China and the West

Letter from John Dewey to Dewey children
PEKING APRIL ONE [1920]
Dearest children, This is myb first last day here, for the present. I cabled to Columbia the other day asking whether they would give me leave of absence another year, but cables are slow. Lucy is going home anyway and Ev has declined the job they offered her, and will probably go too. China is too slow for the young but it is goes easy on old folks. I often wonder whether it wouldnt be a good thing to leave while the leaving is good. I cant repeat this years success, such as it is, because I have done all the general lecturing I can, said all that can be said of a general sort I mean, and as they have been published all over China—remember the four hundred million, I cant say the same thing over again next year very well. Some people say Ive stirred up considerable interest, but when you are entirely outside the fuss interest, if any, you stir up, its about as exciting to your vanity as pouring hot water on the Arctic ice would be. Its much as if you were told that something you had said had aroused interest in Mars when you had never been in Mars, never expected to be there and had no share of any kind in what is doing there. I dont suppose I convey the idea; its a curious experience, and until youve been thru a similar one you cant get it, for ordinarily one's vanity is a part of the reverberations—if any, and you cant help imagining yourself having something to do with what you are said to accomplish. But there is no more kick to this than there would be if you had a pole which happenned to touch something in Marthe moon—to try once more. Its Nanking Im going to. The rest of the family will abide here a few weeks more, we have the flat rented till July one but there is said to be a new medical family anxious to take over, including our furnsihings. Tehy want it till Oct one however. Its been weeks and weeks since Ive written, but everything seems to rather flat just now. Perhaps a new place will give me a fresh start…
I am giving a farewell dinner tonight at a Chinese restaurant, chinese food, about twenty people including ourselves, mostly Chinese educators, Chancellor Tsai the chief guest. He gave us a family dinner at the University the other evening with three or four of the Univ profs we know best. Professor Levy Bruhl who has been exchnaging at Harvard was here last week and I went to two dinners given for him, one at the French legation. He seems to have enjoyed his stay in America. Im going home to Nanking the same way we came up, the trip the other way, buy Hankow, having been given up. Partly too much disturbance along the line, partly because Dr Tao [Hsing-chih] of Nanking cam up and is taking me down, Mr Hu not going along. However later on we are to go up the Yangste river as far as Hankow, stopping along at several towns. We wont get up to the gorges tho, takes too long and costs too much and also will be too hot. We havent any summer plans yet, but I shant stay in Peking a[n]other summer whatever happens. Id lonkie to go up to Harbin, and get an impression at least of the Siberian situation. The Soviets are reported to be offering back to China everything in the way of railway and mining etc concesssions the old imperial govt stole; the story is they offerred this in 18 but the Allies prevented China accepting, I suppose Russia wanted recognition in return. I enclose a copy of letter I wrote flat agents. I dont seem to see any way to fix any limit sum. If there is any chance of subletting if we dont come back at good figure we can pay accordingly. I certainly should hate to go above two, and it seems to me that 24 ought to be above the limit unless you can turn around and rent at good advance…
The next report is that the Japanese Chinese govt doesnt like the terms proposed. The next one will be, if history repeats itself, that Japan having squared itself by going in is now using her influence in China to keep the thing from consummation—not that the rumor will necessarily be true The extract from Mr Onos letter is very interesting, and it wouldnt be well to subject itthe logic of consecutive sentences to too much scrutiny. The soldiers etc who are coming back will throw some light on the desire to cooperate in Siberia; China certainly, if American bankers furnish the money, and Japanese manage it, as they will certainly do, unless Americanr are more on the job than they ever have been before.
Lots of love to everybody, and send a carbon to Nanking—no, by the time you get this everybody will be there, Care Higher Normal College.
Dad