Letter from Thomas Sun, Middlebury College, to Alfred E. Stearns, August 10, 1927
Dear Dr. Stearns. I arrived here last night and am doing as instructed to inform you as to my whereabouts. The above address is only temporary, and as soon as College begins, my address will be: Delta Upsilon House Middlebury College Middlebury, Vermont. Charlie is still at Boston, and the date of his departure I do not know. Frank Lin is going back to China this September, or he plans to do so. I presume that Arthur and Quincy had arrived at Chona [sic] by this time. Sincerely yours
Letter from Thomas Sun, MIT Dorm, to Alfred E. Stearns, July 28, 1927
Dear Dr. Stearns, I am sorry that I failed to tell you that I failed to find a job this summer. I thought I did in that letter in which I explained the situation, but Charlie told me that he received a letter from you stating that I should tell you of my doings during that summer. The cause of my failure to find a job in the Metropolitan Water Supply Commission is my inexperience and the length of time during which I can work. They wanted men who can work all year around and have had experience. By the time I found that out and when they are willing to tell me that it was too late to find any other job. I am leaving for Middlebury soon, but I have no defenite [sic] time for my departure. I find that staying in Boston is very expensive and dull, excluding the heat wave. I presume that Arthur and Quincy will be sighting China pretty soon; they reached Japan by now any way. Please pardon this type-writing. I am just learning to go fast with two fingers. Sincerely yours,
Letter from Thomas Sun, New Haven, Conn., to Alfred E. Stearns, October 27, 1930
My dear Mr. Steams, There are several things which have been on my mind for quite some time of which I wish to seek your advise and opinion. I underatand [sic] that Mary is graduating from the New Haven Hospital this coming June. I have seen her and talked with her several times since I came to New Haven, and by that I gathered, she does not know what she is going to do the next school year. There is a possibility that she might go home after her graduation, and there is also a chance for her to stay here in this country another year to either study more or work. In case, if she does go home this summer, is it not logical that I should see her home, being a man, and she a woman? I only mention this as a chance and not at all sure of its prospects. There are sereval [sic] reasons why I said that. These reasons are very personal and private in nature which I do not like to divulge. I hope that you understand. I never wrote to my father concerning of going home, because I was afraid that it might hurt his feelings, and it might also prove too great a disappointment to him after all the plans he made and sacrifices he underwent. What do you think? Please tell me one way or the other so that I can draw some exact conclusions. Yale is an expensive place to study at. I have practiced extreme economy, and still my expenses are above that which I incurred at Middlebury. I have thought seriously of applying for a fellowship or a scholarship of some kind to make up the difference. It would be futile for me to apply now for the balance of this year, because as a rule, they do not award fellowships and scholarships to first-year-men. However, I will apply for next year,--provided I am coming back to Yale to study and not going home. Please let me know your opinion of the matter. I shall appreciate any advice. The third thing is also financial in nature. I hate to dwell on money all the time, but since New Haven is a rather expensive town, it is necessary for me to do so. However, you may breath easier, because I am not going to ask you for money yet. I will later, probably around the third week of November. Can you tell me just what condition I am in? that is financially speaking. If I apply for the scholarship or fellowship, and succeed in getting one, the sum will vary between three hundred for the lowest and twelve hundred the highest for me. There are some higher ones, but they are for students of far more advanced standing. The usual sum varies between three hundred and eight hundred. I like to apply for one to make up the difference of expense between here and Middlebury. I sometimes think that you might let me go under the same system which you allow Charlie to go--that is let him have all the money you receive from father, and give him whatever balance he has under your hand. This thought came to me the other day when I was worrying over finances. The feasibility of that plan you know best. I shall leave all of it to you to decide. What worries me the most and what I know the least and what I like to know the best and most—is the financial condition of my father. If he is going through a financial sacrifice, I shall insist on going home. There are several things which makes me think that, however, I have no ground of thinking so. I see no reason why should he spend his last cent for my education, when I am able and ready to make my own living. You know that Father is getting old. He can not stand my saying and insisting of going home. He has set his heart of seeing me go home a Doctor Sun rather than just Mr. Sun. He has built around that more or less a myth which will be hard to tear down, and to disappoint him will be out of the question as far as I am concern. If he wants me to stay in this country and study, I will be glad to do his command, but if he is undergoing financial difficulties to realize his myth, his attitude is a wrong one. Don’t you think so? The fourth thing is rather personal and private, and I hope that you will keep it in confidence. I am sick of vagabonding around with no special place to go. I can not call any place my home. I am sick of the idea of having to take my meals at some resturant [sic] or boarding house, and I am also sick of living at some rooming place or dormitory. It may due to my reaching maturity or nearing to it--with a realization of a home. Ten years of it and going on eleven is enough for me, and I think it is enough for most people. Eventually I have to go home, and when I do go home, the prospects will be even darker for me. I just can not get along with them. I have tried with the Chinese here in Yale, and I found that my efforts with them are total losses. I do not know what they think of me, but I do not think much of them. I am not ashamed to say it, but facts are facts. I even do not want to walk with one. What is wrong with me, and please tell me what to do. It seems funny why I should trouble with all this talk. Charlie was in this country also, and I don’t think he bothered you with any of this. I don’t know why, but I want to get this out of my system. May be I am frank about everything, but that is not to the point. There is something with me that is radically wrong. I know what it is or rather they are, but I am skeptical of telling anyone about it. All the above things, I ask your advice and opinion. I hope most sincerely that you will answer me each one of the questions singularly. I am most anxious to know. I find the work here very hard. But as soon as I get used to the system which they use here in the graduate school, I think it will come easier to me than it is now. I am getting used to the environment also. In a couple of more months, I think I will be totally used to the town, however, I will never like New Haven as well as I liked Middlebury, and I am always homesick for Middlebury. But I am getting along better. Most sincerely yours
Letter from Thomas Sun, MIT Dorm, to Alfred E. Stearns, July 11, 1927
Letter from Thomas Sun, New Haven, Conn., to Alfred E. Stearns, September 29, 1930
My dear Mr. Stearns, Your good letter reached me Friday. I wholly appreciate your words of consolation, and I will attempt to live fully by your advice. I have already joined the New Haven Branch of Y.M.C.A. hoping in part to meet some people as well as some place where I may exercise. I also received letters from the Chinese Students Club of Yale asking me to join. All these activities seem to overwhelmed me, because they at first seemed to me as impossible in a larger place. As yet, I have had no classes. This afternoon, I start the academic year in earnest. All my work is concentrated in the field of Political Science, and two thirds of which is within the scope of Functional and Organizational Problems. I am also taking a course in Political theory. The Professors discourage me strongly in my proposal to try for the M.A. degree in one year. They informed me that it is almost next to impossibility. However, I will try to make it in one year and a half. The Yale requirement is "two years' of satisfactory work” regardless of how many courses are taken. If I go to some summer school during the summer, I may be able to make it, provided the professors will listen to my reason. That is if I don’t have to take German for my Doctor’s degree. I am beginning to feel rather at home in my own way—that is when I am alone. But when I go out for my meals or to the University, I am invariably a stranger usually beheld with interest or novelty, whereas a Chinese laundryman will pass by unnoticed. I find New Haven an extremely expensive place. All the stores have borne signs signifying loyalty to Yale students including banners, slogans, and some wen go as far as having a bullitin [sic] of activities to happen that day in Yale and the like. These stores literally abound in the town, and since they are all the stores, except women’s stores, they are all the ones of importance where the students must go for their supplies. The prices in them are exhorbant [sic]. I have met so far two Middlebury people and one old Andover student by the name of Tulley, a sophomore. I also saw Ted Avery and Johnny Sprigg, but they failed to recognized [sic] me. I went to New York yesterday to see Middlebury play Columbia and I met Jack Foster, and Johnny Phillips, both old Andover and Dartmouth football men. They were scouting Columbia. Of course during the game, I met a lot of old Middlebury students. I hope to settle down from now on till the end of the year with studies and will not probably notice my loneliness. I have not seen Mary or heard from her since last June. I went over and phoned her dormitory, and they informed me that she is in Providence. They said that she will be back shortly. Hoping that Andover will have another good year. Very sincerely yours,
Letter from Thomas Sun, New Haven, Conn., to Alfred E. Stearns, September 21, 1930
My dear Dr. Stearns, As you may see I am now located in New Haven at the above adress [sic]. I am here awaiting the opening of Yale University, right at the present moments, I am very busy with unpacking and tryong [sic] to get settled so that I will have no worries during the year. After Middlebury, New Haven impresses rather queer. I am not so sure whether I will like the town. It is a typical college town along the same line as Middlebury but on a larger scale. But the attitude of the people here is strikingly different from that of Middlebury. I have lost count of just how many times I was yelled at in the streets as follows "Hello, there, you Chink". Knowing such remarks are not forthcoming from the better type of people, I did not pay much attention to them, but after a while, it becomes a little annoying, and so far I have been able to withstand such fun-making using as much diplomacy as possible,— but there is liable to be a breaking point to my sensitive nature. Everywhere I go, I was gazed at as a newcomer into the ranks of the exclusive. I am not at all at ease. I have been trying as much as I can to be nice to them, but that only makes me more conspicious. I am really at loss as to what to do. As a result, I have been in my room all the time when I am not out for meals, which is really a necessity when I must go out onto the streets. Physically, I am comfortably settled, but mentally, I am not. All the other Chinese students in town as what any American might picture them to be--sloppy, lazy, meekly and whatnot. Since I am a new comer into the ranks of them, I was not favorably received by the students here or by anybody. After a while it might prove a little discouraging. But, however, I am here to stay till something drastic happens. Other Chinese students endured it, and there is no reason why I can not. I haven’t met a single soul I know as yet, and chances are that I shall not if the attitude continues. Of course, in a larger college, one can not expect to know everyone. At the same time, I like to know someone who is worth knowing. I think I will join the Y.M.C.A. By that I hope to make some acquantances [sic] with the better elements of New Haven. I also received a bid from the Cosmopolitan Club of Yale University which is a club formed by the foreign students of Yale University, with which I do not know what to do. All my courses are concentrating in the department of Political Science. They promise to be hard, and I hope that I will be able to swing them all right. Sincerely yours
Letter from Thomas Sun, Middlebury, Vermont, to Alfred E. Stearns, September 15, 1930
D.U. House Middlebury, VT. Sept. 15, 1930 My dear Dr. Stearns, As you can see, I am still in Middle bury. Originally I would have gone down to either New Haven or some other place yester day or earlier, but due to the fact that I have not yet received the money I asked from you has about two weeks ago, I am still here. I hoped to get it last Saturday at the latest so I could start that right, but my plans were all changed since. I think I asked for $750.00 that includes tuition of $300.00 in one payment or two, I do not know. I have looked in the catalogue, but no satisfaction was forthcoming. I am staying here till the money comes, I hope it will be no later than Thursday morning. I sent the other letter to Pittsburg, N.H., and it probably had gone astray, in which case, I ask your forgiveness. In case you have send the money, please ignore this note. Sincerely Thomas Sun
Letter from Thomas Sun, Middlebury, Vermont, to Alfred E. Stearns, Home Camp, Pittsburg, New Hampshire, September 3, 1930
Dear Mr. Stearns, As I said in my last letter to you, I am herewith submitting to you a budget which I plan to follow at yale this year. The following are the figures which I estimated to be expenses. These figures, however are for one term only, namely till Christmas. Not knowing the conditions, I am rather skeptical about making estimates too far ahead. I am sure, however, there will be little difference among the three terms. Tuition 300.00 Registration 5.00 Room, 2 weeks in sept. 5.50 11.00 Room, Oct. 1--Dec. 18. 6.0 66.00 Board, sept 17-Dec. 18 150.00 Laundry 20.00 General expenses 200.00 752.00 Due to the lack of knowledge of the conditions, expenses, down there, I present the above only as the rough estimate of my expenses. The tuition of three hundred dollars, probably is payable in two payments at the beginning of each semester. That will make it one hundred and fifty dollars instead of three hundred, for the first term, and another hundred and fifty during the second term. The Board bill of 150.00 seems large at first, but at second glance, it is different. The first term (from fall till Christmas) covers thirteen weeks. The 150.00 dollar appropriation is only slightly more than eleven dollars per week. I was down there for three days, and I tried every resturant [sic] and diner cart, and it is just almost impossible to get a decent meal for less than seventy-five cents. The two hundred dollar general excense item seems strange. In that I included everything such as fees here and there, tickets to football games, gym fees, subscription to yale papers, magazines, etc. Every little odds and ends are included in this item. My meager knowledge of things down there, although I have been down there is against the budget. I trust you know more about New Haven than I do, and I home that you will use your judgement in giving me the money that I will have to have for the first term. The banks down there require a balance of one hundred dollars all the time, otherwise, a fine of five dollars is imposed or they won’t even keep the account. Give me what you will and what you consider enough to meet the expenses down there. I am leaving the matter to you to decide. I am going to be in Middlebury for about a week more, and then I think I will be going to New Haven to await the opening of school down there. The reason is because there is nothing to do here. If you will send me the money here to me in Middlebury, please do so within a week or send it so that I will receive it before next Wednesday. After, I may be in New Haven, or in New York, or some other place, I don’t know where. So it is best to send the money to me here, and when I go down to New Haven, I can deposit it in a bank down there. Please let me hear from you in the near future. sincerely yours
Letter from Thomas Sun, Middlebury, Vermont, to Alfred E. Stearns, August 29, 1930
My Dear Dr. Stearns, I received your letter of the 26th of this month. I need to explain some efore [sic] I can put forth some matters which I want to bring to your attention. As for the two items in my account, I shall explain them as follows. The $E28.00 which I paid to Mr. A. G. Hinman, postmaster, for was a C.O.D. package from New York, where I bought a suit from a so-called "fire-sale". The original price on that suit was fifty dollars. The real amount I paid Mr. Hinman was $28.00 in check and thirty-seven cents, which I paid in cash, for postage etc. The $54.00 for the rumble seat is thus. The price I paid for the car was 550.00 dollars, coming down from the sellers original price of four hundred. The reason he wanted four hundred was due to the fact that the car, at the time of the transaction, was run only 4700 miles, which is practically new. He did not have a rumble seat in the car, and he agreed to put one in for me for fifty dollars more. By putting in the rumble seat myself, I saved fifteen dollars. The rumble seat was not a standard equipment on the 1929 Fords, and I don't think it is on the 1930 model either. There is a difference of I think around forty dollars between the Fords with a rumble and one without. The garage in town valued the car at the time of the transaction, and they thought that I paid four hundred dollars, which they considered as cheap. The reason that he wanted to sell the car was that he had another one anyway, and he was rather short of money at the time. I hope that my explanations have been satisfactory. Now concerning your proposal of my selling the car. It seems a little bit too unadvisable at this time. I went down to the Garage this morning the instant I received your letter, and they definitely told me that I can not sell it this fall, and I will be lucky if I can sell it during the winter. I wanted three hundred dollars for it, which they consider as reasonable, but they thought, that I can’t even sell it for two hundred for the simple reason that money is scarce this year. They said that even the garage can not get rid of their second hand cars. Furthermore, my car is a roadster. In the fall, with the cold weather approaching, no one wants anything but a close car. Of course, I can sell it now, in face of the business depression and the impracticability of open cars in cold weather, but I must do so at too great a sacrifice. I will get no more than one hundred and fifty dollars. You must know that money is scarce this year with business on the decline everywhere. To sell anything, especially second-handed, one can not get the value that it is worth. Chances are that even if the money is more scarce next year, I will be able to get better money for the car than I can at this time, if I sell it at the right time. To sell an open car with the coming of colder weather, will be too inadvisable. Naturally the expenses on a car is higher during the summer than it is during the winter and colder weather. People drives [sic] more during the summer, thus the expense. During the colder weather, one, even I, will be a little skeptical in driving an open car. Therefore the expenses which I will incur for the car during the winter will be almost nil. Furthermore, down in New Haven, the means of transportation is so much better, that I will not have to use car to get anywhere, except for an occassional [sic] longer trip, which I will unlikely take during the winter months. Therefore I advise keeping the car till a better time to sell it. It is purely a business proposition, and one must wait till better terms. I have the supply of a car, but there is no demand for it. In order to creat [sic] demand at this time, I must make an awful sacrifice, which I do not like to make in face of the money invested, and a good investment at that. Even if it is advisable to make the sacrifice, I doubt whether I can sell it for the simple reason that people has [sic] no money during the winter especially this year. Since this is a business proposition, I have to look at the business side of it and apply what economies possible. I can see your point in asking me to sell the car, but isn’t it a little bit too inadvisable at this time? You said that you will not approve of my having a car in a big city, but I think I will not be too anxious to drive in a big city with all the traffic, therefore there will be no expenses for it, except for garage fees, which will be around five dollars per month. I do not mean to anger you by my arguments, nor am I trying to keep the car against your wishes, but it is really hard to sell a car during the period of business depression and trying at the same time to get fair value on it, especially an open car in the face of winter months approaching. Those are facts, and can not be overlooked. I will, however, try to sell it by approching [sic] whatever prospects I know. In the meantime, I shall be awaiting your reply. Now concerning Yale. I went down to New Haven and reserved a room for the year. I am paying by the week at the rate of five dollars and a half per week till October first, when I will pay six dollars per week ($6.00). I shall be paying six dollars till the cold weather goes away in the spring. The raise in room rent during the winter months goes for fuel. I shall make out a budget for each term and send it to you for sanction. I have a notion. I think it will be cheaper for me to study down there than by comparason [sic]. I know no one there, and I will not be going into this and that. Whatever expenses I will incur will be necessities. I can picture myself as just another Chinaman. I will have to be that down there whether I like it or not. If I am not that way, they will look upon me that way anyway. I found that out when I was down there last for one day. I expect to be in Middlebury till the fourteenth of September, after that I expect to be in New Haven. But you can always reach me here at the D.U. House. Originally I planned a trip, but I am abandoning it after I read your letter. I hope you will take this letter purely on its merits and hold no anger against me, for I mean none. Please let me hear from you again. I will do as you say, but please weigh my arguments. Very sincerely yours
Letter from Thomas Sun, Middlebury, Vermont, to Alfred E. Stearns, August 11, 1930
My dear Mr. Stearns, The summer school is drawing to a close and my plans for the rest of the time before Yale starts is complete. I plan to go down to New Haven right after summer school here for about a week to arrange for room as well as getting acquanted [sic] with the town and some of the professors as well. Then I think I will take a little vacation and a trip up through New Hampshire and Maine. I also want to go to see all my fraternity brothers. You probably [know] the chief significance of this letter. I want some money to last through the rest of the summer. The car is rather expensive costing me three hundred and fifty when I bought it second hand. It was almost new being only ran 4000 miles. Then registration and insurance together cost me $43.80. That was the initial cost of the car, and believe me it is a good investment. I have seen quite a lot of the country during week-ends here around Vermont and nearby New York state and New Hampshire. Of course the repair bill amounts to quite a sum also. But all considered, I think I have received more from the money invested than anything I have ever experienced. It is really great. Since May 28, I have received eight hundred and fifty dollars from you, and the following is an account of how I spent the money Car 350.00 Registration 19.00 Insurance 24.80 Gas and oil 42.50 Repair 31.75 Rumble seat 34.00 Trip to Boston 20.00 D.U. Alumni Fund 10.00 Trip to New York 60.00 M Club dues 3.50 Middlebury French School 3.00 Board, five weeks 40.00 Laundry since May 28 18.45 White ducks $2.00 Mr. A.G. Hinman, Postmaster-28.00 Shoes, new and repairs, 13.00 Bathing suit 5.00 Filing cabinet 10.00 White linen knickers 4.50 Golf hose (2) 4.50 Tennis fees for French school-3.00 tennis racket restrung 6.00 French Books 7,00 General Expenditures since 5/28—20.00 Total 809.00 Balance on hand 41. I have now only forty-one dollars on hand and still have the room and turtoring [sic] bills to pay besides two more weeks of board. I have been most ecomnomical [sic] this summer than I have ever been in the past. I put in one hundred and fifty dollars of the original money which you gave me and it is indeed a good investment. I have kept it in good condition, and in case if I want to sell it, I can get at least three hundred dollars for it and probably more. So it is really a good investment. Summer school has two more weeks to go. I will need the money ($200.00) within this week to meet the various bills which are coming. Room will cost twenty-five dollars, two weeks board will cost sixteen dollars, and turtoring [sic] lessons will come up to 42 dollars, which amount to altogether to eighty-three dollars. However the situation will [be] much relieved if you can send me the money at your earliest convenience--by the end of this week if possible. I hope the account is satisfactory. I have a more detailed account if desired. Sincerely yours