Letter from C.Y. Sun, Tientsin, to Alfred E. Stearns February 22, 1928 (includes copy of letter from C.Y. Sun to Charlie Sun)
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Title
Letter from C.Y. Sun, Tientsin, to Alfred E. Stearns February 22, 1928 (includes copy of letter from C.Y. Sun to Charlie Sun)
Subject
Letter from C.Y. Sun, Tientsin, to Alfred E. Stearns February 22, 1928 (includes copy of letter from C.Y. Sun to Charlie Sun)
Creator
C.Y. Sun
Publisher
Phillips Academy
Date
February 22, 1928
Contributor
44 Cambridge Road,
TIENTSIN, 22nd. February, 1928
My Dear Dr. Stearns,
I wish to thank you most cordially for the picture of yourself you most kindly sent me. I am specially glad to have this picture for now I can see before me a friend who has done so much in looking after my children and in guiding them in the right way of life.
Charlie wrote me last year that he wished to study military science but he later gave that up on account of it being too late for him to start in on the long years of training required. He then thought of a business training, but he also gave that up, and now he writes me expressing a desire to take up the study of military science and asking me to approve of this and an application to enter Norwich University. You will see from the enclosed copy-letter to Charlie that I am strongly opposed to his taking up military science, and unless he is altogether and entirely set in his desire I will not agree to it. My reasons are.
1. Charlie is too old to start such a long training. As for the Norwich University he speaks of Americans here in touch with scholastic things do not know the place at all. If it ever does come to a discussion of a suitable military training there is only one worth considering – West Point, but to enter this is a stiff work for it requires recommendation from the Chinese Government as well as an educational standard of about College graduate class, besides, I believe that now only one student of a foreign nation is admitted and even this is hard to get.
2. The military profession is a very unpopular one here, but even after years spent in training in America Charlie would come back here and require to spend, more years training before he could begin to be of any service while if he took up law or diplomatic work he would be ready as soon as he got back to China to give real service to his people and nation. The military life out here could throw a man with associates who certainly would not be of the same mind as Charlie and his high principles of life would not fit into military work in China. I feel sure he would be greatly disappointed and all his years of training would be wasted so far as his future career is concerned.
3. Charlie is of a quiet reticent nature with some literary bent. and I am sure this would better fit him for a career of law or diplomatic service and in this work there is a future before him in China with many many opportunities for service.
My greatest desire is that Charlie would give up all thought of a military career and go in for the study of law or diplomacy. I would only agree to his study of military science if he persists in the matter, but if he does this I confess I do not quite know how to act. I thought he had for ever given up any desire for a military career, indeed he wrote me that he had,but again he returns to this and wants to go into some unknown college. I hope we can persuade him not to think of military science. I have tried to express my strong objections and if you will be so kind as to assist me by talking things over with Charlie I will be very grateful to you. If Charlie agrees to go in for law or diplomatic work I do not know if Amherst provides a suitable course, but if it does not, would you be so kind as to recommend a good school for this purpose. He could take up law alone if that suits him, indeed I could agree to almost any special study & training provided it is not that of military science, although I do think that our land needs good lawyers & judges as well as men trained in the science of government.
Again thanking you for the kind thought in sending me your picture which I value highly, and hoping to have soon a favorable reply from you,
I remain,
Sincerely yours,
44 Cambridge Road,
Tientsin, 21st, February 1928
Dear Charlie,
In your letter of the 2nd January I see that after you have given up the idea and desire for business you now wish to take up the study of military science regardless of circumstances. All this is so far apart from your former thinking and opens up very real difficulties for you that I want you to reconsider the matter more fully. You know how Tommy gave up all thought of a military career because it was not at all suited to his Christian principles. and I am sure you want to take as firm a stand as Tommy on the question of high Christian principles. Whatever step you take now at your age will settle your future prospects for a life of service to our people and country. And I know you would not want to make a mistake for everything in the future for you depends on your wise thinking now. Think of the years of training you will have to take before you could qualify for a military degree that would be anything in China. You speak of a Norwich University but none of the Americans here who know the standard of college have ever heard of this Norwich University and in any case it would not be worth while thinking of any small college. The only place that is worth considering is West Point and they require a high scholastic standard before you can enter, besides West Point are hardly admitting any foreign students. I think it is one cadet from each foreign nation, and if there did happen to be a vacancy it would require a recommendation etc from the Chinese Government. Now even after the many years of hard training in America (which at your age makes a very difficult problem, for it may be too late) you would return to China and would then have to go in for more years of training in a junior job. You would also be with men who did not have your outlook on life or your high principles, and I am sure you would be very much disappointed at being in an unpopular work where you could not be of service to the people. You would find yourself out of sympathy with your colleagues with little or no opportunity for work of any high order. On the other hand if you took up a training for law or diplomacy you would be ready and able to take up a very useful service for the people and country as soon as you returned here. A soldier can be of service to the nation but without good law and government even the best soldier is not able to function or serve the people or country. The first need if for good men as lawyers and jusges also constructive work in the diplomatic and government service, and work of this kind ranks high in the estimation of all and you would find immediate opportunities for valuable service along these line as soon as you returned to China. Your study of political science would already be of some value to you in taking up the study of law or diplomatic service find your literary bent and your reticent nature would fit into such a study. You could of course take up law alone and if Amherst does not provide for such a course of study you could consult with Dr.Stearns. Dr. Stearns will advise as to & suitable college or university. After taking a degree in America I would be quite willing for you to go to say Oxford or Cambridge for a post graduate course with the object of taking a barristers degree in England.
I have written this very fully for it concerns your future career, I want you to know why I am against you taking up a military career and why the study of law or diplomacy would suit you so much better and enable you to be of real and immediate service to our people and land. I would, only agree to your study of military science if you now persist strongly in the desire, and as I said before it would be a waste of time think of entering a small college. West point is the only place where your training and degree would count and I have also stated the difficulties of age and entrance etc. you would meet with in trying to enter West Point.
TIENTSIN, 22nd. February, 1928
My Dear Dr. Stearns,
I wish to thank you most cordially for the picture of yourself you most kindly sent me. I am specially glad to have this picture for now I can see before me a friend who has done so much in looking after my children and in guiding them in the right way of life.
Charlie wrote me last year that he wished to study military science but he later gave that up on account of it being too late for him to start in on the long years of training required. He then thought of a business training, but he also gave that up, and now he writes me expressing a desire to take up the study of military science and asking me to approve of this and an application to enter Norwich University. You will see from the enclosed copy-letter to Charlie that I am strongly opposed to his taking up military science, and unless he is altogether and entirely set in his desire I will not agree to it. My reasons are.
1. Charlie is too old to start such a long training. As for the Norwich University he speaks of Americans here in touch with scholastic things do not know the place at all. If it ever does come to a discussion of a suitable military training there is only one worth considering – West Point, but to enter this is a stiff work for it requires recommendation from the Chinese Government as well as an educational standard of about College graduate class, besides, I believe that now only one student of a foreign nation is admitted and even this is hard to get.
2. The military profession is a very unpopular one here, but even after years spent in training in America Charlie would come back here and require to spend, more years training before he could begin to be of any service while if he took up law or diplomatic work he would be ready as soon as he got back to China to give real service to his people and nation. The military life out here could throw a man with associates who certainly would not be of the same mind as Charlie and his high principles of life would not fit into military work in China. I feel sure he would be greatly disappointed and all his years of training would be wasted so far as his future career is concerned.
3. Charlie is of a quiet reticent nature with some literary bent. and I am sure this would better fit him for a career of law or diplomatic service and in this work there is a future before him in China with many many opportunities for service.
My greatest desire is that Charlie would give up all thought of a military career and go in for the study of law or diplomacy. I would only agree to his study of military science if he persists in the matter, but if he does this I confess I do not quite know how to act. I thought he had for ever given up any desire for a military career, indeed he wrote me that he had,but again he returns to this and wants to go into some unknown college. I hope we can persuade him not to think of military science. I have tried to express my strong objections and if you will be so kind as to assist me by talking things over with Charlie I will be very grateful to you. If Charlie agrees to go in for law or diplomatic work I do not know if Amherst provides a suitable course, but if it does not, would you be so kind as to recommend a good school for this purpose. He could take up law alone if that suits him, indeed I could agree to almost any special study & training provided it is not that of military science, although I do think that our land needs good lawyers & judges as well as men trained in the science of government.
Again thanking you for the kind thought in sending me your picture which I value highly, and hoping to have soon a favorable reply from you,
I remain,
Sincerely yours,
44 Cambridge Road,
Tientsin, 21st, February 1928
Dear Charlie,
In your letter of the 2nd January I see that after you have given up the idea and desire for business you now wish to take up the study of military science regardless of circumstances. All this is so far apart from your former thinking and opens up very real difficulties for you that I want you to reconsider the matter more fully. You know how Tommy gave up all thought of a military career because it was not at all suited to his Christian principles. and I am sure you want to take as firm a stand as Tommy on the question of high Christian principles. Whatever step you take now at your age will settle your future prospects for a life of service to our people and country. And I know you would not want to make a mistake for everything in the future for you depends on your wise thinking now. Think of the years of training you will have to take before you could qualify for a military degree that would be anything in China. You speak of a Norwich University but none of the Americans here who know the standard of college have ever heard of this Norwich University and in any case it would not be worth while thinking of any small college. The only place that is worth considering is West Point and they require a high scholastic standard before you can enter, besides West Point are hardly admitting any foreign students. I think it is one cadet from each foreign nation, and if there did happen to be a vacancy it would require a recommendation etc from the Chinese Government. Now even after the many years of hard training in America (which at your age makes a very difficult problem, for it may be too late) you would return to China and would then have to go in for more years of training in a junior job. You would also be with men who did not have your outlook on life or your high principles, and I am sure you would be very much disappointed at being in an unpopular work where you could not be of service to the people. You would find yourself out of sympathy with your colleagues with little or no opportunity for work of any high order. On the other hand if you took up a training for law or diplomacy you would be ready and able to take up a very useful service for the people and country as soon as you returned here. A soldier can be of service to the nation but without good law and government even the best soldier is not able to function or serve the people or country. The first need if for good men as lawyers and jusges also constructive work in the diplomatic and government service, and work of this kind ranks high in the estimation of all and you would find immediate opportunities for valuable service along these line as soon as you returned to China. Your study of political science would already be of some value to you in taking up the study of law or diplomatic service find your literary bent and your reticent nature would fit into such a study. You could of course take up law alone and if Amherst does not provide for such a course of study you could consult with Dr.Stearns. Dr. Stearns will advise as to & suitable college or university. After taking a degree in America I would be quite willing for you to go to say Oxford or Cambridge for a post graduate course with the object of taking a barristers degree in England.
I have written this very fully for it concerns your future career, I want you to know why I am against you taking up a military career and why the study of law or diplomacy would suit you so much better and enable you to be of real and immediate service to our people and land. I would, only agree to your study of military science if you now persist strongly in the desire, and as I said before it would be a waste of time think of entering a small college. West point is the only place where your training and degree would count and I have also stated the difficulties of age and entrance etc. you would meet with in trying to enter West Point.
Rights
All Rights Reserved by Phillips Academy
Language
English
Type
Correspondence