Margaret reads a letter in which she tells about Ah Chuan's baby, who seemed ill at the time when a baby in the same home had just died. Ah Chuan was concerned that his own baby might die of the same illness as the other baby. She also tells of Ah…
Kenneth and Margaret tell about Ah Chuan, their houseworker's baby. Chuan and his wife had already lost a first baby, so the Landons recommended that they see Miss Christiansen. The wife thus received pre-natal care and delivered a healthy baby.
The Siamese in Bangkok had tried to keep the Landons there but other missionaries were resentful of Kenneth's ability with the local language and culture. The mission sent him to one of the worst fields in Nakhon, on the east coast. This turned out…
Insane people in Siam were not confined; they freely wandered in the town. There was a woman who had gone insane and used to dress at times like a Siamese and at other times like a foreigner. She insisted Margaret was her daughter and she would come…
Kenneth was in a chapel when a gangster came in to see him, along with two companions. He looked like a coolie but he seemed educated. He told his story to Kenneth, how he ruined his life as a spoiled child of a wealthy father. He worked in a rice…
Margaret gave a tea on Kenneth's birthday because that was the day that Wattana had its commencement, and they all had to go. Margaret explains the missionary work in girl education in the region and how these girls later were in high demand for…
Margaret sailed on a small British steamer, the only passenger. There was a meal served twice a day (breakfast and dinner). She couldn't understand the men who spoke dialects that most British couldn't understand. There was an anti-American sentiment…
One night Kenneth woke up suddenly and heard two men walking by and talking about him. One urged the other to come listen to Kenneth's preaching because it might be true and they needed to know.
John, Kenneth's guide in Beirut, had some friends there, and he learned that they were fresh out of a hotel manager. They made Kenneth a proposition, that he become the manager of the hotel. John would run the taxi business, and the other fellow…
Kenneth tells the story of two nice rugs he bought in Damascus. On his way to New York he passed through Marseilles (France) and was required by customs to pay $100. Eventually an American shipping company representative offered to ship them to New…
When the Landons went on furlough in 1931, Kenneth traveled around the world one way, on his own, while Margaret traveled around the other way with the children. She went east, and he went west so as to travel to the Holy Land. One memorable…
The ship Kenneth boarded passed through Greece. He still remembers sliding through a narrow channel in Greece. It was eerie because there were sheer walls of granite in those straits. "You could reach out off the side of the ship and touch the walls,…
On his trip, he came first to Egypt, hoping to tour around Cairo and see something of Egypt. He was walking along the street when a very tall Arab in a long gown, with a fez on his head, came up to Kenneth, spoke to him in English, "Good Morning,…
From Egypt, Kenneth went over to Jerusalem and stayed with a resident American community there. There were riots between the Jews and the Arabs, and the Armenians were caught in the middle. Kenneth fell in with a young Armenian who was driving an…
The guide and Kenneth toured around Cairo, sometimes by taxi, usually by tram cars, and Kenneth paid for everything. The man seemed to be enjoying himself, though he was bemused. Then he took Kenneth out to ride on a camel to visit the pyramids and…
While visiting in Palestine, Kenneth eased himself down into the Sea of Galilee, and swam out a quarter of a mile from shore in the moonlight. There he lay over on his back and floated in the water. He became aware of a typewriter going, looked…
Kenneth recalls Robert Dick Wilson as a man in his 80's who had laid his life in sequences of 15 years each (teach, research, writing). He was about Kenneth's size and was very active.
Margaret recalls games the kids played on Harrison St. A child named Paul owned toboggans, with which the kids would sweep on the ice during winter. One girl owned a pony but was stingy about it. Everyone owned bicycles.
Margaret reads from a 1976 issue of The Washington Post about children's games from the past that were lost with the coming of television. She talks about games they played in childhood. She expounds on her friendship with Mary Peabody.
Kenneth remembers Ray Pooks imposing his will at a high school track meet. He would require that the events be rescheduled so that he could participate in them all. Kenneth was amazed at this man doing everything just as he had said despite the fact…
Kenneth talks about how excellent Princeton was back then, just one brilliant professor after another. The scholarship was excellent before it all began falling apart.
Margaret tells about her mother writing her about the completion of the Pierce Chapel, which did not have a balcony at the time. She remembers the building of the church and its beginnings.
Margaret did not see the play until it had been playing for six weeks, she says. She went up with Kenneth and another couple. Peggy asked her mother what sort of cake she would like, and she answered she wanted a simple cake like the ones her mother…
