Letter from Alfred E. Stearns to Tsai Ting-Kan, Dairen, Manchuria， January 25, 1928
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Alfred E. Stearns to Tsai Ting-Kan, Dairen, Manchuria， January 25, 1928
Subject
Letter from Alfred E. Stearns to Tsai Ting-Kan, Dairen, Manchuria， January 25, 1928
Transcription
My dear Mr. Tsai:
Your letter of November 14 reached me shortly before the Christmas season but just when the rush connected with the closing of the fall term was most heavily upon us, making it difficult, if not impossible, to keep up with the daily mail. Since Christmas itself, I have been "on the jump", as we say in American slang, having indulged in a brief trip to Bermuda for needed change and rest and since that time trips to Chicago and New York in the interests of the alumni and the school. Just now I am beginning to see a bit of daylight ahead, the accumulated work has been gradually disposed of.
Let me thank you for the most friendly sentiments contained in your good letter and still farther, and most especially, for your wonderful Christmas gift. I am still trying to figure how best I can use that beautiful silk which seems a bit too good to be used for ordinary purposes and which breathes so definitely of your generosity and friendly good will. But please don’t ever feel that you are under obligations to me in any material way, for you have made plain enough in many ways your confidence and esteem, and that is all that I could desire or wish.
Helen continues to go on her even and satisfactory course and by another year should be able to take her place in any of the best of our schools with every prospect of standing among the leaders. I am still a bit puzzled as to the school to select but am giving the matter as careful attention as I possibly can so as to make no mistake, if a mistake can be avoided, in reaching the final decision.
Alfred’s case troubles me greatly, for I confess that the boy doesn’t seem even yet to show signs of developing the more serious purpose and those evidences of maturity which a boy of his age ought to be showing in some respects, at least. His standing in his studies has been anything but good. He apparently has no appreciation whatever of the value of money and has to be checked constantly and pretty rigidly at times in this respect, and he seems disposed to center the larger part of his interest in the superficial and showy things of life rather than the things that are permanently worth while. Of course he is young still, and I have no doubt that he will outgrow in due time his present weaknesses, but I confess that I had hoped that we would be able to see more evident signs of the desired improvement earlier than this. I wrote him only a few days ago that his last term report indicated clearly that he could not hope to hold the pace here at Phillips Academy next year unless there was a tremendous improvement between now and the end of the current school year. I shall do everything I can, of course, to encourage him, and Helen has always joined me heartily in this effort.
I have followed out your instructions about the books and have secured for your two children all of those listed in your letter. I also added to the list, feeling sure that in doing so I was carrying out your wishes, two or three standard English Classics which I felt that they ought to have and which I believe they will enjoy. These were given them in the form of Christmas presents from their home.
I also carried out your wishes in regard to the extra money for Christmas, though Helen insisted that she did not need it at the time. The $10.00 which you wished me to give Alfred on his birthday was sent him just recently, a bit too late for the actual birthday, I regret to say, owing to my absence from town, but not too late, I am sure, to prove welcome to him.
Again let me thank you, and most heartily, for your all too generous Christmas gift. Please accept for yourself and all the members of your family circle my heartiest good wishes for a truly happy and prosperous New Year.
Very sincerely yours,
Your letter of November 14 reached me shortly before the Christmas season but just when the rush connected with the closing of the fall term was most heavily upon us, making it difficult, if not impossible, to keep up with the daily mail. Since Christmas itself, I have been "on the jump", as we say in American slang, having indulged in a brief trip to Bermuda for needed change and rest and since that time trips to Chicago and New York in the interests of the alumni and the school. Just now I am beginning to see a bit of daylight ahead, the accumulated work has been gradually disposed of.
Let me thank you for the most friendly sentiments contained in your good letter and still farther, and most especially, for your wonderful Christmas gift. I am still trying to figure how best I can use that beautiful silk which seems a bit too good to be used for ordinary purposes and which breathes so definitely of your generosity and friendly good will. But please don’t ever feel that you are under obligations to me in any material way, for you have made plain enough in many ways your confidence and esteem, and that is all that I could desire or wish.
Helen continues to go on her even and satisfactory course and by another year should be able to take her place in any of the best of our schools with every prospect of standing among the leaders. I am still a bit puzzled as to the school to select but am giving the matter as careful attention as I possibly can so as to make no mistake, if a mistake can be avoided, in reaching the final decision.
Alfred’s case troubles me greatly, for I confess that the boy doesn’t seem even yet to show signs of developing the more serious purpose and those evidences of maturity which a boy of his age ought to be showing in some respects, at least. His standing in his studies has been anything but good. He apparently has no appreciation whatever of the value of money and has to be checked constantly and pretty rigidly at times in this respect, and he seems disposed to center the larger part of his interest in the superficial and showy things of life rather than the things that are permanently worth while. Of course he is young still, and I have no doubt that he will outgrow in due time his present weaknesses, but I confess that I had hoped that we would be able to see more evident signs of the desired improvement earlier than this. I wrote him only a few days ago that his last term report indicated clearly that he could not hope to hold the pace here at Phillips Academy next year unless there was a tremendous improvement between now and the end of the current school year. I shall do everything I can, of course, to encourage him, and Helen has always joined me heartily in this effort.
I have followed out your instructions about the books and have secured for your two children all of those listed in your letter. I also added to the list, feeling sure that in doing so I was carrying out your wishes, two or three standard English Classics which I felt that they ought to have and which I believe they will enjoy. These were given them in the form of Christmas presents from their home.
I also carried out your wishes in regard to the extra money for Christmas, though Helen insisted that she did not need it at the time. The $10.00 which you wished me to give Alfred on his birthday was sent him just recently, a bit too late for the actual birthday, I regret to say, owing to my absence from town, but not too late, I am sure, to prove welcome to him.
Again let me thank you, and most heartily, for your all too generous Christmas gift. Please accept for yourself and all the members of your family circle my heartiest good wishes for a truly happy and prosperous New Year.
Very sincerely yours,
Creator
Alfred E. Stearns
Publisher
Phillips Academy
Date
January 25, 1928
Rights
All Rights Reserved By Phillips Academy
Language
English
Type
Correspondence