1930 (3 of 4)

N./lNCHANG GEmmAL HOSPITAL
SUSAN TOY ~SIGN MEMORIAL
Methodist Episoopal Churoh.... _.... -----
Nanohang, K1angs1, China
Januar,y 8th, 1930
Dear Assooiates in AmerioatAt last the new hospital is offioially finished! Tha.t does not
mean, however, that we are not daily putting on the finishing touohes
here and there, and that there still is. not muoh patching and adjusting
to be done. It means that the Dedioation has.been held.
r I have been wanting to write to you about it betore this but two
nteotions ot my hand, - suoh is even a doctor's luok, - have kept mel
me from the typewriter.
The servioe was held as a part of the program of the Annual Oon~
ference, and so we had the Bishop and the preaohers present. Bishop
Keeney made the prinoipal address. You notioe, I say "principal ad~
dr~sstt. A real Chinese affair must never be limited to one speeoh. We
had seven! How impossible it is for me to report all that wa.s sa.id.
Bishop Keeney stressed the ideal of servio~, and the greater service
that the new building now made possible. pootor Ida Kahn made a plea
for the fuller aoceptanoe of western soientifio medioine on the part of
the oommunity. Dr Hsiung, a returned student from America, a pastor,
and prinoipal of one of our high sohools made a fiery speech oalling
for a fuller appreoiation of the gifts from Amerioan friends telling
how often these gifts represent real saorifioe on the part ol the giver.
Old General Wu enterta.ined the orowd with an extemporaneous talk
full of funny jibes centering around his experienoe on the operating
table. One of the oity dootors made many "polite remarks fitting to the
o coas i on". Doctor Wu, our Superintendent, reviewed the past and expr-eaa~
ed our hopes for the future. Dignity was given to the servioe by Mr. Wu,
the prinoipal of our high sohool here. He was a respeoted offioial, a
judge before he entered the servioe of the ohuroh. He is a real soholar,
a gentleman of the old order. Several songs were sung by nurses, and by
boys from the Aoademy, and by girls from "Baldwin", our girls' high
sohool. The Brass band from the aoademy was here in all its splendor
and added snap and noise to the oooasion! Refreshments and a bewildering
inspeotion of the building oompleted the program.
We had no spaoe in the hospital large enough to hold such a throng,
and so we had to hold it on our lavm in front of~the hospital. The en~
tranoe and the ballustraded terraoe served as the platform. itA big suo~
oess" was the pronounoement of everyone, and all were impressed.with the
new building, espeoially with the mechanioal equipment. The Xray,- it
is the long hoped-for miraole. Many patients sinoe the opening have
asked to have their sickness cured by the Xray! The elevator, even tho
it is one of those contraptions worked by hand, made a hit with the peo~
ple who had never seen one of any kind. Water coming from a pipe filled
many with amazement. What a problem the double swinging doors presented
to many, onoe in and wanting to get out. One fellow gave up and tried a
window, but even that, - a double hung type, ~ was too muoh for him. How