Letter from Dora Giffen to her family, April 16, 1921
MLA Citation
Giffen, Dora Eunice, 1897-1982. “Letter from Dora Giffen to her family, April 16, 1921.” Digital Gallery. BGSU University Libraries, 31 Mar. 2023, digitalgallery.bgsu.edu/items/show/41462. Accessed 15 Feb. 2025.
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Title | Letter from Dora Giffen to her family, April 16, 1921 |
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Subject | Giffen, Dora Eunice, 1897-1982 |
Women missionaries--Correspondence | |
Egypt--Social conditions | |
Egypt--Politics and government--1919-1952 | |
Missions--Egypt | |
Protestant churches--Missions--Egypt | |
Presbyterians--Egypt--Correspondence | |
Egypt--Church history | |
Christianity--Egypt | |
Missions to Muslims--Egypt | |
Protest movements--Egypt | |
Egypt--Description and travel | |
Anti-imperialist movements--Egypt | |
Description | Letter from Dora Giffen to her family in Ohio about her missionary life in Cairo, the health and activities of her peers, and about the political climate upon the return of Saʻd Zaghlūl to Egypt. |
Creator | Giffen, Dora Eunice, 1897-1982 |
Source | Dora E. Giffen papers; MS-0309; Center for Archival Collections; University Libraries; Bowling Green State University |
Date | 1921-04-16 |
Rights | |
Format | Correspondence |
application/pdf | |
Language | eng |
Identifier | ms00309_b001_f002_i00006.pdf |
https://digitalgallery.bgsu.edu/items/show/41462 | |
Is Referenced By | https://lib.bgsu.edu/findingaids/repositories/4/resources/1425 |
Spatial Coverage | Cairo (Egypt) |
Type | Text |
45 Faggala, Cairo Sat., April 16, ‘21 Dear Folks: It may be because I am tired tonight but I just came within one of writing “New Concord, Ohio,” at the heading of this letter. The reason for my being so tired is that I walked out to Uncle Johns and back this afternoon; because the cars are not returning and I wanted to get there. I thought the walk would be good for me. It took me half an hour both going and coming back, - not a very long walk for those who do some walking every day. I don’t know the reason why the cars were not running this afternoon, - very likely a strike is on. They were off one other afternoon this week. There have been no more “demonstrations” this week. In Monday’s Daily Zaghloul issued at statement telling all to go back to work, thus cutting short a little vacation that some of the people had intended having. Well, I find that I am just so very sleepy that I will have to postpone the finishing of this until Monday afternoon: which means that you will get a very short letter this time (week), for I will not have much time to write next week; - Exams! Altho they don’t begin until Wednesday, yet I want to get a little studying done before they begin. They have not seemed to cause me to worry a bit yet; however I may wish I knew a little more by the time Wed. arrives. This morning I wrote my “two-hundred word” composition in Arabic (Gardner script!) for the Exam. The subject, The Difference between Egypt and My Country, was given to us on Wed. of this week. Then we have to read our compositions before the examiners next week. It was not a hard subject to write on and did not take long to write. – Now Goodnight and kisses for each one. Dora. Monday, 4:00 P.M. Had a good sleep Sat. night and am feeling as fit as ever now. It is a very hot day outside, the kind of a day that they say they don’t have very often, when the wind is very hot; but my room is very cool and comfortable. I have all of my shutters and windows closed, but enough of light gets in thru the cracks for me to see to write this by. Yesterday morning it was hard to keep order at Derb il Ibrahim S.S. I suppose the hot day had something to do with it, at any rate the children just would not behave. Mrs. Cleland was not there but Sara Adair was. We had, visiting us, two sisters, Misses Codrey, who have just come her from Bombay, India, where they were engaged in Y.M. works. They were very good to Sara when she stopped in Bombay on her way to Egypt, during war times. They are to be in Alexandria, doing Y.M. works all summer. Dr. Phillips preached us a very good sermon at church last night. I saw Dr. and Mrs. Grant there. They came up in the Ford on Sat. and brought Isabel Moore with them. Afy! But Isabel has grown. The Grants want to be remembered to you. And I must not forget to tell you that Uncle Kelly and Auntie Grace are here. They came last Thursday and were staying at Alexanders until they got their passports fixed up. They expected to go to Uncle Johns today. (The cars have been running again since yesterday afternoon.) Their boat leaves on April 2) the twenty eighth, the same boat that the Elders leave on. I stopped in at Alexanders to see them last Friday afternoon and they are both looking so well. Uncle Kelly said that they would stop and see you at sometime while they were in the U.S. He seems to be dreading “a whole year with nothing to do,” as he said it. Aunt Elizabeth asked me out to their house to spend the week-end with them and Uncle Kelly this week. I meant to go on Friday eve but very likely will not get there still Sat. afternoon. On Friday evening we are entertaining Sara in honor of her birthday, and on Sat. afternoon Clarice is entertaining her American S.S. class and wants me to help her. Aunt E. has not been well again and she was in bed last Sat. P.M. when I went out to see her, but she is better today. I think she was having a small attack of indigestion. It is certainly nice for both her and Uncle John that Edna is here. Miss Hosack came home from the hospital last Tues. and has been pretty well since she came. Florence White was feeling very tired last week and so went to Mrs. Will McClanahan’s Rest House in Maadi on Friday and is not back yet. Clarice also was away from Friday until today at the Girls’ College. She was feeling the need of a little change, so Miss Atchison very kindly told her she might go out to them and occupy their spare-room. On Sat. she and Miss Atchison went out to the “zoo.” Would you believe it I have not been to the “Zoo” yet, but want to go soon. I have given up on going anywhere for two weeks this spring, as I mentioned that I might do in my last letter. It seems to me that it will be better for me to learn some more stories to tell the fellaheen before I go on a visit expressly to work among them. And then I will get more other things done if I stay right here. Mrs. Baird was up here from Zagazig last week and we had her over to our hose for supper on Tues. evening. She wanted me to go and visit them sometime, so I will have a nice place to stay if I ever do go to Zagazig. On last Sat. afternoon Mrs. Coventry, Speer, Ralph, McFarland, and Wilson went out to the Barrage for a little rest. I did not go with them for I did not feel in need of a train-ride, in view of the effect it always has on me. Last night, at a quarter till nine, our choir went to the Central Y.M.C.A. to sing, as we had been asked to do. It was ten-thirty when Ralph, Wilson, and myself got home. Mr. Maud took the people from the College, - Miss Peck, Ruth Mitchell, Sara, and Clarice – in his car, as the College is on his way home to Heliopolis. Because there was so little time in between Church and the time to go to the Y.M., Mrs. Harvey asked us to her house for supper. John R. Mott’s daughter was at church last night. Martin, I just think it is fine that you are growing so fast. Take a snapshot of yourself, Father, and Mother sometime and send me a print, if you ever have the time; or rather have some-one else snap you. I see that Bob Gibson has accepted a call. I think it is pretty certain that he and Helen Mitchell will be married this summer. By the way I think the reason, probably, that I have not gotten some of the B. and Ms. Is that the wrapper has sometimes come off in the mails. (They have been coming alright the last few weeks.) About a month ago now, one of the girls here received a Grove City, Pa., paper which was wrapped in my B. and M. wrapper. Her paper came to me. The wrappers, I suppose, had worn thru and had just been tied on to the wrong paper. I did not get my B. and M. that week. Duly about one or two B. and M.s came addressed to 45 Faggala, - the rest are all to American Mission only. I found out last week that Miss Banister, an Irish girl taking the same work that we are in the C.S.C., knows Miss Corky, formerly of Assiut Hospital who is married to some minister now and lives in Belfast. I must get to my Arabic. Lots of love to you all from Dora. |