This letter is written after Reynolds had visited Pei-tai-hê, the summer villa for missionaries in China. Here she participates in a variety of discussions surrounding the role of missionaries. She provides us with first-hand experience on missionary denominational discourse and new educational projects on behalf of the American Mission Board.

Dear Friends of the Carleton Mission –

I have just returned from a months vacation at Pei-tai-hê and it has been a most pleasant four weeks. 

The little settlement is delightfully situated on the sea shore and the people that one meets there are a real inspiration. 

I had the privilege of attending the North China American Board annual mission meeting and hearing the reports of the last years work, the hopes and needs for next year. 

It was interesting to see how they would decide here to locate the three ladies who are to come this autumn, as they wanted ten and each of the seven stations feels its’ needs are the greatest … 

… but the North China Missionaries pray over things of that sort and it was decided quite unanimously that Miss Lyons was to go to Pauy Chuang, Miss Brown to Tung Chow and Miss Norton to Peking. 

It was also very interesting to meet and talk with the missionaries from Manchuria who were at Pei-tai-hê, Scotch people, they are, in every respect Scotch, sturdy and full of faith and with visions of the future. They work from year to year, seeing practically no foreigners except the three or four in their own station unless they can get out to such a place as Pei-tai-hê and get and give inspiration for the next years of labor. 

After seeing and hearing so much it is so hard to decide what to tell of and what to omit, but since the woman’s conference seems clearest in my mind at present, I will write of that. There were two meetings to which all ladies of all denominations came. When a large interest is common, denominational differences become very small. At the first meeting Mrs. Sheffield A.B. of Fung Chow presided and one of the topics of greatest interest was the union work for women in educational and medical levies which is being started in Peking.  

The Congregational, Presbyterian, London and presumably Methodist mission are inviting in …

a union college for men, one for women, a theological seminary and a medical college for men and women respectively, then a girl in China has finished reached the age of twenty it is high time for her to be properly married, now at just about that age or later the girls will finished their work in this new woman’s college or medical college and as she was educated largely for the purpose of teaching, the object of her education is [unclear]. The ladies discussed whether it would not be wise and quite proper to require the parents to sign a contract before the girl entered the school that if she stayed to graduation she should give two or more

… years to the church either as teacher or Bible woman before she marries. Usually the girls are glad to do something to show their gratitude for what has been done for them and are not anxious to marry. At the second meeting Mrs Mitchell of the London mission in Honan preached and most important subjects were whether a union woman’s bible crossed out to a union Bible women’s training school was possible in the near future and the subject of [unclear] food funding. 

The foreigner always will be hampered in Christian work here because it is impossible for him to put himself in the place of these people with their inheritance of superstition and heathenism but the educated, consecrated nation …

… worker has [unknown] that difficulty and a good Bible woman is a most effective worker. But it is hard with school work, medical work and evangalisté work to hunt out the proper women and prepare them properly for such work.

I have no doubt that before many years such a training school will be established if the Home Board will consent and help making possible such a work. In North China, large footed women are not uncommon tho too often you see the foot hampered women tottering along on their little bound feet unable to accomplish half the Lord meant they should, in any way. 

It seem that there is a great …

… difference in different sections of the country, in the manner of binding. For instance, in Shan Fuing the feet are not bound so very tightly so unbinding is accomplished with comparatively little pain while in Shansi the bones are broken and ulcers eat away the bone parts till often only flesh remains and unbinding is impossible. 

One lady – a Doctor – told how to treat feet at the (then crossed out) time of unbinding so as to cause the least pain and they all seemed to agree that the women should not be urged too strongly to unbind but it should be put to them as a matter of conscience based in such scripture as Rom. 8:1 and 1 Cor 6:20 etc. 

It is hard to realize how socially …

… ostracized a woman, who unbindes, is in some sections of the country and such women are truly consecrating their bodies to Him.  

A lady from Honan told of her work at F’airs,

These fairs are simply great market days when all sorts of things are sold and people for miles around come to them perhaps once during the year. This woman rents a place near, invites the women in and talks to them. Some of them in the hour or more of time they have hear all that they will ever hear of the love and truth of God. 

I wish you could have heard her as she told me about it. Her words were certainly a rebuke and me for since I have been studying the language a little …

… and getting accustomed to the people I have wondered, how can one tell them of our religion so they will understand I had tho’t of it as a psychological problem and what she said made me feel my lack of faith. She said that for many years she had done this work with unsatisfactory results. It seemed so hard to say the most important thing in so limited a time. She talked to them about the true God and against idols. Her husband urged her to tell them more about Christ but she told him they wouldn’t understand in so short a time. 

Later at the death bed of a child she promised God to say “whatever He wanted her to” and from that …

… time she began to tell them of Christ and with wonderful results. Praying as she talked she tried to make Christ a reality to them, that they could take back with them to their poor homes this new friend and pray to Him at any time.

If there ever were any women who needed a friend these Chinese women do and she found the same women returning to know more about this Jesus and new men coming because they had heard of this friend of the women and so she came to see the truth of the word “And I if I be lifted up will draw all men unto me” and “there is no other name under heaven” etc. 

… and I realized that I had tho’t too much of what I might do and not enough of the power of the spirit to multiply and perfect the little I might try to do.

Dr Arthur Smith gave an address one evening on present conditions in Christ and it was enough to make one’s head wheel. Things are coming quickly here. Everything progressive is welcomed regardless of its kind and the Chinese Christians of the present have a wonderful opportunity before them. 

I learned also of the student vol[unteer] band formed this year among the Chinese students at the Methodist university in Peking. They send out two traveling, sects this autumn thro’ north China. Their wrote us …

“China for Christ and Christ for China” (Please do not quote that as I’m not sure it is an accurate translation). 

I do not see how anyone can know conditions here now and not be enthusiastic over the possibilities, the needs and the opportunities –

I hope God will bless our Carleton mission in its works and plans and that the friends in Minn. will give money, interest and prayer to it largely – 

Sincerely

Mary Reynolds

Peking, China, 

Aug. 28 – 1905