Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-03-21
Miss 1rma Reynolds
Speaks on China
Missionary Meeting


AT the Woman's Missionary So
ciety of the Baptist churches on
Friday, the White Cross work oc-
cupled the time during the morning,
and bountiful repast was served at
the noon hour by Mrs. A. f. Drum
mond, Mrs. Edwin Foster, Miss En-
ma Dunbar and Mrs. Colby Blais-
dell.
The lesson for the afternoon was
IN the form of pageant represent
ing the trials of an immigrant wom-
an from Italy who arrives with
family and is visited by the follow
ing persons in their various capaci-
ties. Mrs. /. b. Mower gave the story
and thoughts of the woman as She
lands. Then Mrs. William Fletcher
acts the part of the alien woman
with Mrs. Bowler as her landlord
Mrs. Lester Simpson the police, Mrs
Mary Hall the politician, telling her
what TO do about voting, Mrs. Valid
, ron the Red Cross nurse, and fin
any the Americanization workers
MISS Meroe Morse and Mrs. Parker
stuart as real friends and helpers
make the poor immigrant welcome
Music was interspersed and the
spirit of the pageant fine.
Miss Irma Reynolds, who has re.
Gently returned from China was
introduced as the speaker of the af
ternoon. Miss Reynolds was a
teacher in Shanghai American high
school for American children, This
is somewhat unique school mas
much as the children here taught
are the children of business men and
missionaries. all the parents prac-
tlcally being men and women of cul-
ture. and from the graduates of this
School every pupil until last year
nave gone to some college in Amer
lea, ~ of these colleges having these
Students as pupils. Harvard and
ale and Wellesley. etc, some at
tending the colleges on the Pacific
coast because they can more easily
see their parents during the vacation
time.
IN the town where Miss REYNOLDS
taught the Chinese people are IS per
cent engaged in the making of shirt
money by which they expect to buy
thelr way into Heaven. They take
small piece of silver and beat II
into the thickness of tin foil, work :
ing night and day with a hammer. so
that one can always hear the beat
ing or these hammers. Then this
thin sheet Is rolled up until It as
sumes the form of the Tael, the unit
or chinese money, attached to a
string and sold for ten or fifteen
cents. These pieces are burned as
a sacrifice.
When the Chinese travel they
carry large basket with n wash
basin on the top of it now as the
matter of cleanliness is one of the
thlngs especially stressed in the
teachlng of the mission schools. In
1act all travellers nearly are Obliged
10 go equipped with this necessary
article as it cannot be obtained in
most places.
Inc children who are educated In
: the mission compounds do not reside
there until they reach the high school
age when they in many cases go 70
llve IN the compound. Miss REYNOLDS
SAID that the girls of China are as
interested in basketball as are the
girls In America, but lack the com
petitlve instinct to a large extent.
having been drilled in the idea of
submission Of women for 80 many
generations.
Miss Reynolds had the opportunity
10 observe the work in mission hos
pltal. having visited in the home of
the mead surgeon or doctor. She said
one or the things the most difficult
TO deal with was the intestinal fluke.
typical OF this location, which starts
with germ from the body Of a
snail which lives in the earth and
gets onthe water chestnut and as the
people eat great many Of these raw
they are infected. This germ ia as
large as squash seed. and in one
family the doctor mentioned. found
2600 in one family.
These people try every ouack
method of doctoring and only apnlv
to the foreign doctors when they are
practically sure they are about to die.
Ihese Chinese methods of treating
themselves has among others the
practice OF sticking needles in the
part where the pain seems to be.
MISS Reynolds told us she spent a
morning with Miss Ellen Peterson at
Ifanechow, we'll remembered in Wa
terville. and also visited Mr.. and Mrs.
Arthur OF Tientsien. who are engaged
in Y. M. c. A. work.
At this session, also. a letter was
read from Rev. Dryden Phelps of
West Union University, Chengtu.
China. stating he hoped to return to
America in 1923.
Although Miss Reynolds wa- in no
way connected with any missionary
work her talk was very illuminating.
and interesting.