Letter from Dora Giffen to her mother Frances Martin Giffen, May 23, 1921
MLA Citation
Giffen, Dora Eunice, 1897-1982. “Letter from Dora Giffen to her mother Frances Martin Giffen, May 23, 1921.” Digital Gallery. BGSU University Libraries, 31 Mar. 2023, digitalgallery.bgsu.edu/items/show/41479. Accessed 15 Feb. 2025.
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Title | Letter from Dora Giffen to her mother Frances Martin Giffen, May 23, 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 Mother in which she reflects on her day-to-day life as a missionary in Cairo, as well as the health and activities of her peers. In this letter she describes travel throughout the region, as well as political demonstrations and changes going on in the country. |
Creator | Giffen, Dora Eunice, 1897-1982 |
Source | Dora E. Giffen papers; MS-0309; Center for Archival Collections; University Libraries; Bowling Green State University |
Date | 1921-05-23 |
Rights | |
Format | Correspondence |
application/pdf | |
Language | eng |
Identifier | ms00309_b001_f002_i00023.pdf |
https://digitalgallery.bgsu.edu/items/show/41479 | |
Is Referenced By | https://lib.bgsu.edu/findingaids/repositories/4/resources/1425 |
Spatial Coverage | Cairo (Egypt) |
Type | Text |
1) 45 Faggala, Cairo. Mon., May 23, 1921 Dear Mother: According to your last letter tomorrow is the date of Frances’ recital. I will be thinking of her; and that reminds me I must write her a letter, - I received one from her not long ago. When Aunt Elizabeth goes to India next fall her boat will no doubt stop at Port Said. If I can find out long enough beforehand when her boat will stop there and how long, I will try to go to Port Said to see her. That is only a thought now, which may not be practical then if I have to go alone, or for various other reasons. However, Mother, as soon as she (Aunt Elizabeth) makes any very definite plans, finds out what boat she is going on, etc., I wish you would tell me about them in your letters. I would like very much to see her if it is at all possible. In the last home mail I received letters from Helene and Rosella, which I enjoyed so much. Also your letter mailed to the 28th of April and a card of April 25th telling more definitely about the Violin Festival. They arrived last Thursday afternoon so the first evening of the Festival was over before the card arrived, but as my last letter will tell you I had taken it for granted that the 18th and 19th were the dates of the Festival. Thursday night before I went to bed I thought a good deal about you and the Festival, and I happened to wake up in the middle of the night. When I looked at my watch it said three o'clock; so allowing for the seven hours difference in time 2) and taking it for granted that the Festival started at “eight-o’clock sharp,” it was just time that the violins were going into position for the opening “Overture.” I stayed awake most of the time between three and four, so that I knew that during at least part of that hour we were both thinking of each other, or all of one another I should say, at the same time. Yes, Mother, I certainly did think on April 20th this year of what happened last year on that date. Rosella’s letter was started on April 21st, the anniversary of “our” surprise? party of last year, which you at least remember hearing about. Helene’s was such a nice letter, telling me the things I wanted to know. But for that matter no one does any better at that than Mother. Your good letters are always so much enjoyed, Mother, but you really do not need to write me such long letters. A woman as busy as you has no time for letter-writing and I don't want your letters to be a burden to you. In spite of the fact that I think I am busy, I have lots more time to write than you do. Miss Roxy Martin spoke to me after church Sabbath evening about Lucille Cosby. She had only heard, from some-one to whom I had mentioned the fact, that Lucile was coming. She knew that Emma Malone was the name of one of her new teachers to be, but she had not heard the name of the other new one. Wouldn't “Deke” and Emma Malone make a team though? However Virginia Campbell, who is with Miss Martin now, will be splendid company for Deke. Miss Martin was so glad to 3) hear the report I gave her of Deke. She is very much in need of one with exactly the talents that Deke has. I hope they will work together well. Miss Martin told me in strict confidence that ever since I had arrived last fall she had almost set her heart on having me permanently assigned to the Ezbekiyeh School, mostly because of the fact that you, Mother, were at one time associated with that school. But she had to have a helper beginning with this next year, so Miss Florence White was assigned by Association to her school. It was nice of her to say the things she did and I am telling them to you with the strict confidence in which they were told to me. However I suppose it is needless to say that I am glad that apparently the chance has gone for me to be assigned to Cairo. I am not overly fond of city-life and it would be misery to have to spend the rest of one's natural days in Cairo. At least so I feel now. But I must stop this rambling or the letter will be over-weight, I have decided for this time at least not to write on both sides of the paper. My writing is hard enough to read as it stands without the drawbacks of this paper, written on on both sides. We enjoyed a little game of tennis that we had last Thurs. afternoon. I am gradually learning how to play. It is lots of fun and I am conceited enough to think that possibly I could really play a fairly decent game if I got to play oftener. We walked out to the University tennis-court and took a carriage back. At the last moment Clarice decided to go with Fay and myself. 4) On Friday afternoon we had a good time at the tea held by Mrs. Phillips for the choir members and the wives of those of the choir who had such. We had a guessing game after tea, then some music: vocal selections by Mr. Maud and Ralph Douglass (University), and a violin selection or two by Dora Giffen, a new missionary who thinks she can play; at least she seems to accept all invitations to do so. However the simple little selections she played did not bear witness to the fact that she had any very great ability. She played “Salut d’Amour” by Elgar, “Belle Nuit Barcarolle,” by Offenbach, and “Am Camin” (At the Fireside) by Schumann. There must have been between twenty-five and thirty present - two Mauds; two Clelands; three Amoses (a Vacuum Oil man); several from the Girl's College including Sara; the University boys; and from our house Misses Weed, McFarland, Dwight, Ralph, Bloomfield, Wilson, and myself. Those of our household barely got home in time for supper and we had guests present. We took a carriage out (five of us did) but we came back in one of those “trembly” buses which make you feel as if you had the St. Vitas Dance or something. Our guests were Mr. and Mrs. Smith of Nasser, Sudan, and their two little girls - Mary (eight) and Ellen (six), - who were to leave sometime this week for America. They are nice people. We had a nice talk with them, then gave them some music, vocal, piano, and violin, which last was all that was needed to send them home. I suppose you will hardly get to see them. Their home is in Nebraska, I believe. 5) Five of us, (Ralph, McFarland, Weed, Wilson, and I), went out to Zeitoun on last Sat. afternoon. Zeitoun is out past Heliopolis and is reached by a branch train line running out from Cairo. I had never been there before. The occasion for our going was an invitation to tea given to our household by Mr. and Mrs. Miller, who are newly appointed missionaries to Jidda in Arabia, the sea-port town of Mecca. We did have such a good time and the Millers very kindly told us some of their recent experiences while we sat out in the pretty, little garden belonging to the bungalow which they have rented. At first they were missionaries in Algeria, but last fall they were sent to Egypt by their missionary society in England to learn a little of the Arabic, preparatory to going as missionaries to Jidda. They started to Jidda this spring, expecting to stay only long enough to see what the conditions there were, that they would have to meet. They found their most intense opposition among the English authorities who were afraid of the natives in case they found out that missionaries were among them. Because they (the Millers) were not able to secure lodging they only stayed in Jidda a little over a week, but the number of testaments and tracts that they were able to distribute and that in many cases were gratefully received by the natives, are certainly testimonies to the fact that people are wanting to know of “The Way.” Mr. Miller expects to go back to Jidda early next fall but Mrs. Miller will remain here for a time at least. Mr. Miller was at our Derb il Ibrahim S.S. yesterday morning. We had them both in to our house 6) for supper one evening before they left for Jidda. This afternoon I went out to the Girls’ College again - walked out, - but it is getting too warm to do that very much now, for which I am sorry because I enjoyed the exercise. The (little) girl is getting along splendidly with her two selections. Their Commencement is to be on Friday evening of this week and I hope to attend. Only those who receive invitations can attend. Sara brought me back in the College Car. She and Miss Atchison had some shopping to do this afternoon so I just went around with them to the various stores before returning home. On tomorrow and Wed. afternoons Sara is coming in after me in the car and is going to bring me home again after that little private tutoring is finished. So you see I can be grateful to Elizabeth Communos, the girl who is getting the tutoring, for getting me some free rides. Miss Hamilton arrived home from Tanta Hospital this morning and they say that she is looking quite well. Mrs. Coventry will likely be home tomorrow or the next day, and Avis and Edna may be home in another week or so. Mrs. Quay was moved from the Hospital to the Clelands on yesterday morning. Mr. Quay is now sick with tonsillitis. Assiut College closed last week I think it was. I saw Mr. Spencer from Assiut College on the street today. His two years as a short-term teacher is up and he leaves soon for his home in Wooster, Ohio. Ever since last Sat. Miss Whiteside and Miss Wilson from Luxor have been staying at our house, occupying Evelyn McFarland's room. Evelyn is head of our house in Mrs. Coventry's absence, so she is 7) occupying Mrs. Coventry's room. Her job is one that I don't covet but it may fall on me sometime, as Mrs. Coventry gives the girls turns at keeping house while she is away. Evelyn has gotten along famously and everything is running perhaps smoother than when Mrs. Coventry was here. We are expecting our two visitors to leave for Ramle sometime before Friday, when three Sudan ladies, the two Grove sisters and Miss McKenzie, are expected to arrive to stay for two weeks or so at our house. Our house seems to be a general stopping off place and I am selfish enough to be glad that my bed is only a three-quarters size; otherwise I would feel it my duty to have a bedfellow when guests are here. Sometime the last of last week Mrs. Prof. R.S. McClanahan had all of her teeth extracted and was feeling very miserable on Sat. and Sabbath but is better now. Mother will know how to sympathize with her. The doctor blamed the rheumatism she had been having on her teeth. I imagine you have been reading in the home papers something about the demonstrations that have been taking place in Egypt during these days. There have been one or two quite serious ones in Tanta and Alexandria the last few days: a mob of riffraff got started and didn't know where to stop; but nothing so serious has taken place in Cairo. The English are beginning to take a hand in matters now, since there was an attack made yesterday in Alexandria against some foreigners - Greeks, etc. The policy of the English was to keep out of all political matters as long as (over) there was no demonstration made against the foreigners. I hear now that they have taken full military control of Alex. over into their hands. I think that probably the fact that there are no trams running in Cairo has kept some things from happening that might otherwise have happened. But in fact I know very little about political conditions here just now. I am never at all afraid and I am so glad to hear that you are not anxious about me. As yet we have had no reason to be afraid. It is time for bed, so Goodnight. Lots of love to each one of “my family” from Dora. |