March 26, 1933
Canton

The longer I am here the less I know about these people. We worked for a week about a schedule of instruction which they wanted. It was to go into effect Monday. Yesterday they scrapped the whole thing and gave us an entirely different one to go into effect Tuesday. They are paying and I want to do exactly as they wish things done, but it is darn hard for me to understand what they want.

I am beginning to like China very much. These people here have been extremely nice to us. Hardly a day goes by but that we receive an invitation to tea or dinner from some officer at the field. They are all charming people and I thoroughly enjoy them and their parties. A large percent of them speak English, which makes it very pleasant and easy to understand each other.

I have a Chinese vocabulary of thirty words and phrases now. Small but a beginning. I know you are interested in my address so will explain it. Mow=cat; Yee= baby; Kong=hill. Therefore Mow Yee Kong means Kitten Hill. The club is situated on a small hill and that is the name of the hill.

Tungshan is the name of the suburb center in which we live. It is connected and part of Canton of course-it has the same relation to Canton as Hollywood has to Los Angeles. The field is located near a mountain and is called Sao Ko Ling. Sao= skinny; Ko= dog; Ling= mountain. Therefore Skinny or Lean Dog Mountain.

You can't use those words around the house, so [we] greet each other in Chinese each morning. "Good morning" in Chinese is jo san. Pronounced joe san, san as in sand except drop the d. Therefore joe san-good morning.

I am enclosing on of my cards. They were mad up and ordered for me at the field. [The] Chinese on the back is a repetition of the English on the front. I am starting a scrap book in which I will keep invitations and everything that will be of interest to you. One of these cards will go in and so forth.

This is the rainy season over here although as yet we haven't experienced any heavy rains. They have bad electrical storms and many buildings show the effects of the lightning. The humidity runs between 98 and 100 percent. Believe me it is a problem to keep clothes and leather from molding. We have low overcast skies day in and day out. Everything stays damp.

You should see the intensive farming that is done over here. Every square inch of available ground is carefully tilled and has from one to six coolies working at it every minute. Everything is done by hand foot. I say foot because the irrigation systems use either hand or foot tread mills. You have seen pictures of them in the movies. The vegetables they raise are beautiful. It is a pity we can't eat them unless they cooked and cooked some more. They use human refuse for fertilizer and your are a cinch to get cholera if you eat them raw. Also all water must be boiled to kill the typhoid germs. Also must never put your bare foot on the floor. Will get skin disease left there by [the] coolies bare feet. There are a good many more [rules] which sound bad , but which aren't so bad in practice. It's just a case of forming new habits.

A good many of the coolie dead are thrown out in the street and left, especially during epidemics. It presents quite a problem to the authorities but I understand they get rid of most of them. Believe me this is an experience that I wouldn't miss for anything.

A water buffalo is whooping it up outside somewhere. Water buffalo are used entirely for drawing plows etc. Only beast that can be used in the rice fields. I haven't seen or heard of beef in this country. Quite a bit comes in by boat. I cut out a clipping advertising beef to send to you Mother. What would you do with prices like these. However that is Hong Kong money which means about 38 cents and 42 cents gold. It looks bad in print doesn't it.

Jeannette will faint when she hears the prices here-all in Canton and Hong Kong money of course. A big bottle of Listerine, $6.80 Canton, a mosquito net, $34 Canton, etc. Believe me I hesitate and transpose to gold before I buy. Had a haircut this morning. Barber came to my room, cut my hair and a peach of a job. It cost me 80 cents Canton, which means 14 cents gold. He nicked me 20 cents too much at that.

It has been too cloudy and dark to take any pictures. As soon as it clears up I will send you some.

This is a big month for weddings and we see them every day. It depends on the wealth of the parties as to the length and grandeur of the procession. Quite a cavalcade at some times. Extending over miles. It seems funny, the coolies carrying cakes, roast pigs, streamers, effigies and what not saunter along sometimes a mile behind the main procession. The bride always rides in a bespangled red sedan chair, carried on [the] coolies' shoulders. I really had to laugh the other day. Here came the bride in all her splendor. Suddenly they all stopped and set down the sedan chair and the bride. One coolie unconcernedly answered a call from nature right there. They all stood around and waited, bride and all. Finally off they went again. It sure looked funny to my foreign eyes. The most important part of the whole procession held up by that kind of a traffic jam.

Let me know whether or not you are receiving my letters. I don't know how the mail service is over there. I am anxiously awaiting your letter telling me all about the quake. I get almost no information, concerning the States. Usually about eight inches in one column of the newspaper is given to the U.S-no more.

I just received your dandy letters posted Feb 28. Believe me I read them over again and again until they are threadbare. If conditions are that bad you should you better all come over here. We can get along beautifully on my salary and have a good time too. I really mean that-don't laugh.

I don't know how this northern trouble is going to affect Jeannette's coming over. It may be that I will have to leave her there send her money each month. Lordie I hope not- that would be a terrible life. However there is no chance to make money in the states now, so I may have to do it.

Take care of yourselves, and for heavens sake let me know if I can help in any way, money or otherwise. It only costs me $50 a month to live so I have plenty of money to send. Also cash Archs' note. If we stick it together they can't whip us.

All my love,
Stu