Letter from Dr. Alfred E. Stearns to President Frank MacDaniel, September 20, 1926
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Dr. Alfred E. Stearns to President Frank MacDaniel, September 20, 1926
Subject
Letter from Dr. Alfred E. Stearns to President Frank MacDaniel, September 20, 1926
Description
Typed letter sent from Dr. Alfred E. Stearns to Frank MacDaniel, president of Genesee Wesleyan Seminary. Asked to change Tu's room to a lower priced room. Explains Tu's father's situation in China. Asked MacDaniel to sent better account of the $50 sent for Tu's general expenses. States Tu constantly asked for additional money that the $50 was suppose to cover.
Transcription
President Frank MacDaniel
Genesee Wesleyan Seminary
Lima, N.Y.
My dear Mr.MacDaniel:
I have your letter of September 17. Thank you for writing me so frankly of my ward’s status. One thing, however, troubles me, and I must ask for a revision of the arrangement made and that is the high priced room assigned tb to. The boy’s father has recently written me that he has accepted, practically without compensation, a position with the present Peking Government and this will make it harder than ever for him to keep his boy in this country. He has asked me to curb expenses to the limit, and I am trying to carry out his request to me, although Tu seems to aid me very little in this particular matter, as he is naturally a spendthrift. The director of the camp where Tu passed the summer told me only recently that he was the hardest boy they had to handle in the whole outfit. A small single room is ample for Tu’s needs, whatever the matter of baggage and property he happens to carry with him. May I ask, therefore, that such assignment be made at once and notice of arrangement sent me. With the understanding that this will be done, I am returning the bill rendered for revision.
I am not yet aware as to the character of the expenditure of the $50.00 sent you last year. Isn’t it t possible to keep me a little more fully advised? Tu wired me constantly for money to meet expenses that I had assumed would be taken care of by this deposit. Naturally I hesitate to send another check for a similar amount until I have some general idea, at least, as to the nature of its disposition. May I count, therefore, on you to advise me more fully on this point. Frankly my chief criticism in the past year is that Tu seems to have worked too much on the sympathies of his friends at Lima, who seemingly have not fully seized up his weakness or appreciated the necessity of imposing him pretty rigid limitations on his expenditures and vigorous pressure to keep him to his best intellectual effort. During the last twenty-five years I have had scores of these Chinese boys as my personal wards and I am well acquainted with the particular type, representing, I am glad to say, a very small proportion of the total number, that Tu represents.
Very sincerely yours.
Genesee Wesleyan Seminary
Lima, N.Y.
My dear Mr.MacDaniel:
I have your letter of September 17. Thank you for writing me so frankly of my ward’s status. One thing, however, troubles me, and I must ask for a revision of the arrangement made and that is the high priced room assigned tb to. The boy’s father has recently written me that he has accepted, practically without compensation, a position with the present Peking Government and this will make it harder than ever for him to keep his boy in this country. He has asked me to curb expenses to the limit, and I am trying to carry out his request to me, although Tu seems to aid me very little in this particular matter, as he is naturally a spendthrift. The director of the camp where Tu passed the summer told me only recently that he was the hardest boy they had to handle in the whole outfit. A small single room is ample for Tu’s needs, whatever the matter of baggage and property he happens to carry with him. May I ask, therefore, that such assignment be made at once and notice of arrangement sent me. With the understanding that this will be done, I am returning the bill rendered for revision.
I am not yet aware as to the character of the expenditure of the $50.00 sent you last year. Isn’t it t possible to keep me a little more fully advised? Tu wired me constantly for money to meet expenses that I had assumed would be taken care of by this deposit. Naturally I hesitate to send another check for a similar amount until I have some general idea, at least, as to the nature of its disposition. May I count, therefore, on you to advise me more fully on this point. Frankly my chief criticism in the past year is that Tu seems to have worked too much on the sympathies of his friends at Lima, who seemingly have not fully seized up his weakness or appreciated the necessity of imposing him pretty rigid limitations on his expenditures and vigorous pressure to keep him to his best intellectual effort. During the last twenty-five years I have had scores of these Chinese boys as my personal wards and I am well acquainted with the particular type, representing, I am glad to say, a very small proportion of the total number, that Tu represents.
Very sincerely yours.
Creator
Dr. Alfred E. Stearns
Publisher
Phillips Academy
Date
September 20, 1926
Rights
All Rights Reserved By Phillips Academy
Language
English
Type
Correspondence