New Britain herald., 1922-02-01
FR. SWEENEY TELLS
 OF LIFE IN CHINA
Local Man Takes Up Mission Work in Loting, Near Holgkong

Rev. Joseph A. Sweeney, a local man who has taken up his life's worl, in the mission fields of China, has written to local friends telling an in teresting story Of life in the Orient.
 Teaching American Games.
 The local man is having difficulty in teaching the Chinese to play base bal! and football, but expresses a fear that he will never be able to bring about true appreciation of Babe Ruth or a Red" Campbell
 i Father Sweeney's letter follows:-
 Il am at my mission now with an other priest in a town called Loting about six days journey by river boats from Hongkong. This town is cen trally located in our parish which ex- tends about the area of Connecticut and Rhode Island. We are near the tropics; now, at Christmas time, the thermometer registers between 70 and so degrees in the shade.
 Male and Female LabOrcrs.
 Men and women labor indiscrimin- ately at the tasks that horses and ma chimes do in America and the reward for these poor coolics is wage of seven to fifteen cents day-enough for them to buy rice and greens for two meals and to rent a. one room hut with hard boards for bed. To add to their discomforts they chose to use piece of glazed tile under their necks as pillows.
 After visiting Japan where the people are all the time washing them- selves and have good sanitation with all other modern improvements; where no one dares hold you up with, a gun and where everyone helps the stranger with a good ld-fashoned courtesy, China appears dirty dan gerous and helplessly behind the times. But after conversing with mis- sioners who for from 30 to 50 years have worked in these two countries until they know the hearts of the two peoples, give me China. Here l want to work till I wobble with age. for these people have virtues that make good groundwork for Christ teachings.
 The summer, they tell me is one long Turkish bath here.
 Robbers and Tigers.
 ihSiS diG NlldBeS or 0nlncSG farmers scattered all over the district and the great mountains that rise up between them are the strongholds of l robber bands which make raids on the little towns and a good hunting ground for tigers-I hope they keep out of my way for I have nothing heavier than a shot gun. There are no roads but only paths and moun- tain trails between the villages. It | looks as if we shall have to make all | our journeys on foot because horses in this section are not much bigger than ponies, A couple of Chinese will carry man all day in chair for a dollar; but I'll have to break leg before a couple of human beings will be asked to tote me around on their shoulders; though anyone who pre- tends to be gentleman here is never supposed to walk any distance.
 "Pig-Tails" Missing.
 "Chinese life here is about the same as it was 30 centuries ago and for newcomer it presents one surprise after another. About the only change the republic seems to have effected in the life of the people was to cut off f their 'pig-tails and to put a few new $ faces on the officials. They live in ( the same old mud-brick houses which permit the white ants to run tunnels C up through the soft walls and eat them through the beams in the roof i until the place tumbles in. c "At our mission we have u school c md an orpnanage. l tried to teach a Inc boys to play baseball but they W