Dear Father:
Kimwha, Korea,
January 16, 193-9.
;f   -    We are  nearing the  end  of a  delightful winter day.
The  sun has  shone warm all day and  the  snow' which has lain on
the  ground  since November begaon to melt.     We have two  flower
pots,   one wlih  saxifrage brought   from  Songdo   (it  is  called
straw "berry  geranium,   and there was  some of it  in the rock garden
under the bamboo),   and one with a   carnation we got  in Chulwon,
which we are trying to keep'halive . through t  the winter.     In the
pot with  the  carnation I  putfin for the "winter the  one  surviving
cassia,   grown 'from  seed you brought,   but'apparently it ha3 been f
killed  by  freezing. .'When ^e were making kirn eh i Ruth   cut   off the
tops  of two turnips and  put them  in 'water.  hOTe have" them in two
bowls,   and  the^ have a  tuft  of leaves.     They say  they bloom when
put in water that Way in winter.-  Sut  their growth  is very' slow.
Perhaps they will  grow better when we get a  little warmer  sunshine.
But  evenfthe green ieaves&give a.little decoration in the house.
his was market daT~,   and  two of  the women  from
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Ohojun   (   Meadow   ),   one  of the  country  churches,   came  in to do a
little buying.    One of them is over eighty,   but  is very  spry,
and   can outwalk most women.     She lives alone and gathers her  own
firewood  from the mountains and  prepares'her own frugal meals,
-er n^e  is Kim  Dorcas.     ^he  other is  from  a well-to-do  family,
who always  entertains all  church visitors.   -0ie brought  in a
large  Pan  full  of  fern  sprouts,fwhich   she had gathered  from  the
hills last  spring,   e^hey make a very  appetizing relish  to eat
with  the rice,   and  are  especially  prizedfat   the New Year."' They
are the  **bitter herbs*1  eaten on- the fourteenth day  of the  first
month,   corresponding to  the bitter herbs  of Passover among  the
Jews.     But  after  soaking in water,   the bitterness  is ail  removed.
She  gave ail  the herbs  to us  and  also a   gourd dipper,   apparently
in appreciation of the  entertainment weogave her  some ^feekslfago
when she was  in  t'rn  over ni"g]i+.    eShe als -  brought  in tefl-yen,
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market•
h almost all went into material   for clothes  for her grand-
HI   P ■
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children,   which  she  proudly  exhibited  af4-.er her visit  to  tne
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e  gaye ner    a  few tangerines  to ta*e ho^
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are not  available  in the  country.
oLast  Thursday and~Fridav. I went to  cfouiwon to*tendh
in the Bible  Institute.   --The presiding eider and  others asked
what  news   I had   from yau.     People   often ask  about you.    -There, ,
are  sixteen in the  first  yearfcljtss and  fifteen in the  second year.
ft/
I have  eight hours to teach the  +wo days,   and  translated  the
prayer  service talk  of the  new missionary,     ^his  time  I  did  not  sta?
in the hotel.     Arrangementsfhave been made  for Han  Suk Won moksa,
the principal  of the. institute,   and  the presidingeider and  I  to
stay  in the dormitory,   which  is right'in  front of the  church.
There are  several rooms,   and ^ie men  students  occupy  the  other
rooms,     on Thursday and Friday  the  presiding eider and  I  teach
almost  all   the  classes,   as he^Jias  to  come|ln from a distance,   as
I  do.     All  the  other teachers  live  in  Chulwon.     Rice and kimchi
are all  the dormitory  furnishes;   but we did jfxave one bowl  of
cabbage  souo while I  was  there.     The  principal wrote  |b me  spying •