New Britain herald., 1927-05-14
HEIMNGER TELLS
 0F CHAOTIC CHINA

V4 V1DAoV1 1V V8A1l UA Missionary Writss to Friends in
 Nov Britain
 Chaotic conditions surrounding the forced cessation of mtsgtenary work in China are described in letters just received By oflscials of the First Congregational church from Rev. Alfred D. Heininger. who has been the missionary of the local church at Porter Middle school. Techow. China The letters, one Of which was addressed to Rev. Theodore A. Greene and tho other to Mrs. F. G. Platt, are m part. as follows;
 'Techow. shantung.
 April ii, 1927
 Just | brief note this evening. Developments have come rather rapidly since ! last wrote. We have been busy packing. and now only four missionaries are left in the station-and they are hoping to get away in day or two. There is a general evacuation of British and Americans in Shantung. and 90 we are going to Tientsin. What the next move will be. we do not know. We gre advised to prepare for pos sible indefinite absence from our station.'
 Tt is one of the queerest (and most difficulty experiences we have had yet. As far as apparent dan ger in this region Is concerned, we need not leave at all. It is quite 8 surprise and shock to the Chinese. I doubt If there ever was 8 time that all foreigners were away from here since the station was moved here. The move will no doubt have very far reaching effect. The Chinese leaders are taking over responsibil- ity, and we are turning over work to be carried forward entirely under Chinese control. It may result in g great forward step in the Christian enterprise. by putting things on the Chinese. For this we are glad in- deed. We have been writing resig- nations and seeking Chinese leaders to take over the work we have been carrying. With three foreigners in the school, 1t makes quite little work to rearrange-and one great difficulty is that we cannot leave our salaries here for the people who must be found to fill our places. Glasses have been suspended for . brief interval until the readjustment can be effected. but I hope they will be able to carry on soon.
 'The leaving has been very hard particularly for Mrs. Heininger. She hasn't been very full of vital energy since the flu and this time of un- usual strain hasn't been easy on her. Jeans condition of course compli- cates things for us. We had planned for the family to remain until I could hand over the work: we ship ped some freight boxes last Friday by canal boat After the packing was pretty nearly all done, there was time to think-and thinking wasn't overly comfortable!~ So I made up my mind that Erma and the chill dren better not wait longer than necessary. We finished up the things they were to take, and started for the railway station Saturday fore- noon. The trains run. after a fash ion. but very irregularly. We waited all the rest of Saturday, and when no word came of the train by eve- ming. all except Jean and I returned home to sleep. We two stayed down at the church plant in the south suburb. About 500 a. m.. Sunday was coming. There was something of a scramble. and we finally all got to the station, only to find that 1t was not the Blue Express Ca comfort able train) that We had been waiting for. We hesitated while, but felt that they better go, rather than to wait indefinitely for train we didn't know was coming"
 "Tientsin, China,
 Faster Sunday. April IT. 1927
 "Yes. we are refugees! The Nam king incident Gone American life lost) seems to have started things going. The government officials didn't know what would happen next. and of course they wanted to play safe.' It Is now about three weeks since the first telegram came from our consul in Tsinan advising that women and children leave im- mediately for Tientsin, and the one ordering all Americans to leave Techow was about ten days later. We've lived at least six months since then!
 There was no danger and no need for evacuation in our immedi- ate region. I was against leaving, until it became apparent that there was a general withdrawal of mis- sionaries from the interior, so as to minimize the danger of adding seri- ous international complications to China's internal problems. And then we, in our station at least, took this occasion to make a complete 1 devolution of missionary administra- tion-and put Chinese leaders in to carry on all the work. Of course | in our mission we have been pre- pairing for this for twelve or more years-so the adjustment Is much | easier than in many of the missions.
 "In Porter Middle school five teachers volunteered to serve as an executive committee to carry on the l