January 7, 1929.
Dear father and mother:
I wish you could be sharing in
all the happy events here.  This season has been one
of real rest and recreation, with Christmas week spent
at Chulwon snd  New vear' 3 week at Ohairrung".  And each
week-end when I came back home I was deluged with sood
letters and cards.  Each new boat brings more, and"so
Christmas has been prolonged and Glorified beyond any
I have known before.  The promise "of a hundred-fold
return to those who give up anything for the Lord is
surely being fulfilled.
I left Seoul last Moncfav morninc
in a snow storm and reached my northern station early
in the afternoon in a bitter wind.  There I was met
by one of the missionaries, who took me in a car to
Chairyung, a good distance to the west of the main line.
As soon as he gave me his name, I recognized it as that
of one of our Seminary Club alumni; and so we had a
great deal to talk over.
He was treasurer the first year
that Mrs. Farlee was with the club, that critical year*
just after they had gone nearly a thousand dollars in
debt.  He told me that the steward came to him at the
opening of that term and said that they had such a. bip:
job ahead of them that he did not know what to d^o.  The
treasurer immediately pointed at the floor, and
'There*3 a mighty good knee pad over there; that ■
what we can do'.* And that year they saved several
hundred dollars.
said,
So many things were going on  at
Chairyung that I told them I would have to so back to
the capltol for a rest*.  (The point would be fully
appreciated by a Korean, who looks on Seoul as the
center of everything.)
Only an hour or two after my
arrival we had a practice for a male chorus with several
Korean boys, which we sang that nighit at a oarty.  The
boys were college students from Pyeng vang/verv bright
and attractive.  I know you would'fall in'love with them
if you could see them. T7e had some wonderful fellowship
together oefore we parted, and our goodbye at the station was like that of old friends.
The mission compound at Chairyung is the most beautiful I have seen", situated on
a slight elevation with six houses scattered among
large trees.  They are all Korean in architecture, low
and rambling, with the dark gray Korean tile roof.
The interiors are very homey and cozy, with the rough-
hewn timbers exposed clear to the rafters.
On the compound is also a large
building used for the Bible Institutes, and two or three
dormitories; a hospital; a fine big chsirch; and behind
the hill a dairy with thirty head of cattle.  There are
extensive apple orchards and gardens, all taken care of
by Koreans who have been trained by the missionaries.
Mr. Hunt, in whose home I was
entertained, has always insisted on the principle of
self-support;  he has not handed out mission help
without the Koreans earning it.  But as quickly as
possible he has been turning over the work to them.
And now, Bruce told me, hi 3 father finds himself often
somewhat left out, as the Koreans go rig&t ahead with
meetings in which they used to depend on him.
One  of the characteristic
features of all Korean mission work has been  the emphasis on Bible study.  Every station has its annual
'Bible Institutes, one for the men and one for the
women.  The men*3 was opening at Chairyung the day I
arrived, and they were coming from ail" the country
round to enroll. Books and lessons were assigned' that
day also, so that full instruction could begin the
next day.  The school lasts for five weeks, and is held
at this time of year because it is the time of least
work on the farms.  A five year course is offered.  It
is all strictly Bible and evangelistic except one  class
in teaching methods.  Mr. Hunt said even that one was
given over his protest.  He Is of the true, old-time
gospel type, very strong on personal work.
Over 125 enrolled for the Institute. We visited their chapel two mornings, and it
was a great sight to see them all sitting on the floor
in one big room.  The first time, Bruce, who was born
in Korea and of course speaks the language quite fluently, gave the chapel talk; and then that night he and
I worked out a talk for the next day.  I drew two
thoroughly Korean scenes and Bruce gave the explanation.
One was the "Bloody Bridge'* at Songdo, the other a
"devil tree'1 with its rags flying in the wind, to which
we applied LaaleLh 64:6 and 2 Cor ~.   5:21.  It was wonderfully well received because it utilized things so
familiar to everyone of them.
Then on Friday night they
gave a reception, to which we were all invited, of
course> and. here again was a great sight.  A fine
program was given; orchestra and chorus music, a
get-acquainted game, a Korean story by one of the
missionaries (the Sem. Club alumnus), followed by
Korean sweetmeats, tangerines, apples, and tea .  Two
of the Koreans offered"to sing something which was
apparently original, a gospel song much on the order
of a negro spiritual, into which them threw themselves
soul and body, one of the men waving his hand with
the beats.  If that is a promise of"what the Korean
church may produce in the future, we may expect a.
contribution to Christian song as fervent and rich
and unique as has come out of the Old South.  I wish
I could have written it down.
My friend from the Seminary
Club has established a mission in the town, which
urn till just now has been meeting in a rented room
over a restaurant.  But wheia the proprietor concluded
too much religion was coming in, he refused to continue renting? and they wer'e forced to use the homes
of Christians.  I visited one night and found the
two rooms with an open door connecting them packed
with about forty people, just enough space on the
floor left for the ^reschev  to stand in.  There
mere six decisions that night; the night, before, ten.
The crowd was gathered by
personal invitation.  The missionary on his way up
the street, by asking those whom he" meets, sometimes
reaches the house with a large company trailing in
his footsteps. lYe had a whole troop of boys following
us, skipping along to keep up close.
while at Chairyung I had one
meal out at each of the missionary homes.  One day
we took a hike round the ridge of the mountains
which circle the town oh three sides.  Another day
we started out on bicycles to see some ancient landmarks twenty-three miles away; but as we were going
against a very strong north wind with the thermometer
a few degrees above zero, we hardly got half way.
What we wanted to see were some great stones, several
high upright ones with an immense cap stone lying
across the top, which have been there so long that no
one knows what they mere for.  It is said that they
are found from the northern boundary of Korea almost
to Seoul at irregular intervals.  Near Pyeng Yang
some tombs have been discovered, whose walls bear the
oldTand some of the finest 4ater-coior paintings
in the Orient.  Coins found in the tombs indicate-an
age of several thousand years.
One of the missionaries there
was from Los Angeles and is supported b~r the Lincoln
Ave. Presb. Church in Pasadena; and she is very much
interested in Bro. Shuler.  We had much to talk
about, and I gave her the November number o^ Bro.
Shuler* s magazine.
The Trinity people have
certainly done themselves *jproud" in the way of
contributing to the cheer of my first Christmas in
the Land of'the Morning Calm.  I wish I could answer
their cards individually, or at least write to each
group in the Sunday School classes and Lea feue
Language school begins its
and will run two months;
are my last cdance lor a
curriculum activities" .
find your letters wl
Fannie so much for hers
econd term next Monday,
so my evenings this week
while to spend in any *extra
Of course I was happy to
came back.  Thank Aunt
Also "cpmppsfmneda*   a^i
Engli
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Les
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Swim
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3
yesterda
y
have
no
t
a nd
yesterda
y
grateful) for the Sunday Schojl Magazine; have not
had time to read it yet.
This year I am starting my
Z->. class with a 000k on the regul    -' •
ons; it is in Korean, so that means more work
translating several p^c^es every ween; but
t/will be better for the class.  One of Krs.
boyjs came to practice his ^jjglish with me
I never like to tell  - Korean tm' l
ime ^or him, because all my time belongs to
so I could not get this letter written
The pastor of the church
yesterday morning asked me if I would give Y20 to
one of my bovs so he could enroll in Chosen Christian
College thisNreek for the second term of his fourth
vear*  Lliste Edwards had promised ?10, which would
make mm the required amount.  So I mave it to him,
asking hid to do some translating for me so he
would not feel that he had received a plain gift.
Last week I also received a
plea from my youne friend whom I met on my country
trim for a friend^of his who is attending our
school at Songdo. His father has died; his mother
is a Bible woman who receives ¥20 a month, and is
o-ivinm half of it to keep her boy in school if
someone else will give ¥5-  Hy friend wanted^me to
^ive that amount, saving that if I did not, it
would be"like frost in May."  So I am sending that
this month, and in the meantime will investigate
the case further. You may teil Mrs. Cheely that
her gifts have gone to a very worthy boy at C .C .C .
I put on my Korean clothes
for the first time yesterday, and liked them very
much. Thev certainly sve the thing for this winter
weather. The ordinary Korean shop is ail open to
the street the vear round, and the keepers sit on
the floor all day long on the coldest winter day.
Last night 1 had a very
rood visit with Bro. Stokes, which is always a
spiritual feast.  I told him about father* s
desire to do some work through a young Korean
preacher] He seems to think it would be a. ^reat
work to Jut mv friend Han Pyung Yong through
school; but said that If father did not want to
do that, he micht be able to find some young man
now whom he could put out into new territory.
Fifteen dollars a month would be ample for Mr. Han.
Returning from Chairyung
we had some very interesting talks with Koreans
in the seat onnbsite, especially with a boy of
about fourteen who was nolng to our Songdo I moo
School.  He was as bright as a tack, sna  a seed
verv intelligent questions about American and
European church riis-lory *-rZ  doctrine, Luther, etc
Yesterday Mac Stokes,
president of the foreign Spworth League, had me
give them a talk; and I repeated the one  Bruce
and I prepared at Chairyung.
;.ly tencher told me today
that ^y   thought I would Le  appointed to Songdo
nex: yearV so he was going to" send ^ his boy there
this ssrirm rather than start him in Seoul.
being
I  wa s
would
out o
worth
to yo
might
plant
the m
soici a
The Songdo cloth was
smeclal rates through December, anc
hoping that if you ordered any your order
reach here then.  Am afraid they may be
f what you want now.  But I asked for *2.00
of any' suitable dress material to be sent
u, thinking that your class sewing circle
find it useful, if you did not.  The Songdo
is now going under Korean management, and
ission was trvins to sell out their stock.
I have written as usual
on the run, and have not gotten to the personals
vet, and it is getting late.
.11  trv  to
answer your  good  lone letters more   specifically
next week,     ife   finished up  the  earob today;  we
like  it very much,   and  I   imagine  it  is very
wholesome.     Many  people heard  about   It  and
sampled  it.     I   took  the remainder  of  the   cig box
of  figs  to Chairyung and   shared  them with  the
Hunt  family,   who enjoyed   them  greatly.     I   also
gave  them the  last  copy  of  father*s book.
Everyone  to whom I   gave  them has  expressed   great
gratitude and  appreciation.
I   do hope  this 'el 11   find
you well  srsl  in as happy  circumstances a,Ad   state
of mind  as  I   am  enjoying.     I  weighted   on  the
doctor*s   scales  at Chairyung 133 pounds,   which
is   seven pounds more   than vrhen I   left Princeton.
I   at  least am not   going into a   decline*.
I»ovinglvt,