are to be my juniors. Just think
what large. family 1 will have. all
the boys and girls of New England
Branch, of the Woman'S Foreign MIS-
sionary Society. Doesn't that SOUND
big?
/ feel like the old woman who lived
in the shoe who had so many children
she did not know what to do. l Will
try and treat you little better than
away in person l am near in spirit.
Every morning, noon and night think
of you as l talk to our Heavenly
Father and ask Him to take care of
too ask the Father to help me make
the Chinese boys and girls happier
and help them to grow up to be clean,
pure, Christian men and women?
l wish you could take an air ship
and speed over here to Peking-if you
look on the map you will see it spelled
out in large letters because Peking is
the capital of this great country OF
00,000,000 people. Can you imagine
how many people that would be?
Well. if you were here YOU could. for
I never saw so many people in my life
and have lived in a big city in Amer
lea. Peking is in the northern part of
China and is the Oldest capital in the
world.
AS I sit in my room 7 can look out
on the great wall of China, so wide
that l think 20 and perhaps 80 of you
could march in a straight line on It
and so high that several men could
stand each on the shoulder of the other
to reach the top of the wall.
At first l felt as if L were within the
walls of great prison for in America
ga 1. ,r~ 1Ie,, !,
stitution of this kind. In China
these walls are found everywhere
and one soon becomes used to them
Now / feel very safe as I look out
upon it for / do not think any bandits
would find it easy to climb over such
a wall and that-is the reason walls are
built in China, to protect from outside
peoples.
Here in Pcl<ing the missionaries live
in compound and this is also sur
rounded by large wall Of cement. We
have a gate man who takes care of
opening and closing the gates and
keeps out all bcggars and undesirable
people. We have to do this in China
because the streets are filled with poor
beggars that are very ragged and so
black that some of them look more
like Indians than Chinese.
They think the worse they look the
more money they will receive.
Within this wall are the homes of
many missionaries. Most of the
homes are built of brick and have a
large yard where the children have
splendid times playing football and
many other outdoor comes.
Leading to the houses are cement
walks which make the appearance of
the compound very attractive. l live
in the Womans Foreign Missionary
Society compound and in the compound
we have three homes and large girls
boarding school. In this school we
have 200 girls.
:. Having so many foreigners in our
family we cannot get lonesomc,-we
have too many good times together.
Now / would like to have YOU take
peck outside our Methodist compound
and see all the strange sights. The
men are dressed in short coats and
long skirts and the women in short
coats and trousers,-not like the ones
your father wears.
The children use bright colored
strings or ribbons and they look very
pretty. The boys dress exactly like
their fathers and look like little men,
they even wear the little black cap
that fits snug!y on top of their heads.
1t docs seem 50 queer to sec tho little
tots-babics that arc just learning to
walk tOddllng round in these little
coats and skirts to their ankles but
they don't seem to mind them and
walk as wcll as an American baby.
How would YOU like to wear four or
five coats in the winter time? We'll.
that is what tho Chinese do. AS it be-
comes colder they put on more coats
till they can hardly walk and they look
so fat and funny, especially the little
kiddics. Then when it becomes warm
or they gradually take off the outer
coats until they have only one left
don't YOU think that is a fine way to
keep warm and then to cool off?
Perhaps you would like to take
walk with me to The language school
which is almost half hours walk
from our mission.
This year ] cannot teach the chill
drcn because | cannot talk to them
they don't understand English so L
must go to school and learn their Ian
guage and what queer language it is!
Every day | learn more words and
then | forget the words | learned the
day before, but some day l am going
to speak just like a native-then / will
talk to YOU when | come home on my
furlough. This morning tho sun is
shining so brightly and air is just cold
enough to be bracing.
Did YOU ever see 50 many 'rickshaws
before? Aren't they queer looking lit
tie two-wheeled vehicles and pulled by
queer looking man with a towel |
wrapped round his head. In Pckng
we have no street cars and only the |
rich people or officials have autos. so
most of the people ride in these shaws
Do you see that group of ragged lit
tie children" They arc beggar chill
dren and we have so many of them
mere. Thcy do not go to school and |
every day they run after US crying |
please give me money-good grand
mother please give me money" Their |
clothes arc so ragged that YOU wonder |
how they stand il to he out in the cold. !
These are some Of the little children |
We want to holp-have them go to |
school so that when they grow up they |
will not have to beg for a living. They !
are 50 dirty. ragged and sickly look
ing-they hardly look like real chill
dren but rather like little old mon and
women.
These youngsters stand round the
open stands whore hot soup and sweet
potatoes are being sold until the shop
keeper gives them something to eat to
get rid of them. How would you like
to cat like this on the street and never {
know whether you We're going to have
another meal or not? In spite of their
condition these little fellows laugh and
play just like YOU do and play tricks
on each other.
there almost hidden by the loasl of
long grass on their backs? Every
morning meet thcm plodding along 50
faithfully. Wouldn't YOU like ride?
There is a mother and baby that have
just come in from the country riding
on donkey. When ] soc them | think
of Mary and baby Jcsus-how they
rode on the donkey's back and Joseph
walked by their side. l am sure you
have seen Acturcs of them.
This summer | hope to have many
rides into the mountains, donkey
back. wheelbarrow and if ] am brave
enough | may ride on a camel's back.
leisurely led by little Chinese boys.
often see tho long line of caincls on
my way to school bringing coal, wood
ana sometimes stone to the city.