Letter from Robert E. Chandler, American Board Mission, Tientsin, to Edward H. Chandler, Twentieth Century Club, Boston, July 1, 1920
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Robert E. Chandler, American Board Mission, Tientsin, to Edward H. Chandler, Twentieth Century Club, Boston, July 1, 1920
Subject
Letter from Robert E. Chandler, American Board Mission, Tientsin, to Edward H. Chandler, Twentieth Century Club, Boston, July 1, 1920
Transcription
Dear Uncle Ned:
Here is a chance for you to do a very real favor to me and to a Tientsin friend of mine. I think you may be in a position to do it, perhaps not. Do you have any connections now, old or new, in Andover? Is your friend Mr Shipman there still?
The point is this. My friend Mr C.Y. Sun, a business man, is sending five of his children - and two other boys - to America for study; and he wishes if possible to place them in good homes. They are all going to Andover, at least for a start, to Phillips Academy, and the girls to Abbott. It is quite probable the boys may change to more technical schools later. He sends them all to be in the care of Principal Stearns of the Academy as a sort of guardian. Any arrangement should be made in consultation with him. But the thought is, that perhaps Dr Stearns may not be able, at the start, to give these very "Freshmen" any individual attention; they would just be herded in dormitories. Whereas an outside party might be able to find places in private homes in Andover, and make a suitable arrangement, to which Dr Stearns would readily assent. Do you know him? I suppose you must.
Here are the names of the party:
Approx.Age
Arthur K.I. Sun 20
Charles K.H. Sun 12
Frank C.F. Lin 16 Sons of friends
Quincy Q.S. She 16 of Mr Sun.
Tom K.J. Sun 11
Mary P.L. Sun 15
Lucy S.L. Sun 11
The first four will leave Shanghai, Aug 23rd, on the "Nanking Maru". The other three will sail at about the same time, if passage can be secured. All will go across the continent without delay, so as to reach Andover about the time school opens.
Do you think this thing can be done, that Mr Sun wants? To land seven Chinese children on one family, is of course almost out of the question. To place them in two families in Andover, may be very difficult. There are problems of service, or of the lack of it. And then, as we know, there are homes and homes, even among good Christian people, I am warning Mr Sun of all these uncertainties.
But he is dead right in his main thought, that the training of Christian homes will mean more to these boys and girls "schooling." I very much hope they will get Mr Sun wants the children kept in order. He wants them not to acquire extravagant habits. There will be plenty of money for all necessary expenses. They have had some church connections here, and he wants them to have religious training. He is not himself a Christian, by profession.
I feel sure you will do something in this matter, if you can. Please drop me a line as to possibilities. I will inform you if there are further developments.
Yours as ever,
Here is a chance for you to do a very real favor to me and to a Tientsin friend of mine. I think you may be in a position to do it, perhaps not. Do you have any connections now, old or new, in Andover? Is your friend Mr Shipman there still?
The point is this. My friend Mr C.Y. Sun, a business man, is sending five of his children - and two other boys - to America for study; and he wishes if possible to place them in good homes. They are all going to Andover, at least for a start, to Phillips Academy, and the girls to Abbott. It is quite probable the boys may change to more technical schools later. He sends them all to be in the care of Principal Stearns of the Academy as a sort of guardian. Any arrangement should be made in consultation with him. But the thought is, that perhaps Dr Stearns may not be able, at the start, to give these very "Freshmen" any individual attention; they would just be herded in dormitories. Whereas an outside party might be able to find places in private homes in Andover, and make a suitable arrangement, to which Dr Stearns would readily assent. Do you know him? I suppose you must.
Here are the names of the party:
Approx.Age
Arthur K.I. Sun 20
Charles K.H. Sun 12
Frank C.F. Lin 16 Sons of friends
Quincy Q.S. She 16 of Mr Sun.
Tom K.J. Sun 11
Mary P.L. Sun 15
Lucy S.L. Sun 11
The first four will leave Shanghai, Aug 23rd, on the "Nanking Maru". The other three will sail at about the same time, if passage can be secured. All will go across the continent without delay, so as to reach Andover about the time school opens.
Do you think this thing can be done, that Mr Sun wants? To land seven Chinese children on one family, is of course almost out of the question. To place them in two families in Andover, may be very difficult. There are problems of service, or of the lack of it. And then, as we know, there are homes and homes, even among good Christian people, I am warning Mr Sun of all these uncertainties.
But he is dead right in his main thought, that the training of Christian homes will mean more to these boys and girls "schooling." I very much hope they will get Mr Sun wants the children kept in order. He wants them not to acquire extravagant habits. There will be plenty of money for all necessary expenses. They have had some church connections here, and he wants them to have religious training. He is not himself a Christian, by profession.
I feel sure you will do something in this matter, if you can. Please drop me a line as to possibilities. I will inform you if there are further developments.
Yours as ever,
Creator
Robert E. Chandler
Publisher
Phillips Academy
Date
July 1, 1920
Rights
All Rights Reserved by Phillips Academy
Language
English
Type
Correspondence