Anna V. Blough letter to Ida, May 11, 1917

              Ping Ting Hsien, Shansi, China
11 May 1917

My Dear Ida, -

There are such a lot of things to say to you. It is after nine oclock but I shall use a little time to run some off for you.

Before this reaches you you will have another birthday. You will get birthday messages from the rest of your brothers and sisters but mine will be too late. You know I never was so good at that as some of the others are. Then too when you know all that has transpired the  ast several weeks you will excuse me

I was glad for the letter written to Jennie and I together. You are in work deeper than I am in a way. Yet I believe that it would neiter [sic] be possible nor advisable for you to fill up every minute here as you do there. There are too many things wear on one here that you do not have at home. For instance, when you prepare a lesson you do not need to sit with the dictionary in hand and study for words to say what you think. Then you know the people and what will appeal to them. And you do not have servants to worry you either. That last is no small matter at times. For instance this week on the day that Mrs. Kuan was to give her time to me I asked her to do something and she said she did not want to do it. I told her if I gave her wages it was her business to do what I told her. Today she got spunky again when Bessie asked her to do something and Emma told her some things. I think she has gone, and I would not be sorry if it is for good. She would have gone long ago if i had the whole say. Ever since she is with us she has acted that way for me, never does anything willingly [sic], , and I must always be after her to see that she does the bedroom work as it should be done. We also have a rule among the boys that one is always to be at home so when we want something they can do it. I think they have been told fifty times, but now for several ay again they have all been gone at once. So I had to make a speech to Jei Ling and told him if he had not time to be here we wo ld get someone who would. Then I repeated it to Lai Hsi. Those things are not pleasant. But they come in the days work.

Now I have not wri ten you a special letter since taking  ver the school work. I do not remember what I told youin my anticipations. I am going to ease your mind now by telling you I enjoy the work with the girls more than I ever did in America, for I think with experience since then I have learned some thing However Ying Hsien Sheng who just came back from Loa Ping and Kao Lao brot [sic] me messages from the women out there and a braided footstool from corn husks from one as her token of esteem, and I am real homesick to go back to them. I hope to to [sic] so as soon as school is out this summer. If the weather is not too hot I shall go to Kao Lao first and then to Loa Ping and try to get the women in to a two weeks class.

I have been trying to study out why I prefer work with women to that of children and I think one is because of discipline, and one is I prefer talking to minds that are more developed, tho most of our girls here know more than most women. Nevertheless I love the girls an hope they will love me. There are some bright little chaps. Last eve the three packages of cards cams [sic] and in one was a picture of a rabbit school. I took it over today and they thot [sic] it was great. Chih is rather humorous and a number of times she would point to her ear as much as to say that if she did not get her lesson I would take her by the ear as the rabbit teacher did. I pinned it up over there.

Well this eve I took Jung Min to the doctor. He has not yet finished diagnosing her case. I am rather fearful it will be something to take her out of school. You know she was married this spring. She is the one who thinks so much of your picture. I dont know if she suspects what it might be, but perhaps it is not that at all. I should be sorry to loose her in more ways than one. She is such a good Christian girl and that means so much in a school to have an example.

Yeste day I did something that was awfully hard to do. The city magistrate is making a desperate effort to get rid of opium. Yesterday we called a meeting of all in the Missions employ who were former opium users and questioned them if they were using it again. Nineteen there had been former