Letter from Alfred E. Stearns to George C. Gardner, Springfield, Mass. November 9, 1922 (regarding Tommy Liang)
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Alfred E. Stearns to George C. Gardner, Springfield, Mass. November 9, 1922 (regarding Tommy Liang)
Subject
Letter from Alfred E. Stearns to George C. Gardner, Springfield, Mass. November 9, 1922 (regarding Tommy Liang)
Transcription
My dear Mr. Gardner:
I have just leaned, and with consternation and the deepest regret, of the circumstances under which the son of our mutual friend, Mr. M.T. Liang, was denied a chance to enter Phillips Academy and was, therefore, compelled to seek another school.
I can't conceive of anything that could have disturbed me more than have the facts which have just come to my attention; and I hasten to write this word of explanation and apology to you. My assistant neglected to call my attention to the case at all, since he failed completely to identify Mr. Liang and to realize his personal relations to me.
When I heard that Mr. Liang's boy was at Exeter, I was a bit surprised because the father had assured me that, if his son was not able to enter college on his arrival in America, he would send him to Andover where we have had ever since the days of Liang Cheng Tung a steady and fine delegation of Chinese boys. When this last news came to me, therefore, I was distressed and, frankly, a good bit hurt. I made inquiries among the Chinese boys in my own house and in school and they were as much at a loss as I to account for the situation. This morning Mary Sun, who has been a member of my family circle for the past two years, told me that her brother had just written her that young Liang had told him that he had applied for admission at Andover and been told that there was no room. This announcement sent me in a hot haste to the office where I found the correspondence between you and my assistant. Naturally I am very much upset, for I am afraid that Mr. Liang, Senior, will find it difficult to understand how the thing could have happened.
It is true that we have steadily turned away scores of applicants for admission because the limit of enrollment has long been reached, if not indeed exceeded. On the other hand, I assured Mr. Liang, and I stood ready to make the promise good, that I would gladly give up one of the extra rooms in my own house in case there should be no vacancies outside. This is exactly what I did in the cases of the Suns, four of whom were in my household last year and three of whom still remain and two of their young friends who accompanied them from China. All of this group came to me through the friendly interests of Mr. Liang, Senior, and I would naturally have been ready and glad to do even more for his own boy than for strangers. I think you can appreciate, therefore, something of my feeling in discovering what has happened.
I suppose you may think it a bit late to consider the possibility of a change of school for the boy at this time. Personally, however, I wish very much that this might be done, unless you should deem it very unwise. The matter could be clearly explained to Mr. Perry at Exeter, who is a warm and close friend of mine and who would appreciate undoubtedly my reasons in advocating such an unusual procedure. That phase of the situation, therefore, could be properly handled, I am sure. On the other hand, our long experience with scores of these Chinese students has given us a pretty good opportunity to judge of and plan for their special needs; so that I believe we could easily overcome whatever losses might be involved in a transfer such as proposed. I have two extra rooms in my own house and would be only glad to make use of one of these for the boy, with the understanding, if desired, that the moment a suitable vacancy occurred outside it would be available for him, provided it seemed best to separate him from the other Chinese students.
I trust that you will appreciate the spirit which prompts me to write in this very frank and perhaps a bit unusual way and will be equally frank in your reply. Nothing has occurred during the year that has disturbed me more than this particular affair; and I mean to do everything in my power to straighten out the tangle and make amends for the sins of omission and commission of myself and my assistant.
Very sincerely yours,
I have just leaned, and with consternation and the deepest regret, of the circumstances under which the son of our mutual friend, Mr. M.T. Liang, was denied a chance to enter Phillips Academy and was, therefore, compelled to seek another school.
I can't conceive of anything that could have disturbed me more than have the facts which have just come to my attention; and I hasten to write this word of explanation and apology to you. My assistant neglected to call my attention to the case at all, since he failed completely to identify Mr. Liang and to realize his personal relations to me.
When I heard that Mr. Liang's boy was at Exeter, I was a bit surprised because the father had assured me that, if his son was not able to enter college on his arrival in America, he would send him to Andover where we have had ever since the days of Liang Cheng Tung a steady and fine delegation of Chinese boys. When this last news came to me, therefore, I was distressed and, frankly, a good bit hurt. I made inquiries among the Chinese boys in my own house and in school and they were as much at a loss as I to account for the situation. This morning Mary Sun, who has been a member of my family circle for the past two years, told me that her brother had just written her that young Liang had told him that he had applied for admission at Andover and been told that there was no room. This announcement sent me in a hot haste to the office where I found the correspondence between you and my assistant. Naturally I am very much upset, for I am afraid that Mr. Liang, Senior, will find it difficult to understand how the thing could have happened.
It is true that we have steadily turned away scores of applicants for admission because the limit of enrollment has long been reached, if not indeed exceeded. On the other hand, I assured Mr. Liang, and I stood ready to make the promise good, that I would gladly give up one of the extra rooms in my own house in case there should be no vacancies outside. This is exactly what I did in the cases of the Suns, four of whom were in my household last year and three of whom still remain and two of their young friends who accompanied them from China. All of this group came to me through the friendly interests of Mr. Liang, Senior, and I would naturally have been ready and glad to do even more for his own boy than for strangers. I think you can appreciate, therefore, something of my feeling in discovering what has happened.
I suppose you may think it a bit late to consider the possibility of a change of school for the boy at this time. Personally, however, I wish very much that this might be done, unless you should deem it very unwise. The matter could be clearly explained to Mr. Perry at Exeter, who is a warm and close friend of mine and who would appreciate undoubtedly my reasons in advocating such an unusual procedure. That phase of the situation, therefore, could be properly handled, I am sure. On the other hand, our long experience with scores of these Chinese students has given us a pretty good opportunity to judge of and plan for their special needs; so that I believe we could easily overcome whatever losses might be involved in a transfer such as proposed. I have two extra rooms in my own house and would be only glad to make use of one of these for the boy, with the understanding, if desired, that the moment a suitable vacancy occurred outside it would be available for him, provided it seemed best to separate him from the other Chinese students.
I trust that you will appreciate the spirit which prompts me to write in this very frank and perhaps a bit unusual way and will be equally frank in your reply. Nothing has occurred during the year that has disturbed me more than this particular affair; and I mean to do everything in my power to straighten out the tangle and make amends for the sins of omission and commission of myself and my assistant.
Very sincerely yours,
Creator
Alfred E. Stearns
Publisher
Phillips Academy
Date
November 9, 1922
Rights
All Rights Reserved by Phillips Academy
Language
English
Type
Correspondence