Chronology Entry
Year
1921.07.28
Text
Letter from Alice Chipman Dewey to Dewey family
THE GRAND HOTELS, LIMITED. TSINGTAO.
[July 28, 1921]
Pa and Lucy have gone out to walk and I am staying at home to nurse my side. I have the door locked for it is not safe to assume that your room is your own in this hotel. Some D Jap just opens the door and walks in whenever he wants to. One stranger came this morning before I was out of bed, The otehrs had gone ou[t.] I thought it might be the boy wanting to come in to do the room so I went in my nightdress and opened the door, Bu stepped back and stranger boldly presented himself at the crack of the door which I made narrower as fast as I could, He said in suave tones, Is the doctor No he didny say that either, he just said Doctor Dewey? I said he is not in and as I shut the door I heard him murmer thank you. They are certainly the best illustration of the vulgarity of trying to follow customs they know nothing about that the world can show. This was nothing to what the manager of the hotel has ju[st] done, Lucy was undressed and said to me some one knocking. So I started but before I got underway this man opened the door wide and looked in at Lucy who requested him to withdraw, He closed the door and when I got there I asked him in no uncert[a]in tone to please never walk into this room without being invited again. It had happened enough times that strange men had com[e] in and we did not like it, He looked me squarely in the face without changing a muscle and said he wanted t[o] speak to the doctor and he thought he was in. I finihed by saying that he would please not think again but remember that this room was ours and not his and that we expected him not to come in unless he was invited. he wound off by saying he thought the doctor was in and that was why he did it, I couldnt take time to go into that question but left it to Pa. At one point he looked as if he were going to laugh at me but thot better of that but continued to stare and to wonder how I dared to talk to him like that. There is no doubt this has its reason for he was entirely brazen to the end of the talk and he will do it again of the door is not kept locked, I hate to go off for two days as we are planning to do on Saturday when we go.
Lucy and I conversed with Mr Ding last night at the bankers dinner, He has a son at Cornell studing engineering. Also a nephew. He has one little daughter six of who he seems very proud. He will send her to the states. He said he coud see the difference between his mother and his wife, His m never went to school his wife has. He believes it is very important to educate the mothers, Says the Chine women are good financiers, they make excell accountants in the banks and good shopkeepers. Unde[r] the old system a certain number have always succ in this way, they get their training in the family where all work together
Regarding the Pacific conference he said it that man Nono, (Ono) who is trying to get Chin appoint as the Chinese representative, I know that man, I have seen him oftenly, Why he does not know anything, he just does not know anything.
The loan which Mr Ono has come to arrange is not ye[t] settled. No I do not think it is settled yet. The Pekin Govt is bad, The Tuchuns are bad. I think Wang [Ching-wei] of Hupei will have to go, but we can not get rid of the system immediately. I think some one will follow Wang and he will be just as bad and after that we may throw it all away. The defeat of Kwangsi make it look as if the system were failing fast. No one would have thought it possible that Lu Yung Ting would fall down as he has done. They thought he was strongly entrenched, but now he is down and out, he wil have to go soon perhaps at once. It looks now as if the Canton Govt would have a chance.
Speakig of women in business he said the women of his family in Yangchow run a silk store, They do the ent business of buying and judging themselves as well as administering the shop. It is the best store in Yangchow The rich women like to buy there better than of the men they get better skill and better attention.
Yangchow is one of the old rich aristocratic towns above the Yngste on the Pukow R.R. It is famou[s] for good food and effete living. A rich town.6
[Alice Chipman Dewey]
THE GRAND HOTELS, LIMITED. TSINGTAO.
[July 28, 1921]
Pa and Lucy have gone out to walk and I am staying at home to nurse my side. I have the door locked for it is not safe to assume that your room is your own in this hotel. Some D Jap just opens the door and walks in whenever he wants to. One stranger came this morning before I was out of bed, The otehrs had gone ou[t.] I thought it might be the boy wanting to come in to do the room so I went in my nightdress and opened the door, Bu stepped back and stranger boldly presented himself at the crack of the door which I made narrower as fast as I could, He said in suave tones, Is the doctor No he didny say that either, he just said Doctor Dewey? I said he is not in and as I shut the door I heard him murmer thank you. They are certainly the best illustration of the vulgarity of trying to follow customs they know nothing about that the world can show. This was nothing to what the manager of the hotel has ju[st] done, Lucy was undressed and said to me some one knocking. So I started but before I got underway this man opened the door wide and looked in at Lucy who requested him to withdraw, He closed the door and when I got there I asked him in no uncert[a]in tone to please never walk into this room without being invited again. It had happened enough times that strange men had com[e] in and we did not like it, He looked me squarely in the face without changing a muscle and said he wanted t[o] speak to the doctor and he thought he was in. I finihed by saying that he would please not think again but remember that this room was ours and not his and that we expected him not to come in unless he was invited. he wound off by saying he thought the doctor was in and that was why he did it, I couldnt take time to go into that question but left it to Pa. At one point he looked as if he were going to laugh at me but thot better of that but continued to stare and to wonder how I dared to talk to him like that. There is no doubt this has its reason for he was entirely brazen to the end of the talk and he will do it again of the door is not kept locked, I hate to go off for two days as we are planning to do on Saturday when we go.
Lucy and I conversed with Mr Ding last night at the bankers dinner, He has a son at Cornell studing engineering. Also a nephew. He has one little daughter six of who he seems very proud. He will send her to the states. He said he coud see the difference between his mother and his wife, His m never went to school his wife has. He believes it is very important to educate the mothers, Says the Chine women are good financiers, they make excell accountants in the banks and good shopkeepers. Unde[r] the old system a certain number have always succ in this way, they get their training in the family where all work together
Regarding the Pacific conference he said it that man Nono, (Ono) who is trying to get Chin appoint as the Chinese representative, I know that man, I have seen him oftenly, Why he does not know anything, he just does not know anything.
The loan which Mr Ono has come to arrange is not ye[t] settled. No I do not think it is settled yet. The Pekin Govt is bad, The Tuchuns are bad. I think Wang [Ching-wei] of Hupei will have to go, but we can not get rid of the system immediately. I think some one will follow Wang and he will be just as bad and after that we may throw it all away. The defeat of Kwangsi make it look as if the system were failing fast. No one would have thought it possible that Lu Yung Ting would fall down as he has done. They thought he was strongly entrenched, but now he is down and out, he wil have to go soon perhaps at once. It looks now as if the Canton Govt would have a chance.
Speakig of women in business he said the women of his family in Yangchow run a silk store, They do the ent business of buying and judging themselves as well as administering the shop. It is the best store in Yangchow The rich women like to buy there better than of the men they get better skill and better attention.
Yangchow is one of the old rich aristocratic towns above the Yngste on the Pukow R.R. It is famou[s] for good food and effete living. A rich town.6
[Alice Chipman Dewey]
Mentioned People (1)
Dewey, John
(Burlington 1859-1952 New York, N.Y.) : Philosoph, Pädagoge, Psychologe
Subjects
Philosophy : United States of America
Documents (1)
| # | Year | Bibliographical Data | Type / Abbreviation | Linked Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1919-1939 |
The Correspondence of John Dewey, 1871-1952. Electronic edition. Volume 2: 1919-1939. Past Masters : InteLex Corporation, 1999-. http://www.nlx.com/collections/132. [Auszüge aus Briefen, die China betreffen. Die Briefe wurden so übernommen, wie sie vom Dewey Center und Past Masters zur Verfügung gestellt wurden ; ohne Korrektur der Fehler]. |
Publication / DewJ3 |
|