Collected Writings of Flora Belle Jan

By Xlibris US

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This is the first time the writings of Flora Belle Jan, the Chinese American flapper and writer, are assembled into a single volume. The book consists of some one hundred pieces of prose and poetry, available from microfilm of newspapers and magazines that ceased publication prior to 1950.

A native of Fresno, California, Flora Belle Jan was born in 1906. She lived above Yet Far Low, a restaurant owned by her parents, at 1007 China Alley. Her world at home was Chinese. Her world at school, with teachers and classmates, was American. Many of her classmates were also children of immigrant parents. Her own parents, Jan Chong and Jan Yom, had separately emigrated from Southern China in the late 1800s. Her classmates parents included immigrants from Ireland, Italy, Russia, England, Mexico, and Armenia. In her early years, the country of origin of the parents did not hinder the formation of close friendships among girls with shared interests and activities.

Flora Jan and her friends enjoyed writing poems and stories, and aspired to careers in literature and journalism. She received encouragement from Grace May North, editor of the Sunnyside Club column in The Fresno Herald. Jans earliest works appeared in this column. Her topics were typically American, involving for example, a selfish prince, a faithful dog, a poor newsgirl, and poems about patriotism. In only two stories, The Chinese Girls Valentine, and The Contest, did she introduce a Chinese connection.

Another important person in Flora Jans life was Amy Purcell, Superintendent of the Baptist Chinese Mission in Fresno. She recognized Floras talents. With Miss Purcells help, the Chinese Students Club of Fresno published The Trailmaker. Flora Jan, the only female member of the Club, played a major role in the publication.

Flora Jans parents did not support her desire to further her education. She worked at various jobs and at age 18, earned money for college by writing feature stories for The San Francisco Examiner. For several of these stories, Jan invented the female character Ming Toy. Among eight children in her family, Flora Jan was the only one to earn a college degree and to pursue a career in journalism.

Although Flora Jan attended the University of California, Berkeley for only one semester in the autumn of 1925, she left a strong impression on those who knew her. Her reputation as a prolific young writer, as well as her beauty and flamboyant flapper life style was remembered forty years later. Your mother was the Belle of Berkeley, was the remark said to my sister, Fiore Wang, who attended the University of California, Berkeley and there from graduated.

Flora Jan transferred to the University of Chicago, where she studied English literature and graduated with honors in 1927. The impetus for her transfer to Chicago was due to Professor Robert E. Park. He directed the Survey of Race Relations project, and believed that Jan would succeed in assimilation into main stream white society. An analysis of Parks project and Jans participation may be found in the treatise, Thinking Orientals, by Henry Yu

Most of Jans writings during her years in Chicago appeared in The Chinese Students Monthly, a magazine founded in 1904 and published by the Chinese Students Alliance in the United States of America. In her fictional works, Romance on the Roof and Transplanted Flower Blossoms, Flora Jan created humorous and delicate inter-racial romances. She served in the capacity of a Contributing Editor at first, and later became an Associate Editor of the Monthly. She also sold stories to the Chicago Daily News and to the magazine Real Detective Tales.

In 1932, Flora Jan and her husband, Charles Wang, left Chicago to go to China. Probably the most compelling reason for their move was financial. Although Charles had earned a Ph.D. degree in psychology at the University of Chicago, he could not obtain

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 9, 2008
• ISBN: 9781469115962

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Copyright © 2008 by Fleur Yano.

Library of Congress Control Number:         2008901588

ISBN:                         Hardcover                     978-1-4363-2411-3

ISBN:                         Softcover                        978-1-4363-2410-6

ISBN:                         Ebook                            978-1-4691-1596-2

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Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Editor’s Notes

The Selfish Prince

Riddles

Lenora

Seaside Frolics

Smiles

Faithful Pete

Our Brave Defenders

Thanksgiving Day

The Little Newsgirl’s Christmas Surprise

Merry Christmas

New Year’s Eve

The Snowstorm

The Chinese Girl’s Valentine

What The Sunnyside Club Means To Me

The Contest

The Lonely Frosh

Going To The Dogs

Activities Offer Outlet

When Your Dream Ship Comes In

Romance On The Roof

A Review Of Reviews

Chinatown Sheiks Are Modest Lot

Chinese Girl Irked at Men Tourists

Hair Bob Tragedy in Chinese Opera

Speed of S. F. ‘Atlantas’ Amazes

Ming Toy Discourses on Ankles

Pretty Ming Toy’s Confessional

Fleet Stirs Orient Dream

Mencius

Two Poems

Strangers Who Have Met—

Chinese Girls of the East and West

Afraid of the Dark

East and West

A Meeting with Upton Close

To The one who supplanted me

Why He Went To The Conference

In Defence Of Fraternities

Something Exquisite

Self-Delight

Vows

Transplanted Flower Blossoms

Transplanted Flower Blossoms

The Absolute

If True—Why?

Tragedy Found in Painting.—

New Notes in Poetry

Chinaware

To a Chinese Mother

Eggs a Hundred Years Old

Murdered by Chinese Slave Dealers

The Land of Heart’s Desire

Seeing into the Shanghai Spirit

Half a Dozen Hokkus

Stars and Extras of the Chinese Opera

in Peking

Chinese Schoolchildren

Given Free Dental Care

Famed Royal Manchu Artist Lives an Unpretentious Life—Prince Pu Chin

Works Hard at His Paintings Besides Lecturing On Chinese Art

At Fu Jen University

Colourful Chinese Girls in America

Lead Varied Lives

Peking Chinese to Celebrate 8th Moon Festival Tomorrow Colourful Legends Have Exalted Birthday of the Moon to One of China’s

Three Great Holidays

Yenching University Begins Tuberculosis

Control Plan

Intricate Legal Skirmishes Feature

of Chinese Courts

Peking’s Woman Novelist

Is Hardworking Writer

Peking’s Coeducational Chinese

Dramatic School Graduating Students

Give Good Performances and Promise

Much for the Future

The Week’s Doings In The Chinese Theatres

The Week’s Doings in the Chinese Theaters

Arlington Meditates upon a Long Life

of Adventure Amateur Astrologer Predicts Settlement of Sino-Japanese War

in April Next Year

The Week’s Doings in the Chinese Theaters

Recent Plays In Chinese Theatres

Coming Plays To Chinese Theatres

Latest Plays in Chinese Theatres

Coming Plays To Chinese Theatres

Recent Plays in Chinese Theatres

Coming Plays To Chinese Theatres

Latest Plays in Chinese Theatres

Coming Plays to Chinese Theatres

Coming Plays To Chinese Theatres

Coming Plays To Chinese Theatres

Coming Plays To Chinese Theatres

Coming Plays to Chinese Theatres

Coming Plays To Chinese Theatres

Coming Plays to Chinese Theatres

Coming Plays To Chinese Theatres

Coming Plays To Chinese Theatres

Coming Plays To Chinese Theatres

Coming Plays to Chinese Theatres

Variety Show Is Neatly Presented

Interest Kept Up Throughout

Coming Plays to Chinese Theatres

Coming Plays to Chinese Theatres

Coming Plays to Chinese Theatres

Coming Plays to Chinese Theatres

Coming Plays to Chinese Theatres

Coming Plays to Chinese Theatres

The Voice and the Heart

Chinese Chauffeur Founds

School for Children

Notes

Foreword

I n the course of editing a collection of letters written by my mother, Flora Belle Jan, for publication by the University of Illinois Press, ¹ I was driven by curiosity to unearth all the published poems and stories Flora Jan had written for newspapers and journals, all of which are now out of print. Following clues in Jan’s letters and extending the work of Asian American historian, Judy Yung, ² I gathered over one hundred pieces of Jan’s writing. These are transcribed and collected in this volume to serve as a companion volume to the book of letters. The stories and letters together provide an in-depth portrait of a remarkable woman, given in her own words.

A native of Fresno, California, Flora Belle Jan was born in 1906. She lived above Yet Far Low, a restaurant owned by her parents, at 1007 ½ China Alley. Her world at home was Chinese. Her world at school, with teachers and classmates, was American. Many of her classmates were also children of immigrant parents. Her own parents, Jan Chong and Jan Yom, had separately emigrated from Southern China in the late 1800s. Her classmates’ parents included immigrants from Ireland, Italy, Russia, England, Mexico, and Armenia.³ In her early years, the country of origin of the parents did not hinder the formation of close friendships among girls with shared interests and activities.

Flora Jan and her friends enjoyed writing poems and stories and aspired to careers in literature and journalism. She received encouragement from Grace May North, editor of the Sunnyside Club column in The Fresno Herald. Jan’s earliest works appeared in this column. Her topics were typically American, involving, for example, a selfish prince, a faithful dog, a poor newsgirl, and patriotism. In only two stories, The Chinese Girl’s Valentine, and The Contest, did she introduce a Chinese connection.

Another important person in Flora Jan’s life was Amy Purcell, Superintendent of the Baptist Chinese Mission in Fresno.⁴ She recognized Flora’s talents. With Miss Purcell’s help, the Chinese Students Club of Fresno published The Trailmaker. Flora Jan, the only female member of the Club, played a major role in the publication.

Flora Jan’s parents did not support her desire to further her education. She worked at various jobs and at age 18, earned money for college by writing feature stories for The San Francisco Examiner. For several of these stories, Jan invented the female character Ming Toy. Among eight children in her family, Flora Jan was the only one to earn a college degree and to pursue a career in journalism.

Although Flora Jan attended the University of California, Berkeley, for only one semester in the autumn of 1925, she left a strong impression on those who knew her. Her reputation as a prolific young writer, as well as her beauty and flamboyant flapper lifestyle, were remembered forty years later. Your mother was the belle of Berkeley, was the remark said to my sister, Fiore Wang, who attended the University of California, Berkeley, and there from graduated.

Flora Jan transferred to the University of Chicago, where she studied English literature and graduated with honors in 1927. The impetus for her transfer to Chicago was due to Professor Robert E. Park, who directed the Survey of Race Relations project. He believed that Jan would succeed in assimilation into mainstream white society. An analysis of Park’s project and Jan’s participation are elaborated in a treatise by Henry Yu.⁵

Most of Jan’s writings during her years in Chicago appeared in The Chinese Students’ Monthly, a magazine founded in 1904 and published by the Chinese Students’ Alliance in the United States of America. In her fictional works Romance on the Roof and Transplanted Flower Blossoms, Flora Jan created humorous and delicate interracial romances. She served in the capacity of a Contributing Editor at first and later became an Associate Editor of the Monthly. She also sold stories to the Chicago Daily News and to the magazine Real Detective Tales.

In 1932, Flora Jan and her husband, Charles Wang, left Chicago to go to China. Probably the most compelling reason for their move was financial. Although Charles had earned a PhD degree in psychology at the University of Chicago, he could not obtain suitable employment. Jobs in general were scarce during the Depression years. Jobs for educated Chinese were nearly nonexistent. The usual employment for the Chinese was assumed to be in laundries and restaurants. The predicament of the Chinese is described by Roger Daniels.⁶ With some trepidation, Flora Jan became a part of the transnational movement to return to the land of her ancestry.

The transition to living in China was difficult for Flora Jan because she was culturally totally American. This aspect of reverse immigration is discussed by Iris Chang.⁷ Despite difficulties, Jan continued to work and write. Many of her articles appeared in The Peking Chronicle, the only English language newspaper in Peking. Her articles included interviews of prominent local artists and writers and other professionals. She also wrote a weekly column about Peking opera performed at several Chinese theatres. The column contained synopses of the plays and biographical notes about the actors and actresses. She was assisted by Hao Te-yuan, the son of the famous opera star Hao Shou-chen. The latter’s unique painted facemasks of his own design and his heroic performances were legendary. He later founded and directed the Peking School of Chinese opera.

In 1943, the continuing Japanese occupation of northern China and Peking forced Flora Jan and her family to move to Chungking. After Japan’s surrender to the Allies, Flora Jan moved, yet again, to Shanghai. Her 1946 article, The Voice and the Heart, written shortly after her arrival in Shanghai, succinctly summarizes her impressions of China.

Although often interrupted, Flora Jan at times wrote incessantly and obsessively. Her talents and passions make the legacy of her letters and other writings a compelling chronicle of an indomitable spirit. They form a body of primary source material for readers of American Studies, Asian American Studies, and Women’s Studies. Her articles, arranged in chronological order, are presented in three groups. They correspond to the places where she lived: California, Chicago, and China.

Acknowledgements

I thank Judy Yung for locating a number of published poems

and stories by Flora Jan. For most of Jan’s published works in The Fresno Evening Herald, The San Francisco Examiner, The Chinese Students’ Monthly, The Shanghai Herald, and The Peking Chronicle, I am indebted to Andrea Dickenson, Joyce Grauman, and Marjeanne Blinn of the Palos Verdes Library for obtaining interlibrary loans of microfilm from the Library of Congress and from several university libraries. For archival materials that require personal visits to special collections, I thank the Hoover Institute of Stanford University, California State Library in Sacramento, Special Collections at the University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago Historical Society, California State University Fresno, Fresno Historical Society, Fresno County Library, and National Archives and Records Administration in Laguna Nigel, California, for their hospitality and assistance. Also, I am grateful for the helpful correspondence from Clark Evans of the Library of Congress; from Joanna Browning of the British Museum; from Gwen Pattison of the National Archives; and from Michael Woods, Claudine Davie, and Linda Raymond of the British Library. Patricia Mehlberg, a friend, personally visited the British Library to obtain a copy of Jan’s story in Real Detective Tales. Another friend, Edgar Freud, visited the New York City Public Library to obtain Jan’s article in China Critic. Fiore Ai, my sister, accompanied me to several libraries in Chicago. Many thanks are also due to Al Yano, my husband, for companionship on library trips to Palo Alto, Sacramento, and Fresno. I also thank him for encouragement throughout the duration of the project.

I am indebted to James Pimentel, Executive Editor of The San Francisco Examiner, for permission to reprint seven articles which first appeared in The San Francisco Examiner.

Editor’s Notes

T he source of each piece of writing is given at the beginning of each piece. Except for photographs, tables, and Chinese characters, which are omitted, the original texts of all the writings are transcribed. The original spelling of certain words is retained even though they differ from those in common use today. A few examples are Hallowe’en, woollen, and flavour.

CALIFORNIA

[From The Fresno Herald, Tuesday, 2 April 1918, p. 5]

The Selfish Prince

By Flora Jan

Sixth grade, Lincoln School

O nce there were a king and a queen who had a son named Herbert. The queen was very selfish in her love for her son, and she taught him to be very selfish also.

Prince Herbert soon had this habit in his mind which is unbreakable. When he was older, he was very selfish, and then the queen, his mother, found out that she had done wrong to teach him to think only of himself. She sent for the prince’s wise godmother, Flora-Ludmelia. When she arrived, she said, Your son is very young. He can be cured. She then took Prince Herbert away with her. He soon became very lonely for his parents, and his godmother would not permit him to return to his home until he was cured of his selfishness.

After two years had passed, the prince was freed to go home to the palace. His parents received him with great joy. His habit was cured forever.

Later the prince married a beautiful princess. One morning, to their surprise, a baby girl was born! They named her Happiness because she had brought them so much joy. The people were almost speechless with surprise when they heard the wonderful news.

King Herbert and Queen Merle ruled the kingdom more happily than ever. The royal family was beloved by everyone. And most important of all, they taught their little daughter to do right and disown wrong.

[From The Fresno Herald, Thursday, 20 June 1918, p. 6]

Riddles

Sent in by Flora Jan

1—Why is J like a person’s nose?

2—Why is K like a pig’s tail?

3—Why is L like a queen?

4—What is the difference between a schoolmaster and an engineer?

5—Why does an old maid wear mittens?

Answers to Flora Jan’s riddles:

1—Because it comes next to the eye (I).

2—Because it is the end of pork.

3—Because it makes the knee kneel.

4—One trains the mind and the other minds the train.

5—To keep off the chaps.

[From The Fresno Herald, Saturday, 29 June 1918, p. 11]

Dear Editor: It is so

nice of you to send the authors of the five best letters on How I Would Like to Spend My Vacation pictures of the sea. I am going to try. I would like to spend my vacation in the country where you would see fields of flowers around your home. I would then sit on the porch knitting a sweater or anything useful for our heroic soldiers. If there was anyone who had lost a son (soldier) or a daughter (Red Cross nurse) in war, I would pick a bouquet of flowers to comfort her. I would raise a war garden and sell the vegetables to neighbors and give the money to the Red Cross. If I had a girlfriend who was helping in the world’s struggle by becoming a Red Cross nurse, I would write letters of comfort to her and cheer her by saying that right is always victorious. That is how I would like to spend my vacation. I think that I am going to work in a vineyard this summer. If I do, I will buy war savings stamps and thrift stamps with the money I earn. Looking on the Sunnyside, your member,

FLORA JAN

[From The Fresno Herald, Wednesday, 3 July 1918, p. 6]

Lenora

By Flora Jan

L ittle Lenora was four years old, and her mother and nurse planned a birthday party for her. They made twenty red, white, and blue caps and twenty cutout puzzles and little pies and a very large cake to put on the middle of the table.

Lenora did not know that she was to have a party, and she was standing in the window looking out when she saw twenty little boys and girls coming into the yard. They were nearly all older children.

Oh, Mother! Oh, Nurse! Lenora called. Do see all those little girls and boys. Why, they are coming here. Open the door and ask them to come in, said Lenora’s mother.

When the door was open, all of the twenty children cried, Happy Birthday, Lenora, and then the little girl hopped up and down and clapped her hands for glee. When they had hung up their hats and sunbonnets, they sat on the floor in the nursery and tried to put together the cutout picture puzzles.

That was merry fun, and the girl who had her puzzle put together first got a picture in a frame given to her as her prize. Then they all went out to the table and had refreshments.

How happy Lenora was when she cut the big birthday cake with mother’s help, and then she passed a piece to all of the little guests.

After that, the older girls brought out their knitting. Lenora was pretty small to knit, but she was learning how on a washrag.

She was a lovable child, and she was the treasure of her household.

[From The Fresno Herald, Saturday, 27 July 1918, p. 12]

Dear Editor: You told us to keep a diary, and it would win us two stars, so I will begin mine this very moment. Monday morning I washed some clothes and did other little work about. The afternoon was spent in playing. My sister Bessie and I looked at the flowers. We saw one plant drooping. Its leaves were yellow and fading. I thought to myself, The soil is not fertile. We dug it up and planted it in a better place where the soil is soft and where the sun shines on it. We don’t know how it will turn out, but we hope that it will have green leaves instead of yellow ones. In the evening, I looked in The Herald, and to my surprise, I saw Adelle Doring printed. I read it, and liked it very much and eagerly watched for the secret Adelle had to tell.

Tuesday—I looked at the plant, and it seemed to be all right. About 1 o’clock, I went to the drugstore for a sick lady. In the evening The Herald came, and I read Adelle Doring’s Secret. Then I watered the flowers.

Wednesday—I ironed two shirts. My plant was standing up right, and tiny green leaves were peeping out from the stem. In the afternoon, some girls came over; and in the evening The Herald came, and I saw Adelle Doring’s Secret Sanctum and what she did.

Thursday—I went to the sick lady’s house, and she asked me to get a dozen of eggs for her. Then I came home, and Bessie and I knitted awhile. Then I took my mother’s dictionary and looked up some words. I turned to the back and read the Declaration of Independence and found out the meaning of some Christian names. My name means flowers. In the evening, I read The Herald and liked the Sunnyside corner very much.

Friday—I planted some onions in our yard. I washed the birdcage thoroughly and gave the bird some seed, and I went on an errand for a friend. About 5 o’clock The Herald came, and I read about Adelle Doring, and I liked it so much because it is so interesting and because she is always doing kind things for others. Best regards to all, from Flora Jan.

[From The Fresno Herald, Saturday, 10 August 1918, p. 6]

Dear Editor: Thrift Stamps for prizes instead of books are fine. I have thirteen stars now. Our soldiers in France need books with which to amuse themselves when they are not on duty. I will try to write on every star-winning subject which is announced, and so now I will write about the pleasantest thing which I did last week.

On Monday I was cleaning the birdcage and giving my bird a bath. I forgot to close the door, and the bird flew out, but it didn’t fly away. It just flew back and forth and finally it flew into its cage. Then it began to sing, and it sang its sweetest! After a while, I put the cuttle bone in, and the seedbox. The bird flew out again and began to peck at some fruit. I took it gently in my hands and put it back into the cage and closed the door. It sang and sang. This canary is my only pet. It was given to me by my teacher when I was in the fourth grade. She is in Buffalo now. You told us to love nature. Are not birds nature? I call my bird Sylvia. This is the pleasantest thing which I did last week. I want to thank you and The Herald for the folder which you sent to me. The place must be very beautiful. With love to you and all of our members,

Flora Jan

PS: My canary, Sylvia, has been singing all of the time that I have been writing.

I was wondering just a little while ago why no one had written on that new subject The Pleasantest Thing which I did last week. It seems like such an easy subject to me.

[From The Fresno Herald, Saturday, 17 August 1918, p. 6]

Dear Editor: Last week my letter was printed, and I got one star for it. Before we began the new plan I had six stars. Since then, I have had four stars in coupons, and so I now have ten. A book which I have read and liked this summer is Daddy Longlegs. It is written in letterform. It is about a little girl who was brought up in a home and a man offered to send her to college. The first day that she was there, she wrote a letter to the man, and after that, she wrote a letter every day. It is very interesting. Another good book is Emmy Lou. She is a little girl too. Another book which I have read and liked is the Old-Fashioned Girl. She had a friend named Fanny, who liked to wear fashionable clothes. Finally Fanny’s family became poor. Then Fanny learned old-fashioned Polly’s ways, and she wasn’t so old-fashioned after all. These books are precious ones, especially the latter, because it teaches us not to spend money too lavishly. My, isn’t our club successful? It has Sunnysiders everywhere.

With love to all,

Flora Jan

[From The Fresno Herald, Saturday, 24 August 1918, p. 4 and p. 12]

Dear Editor: A relative of ours who is going back to the Orient gave Bessie and me a dollar each. I guess you know what we are going to do with it. Buy thrift stamps, certainly.

I don’t think that I am going away anywhere this summer, but I’ll try to help win the war by saving all that I can.

I have a bucket of Wandering Jew. My 6B grade teacher gave it to me. When I first got it, the leaves turned yellow and I wondered why because I watered it and the soil was fertile. A friend came over and said that her grandmother clipped off the yellow leaves from a plant she had, so I did that. In a few days, it was very beautiful with green leaves and stem. I love flowers and plants!

In 1915 I went to San Francisco to see the fair. When we left the train at San Francisco, I looked around. We saw a great tall building with lights all over it. We rented some rooms at the Sutton Hotel, and the next day, we prepared some lunch and went to see the fair. At the fair, we saw the Tower of Jewels, the building which contained works of art. We also saw many other buildings. As we walked along, we heard a little lady singing a solo. Then we rode in a rattan wheelchair. We stayed in San Francisco for three weeks. I only have one War Savings Stamp; but now that we are to have Thrift Stamps for prizes, our books will be filled more rapidly, won’t they? With best regards to all the Sunnysiders from

FLORA JAN

[From The Fresno Herald, Saturday, 7 September 1918, p. 9]

Dear Editor: I am sorry that I wasn’t careful enough when I wrote last week’s letter. Did you pay the stamp for me? If so, please accept the three-cent stamp which I am enclosing. Araxie Arahonian and Rosamond Eddy surely have talent to write poetry, and I would like to have them called the poets of the Sunnyside Club. I went to town to get my Thrift Stamps the other day, and how glad I was. I want to thank The Herald for giving them to me. Yes, I want my name to be in your book of active members. I don’t believe that I could write a rhyme about seaside frolics. I can’t get any idea about words that rhyme, but I will try.

Seaside Frolics

Blue is the sky, bright is the sun, quiet is the water.

Here the mermaids play and toss about with laughter.

The soft waves swing back and forth, to and fro,

Now the mermaids are playing, dancing all in a row.

Again the mermaids are skipping with their strands of hair

Flowing back and forth o’er their faces fair.

Blue is the sky, bright is the sun, quiet is the water,

And waves and sky join the mermaids in their laughter.

With love to all the Sunnysiders,

Flora Jan

[From The Fresno Herald, Saturday, 14 September 1918, p. 6]

Dear Editor: I am now working at a packinghouse. I didn’t get very much, but I save the pay. I will buy Thrift Stamps with it. I think it will be nice to have Adelle Doring continue making Eva Dearman happy. Then one day, she finds a dog badly beaten by boys, and she takes it home and takes such good care of it that it soon is well, but they cannot find the owner. Then one day a rich man sees Adelle with the dog, and he stops and talks to Adelle. When the dog sees the man, he barks with glee, and then Adelle knows that they have found the master. The rich man offers Adelle money, but of course, she will not take it. A few days later, a package comes for her and in it are beautiful things that girls like, and Adelle gives them to the girls at the Orphan’s Home, thus making them happy.

Lovingy, Flora Jan

[From The Fresno Herald, Saturday, 21 September 1918, p. 6]

Dear Editor: I am very glad that my poem was printed last week. You told me to try another, and so here it is.

Smiles

A smile is like the sunshine bright, it freshens the day.

A frown is like a windy night, it drives one’s cheerfulness away.

A smile is like a child’s mirth, it is worth all the treasures of the earth.

A frown is like a disagreeable man, it makes a person to be without a friend.

So wouldn’t you rather smile than frown?

No matter where you may be in the home or the town?

I am working in a packinghouse now. I get there at seven in the morning and leave at five. I am so glad that I joined the Sunnyside Club and would be sorry if it ceased to exist.

Your Sunnysider,

Flora Jan

[From The Fresno Herald, Saturday, 12 October 1918, p. 6]

Faithful Pete

By Flora Jan

I n a cold northern country lived a man in a lonely cabin with his dog Pete. John was a cruel man, and he beat his dog unmercifully. Every two weeks he would walk in town to get his household supplies, and Pete would go with him.

One day he was passing by the foot of a high mountain. An avalanche was sliding down the side and Pete noticing this barked and barked, but his master would pay no attention to him and instead kicked him away. The dog rolled down a decline and right that moment, the avalanche struck the man and buried him in the snow. The brave dog began to dig and dig, and soon the man was able to get out, but he

was not gratefu1 to the dog. He beat him after that just as he had always done.

One day the dog was guarding the cabin when he heard his master calling for help. He ran to the woods and saw a huge bear attacking the man. The dog leaped at the bear and bit him, and this gave the man time to pick up his gun and then he shot the bear.

When the animal was

dead, the man knelt down and took the dog in his arms, and ever after that, John became a kind man. Pete had saved his life twice.

[From The Fresno Herald, Saturday, 19 October 1918, p. 6]

The next letter is from Flora Jan.

Dear Editor: School days are here! Isn’t that splendid? I try to study hard because a former teacher of mine told me that if one is studious, one progresses much faster.

I think Rosamond Eddy is right. We Sunnysiders ought to call ourselves just one big family. Here is a poem I have written:

Our Brave Defenders

Our soldiers and sailors are dear to us,

Their valor makes them victorious.

They are fighting for Liberty on land and sea,

They are protecting us from cruelty;

They are Americans strong and true,

Dying for the brilliant red, white, and blue.

There are officers of noble birth,

There are soldiers renowned all over the earth;

There are sailors of noted gallantry,

But none of those are so

fine as our brothers of Democracy.

Who all so valiant and true

Are dying for the brilliant red, white, and blue.

Our soldiers and sailors are dear to us,

Their valor makes them victorious.

They are fighting against the notorious tyrant

And they for justice shall stand!

These are Americans staunch and true,

Dying for the brilliant red, white, and blue.

[From The Fresno Herald, Saturday, 26 October 1918, p. 6]

Dear Editor: I received the Thrift Stamps from the Fresno Herald, and I wish to thank them very much.

Once I went to a Hallowe’en party. When we reached the place, it was brilliantly lighted, but when we were all seated, it turned dark and there was silence. Then some masked figures all in white came stealing out of the dining room and others crept out from under the table and sofa. They moaned and made scary noises, and as they stole around the room, one of them sang a Hallowe’en song in a low voice.

Then the ghosts disappeared, and the lights were turned on again. After that pretty girls came out dressed in different costumes and some of them recited and some sang songs.

Then one of the boys suggested that we play hide and seek. It was dark outdoors and in the other rooms and so there were plenty of places to hide. A friend and I ran outdoors to hide, but we gave a scream and ran back to the house. There was a ghost behind the bush. Then we went to hide in a dark closet, but there was a ghost in there too. Of course, we were not really frightened, and it made everybody laugh.

After that we had ice cream and cake and candy and hot chocolate. It was a very jolly Hallowe’en party.

Your true Sunnysider,

FLORA JAN

[From