Letter from Nanking: January 11, 1938

Letter by Minnie Vautrin January 11, 1938

This is a truly noble person, who would not even want us to draw attention to her nobility, as this sort of person is usually quite modest, the heartbreaking account of what people suffered there....

The lives were Chinese running in to the Safe Zone, to escape being slaughtered in the Non Safe Zone, which was huge. Mostly women and children.

I am posting a SERIES of her reports, please feel free to share.

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Tuesday, January 11, 1938, Nanking, China

What a feast we had last night when your big fat envelope was delivered to us containing a letter from each of you, from Yi-fang, (Dr. Wu), Mrs. Rhead and Abigail, and Florence’s letter to Rebecca. If we had indigention [indigestion]?in the night it was because we ate supper in such a hurry that we could get at the letters. After supper we gathered around the round table in the 400 living-room. (The furniture from the Faculty Dining-Room in the Central Building was moved over to the 400 living-room table). We read and read. There were Mrs. Tsen, Mr. Chen, Mr. Li, Mary Twinem, the day school teacher

and Miss Wang, a student from the seminary, in my audience. There was so much news in the letters that we now feel quite up to date on Ginling affairs and have had our dozens and dozens of questions answered. After I went down to my room at the Practice School I again read the letters for I have been aching for news of all of you. That is the second letter I have had now from Ruth Chester and Florence Kirk, and they came in on two successive days.

From 9 to 12 tjis [this]?morning Mr. Chen and I were in a meeting down at the headquarters of the International Committee of the Safety Zone. It is the first meeting that has been held of the heads of the Refugee Camps. I believe there are about 20 places where refugees are housed, and at the meeting this morning there were more than thirty present. Herr Rabe, the Chairman of the Committee, made a speech of welcome and then he left to go to his own work. George Fitch then made a speech of welcome and appreciation, and the rest of the time was spent in discussion of problems of the camp - which I can assure you are legion, perhaps ours at Ginling being the least difficult for we have only women and children. Poor Searle Bates has had such difficult ones, and of every description.

Our guard of five military police at the gate are proving more successful than we had dared hope. Unfortunately, the guard is changed every day so that each evening Mr. Wang and Mary Twinem and I have to go down to the gate and as tactfully as we know how we try to let the men know that we will be responsible for order and peace on the inside of the camp if they will patrol Hankow and Ninghai Road for us. Those awful days and nights when we were in great fear for the safety of the young women in our charge are beginning to grow dim in our memories now - even that unforgetable [unforgettable] night of December 17th when 12 women were taken from our camp. As soon as I can I shall write “A Review of the First Month” and will let you know something of the experiences that I cannot write at this time

Will you please tell Alice Morris that her chest of drawers was looted. It was down in the Chinese dining-room and that if she wishes to put in a claim for the things that were in it she is free to do so. The other day a representative from the Embassy came over and asked me if we wished to file a claim for college and individual losses. The college has lost so little that I said that we would not present a claim for I do not think it would be much over $200.00 mainly to cover the doors that have been smashed. Chang Siao-sung’s, Dr. Wu Yi-fang’s and Chen Pin-dji’s chests making good such losses. Neither could I file any claim for the losses over Mr. Miao’s house or Chen Er-chang’s house.

I think that I have not told you that Wei was taken on December 14th and did not return until December 28th. He is just now in condition to do light work. Dhang Szi-fu’s son, who was caretaker over in Mr. Miao’s house was taken on December 16th and has never returned and I feel he was one of the hundreds of young men who were cruelly and ruthlessly shot or bayoneted during those first days. I have made several efforts to get the boy but have failed. The father is heartbroken about it.

Do tell Liu En-lan, and Wang Ming-djen and Dzun-mei and Miss Yen, (all members of the faculty. Ed,), how glad I am that they are in Shanghai. It is very comforting to know that you may be able to start a real freshman class down there the second semester, and that your faculty has grown. It is good to learn that you may have a hostel too. I shall be anxious to hear about the plans for the group to go to Chengtu. Keep me informed of any news that you get from them for I think that we shall be entirely cut off from them for a long time. We know practically nothing of what is going on in the world outside.

An industrial school of some kind for the many women whose only support has been taken from them is needed. We will need to teach such women to do something that will enable them to support their children. One sad woman who walked by my side recently said that she is left with five small children with no means of support whatever. And there are many such. I long for Miriam Null and Joy Smith and Etha Nagler. As for the Middle School, the day Dr. Wu’s suggestion came, Mrs. Tsen and I were wondering if it would be safe to try to encourage the starting of a primary school. Just now the middle school for girls does not seem at all possible, but we cannot foresee the future these days.

With deep deep love to all and appreciation for your prayers. They have sustained us.