China and the West

Letter from John Dewey to Dewey children
Y M C A Peking Aug 25 [1919]
Dearest children,
… Lucy didnt want to go to a hotel, not that any of us did, and Im sure that the bother of a house would have been an irritating burden to mamma, as the housekeeping would have come on her and the conveniences arent exactly modern. It was amusing to see a notice of Miss LaMotte's book in an American magazine in which it told how cheap houses were in Peking—we pay 80, aside from furniture, for this five small romm apt. Another one with six large rooms rents for 200 a month. Equally amusing w[a]s her account of the fear of robbers here, and the walls with broken glass and the fierce Mongolian dogs. Peking is one of the best policed cities in the world; Id much rather take my chances here than in Harlem. She wrote in the hotel I think with a Japanese curier for authority. We have to leave here Sept fourth and the Deerings leave Sept fourth, so it seems quite providential. Mr [Paul S.] Reinsch as you have probably seen is leaving. Nobody knows the reason here, if there is any aside from his wanting to go back. He isnt very popular, or Mrs R with the foreign community here, but is very well liked by the Chinese which speaks well for his official performanes Judging from what we hear a man of the type of Morris in Tokyo, with more business experience and ,ore executive pep will be useful from now on anyway. There ought to be about a half dozen of the ablest men in the country here to handle thes situation. It is the growing opinion th[a]t if the U S backs down on either the Shantung issue or the Japanese consortium for reservation of Manchuria and Mongolia, it means the going back to the old policy of the partition of China, as China cant hold its own alone. People here cant understand why the U S doesnt use its financial power and the Europena need of American assitance to compel GT Britain and France to side with us rather than with Japan in handling the whole Eastern question. Maybe it isnt neceasry but there is a feeling here that deals for further concessions and spheres are concerned going on, besides behind the scenes, in case the U S policy fails, and that the [o]ther countries arent giving any active aid to the U S in making it succeed. If so, its a suicidal policy in the end; for the European countries. Japan will get the concessions and spheres in the end; their only way is to help China get on her own feet, which is the obviously policy of the U S, and which is the only thing Japan is afraid of.
We havent a word from Sabino for almost a month, soon after he went to Kuai; we shall be relieved when we hear something. Its rather late to be giving Jane advice ur her year, but I hope she is doing what she wants to do and not what she [t]hinks she ought to do or what she thinks some one else thinks she ought to do. If she wants to give up college entirely and go to sculping or something, she ought to do it, if she can get a good sculp to teach her. We were glad to hear that Evelyns services were getting better peuniary recognition, but hope it doesnt mean that she is going to kept at it so long over there she wont get away to make us a visit, us includes China incidentally.
We are wondering whether there will be a ruction again. Over thrity students including four girls, tried to call on the president about Shantung and especially to ask for the removal of the military governor who torured and killed some merchants and bambooed some students for anto-Japnanese agitation and who (the delegation) instead of seeing the president were arrested by the police. If there isnt another students strike etc. it will probably prove not that they have laid down on the job but they are waiting till they get things better organized, and next time expect to make a thorough job of it. On the surface the militarists have had their own way the last month even more than before the success of the students movement—but something must be going on behind the scenes, and I think it is the effort ot organize the guilds which are powerful but whch have never taken any hand in politics. They got in thru the boycott and will probably have to go further now they are in.
P M Visiting hours are from noon to seven After I had written I began to be afraid that maybe Id been too hopeful but Luc[y]'s temp got to normal last night and was only 99 at ten oclock and also the doctor grins broadly and says the patient is a credit. The Club has a library and we're giving Lucy a course in O Henry. I have just done a foolish thing. The curio dealers tie up some miscellaneous pieces in two blue calico bundles that balance and then invade the house, if they are allowed. We had one entertain us at lunch We had a painting on silk that he asked ten dollars for. If I had a friend I wanted to cure of gambling Id set him to buying curiois in China; there's no difference—which is the true principle of all cures. You always want to see how much they'll come down. So I offered him two, as the picture isnt actaully offensive, and before he left the house I had bought it for three. Now I appeal to Evelyn to know what am I going to do with it? His smile was so ingratiating when he said "Lose money. How much?" that it cost me a dollar. "Very old. Ming. Number one".
Love Dad