Objet : FW: Natasha, please post this on the Weihsien topica network

Subject: Natasha, please post this on the Weihsien topica network

Mary Scott ranks high among my Weihsien heroes , because she taught us 11- and 12-year old girls in Chefoo School's lower school dormitory ("L.S.D.") how to throw and bat a softball. British schools like Chefoo School played British games like cricket and tenni quoit. We knew nothing about softball. She taught us on the small South Field not far from the Japanese quarters and the guard tower near the hospital.

Mary, a Nazarene missionary, writes in her autobiography, "I was the only girl in a family of seven brothers. I'm sure my mother was disappointed when her baby girl turned out to be a tomboy. But how could I help it?"

Mary Scot was the only woman allowed to play summer softball when the Tientsin Tigers, the Peking Panthers, and the Priests Padres played on the tiny ball field near the camp's front gate -- but only as a substitute when men were too exhausted -- or too emaciated -- to play.

Mary volunteered for more than softball. Remember the Weihsien toilets? (Ugh!)

In her autobiography, Kept in Safeguard , published by the Nazarene Publishing House (Kansas City) , Mary writes vividly about the Protestant and Roman Catholic missionaries who volunteered to clean the toilets.

"Another serious problem was sanitary facilities. At first there were only six cubicles, equipped with oriental flush toilets that didn't flush, available for about 800 women. Excrement overflowed the bowls until it required a strong stomach to use them at all. Missionaries tackled the clean up until our 'camp engineers' came up with a solution. Large barrels of water were placed at one end of the latrine, into which used water was poured. Each user of the latrine was required to "flush" the toilet with a half bucket of water. Ladies were stationed at the latrine to inspect each toilet after use to see that it had been properly flushed.. All went well as long as there was water in the barrels, but sometimes the water ran out!

"Later the latrine which we called the 'cowshed' was assigned to the ladies. Each of the six stalls consisted of two narrow cement platforms on the sides on which to stand, a cemented hole for solids and a slanted front which carried the urine to a trough. In the morning, a Chinese 'night soil' man came in to scoop out the solids (it was valuable to him as a fertilizer). The assigned latrine cleaners of the camp went in to finish the cleanup. Sometimes the odors were so pungent that our noses literally burned when we came near, especially in the summer."

Mary goes on to say that when she was as child. her godly father had taught his family that a Christian can do any chore in a way to bring glory to God. She remembers one Wednesday morning in Weihsien when this teaching became a reality.

"I was on 'latrine duty' and in the midst of that very unpleasant task, I I looked up and said, 'Now, Lord, help me to clean these latrines in as way that will glorify You.'

"And I felt that the Lord Himself came down that Wednesday morning. He took hold of the bails of those two big, five-gallon gasoline cans that had been made into water pails. He helped me carry them to the latrine. He took hold of that little, stubby brush, and together we dug into the corners and crevices trying to get every place as clean as we could. He got down on His knees when I got down on my knees; and with a little old cloth, no disinfectant or soap, just plain cold water, we got every place as sanitary as we could. When i finished, I looked back and said, 'Lord, does it please you?' I couldn't see a place where I could have done a better job….

"That was one of the sweetest and one of the most real experiences of my Christian life."

Even this nasty job had its rewards, Mary says. " As one of the 'dirty workers,' latrine cleaners were allowed to take a shower every day even during those times when others were limited to one shower a week."

Every able bodied person had a job in Weihsien.

What was yours?

Mary Taylor Previte

Envoyé : mardi 7 janvier 2014 08:51
À : Mary Previte

Objet : Re: Weihsien rescue from the sky drawing

Dear Mary,

Thanks ... I got your envelope this morning. I shall try and do something "printable" in a *.pdf-format. It can be read by all computers and I can even add pictures & photos. I have all I need on the website !

You are now witnessing polar temperatures of minus 40 degrees Celsius ! Are you OK? Brrrr ....

... all the best,
Leopold

-----Original Message-----

From: Mary Previte
Sent: Tuesday, January 07, 2014 3:41 AM
To: tapol_ (Skynet)

Subject: Re: Weihsien rescue from the sky drawing

You're the best, Leopold. Thank you very much. Let mde know when the photocopies arrive.

Mary

On Jan 2, 2014, at 10:31 AM, tapol_(Skynet) wrote:

> Dear Mary,

> The Weihsien Liberation crowd is quite a big file, so I copy/pasted it in
> my dropbox:
> https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8sr4iu4c0ny1k20/JBvXdjMYao
> You can send this message to the OSS Magazine ... they will know what to
> do.
> ---
> I shall let you know when I get your photocopies and how I manage with
> them ...
> ... all the best,
> Leopold

>

> -----Original Message-----

From: Mary Previte
> Sent: Thursday, January 02, 2014 4:03 PM
> To: Leopold Pander
>

Subject: Weihsien rescue from the sky drawing

>

Leopold,
>
> The photo copied pages from MaryScott's books should arrive any day in
> your mailbox.
http://weihsien-paintings.org/books/KeptInSafeguard-MaryScott/MaryScott(web).pdf

> Where on your website can I find the drawing of Weihsien liberation --
> the B-24 and parachutes dropping from the plane?
>
> The OSS Magazine wants to print it in their magazine. I've already
> forwarded to them a photo of Tad Nagaki getting the Soldier's medal in
> 1945.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Mary

>