The San Francisco call. [volume], April 07, 1907, Page 9, Image 9

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
WHAT A CHINESE
NEW WOMAN
HAS DONE
By Elizabeth; Haight Strong
RiIERICJLN' -women are famous for
their originality, their enterprise.
their daring and their, advanced'
ideas. It has been conceded that
no women in the -world can equal
them as far as' these distinctive feat
-ores are conoersed.- -Y«f there- passed
•through San Francisco , a few days'ago,
«n her way from the Orient,, a different
little -woman, who has' accomplished
and Is still engaged In a' work of which
any Amerjcan woman could.justly.be
proud. Yes, or any American man, for
Ithat matter.'either. '\u25a0?;"' " "/V ' ' -'
Vary different in appearance -Is she
from tha/ long-limbed,- falr-complox
leaed daughters Vof - Uncle • Sam." This
woman. who"ls ' crowding 'dose the\wo
,m«n of tha ; United'- States \u25a0 for admira
tion of chosen careers,' Is 'a native, of
China; the country.* that for ; centuries
has stubbornly * 9 ltxmberafl.^ and' where
the "new \u25a0 wom&n," ;' with ' her"; senslble
siied shoes,, wck; not supposed -tot step*.
But step thl»' woman' did, and 'tha "im
press Of her foot "-was as nature,intend
ed It' to 'be." I Mentally; and physically
she had . not been'.bouad • arid narro'tred,
k distorted and misshapen. -£veri*ln^the ;
United States.^- where ; women have; so
much freedom,': and \ where .they • pursu*
life do wo ' all ' Its highways : and traver-'
•Ing paths, this llttla descendant of tha
most ancient race on earth would st«Jid
out from har'alstera,- v '-":.•./-'•; r^-i.*.'-
Her naßje,~romanlsed,;ls'Meljru^BhlJi.'
Translated" literally* from \ tha rchlnasa,'
It Is B tone, Beautiful, i,G«m, * % whleh^ la
Eagllfch evolves Itself into tha extreme-
Ijr almpla name of M&ry -Stone. --A"di-;
ploma 'from "Ann Arhor gives her the
; right' to place the Initials M. D. after It.
, Dr. Stone's'life worksites in the city i
of/ Klukiang," In \Ceritral Asia, 'five hun-
r dre4 mll^s -'from .'-Shanghai.*. She-i s in
'charge', of s th^ Elizabeth "Skel ton Dan- ,
'foi-th Memorial Hospital; there, erected |
by Dr.' Danforth iof. Chicago' in \u25a0'memory
of ,' his ' late Hwlf c. . : The - entire * respon- ' .
slbility andthe y»rk -of : the'lnstltution
; restj^upqn her : anJl:' the nurses, all .
' Chinese girls,^ whom! she :has -. trained
•herself. 1 But** the' t care {of 'the ..hospital
; represent3.only a small fraction of Dr. '
' Stone's. labcr-K." l _";\u25a0_.;'' V"; '**"." .. \u25a0
; Every woman .'and^ child ln v the .city,
: ,of Kluklanp.' and! it/ boasts J seventy
thousand soujs. Iooks.;to ; this I, renaark- '
; able". Woman ' for \u25a0 help 1 arid ! succor! when ;
'anything 5 gpes vwrQng.\wlth^ne'r , little '
: " brown: body. "--.•And .'it "la not Klukiang
, albn • " that ' Is^ dependent ' " upon her "for ;\u25a0
' medical f aid." . Th,o women' and -children
l of _the," f uburbsVand outlyjrig; villages
;tqrn rto;her^(?i-tb«lrr to;her^(?i-tb«lr hours .of pain.
"Forelgriers.^too," 'of 'alienations, "whoin^
' Fate' r has decreed \must: pass their, lives '
-in this ; spacious seat' of 'ancient clvlll-,
, ration.^.have.lno one ;to rely upon when
their '.health - fails :but'iDr. \u25a0 Mary. Stone.
;She.'ls,T then, ', the", only ;physiclan ' In ",a
'population* pf -nearly,: la' million l\ people 1
It makes even a popular San Francisco '
' doctor's clientele look" like? anjlnf orraal '
\u25a0An Endless ? Routine >' - !
\u25a0 ' -And the never .- fails :. those /.In paia.
; for I often : their ; lives depend upon .'; her
quickness , and -experience. -\ From •, iun
,' rite to eunse t " she list busy administer-;
Ing -and teaching, and frequently long
f after/, tha r reflection ? and S glow^ of $ th#;
; setting sun h ave ] faded from i tha* waters '.
; Of '\* tha _*-/;Taa'gts»'/ = «*<•. *. ;•• -!• tr*r*U;.
Ing. in -toe , darkness .of .thVntgixt; miles
Into | the ;• country / to s the C aid •of / some
noor; soul/ too ' ill, to * reach it a hospital. '
WZ&r-.-.y-'K: - '\ r . -\u25a0 ' \u25a0\u25a0•\u25a0': \u25a0•••\u25a0•-.-\u25a0\u25a0.•\u25a0> \u25a0\u25a0'•
jpr?«'-Y ; '\V" V^-'' .-\u25a0--.\u25a0"\u25a0! :•'.\u25a0\u25a0
, Often J the \ swaying., of .. her sedan, chair
•' en \u25a0* tha * ahoulders; 'jof 'j her coolies s will .•
J"«ausa her *to y drop 5 " asleep". from " ; sheer '*
weariness on. the way, home in the faint?
;dawn?.of /ainewjday s that^wlll%but->e- :'
.; peat -"; the* v busy,*j}afdubus); bna^sheThasl
Just passed through." r //^ U- ,': r ':r" '^_ r .V\
' . 'Dr.^Stone's ' VpatleHts_< represent 'every '
s^-atum"' of society ; Vfrom the highest v to }
tthejlow«st:;they;allJcome:toTheritb v5 ba«
. treated. 'The Vwlves^of Ctha' foreign; mis- S
' slonaries wait - their* tumVlh^ her,-. ofSce.'
- with ' tha ' Tai ; ; Tais, "g or/, wives J. of MoiA-:
Vcial^. - - The*-' legal '_ ; - wife 'if of ft* Chinese •
;" mandarin," whose \u25a0 cap Is decorated \u25a0 with •'
;a ' plain ; red button.^may^ba r compelled :
to f wait I whlla^ th« f sufferings < of ; a :~poor '
coollel wbmanv ere relieved. ,-. Those who |
dwell' ln '.the shadow of Imperial, yellow,
I those fc whose ?husban«s^ have} had be
\u25a0t stMyed' upon \u25a0 them : the . decoration of '
'the : peacock I feather,'' receive > tha same '
'attention 1 in Vsplte '?of J? tha * larva 't; ram* '-
1 they give! as t the ~ poorest ' of .tha ! popu- ;
1 latlon. * who * live lin tha^ boats i on '% tha I
i river and '\u25a0. who l pay- from > tha ? heart and '.
: ; not > thelpurs«.' t ?*>f. s^ > y y>,£*.\-* :.. »^^fi*^"'-:
-\u25a0 t«• Nearly s every) 111 f that v flash ;» ; 1» i heir :
f to - find* \u25a0 its ! way; to,- pr/ ; Stone > f or^ treat- <
'i rnent;?" Eyery'f disease! on^'the .1 medical r
';\u25a0. calendar.af fom « Idathfom'a %t leprosy £i to ;
1 alight ( allments.l demands] her] sympathy . j
; and J attehtlonfpThenv theri « ara^opera-7
; ,tlons %to -.ba ) perf ormed/xboth v major \u25a0 and
minor ones.\, In, bflef,; this little woman •
of the country. of Confucius. treats more
't surgical 1 and f dispensary • eases 8 than, ,
* perhaps, V any '• physician In : the <t United -
j SUtas. %[::.. i>^ -i9 '&V'-~ "* ''-:'",• ' ;..7'i^A^ %?.
.: :•* :/ Sha ? came s tripping > dowa 4 tha \ stairs '<
% ooff f tha Chrnasa Methodist ' Mission ' resl-"
1 dencel In "Berkeley ; and entered . re^.*.
.' room '..'with ':* the ; Impulalveneas {
fand'f lightness Jof 'anY American i school ;
':girl. ; ?'?Sne,vsriook^handsV,withra 'cor-.
- 1 diallty ? and 'heartinessVof \ grip '.that .' had>'
fthe',. tfue^TlTestern' flavor; '; A7 J typical'^
•Chinese"; woman?, so-far 'as appearances
•are \u25a0* ebneef ned.*. ; such "as *,one ' ? ca'n^ meit '
Jariyt day .Un ,the ';Chlnese Quarter' of;the.
- city,- j dressed. f - with V the; .'exception rtof ,
• her feet.' {nVttie'cbstume^pf 'her cbuntfy.
I She\walked Sg in^'American ' shpes.^ j) But '
; the 'I impenetrable f stolidityj Of i the , Chi-; '
: 'nese seemed f absolutely lacking fin <Dr; '
\ Mary % Stbne.T? : Her. >' 'Oriental & features ",
iwere^creasedt ;in;S m«f ry \u25a0;. smiles. ".'\u25a0> Her
t almond-shaped' eyes wera full jof .laugh- j
- ter.Vi.Thef red^llps "parted,^, sho win g^'a;
««et of ;teeth/as;even f and white aslgrains;
i oti rice.Vand ?from^ between^ them
\u25a0 babbled forth \u25a0 a welcome that' was - Ilka*
«ajm^i^kUngjmel<>dy^£ :;^: ;^; '
r s«Tkbwj*do ryou * do ? ~' : . I'm] very .t. tf glad ; to
downu'tHow. did you : know
;l',wasJhafa?;?-'WhoHbld;you?, : ;How7dtd;
'youJflndlme?^'Dld,ypu!;notlce".thaisun^
'?. set *\u25a0 tonight Tfi Wasn't': it ; beautiful ?. ' : .Yes7*
suhsetsT^tqoy^ln '
< China." "; JvPs my^homa i*'lni *' In? Klukiang 3^l ;
•; often;' watch Jtha*s »un f as j> it i goes Jdown •
t into "i\t the i. ' % Tangtse '*+%* Rl ve r.* { \-'".\ Our
? clty<i' Is ? situated v'onr ; the I banks i of I the
v rivers 500? miles'* from £ Shanghai.^ iTh> ,
\u25a0* locatlonYiS! so |and* the j. views -
I of ; tha mountains' and ' t the river, so \ mag- >
k ntfloentjf pna | asks'* why; so 'J muchl sorrow
rai^iß^eriaff'm^lfcfllaitt^^worM.? -^
,v She i never I 1I 1 mentioned Itha *i fact .that
i. she ; iharself ., was f.£ 111: >\that *> sha :? had \u25a0'
-traveled all f tha way fro na Central Asia
.and \u25a0. Was "then", oh "her. way.jo k ?Cew._YqrJ:
' tobe treatWl-for appendicitis." She who
imade* her.-Hte' work^Uie" alleviation of
I the 'sufferings * of . others ~. had . no 'one \u25a0 to !
"treat 'her*' when^! she s T^as! ill.. All ber
; thoughts'; were for the-comfort and wel
'tore of 'her.* countrywomen. •: \/.* •/,.
«•'-. ,"Touf see. more jthari»your,sha'r.e*,of ; It. ,
;-Tou^prbbably ;9eerhea,rlyiall^of it 'at
? the^h6spltal.Vdon'tsyou?" \u0084-.'.
[\u0084 ':\u25a0'\u25a0 "Sometimes "!it "does "seem as ."though •
.alii the 7 misery.- In^the" world C centered ;
j in » my^: hospital, ; % but ". that's '.. only - when
I'm^tire'd.^ V And .. of .course ; I don't -get 4
•more than my share.'*! I'm only too glad
sto; follow" as,^far^ as my/ faltering feeble
-feet- will iet m« \u25a0In the footsteps' of "the i
;Great HealerJ himself.'**. XV- S>j-'ol - €\u25a0.
; .: ;. Somehow.;^ the i religious -words ithat '':
\u25a0 sprung '\u25a0\u25a0 from a \u25a0 Christian heart tfa ro ugh
.the <\ pagan lips >"of . the I: little I Chinese
•woman as she-sat clad in her Oriental
rdress : Yo>. al ow/ chair \ln j the: reception
•r room , 4 of ; -,' the ..Methodlat ; -Missionary,
( Home *£'3 did * not -, seem ;. so ; incongruous
i after ' alL*. God • of ; the % Occldent,~: or^God
|of {.thViOrlent; /.the* quality, of 'the] milk •
•of human never changes.
:^ ; '-'; ; r p_
r '-: JvMy tfather^was'one j of i the i first coiK,
t verts .to, Christianity.^ and ».when >ha- saw
r the i crying . need : of i doctors \in \ China .ha 1
» determined 2thatV l .; should: study .* medl
?cVae-7;Bo \u25a0ha -took 'm© .when, I was but
; 8 1 years -. old? to/ Dr.' \ Bushnell, who . was
V one \ of i the i flrstX lady - missionaries i to
i be > sent * to ; China, ; and asked her to .see
{ that " I ;km,. trained I for *, a doctor. Dr.'
;• Bualmell asked , '\u25a0 MJsj f How V "wio r bad
lived m" China' thirty-five years. t«
\u25a0 teach v me • English; • I f onnd tha Eng
lish grammar ' very difflcult." said she,
whose native toagno is a monosyllaata
language in Its most archaic form.
language without an" alphabet: with
out inflection, even; the substantive* of
which are ' Indefinable and th» verb* i
not to be conjugated.
""When I was 19 I was sent to Ana:
Arbor and there I stayed until I gxadu-. ,
ated.' That was ten years ago. Tm
33 now," she added. - a • voluntary con
fession that lacked, somehow. Azaext- :
can flavor.
"Then I went straight bade to Cnfsa*
and Dr. Dan forth of Chicago, who had
built a hospital at Klukiang In memory
of his wife., asked me to taka charga
•of it In addition to my general prac
tice. That has been my. life ever slnoa
I. left college. Dr. Danforth gtvaa us
all our Instruments and books, sad Tm
-on my way now to him to show htm
the reports of the hospital. From
there I'm going to New York and then
return * Immediately to Kluklanr. for
the! hospital, is closed while I'm away
"•ndvl" dare "not think of the suffering 1
my poor peopla may be enduring. W»
•tried, to* get a doctor to take" my plaoa
while I was "gone, but were unsuccess
ful.' " The day we sailed a case- of com
pound •* fracture came ' to the hospital
and-I'had'to turn it away."*" A minor
note* crept Into the : musical tones off"
her : voice. "But If • I waited for s>
leisure moment before I left Td stfH 1
:be'ih Klukiang. "Why. tha r«ry d*r
the • hospital first • opened, tha day X
landed.' " before Imy boxes \u0084ef medlotn*
-could 'be obtained.- 1 • had patlanta. and
I've 'b'een* just as'busy ever since.
One Da/s' Work
"A synopsis. of a day? "Well. ,tha first i
thing,, we breakfast at 7:30. and then :
; I go -to the chapel, in the hospital and
.there conduct prayers' for patients and * .
inmates able to attend.. After prayers I I
' make a general Inspection of tha hes- [
'pital,. and then I teach, my classes of.
. nurses. V I take. young. native girls in
their, teens" and 'give them. a. thorough !
course of training such as they would • .
' get* In America. I. translate Cha Eag- ,
. llsh ..books Into -Chinese for them and; \u25a0
; sometimes put the Chinese books Into
.English, too. Then I goto tha dIJ- \
pensary and am busy there for hours.- '
.This .. , is . almost . entirely. . charitable
work. Those who can afford to pay;
anything .do. so to . help . the good \u25a0
work of the hospital, but of tea tha •
.' fee consists of only 2or 3 cash. A cash j
Is , a ,- piece ' of . Chinese coin worth In j
'American-, money, one- twentieth of •>\u25a0
cent.. Hardly enough to endow a bed.
but it Is. given with gratitude and re- I
\u25a0ceiyed.ln the same .spirit, although .
.there are only twenty-four, beds In tha s
hospital, and - there is .desperate need I
..of more.''. .. \u25a0 ;
,rMost of, my .cases are tropical dls- \
>ia*a. or 1 women .who. haVa attempted
, : suicide.; Their lives to them seem so :
hopeless;. they think they have nothing !
\u25a0 to live for. That's because they haven't
i Christ In. their .hearts,-- and so • don't <
"know of the future. "Why, just see tha r
i lack of express ion in . their faces," said i
\u2666ha whose mobile features had mtr- \u25a0
; roved • every, thoughts and, feeling that ;
: had been hers during our ; coaveraa- -"
1 r tlon. -.-•-\u25a0-•_.-..».
1 ' "In th« afternoons I make calls, gen- •
1 \u25a0 e rally on ladles • o* . rank who need nxT •
'. assistance \u25a0 and have; been, unablo to
;get.to"the,hospltaL . I return home only
\u25a0 when.there: seems no further -work for
v m» that -day. ...I'm", very, tired, and very
; -happy, j tod; when I 'compare my Ufe to
i that . of my .countrywomen. . And they.
i although -they, see how v hard I work.
; they envy: mo, so , they tell .me.. They \u25a0
. envy, me my freedom.- the opportunities
;; I've j had. to -learn - and . to . see, and tha
i-» Independent. American, Ufa I'm per
• :mltted'-: to ilead.; Til n«v«r : forget how
t » the daughter-in-law ef a Tteeroy sighed
-and told mo once that she'd gladly
: give -.up. ' all '; her . servants, her - pretty
if clothes, her beautiful Jawels. even her
i position, if she could live a useful Ufa ,
'.-. like mine. Instead .of making on* of
y\ many 'puppets at the long court c«t9- \u25a0
',! monies, and ;' to • have nothing- to .think*
t J of .; but one's .appearance, and how- to
I skill time. .
:\u25a0 . ,'^Ho-w >many. people %do I treat? 1
average a thousand a month."
• . "Am 1 1 not "fortunate?- And I'm sa
\u2666 grateful jto bo able to help a little,**. \m
«^the modest:way:she sums up a. work of
' . a>" magnitude sufflclent to keep a • corps
» f of capable medical ' men < hard at work.
• "J . '.There. are. in all China.' only thre«>
: - native 'women : physicians. One oraa
r'-tlcesi at Foochow and the third was
» ; a ? classmate -of Dr. Stone ' at Aaa Ar
t * bor.v. She ' translated ; her nama tsto ©r.^
.'• Ida '• Kahn, ; and the dtlrena ,of ; 2laß<*|
I ; ehaar ,«x« har *f ortuaata patt»at», * i ,
-, ...;-\u25a0• • - . - .\u25a0 .