Around the World to Persia
Letters

BY

KATE JACKSON

Eci

YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

The gift of
Charles Cutler Torrey
Professor of Semitic Languages
Yale Litt. D. 1934 (Hon.)
1950

J^^ J^

AROUND THE WORLD TO
PERSIA

AROUND THE WORLD TO
PERSIA

LETTERS WRITTEN WHILE ON THE JOURNEY AS A
MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN-PERSIAN
RELIEF COMMISSION IN 1918

BY
KATE JACKSON
(Mrs. a. V. Williams Jackson)

NEW YORK
Printed Only For Private Circulation
Among Friends
1920
All rights reserved

Copyright, 1920
By KATE JACKSON

Led 2)

%k

PRESS OF
THE NEW ERA PRINTING COMPANY
LANCASTER, PA.

PREFATORY NOTE
These letters were written by my wife to her sister, Mrs.
William N. Pratt, of Savannah, Georgia, while we were on
our way around the world in wartime to Persia as members
of the American-Persian Relief Commission in 1918. Al
though quite personal in character, they present a picture of
experiences under somewhat unusual conditions and during a
very memorable period. They are reproduced here exactly
as they were written, with hardly a word altered, and only a
few copies have been printed, not for publication, but to be
given to some special friends who had expressed a desire to
read them.
A. V. Williams Jackson
New York,
August I, 1920

LETTER I
JAPANWARD
On board the S. S. "Katori Maru"
June i6th, 1918.
Dear Nannie: —
So far the trip has been fine. We sailed at noon June 7th.
and not a single qualm have I had. The ocean seems very big
and lonely, for we have not seen a solitary vessel ; but our own
is most comfortable. It is not very large, so the passengers
come in contact a good deal, but they are a very nice lot. We
have British naval officers, English civilians connected in
some way with the Orient, Canadians, French, Americans,
Danes, Japs, a diplomat from Chili, the Swedish Ambassador
to Japan and in the second class, some Russians. Our cabin
is quite large, and besides a cupboard, a chest of drawers and
ourselves, contains three steamer trunks, two hat boxes, and
six large bags, all, as you know, packed to bursting point. We
are scarcely even conscious there of the machinery, and as
both the dining-room and the Social Hall are equally quiet, it
is easy to read and work. We four, Dr. Cook, Mr. McDowell
and ourselves have a table in a corner and are waited on by a
splendid steward. We all do full justice to the excellent
meals, never forgetting the compressed meat tablets, in our
trunks, for future use.
Queer things happen far from home and we have actually
lost a day. Friday June 14th. did not exist. Fortunately for
Mr. McDowell, it was not the " Sabbath ", as he is looking
forward to holding service this a. m.
Last Sunday he had a little service in his cabin for just us
four; he is as good as gold, a staunch Presbyterian, and with

Around the World to Persia

a very keen sense of humor and as a teller of good stories, he
can't be beat. Dr. Cook is one of the most lovable men I ever
met, and we are both devoted to him already.
We expect to arrive in Yokohama on the 21st. and I hope,
go by train to Nagasaki, spending about a week in Japan.
Through a mistake, our tickets on this boat were taken only
to Kobe, but we hope to be able to rejoin it at Nagasaki and
go to Hong Kong. There we shall probably have to wait
some time for a boat to India. Unfortunately the rainy sea
son will still be on in Japan and I fear in India likewise, so if
we want to see anything of the former country, we shall have
to brave rain and heat. If only all the trip were to be as easy
as this !
After luncheon. — The service was very nice, the luncheon
afterwards, as acceptable as ever. Oh! the languages in this
world; one hardly realizes how many there are till one ap
proaches the Orient. Will and I study Persian every day, and
I help him, also, with French; the former seems difficult to
me particularly as it is read and spoken backwards.
Dr. Judson, President of the University of Chicago has
consented to join the Mission and we are all delighted ; I only
hope all will go well. Since writing the above, we have had
a wireless from a member of the party at Yokohama and he
informs us he has accommodation for us all on a P. and O.
steamer sailing from Hong Kong July 14th. When one makes
a trip of this kind, it really does not seem half as far as ap
pears when one talks it over at home ; I find it hard to believe,
though that, all going well, I shall walk on Japanese soil in a
little over thirty-six hours. This part of the trip has been so
delightful, I hate to think of it ending. Not seeing the papers,
makes the war seem less vivid, and the perfect rest we have
had has been simply fine. The air has been quite cold all the
6

Japanward

way, only to-day becoming warmer. From Japan on, the heat
will be bad and will become almost unbearable on the Indian
coast and in the Persian Gulf. If we have to wait any time in
India we shall be obliged to go to the Hills.
Perhaps we shall have to sleep on the boat at Yokohama,
as we understand every hotel is crowded with Russian refu
gees. Tokio is only half an hour from there and I believe
Kyoto is not very far from Kobe. Nagasaki is down in the
South, so we ought to see a little bit of Japan anyhow. I am
terribly afraid we shall miss Fujiyama, as if it be rainy no
mountain will show itself. Lovingly,
Katewill.

LETTER II
GLIMPSES OF THE ISLAND KINGDOM
On board the " Katori Maru "
June 30th, 1918
Dear Nannie : —
I thought it best not to begin a letter to you on land as there
were so many interruptions. We landed on the 21st at Yoko
hama in the most terrific downpour, and as they said it was
the rainy season, I feared we should never see the sun. The
next day, however, was beautiful. Yokohama is essentially
a port, so we went to Tokyo to stay. Electric trams run
every few minutes between the two cities, taking about fifty
minutes. I am sorry to say we did not see much of Japan, for, as this
is not a pleasure trip, we had always to be on hand for busi
ness connected with our Relief Mission. After a long session
at the Embassy on Saturday, Will and I were free to spend
that afternoon in sight-seeing and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
The jinrikisha, which carried us almost everywhere is not a
vehicle much to our taste; it is built for the narrow Japanese
and not for great hulks like us. I also objected to being drawn
by a human being, though Will's tips apparently caused the
biped not to share my objections. On this wonderful June
afternoon, our first jaunt was to Shiba Park, where we saw a
couple of mortuary temples of the Shoguns. They were small
but beautiful, with lovely painted ceilings and some very ex
quisite carved wooden panels. As usual, the exterior inter
ested me almost more than the interior; there were rows of
gray stone lanterns, five or six feet high, in which they place
lights, I suppose on festival days. As we stood at the top of a

Glimpses of the Island Kingdom

flight of stone steps and looked at one of the temples, it
formed a never-to^be-forgotten picture. Its faded red walls
and pale green roof, the pine trees with bright green grass at
their base and the blue sky overhead, all so soft in coloring,
made a charming combination. Later in the afternoon, we
were trundled in our baby-carriages to Ueno Park which must
be wonderful in cherry-blossom time. We went into a mu
seum, but were more interested in the grounds. The black
rocks, with pink azalea bushes and dwarf trees arranged just
in the right way on the loveliest green grass, pleased us so, it
was hard to go back to the perambulators.
Saturday night, we went to a sort of a Coney Island.
Streets filled with small shops, cafes, side-shows, etc. We
went into a people's theatre, 5 cts. entrance, and it certainly
was interesting; the house was simply packed with the hum
blest kind of people and just as many as could stand, even
crowded in, the best fire-trap you ever saw. It was a kind of
vaudeville and some of the acting was excellent, but we were
sorry we could not understand the bantering of the audience;
everyone did enjoy it so. After we had seen enough, we went
to a high-class theatre and as the hour was late they let us in
for nothing; fancy that in New York! The costumes of the
actors were beautiful, but the tragedy, as it seemed to be, we
found very funny.
Sunday, we went to an American church which bore the
high-sounding title of Cathedral, but alas! there were only
seventeen people for two ministers to attend to. Afterwards,
Dr. Cook, Dr. McDowell and we lunched informally with
Ambassador and Mrs. Morris; they are charming, both of
them, and much liked by everyone in Tokyo. He is very
clever, a thorough gentleman, and very genial, and she is the

Around the World to Persia

kind of American woman one likes foreigners to see; she
looked so dainty in a lovely lilac linen gown.
At 8.30 Monday morning, we were received by an old
Japanese nobleman, formerly a prominent statesman; some
one interpreted for him, so the conversation was not thrilling.
Tea was served and the old fellow handed me a bouquet of
roses ; then we left the European room in which we had talked,
and went into the loveliest Japanese reception-room which
opened on the garden. Oh! how beautiful this latter was. I
should have loved to remain in it for hours.
We have not had a successful time shopping; ready-made
clothes are expensive, besides, they don't grow them for peo
ple our size. We went into a very pretty department store in
Tokyo, not nearly as large as ours. The floors were all cov
ered with matting so they put covers over our shoes ; the Japa
nese slip off their wooden sandals and patter about in their
thick stockings, which have a division between the big toe and
the others. You can't fancy how funny it sounds in railroad
stations and on the pavements to hear the clattering noise these
hundreds of flopping shoes make. The people are very quiet
and well-behaved and their curiosity is always respectful ; but
when I tried on kimonos it was too much for them; clerks
and shoppers stood at attention until the purchase was com
pleted. We got pretty tired of Tokyo, but we had to wait until
Prince Arthur of Connaught left, before the British Ambas
sador could be seen. Mr. Morris, who has been most kind,
arranged an interview for Dr. Cook, Dr. McDowell and Will ;
both Ambassadors have promised to keep us informed should
they get news of Persia. The last was most disquieting but
we thought we had better get on to Bombay as it would be
easier to make plans there. 10

Glimpses of the Island Kingdom

Accordingly, we left for Kobe on the 27th, fortunately we
had already caught a glimpse of Fuji, for the morning was
too cloudy to give us the view we longed for. The scenery
most of the way was very fine, mountains, ocean, bays, and,
everywhere, rice fields; the latter were all flooded and were
even just outside the houses, yet they say there is no malaria
in Japan. The country was dotted with temples, and there
were many hamlets so inclosed with trees and hedges, I should
think the people would smother. We passed through Kyoto,
but unfortunately could not stop, for it is, I believe, the most
interesting city in Japan. I should like to see that and Nikko,
and that would be enough of this country for me, as there is a
great sameness about it. Kobe was nothing, but we had a
letter from Mr. Morse to Mr. Shea of the American Trading
Co., a man Jack worked with, and he was most attractive.
We also looked up Mr. Eraser, a Scotchman we crossed with
seven years ago, little thinking when he asked us then to let
him know if we went to Kobe, that that place would ever see
us. Mr. F. lunched with us and was most agreeable.
The boat's departure was delayed several times, but we got
on at 5 o'clock p. m. and sailed at daybreak, Saturday. We
were glad to get back on board, and it was very nice to be most
cordially greeted by these excellent servants. Our fellow-
passengers are very agreeable — no bores who insist on weary
ing you, but everyone takes care of himself. We are rather
running to diplomats ; besides the two Ambassadors in Tokyo,
we got to know the Swedish Minister and his family, and now
we have met the Italian Minister to Siam and his mother who
is English and a sister-in-law of the late Lord Pauncefote,
Ambassador to America (Hay-Pauncefote treaty, you re
member). II

Around the World to Persia

Monday, July ist. — Yesterday, a fog detained us for sev
eral hours after we started, but we resumed our voyage about
12.30 and such a glorious treat in the way of scenery I have
rarely had as in this Inland Sea. There are hundreds of
islands, all sizes, and with picturesque rocks, and beautifully
green. There were only a few villages to be seen, but dozens
and dozens of fishing-boats with square sails. About 5.30 we
neared Nagasaki which we left at 12 to-day, and a more won
derfully beautiful harbor I have never seen, unless it be that
of Naples. We ought to have gone ashore last night as there
was a picturesque temple and a fine view; but neither of us
felt energetic. Will went in this morning and found the place
uninteresting, but helped out his meagre tropical wardrobe
with some silk shirts. It is going to be so frightfully hot
from now on. I should have liked one week in Japan to spend
as I pleased ; but that I think would be enough. I have trav
elled so much and done such a lot of conscientious sight-seeing,
I find my enthusiasm is somewhat worn out. I have enjoyed
meeting people from other countries, and have heard a great
deal of interesting conversation; but as this letter has to pass
two censors, there is no use passing it on. This is by no means
a pleasure trip, as was our last wonderful visit to the Orient,
so I find it quite impossible to write anything interesting. I
can only hope that all of you who read this letter, will be
lenient and will try with your own imaginations to fill in the
unwritten voids. Lovingly
Katewill.
P. S. Fancy my forgetting our earthquake which was a
very respectable one. One evening in Tokyo, at 10.50 p. m.
just as we were about to retire, the door began to shake. I
12

Glimpses of the Island Kingdom

thought it very extraordinary in this muggy, rainy season, a
sudden wind should spring up ; then the windows rattled, and
finally when the electric lamps swung. Will and I simultane
ously exclaimed : " An earthquake ! " For a minute the house
rocked quite violently, and the sensation was like being on the
deck of a steamer during a storm. Our chief sensation, how
ever, was that of curiosity, so there was no place for fear.
The next morning, our table boy assured us, it was only a little
earthquake !

13

LETTER III
FROM SHANGHAI TO HONG KONG Hong Kong,
July II, 1918.
Dear Nannie : —
I mailed you a letter from Shanghai where we spent a
couple of days. We stopped, if you please, at the Astor House,
and a very poor hotel it was. The city was quite lively, with
good but very expensive shops, and many fine residences.
One afternoon we drove out to St. John's University, a lovely
place with fine grounds. Mr. Pott, the President, was a class
mate of Will's, but unfortunately, he was not at home. Be
fore this, we were very pleasantly entertained by a friend of
Dr. Cook, the representative of the U. S. Steel Co., and it cer
tainly was nice to dine at a home table once more.
When the time came for our departure from Shanghai, and
we and a large number of bags were put into a ramshackle
little cab, we expected to reach our steamer in a few minutes,
but the driver and the groom who always goes along, mis
understood directions and took us to the R. R. station. Will
shrieked " Katori Maru " Nippon, Yusen Kaisha, the name of
our boat and Company. Naturally they did not understand,
so I hit on the idea of yelling " Hong Kong boat." — Well, for
one hour and a half those celestials drove us about Shanghai.
I think we passed through red light, white light, and no light
districts, asking the Sikh policemen who understood no Eng
lish and invariably sent us in the wrong direction. We hesi
tated to go back to the hotel, as we feared it was miles away.
14

From Shanghai to Hong Kong

Finally we reached a boat, dismissed the cab and proceeded to
go on board, when we discovered it was not our boat at all.
Fortunately there were jinrikishas handy and, with a pack of
howling coolies clamoring for more pay, we finally piled in
the bags and reached the "Katori" and our somewhat wor
ried friends.
The next morning at 7.30, seventeen Parsis came on board.
They said flattering things to Will and we told them how nice
we thought they were. Then they presented me with a beau
tiful basket of flowers, gave Will a bouquet, took our pictures
and departed. It was a pleasant incident, and reminded us of
India seven years ago.
It took us from Friday to Monday to get here to Hong
Kong. If Nagasaki harbor is lovely, this is one of the grand
est I have ever seen; there is an outer harbor and an inner,
with mountains all around. The town is built at the base and
on the side of a high mountain called The Peak, the view from
which is superb.
We are at a very comfortable hotel, and electric fans keep
us alive. Not that the heat is so unbearable, but the humidity
is; walking with any comfort is quite out of the question, so
we are forced to turn to the human horses. Another vehicle
is added to our list here, — a chair on poles borne by two bear
ers on their shoulders. I dislike the motion very much. We
went up to Government House to write our names in the book.
Such an ideally situated residence! The Governor and Lady
May are at present in their summer home on the Peak, and
we have been invited by them to luncheon to-morrow. Our
Consul and his wife, very agreeable people, are to be there.
To-day, we took a motor ride around part of the Island;
we went through several villages, simply swarming with
IS

Around the World to Persia

humanity, and in addition, there were loads of people on dirty
little house-boats. But the scenery, the combination of sea
and mountains, was very grand. In cooler weather, it must
be delightful here, for the place is attractive even now.
Three Parsis called at once on us, and if our boat does not
sail till Sunday, Will is to speak to them Saturday ; they are all
so crazy to hear about their own religion. To prevent us
from feeling life is all "beer and skittles", we have both had
to go to a dentist. Heaven knows what his bill will be, as the
prices here are fearful, and one could not blame too much any
one who would take a good whack at a stranger. A hair cut
costs 60 cts. the cheapest umbrella Dr. Cook could find was
$8.00. A serge suit that cost about $22.00 in Tokyo, cost
$45.00 here, and so it goes. The money is curious, — Mexican
dollars, which are worth between 83 cts. and 88 cts. Ex
change varies daily, and people are growing rich on it. An
other annoying thing is, that the small money of Shanghai is
no good at Hong Kong, and every time you change, you lose.
Friday, July 12. — Luncheon to-day at "Mountain Lodge",
the summer residence of the Governor, was very delightful.
We went up in the cable train, and then were carried for about
fifteen minutes, up hill. My men were the only ones that had
to rest. So very mortifying ! The view from the top is won
derful beyond words, and we had a perfect day. An aide met
us at the door, and immediately told us where we were to sit
at luncheon. Then we were received in the drawing room by
the Governor and Lady May. He is very good looking and
quiet. She vivacious and perfectly charming, most informal,
and with the delightful art of putting one at once at ease.
Both are Irish. There were nine guests besides us, and I sat
at the Governor's right. Just before luncheon was over (and
16

From Shanghai to Hong Kong

a mighty good one it was) , he rose and raising his wine-glass
said : " The King and the President of the United States."
Then we all repeated it after him. I told him I loved to hear
those two names linked together and he said something com
plimentary. You can't think how kind all the British officials
have been to us, to say nothing of private individuals. We
have already received an invitation to visit in Burmah, should
we return in a leisurely way.
We now expect to leave here the 13th or 14th for Bombay,
touching at Singapore and Colombo. Some people say Bom
bay will be much hotter than this, some think not so hot. I
devoutly hope the latter. We have no idea what our plans will
be after reaching Bombay, as others and not we will decide
them. Of our present hopes, fears and anxieties I will say
nothing, as the former may be realized, and the latter out of
the way. Will and I are perfectly well, thank Heaven.
Will had a long, long Parsi visit this afternoon, and he is
having another now, 7 P. M. ! ! Truly he is revered by the
followers of Zoroaster.
I hope all is going well with all of you ; there is no use ask
ing questions, for I'd never get an answer. I don't know when
we shall receive mail, which is particularly hard on the men
whose wives are in America. Can't you fancy what the chief
occupation of this wife is? Looking after her husband's
clothes. Ten minutes after we arrived here, a small, quiet
little man glided in, Sam Cheong, a tailor, and the same figure
has been gliding in and out of our room at the most inoppor
tune moments ever since. Dressing times are awful, a race
between clean clothes and the perspiration which so quickly
succeeds in ruining them, — a wild search for collars and pre
cious white ties, which we got at the loc store at home, and

17

Around the World to Persia

which cost 75c here. My own clothes, thanks to you, are ade
quate, and tell Gertrude her lovely dress began its seventh
summer to-day. Love to all from,
Katewill.
P. S. 7.15 P. M. and another visit from the inopportune,
Sam Cheong ! !

18

LETTER IV
SINGAPORE S. S. "Dunera"
Singapore, July 22, 1918.
Dear Nannie: —
It seems about a month since we left Hong Kong, but in
reality it was a week ago yesterday ! The day before we left,
Will lectured to the Parsis in a part of the dining-room.
Afterwards, tea was served and we were presented with huge
bouquets and dismissed with " three cheers for Professor and
Mrs. Jackson"!
On Sunday morning we boarded the above mentioned ves
sel; a delegation of Parsis did the same, bringing more
bouquets. There is a very sad difference between this boat and the
"Katori", but we had heard such dreadful accounts of her,
we think she is a little better than we expected. The discom
fort is, however, very great and I can't bear the thought of a
seven day's trip to Colombo, particularly when the element of
danger is not entirely lacking. There are rumors of German
raiders. Tuesday, July s^rd. — We reached our dock Sunday about
noon and were greeted by a Persian gentleman, a Moham
medan, and a Parsi. The former turns out to be a very
wealthy man, and his hospitality to us knows no bounds. He
had us all for luncheon Sunday, took us in his motor to his
bungalow by the sea, where we had tea, then for a drive. We
passed through rubber plantations and groves of cocoanut
palms, small Chinese villages, (for most of the population here
19

Around the World to Persia

seems to be Chinese), then went to the Botanical Gardens
where we saw some wonderful plants, among others a high
cockscomb of vivid cerise deepening into wine-color, that just
fascinated us. Our host wanted some of us to stay in hig
bungalow, but we thought we would go back to the boat. —
Such a night ! Our cabin was stifling, so we tried sleeping in
our chairs on deck, and hardly slept at all. Consequently, we
reconsidered our refusal, and four of us have come to this de
lightful spot.
A large lawn, finished off by a balustrade, leads right to the
beach, and a stiff breeze has been blowing ever since we have
been here. I dearly love the sea when I am on terra firma,
and it is delightful to sit here on our broad verandah and
watch the many ships. Everything in the house is arranged
with a view to keeping cool, so it is something of a problem
to me to know how I can dress without having all the house
hold see me. The servants creep up so softly, they scare the
life out of me, and they appear at all of the doors.
I wish I could fitly describe this lovely spot. To-night,
before dinner. Dr. Cook, Will and I sat on a bench by the
water; the moon will be full to-morrow, so rose early and
cast a brilliant light over the sea and land, making the cocoa-
nut palms look especially picturesque. The " Southern Cross "
was on hand, and though it is not a very brilliant constella
tion, I like its name and all it signifies, tropical evenings, new
surroundings, etc. So I greeted it cordially. I never sup
posed I should see it again.
Last night our host gave us a wonderful dinner in his beau
tiful house in town. We went at six but dinner was not served
till eight. I was asked to go upstairs to the ladies, who were
all very prettily dressed and greeted me most cordially; a
friend of the hostess, a Parsi lady, spoke English and Hin-
20

Singapore

dustani, so she did the translating. I expressed great admira
tion of the house and the view, and was immediately told it
was all mine! — I don't quite know what I should do with it,
one of the largest places in Singapore, in our 4x6 cabin on
the " Dunera " ! These poor Mohammedan women have to
live the most secluded lives and can see no men but their rela
tives. The consequence was, this bold, bad Westerner dined
with fourteen men, without any feminine support. I sat next
to our Consul-General, a very nice man, whose wife called on
me this morning at one of the hotels, as we are 8 miles from
town here ; hence the call there.
Wednesday. — It certainly was heavenly here last night, but
one is never to have everything all right. Dr. Cook has a
feverish cold, and I am having trouble with a tooth. Should
we ever reach Bombay, Dr. Wanless tells me I shall find an
excellent dentist. Dr. W. has been a medical missionary in
India for twenty-nine years. He ranks very high as a sur
geon and among other feats has operated six thousand times
for cataract. He is a very nice man, and yesterday. Will and
I brought him out to see Dr. Cook, and he stayed with me for
luncheon. Will, Dr. Cook and Dr. McDowell being invited
to Government House. As our Consul did not mention me, I
was not bidden, a small loss as far as the entertainment goes,
but I was sorry not to see the house and grounds, which made
a great impression on the men. To-day we have lots to do
and "our" car is waiting for us now. The Consul and his
wife want us for tea, and we must do the polite to our host,
then there are other calls, and shopping; (Will buys collars,
of course, at every port!) It is hard to get the things one
wants; for instance, Dr. Cook insisted on my having a sun
helmet to come ashore in here, and I could find only one in
Hong Kong. Such a horror ! it is a trial to wear it. Stop-
21

Around the World to Persia

ping in these ports for several days reminds me of week-end
visits at home. All the clothes one needs have to be left be
hind as they won't get in the bag, and of course, an extra hat
is out of the question. Fancy my appearing at a tea in a sun
helmet ! Such an extinguisher, it is a case of " cherchez la
femme ".
As I look out across the lawn at the blue ocean and the sail
boats with their reddish brown sails, it is hard to think of re
turning this evening to that awful ship. But go we must. It
will take a week to reach Colombo. May we get there safely !
Like its predecessors, this is a stupid letter, but it will at least
let you know what we are doing. I have not time to describe
to you the many nice English people we have met; the spirit
of the women is superb, for without exception, they have all
lost some one dear to them. We have already received most
cordial invitations to visit in various places, and given in a
very genuine way.
I do hope you are all well. We have of course, heard from
no one. Love, much love to you all, from
Katewill.

22

LETTER V
CEYLON TO BOMBAY
Hotel "Taj Mahal".
Bombay August 12, 1918.
Dear Nannie: —
It seems strange, after seven years, to be again writing you
from Bombay and this hotel. We got here on the sixth, sixty-
six days after leaving New York !
Of Ceylon, I had only a glimpse of Colombo for a day, com
bined with a visit to the lovely seashore at Livinia ; the rest of
our journey through the Island had to be made at night. The
next place we stopped at was Madura in Southern India.
There is a very celebrated Hindu temple there which we found
most interesting. There are several high and very elaborately
carved towers, sort of gateways, and below, long, mostly dark
passages, with many carved gods and goddesses, before whom
the people prostrate themselves, rubbing oil from the figures
on their foreheads — the same with the dust. We had a guide
and were followed by two or three dozen curious Hindus,
many of whom begged. While I was looking at something.
Dr. Cook exclaimed : " What next ! look Mrs. Jackson ! " I
turned my head, and there, two feet from me, was a big ele
phant, who gracefully picked up a coin which he handed to
his keeper.
We stayed half a day in Madura, and left at midnight for
Tanjore, to see another temple. I think it was one of the
loveliest things I ever saw in my life. The first glimpse of
the mud walls of the moat, with a gorgeous flamboyant tree
23

Around the World to Persia

(bright scarlet blossoms) here and there, delighted us, but
when we saw the gateways and towers of the temple, far less
grotesquely carved than those of Madura, and passed into
the court, we were fascinated. Before the principal tower
there was a huge granite bull, in front of which was a bronze
pillar with several small bells ; the musical sounds they emitted
when swayed by the breeze and the songs of the birds were the
only noise. The place was quite empty, except for a few tem
ple servants, and with its soft coloring, which blended so beau
tifully with trees and sky, it formed a never-to-be-forgotten
picture. I spent there the most restful hour I have ever known
in India.
Tanjore possesses one of the finest Sanskrit libraries in the
world — such a quiet spot in which to work. I wished Will
could have frequent access to such a place. The librarian had,
of course, heard of him and was delighted to make his ac
quaintance. We started out to do our sight-seeing, in, I think,
the one carriage Tanjore possessed. After many narrow es
capes, this vehicle collapsed altogether and we had to take to
bullock carts, squatting most uncomfortably in this small cov
ered conveyance. That was once when the Jacksons did not
travel together, as no bullock's back could stand dragging both
of us!
As we had not been able to make reservations, we had to
travel second class to Madras; each carriage was supposed to
provide sleeping-space for two, but in reality some two thou
sand wingless beasts rode free, and we supplied them with
meals! Such a night we had, and for two days afterwards,
we kept each other informed as to our finds.
We had a day in Madras, a place prominent commercially I
believe, but not especially interesting, so I was glad to get on
another train, this time, in a first-class compartment. It took
24

Ceylon to Bombay

us about forty hours to get to Bombay, and the trip was de
lightfully cool.
Think of us being back here after seven years, and this time,
under such changed conditions. Then we were quite inde
pendent and carefree, with new clothes and plenty of enthu
siasm. Now, we are not independent, my clothes leave much
to be desired, and as one Parsi woman said to me : " You look
quite different ! "
However obscure W. may be in other parts of the world,
he is a big man in Bombay, and we are always on " dress-
parade ". There is someone the day through, knocking at the
door — card after card, message after message, until I am
almost frantic. Visitors used to come right up, but we have
tried to stop that. The endless procession of servants we
cannot stop, so it is impossible to get any rest. The hotel has
many officers here on leave. No one, I think, is here, who is
not in some way concerned in the war. The atmosphere is not
depressing, however, and an orchestra plays twice daily. The
other night there was dancing, and the beautiful waltzes were
too much for us. Many pounds heavier though we be, we
danced till the orchestra ceased.
Our life here is one round of business and social engage
ments. One afternoon we were entertained by a wealthy Per
sian, a connection of our Singapore friend. His house was
beautiful, with a huge drawing-room on both floors, and large
marble- tiled verandahs on both sides of these rooms. It was
a Mohammedan household so our host took me upstairs to the
ladies of whom there were several. My hostess was sweet
and spoke a little English. One of her relatives spoke perfect
English so I got along all right. This latter played some
weird Oriental music for me on a Persian instrument called a
sitar; she had a fistful of diamonds on her breast that prob-
25

Around the World to Persia

ably cost several years of my Professor's salary, and she, as
well as the other ladies, was beautifully dressed in their pretty
native costumes.
After leaving Madras, I broke out into an ugly rash, so
went to see a Parsi doctor at his hospital. He did not take in
at first who Will was, but when it dawned on him, such enthu
siasm ! When I came back into his office from the dressing-
room, he said to me : " I did not know your husband was the
great Professor Jackson ! " Of course, he would take no
remuneration. We went out another day and had tea with
him and his wife.
One afternoon. Sir Dorabji and Lady Tata gave a reception
for us in this hotel, which, by the way, they own. They were
going to Poona the next day for the rest of the season, and as
the house-keeper and most of the staff of servants had left.
Lady Tata apologized for not having us at her house. The
Tatas are among the great merchant princes of the East and
are enormously wealthy and very charitable.
The lecture was a great success. It did seem as though we
must be back in 191 1, except that another hall was used, for
everything else was the same. Mr. Warden, a very dear old
Parsi friend, came for us in his car, and as soon as Will and
I entered the hall the audience of one thousand broke into ap
plause. My heart sank at seating my ugly, enormous self on
the platform, but there was no help for it, and tell Gertrude,
after seven years, her dress again got stared at by hundreds
of eyes. The only hat I could find here was a large pink one !
Did you ever hear of anything so girlish? I used to think a
husband must feel horribly mortified when his ugly old wife
put on youthful garments; but bless you! my dear man was
daft about that hat. But to return to more interesting matters.
The High Priest presided, as Sir Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy,
26

Ceylon to Bombay

the leading Parsi here, was unavoidably late. He and Lady J.
came in later and she put garlands on us and gave us each a
bouquet to the intense enjoyment of the audience. There
were then "three cheers for Professor and Mrs. Jackson,"
and hundreds cheered us as we drove away.
We told every one we were going away for a few days, as
really the demands on us here are very great, and we are very
tired. For instance, Will worked till 4 a. m. the other night
and at 8.30, the first caller came — a Hindu who "had an axe
to grind ". The telephone man thinks Will must be very busy,
for every one is asking for Professor Jackson.
You remember our so often mentioning Mr. Wilson, the
banker, an old friend? Well, he gave us a beautiful dinner
at the Yacht Club. One of the guests is the cathedral organist,
with photography as his hobby, and we went after dinner to
his rooms where he showed us some wonderful photographs
of India, from which he had made lantern slides.
Tomorrow Will is lunching with our Consul — a very agree
able man from Tennessee. Our plans are not yet made,
though we may be able to go to Persia shortly. In these war
times, the difficulties of travelling are almost insurmountable;
in our own case, matters are complicated by having to cable
for instructions.
Dr. Judson is not yet here and a good many official things
will have to be attended to by him. The other day the Gov
ernor-General of Bombay, Lord Willingdon, received Dr.
Cook and Will most informally; they were delighted with
him and he was most kind. Both he and his wife are very
popular. I sometimes feel very apprehensive about the future; dan
ger, of course, there will be — and my one great prayer is, that
I will not have to let Will go without me. We are getting
27

Around the World to Persia

restless here, and I, with my meagre wardrobe, am put to it to
know what to wear. The dressmakers are all busy, but yes
terday, we found a Hindu store where I ordered a dress. You
should have seen Will and me poring for over an hour over
some funny, antiquated English fashion magazines. I don't
know what the result will be !
To-day Bombay is beflagged to celebrate the successes on
the Western Front, so I have hung out our flag — ^blessed piece
of bunting ! Two of the young members took me to the movies
the other night while Will was at a dinner, and they were as
happy as children because the feature was made in America.
I have written this letter under all sorts of difficulties, so
please forgive all faults. I do hope the Committee in New
York has kept you informed of our whereabouts. We have
not the slightest idea when we shall be able to start for home,
nor do we know where letters will reach us, as we may or may
not get to Teheran. Perhaps, Care of American Consul,
Bombay, will be the best address, though this is no longer the
last civilized place in these parts. We are told the British have
done wonders in Mesopotamia. The country has produced
an enormous crop, and Baghdad, if you please, is lighted by
electricity ! I believe the next undertaking will be water-pipes.
One certainly must admire the British for the way they man
age things out here.
I forgot to tell you the weather is much cooler than it was
in April 191 1, and we do not suffer at all from the heat; last
August was infinitely worse in America! This is the rainy
season, but unfortunately very little rain has fallen — a ter
rible calamity.
Well I really must stop this rambling letter. Ever so much
love for you all, from,
Katewill.
28

Ceylon to Bombay

Postscript en route to Simla, Aug. 21 — 1918. — Since writ
ing the above letter things have hummed. Will came home
just after I finished it, with the news that cables had come
from New York, from the Committee for Relief in the Near
East, and also from Persia — that our departure in the near
future for Baghdad had been arranged, and that three of us
had been invited to the Viceregal Lodge at Simla. That was
only four days ago and we are tired out with what we have
done since. Sunday, Will lunched with our Consul, Mr. Lup-
ton, who is a shrewd, agreeable fellow and has worked like a
Trojan to help us. In the afternoon, some people came to tea
with us and afterwards we went to service at the Cathedral,
which I enjoyed very much. Will's first appointment Mon
day was at 8.30, but before then, a note came from Gen. St.
John, embarkation officer, inclosing a telegram arranging for
a business interview with Sir William Marshall, the Com
mander-in-Chief of the forces in Mesopotamia. There was
also an invitation to luncheon at the Yacht Club to meet Her
Excellency, Lady Willingdon, wife of the Governor of the
Bombay Presidency. She is young, good-looking, and very
affable; told me her father was Lord Brassey and seemed
pleased I had read "The Voyage. of the Sunbeam". She told
Will she was sorry we had not time to go and stay with them
at Poona, where they are now residing.
Will foolishly sat up all night, trying to finish an address
for a Parsi meeting, then could not do so. He was very tired
yesterday yet we had to leave at 2.20. Mr. Wilson got us a
servant, a Goanese named John Simon Anthony, with a pleas
ant smile and no sense. I had to see people till 10.30 then took
a cab, bought a trunk and other necessaries and began pack
ing and repacking with John's meagre aid; such a morning I
hope never to live through again, and we just caught the train

29

Around the World to Persia

by three minutes ! One other man is with us and I think we
shall all feel relieved when our viceregal visit is over. The
summer capital is Simla and we thought it might be necessary
to go there, but never dreamed of having to visit. It is forty-
eight hours from Bombay and we must return as soon as pos
sible. Conditions in Persia are awful. Dr. Shedd (whom
we met once at the Yohannans) and several others have died
of cholera. I had not expected to do much active relief work,
for Will was sent for work of a different kind; but now we
shall probably have to do any and everything and at the very
greatest risk. The British officials have been wonderful to us,
and I have found them very attractive; some of them, whom
we have met in India, I am looking forward to meeting again
in " Mespot " Well, we are in for it and must do our best.
Worlds of love to you all, from,
Katewill.
P. S.
Dr. Cook is ill, so Will is now temporary Chairman.

30

LETTER VI
AT THE VICEREGAL LODGE, SIMLA
Viceregal Lodge,
Simla. August 22, — 1918.
Dear Nannie: —
It all seems too wonderful to be true! We had to change
cars at 5.45 a. m., and the decent dress I had in my bag could
not be put on just before we reached Simla, for there were
two men in the compartment besides Will. So the two aides
who met us had to put up with my old clothes. As the train
stopped, a servant in scarlet came to the window, and we got
out of the car and were met by two very agreeable aides. We
then got in jinrikishas drawn by two men, and pushed by
two others, up a very steep hill to the Lodge, a big place.
Servants galore and a major-domo stood like statues, while
our panting rikisha-men dashed up to the entrance. We had
luncheon with the aides and were then shown to our rooms, a
beautiful suite; two bed-rooms, two baths, drawing-room, and
all so wonderfully comfortable. It seemed like Paradise to
me after eighty-two days of steamers, trains, hotels (mostly
poor), dirt, and heat, to get into this heavenly place with its
cool air, and this palace, with truly " every comfort of home ".
After a little rest, we dressed and came down to tea. The
aide said four o'clock, not earlier, and what was our horror
to see Their Excellencies going down before us, while the serv
ants waved like mad for us to hurry. I ran after Will, who
had gone after Mr. Vaile, and we tore panting into the draw
ing-room. I was so flustered when I met Their Excellencies,
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Around the World to Persia

my curtsies went completely to pieces and did not look a bit
like what I intended them to be. Such a simple kindly greet
ing, and the next minute I was telling Lady Chelmsford to
make my tea any way, but to make Will's weak. His Excel
lency asked if I would like to go to a purdah party with Lady
C, they call it keeping purdah when the women can't see any
men but their relatives. Our hostess at this party was the
daughter-in-law of a native ruler and stood at the foot of the
steps to greet Her Excellency, garbed in the most beautiful
costume. Her young son, also gorgeously attired, helped his
mother. She gave us garlands of orange blossoms when we entered
the house, and my hostess (Lady C.) introduced me to every
one as we moved forward. On the way back she asked me if
I would not like to get out of the rikisha and walk somd,
which we did, passing trees full of monkeys. Lady C. was so
sweet about my being tired, for the journey was hard, and
told me to be sure and rest before dinner.
To our intense delight, our old friends from Quetta, the
Brays, are here; he is at present private secretary to the Vice
roy, who likes him extremely, we are told. So before we
came here we had " friends at Court ".
August 2^. — I wish you could have been at the dinner last
night ; needless to say, / never attended such an one. Printed
cards were sent both Will and me, with the names of the
guests (some twenty had been invited to meet us) and a plan
of the table. We all assembled in one of the drawing-rooms
before 8.10, and promptly at 8.15 two servants drew aside
some large curtains, and the aides announced in loud tones:
" Their Excellencies ". They greeted those not of the house
hold, passing quickly around, while each of the ladies curtsied.
Then H. E. offered his arm to a lady, the Foreign Secretary
32

At the Viceregal Lodge, Simla

took me in, and while the orchestra played "God Save the
King", we went into a very large dining-room. Will sat at
Her Excellency's left, and I sat at his left. They both talked
a lot with us, and he talked to me most interestingly of India,
his hopes and wishes regarding it. Just at the close of the
meal, he rose, all doing the same, and raising his glass, said :
"The King-Emperor," everybody repeating it after him.
Then Her Excellency left the table and at the door, looked at
her husband and made a very deep curtsey — each lady did
the same, and maybe I was not scared as to what I should do.
I knew if I went too low, I'd fall down and they would have
to get a derrick to haul me up. I lived through it, anyhow,
right side up. After the gentlemen came in to the drawing-
room, the aides arranged it so that each one had a few words
with Her Excellency, and each lady with the Viceroy. Also
the ladies staying at the Lodge had different men brought up
to them. My first was Sir Charles Cleveland, Head of the
Intelligence Department. I was having a most interesting
time with him, when an inexorable aide brought up His Ex
cellency, the Commander-in-Chief of the army in India. He
was an old dear, and the aide let me have him for quite a little
while, before the next man, the Hon. Mr. Best was doomed to
provide conversation for me. Their Excellencies, on retiring,
shook hands with all, the ladies curtseying; he said to me: "I
do hope you will rest well, for you must be very tired", and
she said: "Now get a good rest and don't come down till
noon ".
Before 8, Will brought in an invitation from the Foreign
Secretary's wife. Lady Grant, asking us to luncheon on Sun
day. Shortly afterwards Her Excellency sent me a note, ask
ing if I would like to drive to town, and while we were at
breakfast her daughter, the Hon. Miss Thesiger, came in and
33

Around the World to Persia

paid us a little visit; she and her sister are dear, and a pretty
little one, about eight, is one of the brightest children I have
ever met. There is a son at school, but the eldest son, alas!
was killed in the war. They are certainly a charming family.
I was waiting in the big hall downstairs for Her Excellency,
when he came down, came towards me, shook hands (you'd
roar if you could see my curtseys) and asked how I had rested.
Then she came down, the guard presented arms, and, preceded
by outriders in scarlet, we drove in a victoria to town.
There are only three carriages allowed in Simla, as the
road (there is only one) is so narrow, so we were easily seen,
and most of the people bowed to Lady C. We went into a
jewelry store, then she asked me if I wanted to do any shop
ping. I said I wanted gloves badly but could not bother her,
but she said she loved to go into shops. When I asked about a
hat, she overheard me, and took the keenest interest — picked
out two or three, and finally advised me to get one, told the
girl how she thought it ought to be trimmed, and I wore it this
afternoon. I think my Seattle confection must have got on
her nerves and this is a real true-f or-true English one ; indeed,
if you did not see my "made in America" figure, you would
scarcely believe my ancestors sailed from England three cen
turies ago.
We lunched to-day with Mr. and Mrs. Bray and a jolly meal
it was ! Then I took tea with one Lady Barnes, and Will had
an interview at 4.30 with the Commander-in-Chief. He is
not yet back, I am sorry to say, for he is as tired as I, and that
is saying a great deal. How he has worked! particularly
since coming to India, where he has met the highest and most
important officials in the land. There are others besides me
who realize what this Mission owes to him. It was very
gratifying to hear from Mr. Bray, Their Excellencies had

34

At the Viceregal Lodge, Simla

said nice things. The Viceroy said to him: "This visit is a
success ". Mr. Vaile, a young Professor of Agriculture from
California, has been most helpful and efficient, too. Everyone
is marvellously kind and obliging; they are all so intensely
grateful for America's help in this war, they cannot do enough
for Americans. They praise President Wilson extravagantly
and they think what America has accomplished is little short
of a miracle; it is far above what they hoped. They are all
charming people and have made me care for England, as I
never did before.
His Excellency said to stay as long as we wanted, but Sunday
we return to Bombay as we are supposed to get off to Baghdad
very shortly. It will be a mad rush, coming after a most
fatiguing railway journey, and difficulties ahead are almost
insurmountable. You have no idea of them all, and some
times I wonder if we can do anything at all. Truly a month
from now life will be a different proposition from what it is
here. All hands are rejoicing (in a quiet way) over our successes
in the West, and I do hope the tide has turned at last. I was
reading the dispatches in the hall this morning, then I looked
at the portraits of Queen Victoria, the present King and
Queen, various Viceroys, and above all, the gorgeous howdah
in which Lord Hardinge was seated when someone tried to
assassinate him.
After dinner. — The same ceremony to-night as last night,
only fewer guests, I think. We again sat at the left of Their
Excellencies. He is delightful and talks to me as though he
thought I had sense; not having much, I am particularly
pleased. In speaking of the South, I told him you had once
said, that slavery might have been bad for the white man and

35

Around the World to Persia

for the negro, but that it was a mighty good thing for the
white woman. He laughed very heartily.
August 24. — This morning I drove into town with the two
girls, the elder of whom helped me to choose another hat, this
time a soft one for rough winter travel. Luncheon was very
informal. His Excellency not appearing, but I sat next to a
particularly nice aide. After luncheon. Her Excellency asked
me if I would not come up to her sitting-room; such a home
like place. Later, Will and I had tea with the Chief of the
General Staff and his wife. It was miles away and we drove
for a time, then rikishas took us down the hill and up again —
these Simla hills are awful ! Mr. Vaile had an interview with
H. E. as the aides call him and he said : " Now I want you to
tell me the truth; have we done everything you want us to?
Professor Jackson is such a lovely personality, he is so oblig
ing and so polite, I don't know whether or not he is satisfied
and .we want to help in any way in our power ". They are so
glad our Mission has arrived just at this time, their kindness
is amazing. To-night there was no dinner party, just the
Brays, no formality, no dreadful curtsey, and His Excellency
took me in. It did seem funny to be taken in by the Viceroy
of India, and of course I had on an old dress, with such a
narrow skirt, I almost had to skip to keep up with his long
strides. After dinner I. sat for a long time on the sofa with
Lady C, and later, when I suppose she was tired to death, we
went in and looked at a game of billiards.
Bombay, August 28. — Back again in what is our nearest
approach in India to home! Sunday we lunched at Simla
with the Foreign Secretary and his wife. At tea, we were
with Their Excellencies, and later they showed us the throne
room, then they took us into the big drawing-room, pointed
out to us several things of historical interest, and he walked
36

At the Viceregal Lodge, Simla

up and down to converse about matters with Will and she
talked with me until the aide announced the rikishas. They
went to the porch with us and our visit was over. Perhaps
this very detailed account of it may bore you all, but we en
joyed it so much it seemed natural to write of it.
Mr. Warden met us at the station in Bombay and we were
whisked off to a public building where Will was presented by
some Persian Zoroastrians with an illuminated address in a
beautiful silver casket. The whole thing was nicely done.
The gentleman who presented it, made an excellent little
speech and said all Zoroastrians, whether rich merchants or
small shopkeepers, whether cultured or illiterate, knew the
name of Professor Jackson. We were garlanded, given big
bouquets and came to the hotel, where the Consul was waiting
for us. At seven, we had a committee meeting, and it was
nine-thirty before we went to dinner. I told Will this morn
ing, I thought this trip was a good test of our strength and
health — such a constant rush, no chance to put one's things in
order. Fortunately the sailing date of our boat has been put
off, so we shall have two full days here. Both of us are in the
hands of the dentist, too ! Much love to all from
Katewill

37

LETTER VII
FROM INDIA TO THE MOUTH OF THE TIGRIS AND
EUPHRATES
Transport " Egra "
Mouth of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Sept. 4, 1 918.
Dear Nannie : —
Another chapter in our interesting journey! We came on
board thoroughly tired out, for we began our last day, before
nine, with inoculation for cholera, and it was four the next
morning when our lights were put out ! It was a great Hindu
holiday, the divine Krishna had been born; and the streets
were filled with rows of almost naked men, with arms inter
laced, dancing in a slow, measured way, chanting as they did
so. Friday Mr. Wilson came to say good-bye while we were
at breakfast, and at ten-thirty, after all the luggage (16
pieces) had been taken, I washed my hair! It was only par
tially dry and I had no brush and comb but I tucked it up
under my topee and was on board this boat at 11.45.
There are about 1700 souls on board, and I am the only
woman. I am not sure whether or not there is another female
for I have not asked about the sex of the cat ! There are only
native troops, but there are about sixty-five officers, some of
them, very nice. The Padre (the title given all the chaplains)
is a Presbyterian missionary from India ; a kind, genuine, en
thusiastic fellow. He told me some of the men asked who I
was, and said it was almost like having a mother on board.
Wasn't that nice? Our Captain is a most delightful and inter
esting man, intensely religious, belongs to the " Plymouth
Brethren", a sect with very simple ways, but besides that, he
38

From India to the Tigris

is well-read, cultured and oh ! so kind. We have been much
in his room.
Basrah Sept. 5. — We arrived here at 3.35. A terrific wind
was blowing and just as hot as though it had come from a
furnace. On either side of the river, there is some vegetation,
chiefly date palms, varying from quite a narrow strip to a mile
and a half ; beyond that is desert. The sun is perfectly pitiless
and shines down with terrific power over this shadeless spot,
and everywhere you see nothing but sand and more sand, so
you may imagine what the glare is like.
Last evening some of the officers invited us to dinner ; their
quarters were in the former German Consulate, and a launch
was sent to take us there as it was some distance from our
boat. The General was a very delightful man who had held
extremely important positions in England and South Africa,
but I was so tired from the heat and the inevitable standing-
around of landing-day, that I was glad to come back to the
boat. It seemed strange to be returning on the Tigris from
a dinner party ! As there are no hotels here, they had us sleep
on board, to our great relief, as we dreaded such accommo
dations as we. might have had to put up with on shore.
This morning an officer came with three cars to take us for
a drive. It is quite marvellous what the British have done
here. They have filled in land, have built (of mud bricks
chiefly) many storehouses and war-hospitals, and have con
structed also docks and railroads. There are of course thou
sands of tents and laborers galore of almost all the races of
the Orient. We got out and walked through the bazaar and
market place and found them pretty clean and free from the
awful odors of such places in China. The Arabs look very
stately in their flat round head-dress and long flowing cloaks
—but the women and children were anything but good-look-
39

Around the World to Persia

ing. Many of the former were veiled but in some instances
the veils were of black lace which permitted one to notice the
absence of beauty. The people seem to take kindly to having
the British here, and after the Turks, you can easily fancy
such would be the case. The change from Turkish to Indian
money was accomplished with absolutely no difficulty, we were
told ; and the people, who have a sense of humor, are easy to
get along with. It does one good to see a place in the hands
of the British; there is always an improvement.
As this is the station from which every thing is sent further
into Mesopotamia, you can fancy how busy it is — ^no loafing
natives here, I can tell you !
This afternoon we are to be put on a river steamer and sent
up to Baghdad. It will take us six or seven days to get there,
and I dread the monotony, particularly as I believe we are to
be the only passengers.
There are seven of the Commission here, two have gone
on, and Dr. Judson and two others are to arrive. It seemed
so hard to have Dr. Cook break down ; I miss him dreadfully,
and there is no one who can in any way take his place.
Whether rest and fresh air will make him well enough to come
on in the spring remains to be seen. I hope so for his sake,
although I trust by that time our faces will be turned home
wards. So far we have had no hairbreadth escapes, and no unbear
able heat: electric fans are used everywhere, and we have
arrived here late enough to escape the worst heat. From Bom
bay we have been guests of the British Government, the mili
tary authorities looking out for us in the most delightful way.
We have met so many charming officers, gentlemen born and
bred, and very cultured, some of them. In travelling we have
also met some who have risen from the ranks, and there is a
40

From India to the Tigris

difference; but the English aristocracy has paid a fearful
death toll in this war, and new officers must be had — every
one however has been most kind to us.
We left Bombay for " Mespot " just three months to a day
from the time we left New York, and not a line have we had
from home; mails are so irregular! I do hope all is going
well with you all at home. Much love, from
Katewill.

41

LETTER VIII
UP THE TIGRIS RIVER On the Tigris,
Sept. 9, 19 18.
Dear Nannie: —
Again I am the only woman on a troopship! We got on
board a hospital ship Thursday evening and were most com
fortable ; I had a cabin to dress in and we slept on deck behind
canvas. The whole upper deck was open, with two rows of
beds, one above the other. These boats bring sick soldiers
down from Baghdad and go back empty save for the crew,
two nurses and a stray officer or two. The doctor was a nice
young Scotchman, the Captain and engineers were very agree
able, and one of the nurses I liked very much. So I was sorry
when an accident to the paddle wheel delayed the boat and they
put us on this little steamer. We are not nearly so comfort
able and the other boat seemed almost a home, with the
nurses ; however, there are some agreeable officers on this and
they have done their best to make me comfortable.
One of the men is a Captain Washington, same family as
our immortal George ; he is very much of a gentleman. This
is an old boat, but most of them have been recently built in
England and sent out from there under their own steam —
even the penny river-boats came out that way. The river is
very shallow in places, so the freight is put on large barges,
one on each side of the boat, which also serve as buffers when
the bank is touched. Up to Amara there were a good many
date palms and occasionally the scene was picturesque.
Through the Narrows (a narrow stream indeed!) Arab
42

up the Tigris River

women and children ran along the banks with live chickens,
fish, and eggs for sale; so there was a little diversion. Since
then, there have been no date palms and the scenery is monoto
nous in the extreme.
We stopped at Ezra's tomb, which makes an extremely
pretty picture. It is a small building with a dome of blue tiles
set in an enclosure with several date palms. The interior is
decorated with Hebrew verses and right under the dome is
the sarcophagus, which looks like a huge wooden cupboard,
covered with turkey-red and chintz. It appears quite Moham
medan, but I believe it is visited by Jewish pilgrims.
The Arabs along the banks with their many animals at
tract the eye. They all get such a vast amount of enjoyment
out of this dirty river, bathing themselves and their animals,
and drinking it. The heat is, to me, almost unbearable during
the day. The strong hot wind fairly scorches one, and on a
boat there is no refuge from it. The nights, on the contrary,
are now delightful and nothing can exceed the beauty of the
sky and river during the hour after sunset. The minute the
sun goes down, the air cools off, just as on the contrary, the
sun no sooner rises than its heat is unpleasant. From nine
o'clock on, its power is terrific, and perfectly merciless, as
there is not a cloud in the sky.
I don't believe any nation but the British would have stood
this place; and what they have accomplished out here is mar
vellous. I have not been thrown with the Tommies, but the
officers do not grumble, and they all seem very keen about
their work. I have learned out here to have a tremendous
amount of respect for them and they have all been so nice
to me, I should be a queer freak if I did not like them. Many
a tale has been poured into my ear, and it makes me very happy
to feel it has been given to me to come out here, where women

43

Around the World to Persia

are so few and far between. I am very proud too, to have
them all turn to Will for information about Persia and Cen
tral Asia. He knows more than most.
To-day we are to reach Kut and take the train there for
Baghdad. At home it seemed strange to think of going to all
these places, but en route I have met so many who have been
to them and one talks so much of them, it seems quite natural
to be going one's self. I do not know in the least what plans
will develop for us ; at present, to all intents and purposes, we
are a part of the British army.
Baghdad, Sept. ii. — This is mail day, so I must close this
hurriedly. Just arrived — in the city of Haroun Al Rashid!
Both well and interested in everything. Love to all,
from
Katewill.

44

Dear Nannie :-

LETTER IX
IN BAGHDAD Baghdad, Sept. i6, 191 8.

I had to close my last letter very abruptly as the mail was
just going out. We had time to go about Kut-el-Amara, one
of the places that played an important part in this war. We
went to General Townshend's Headquarters and got a view
from the roof of the little mud-brick town, the only pretty
feature of which was a small minaret. The Turks used it for
an observation tower, but it got hit and toppled ! The cemetery
was well kept, but unfortunately only a few names of those
buried there are known. The town itself is clean. What a
change the British have made in this country ! At Kut as else
where we met such nice officers; I can't tell you what a de
lightful impression these men have made on us. I told one of
them yesterday I thought Englishmen must make good, hus
bands, for they had all been so thoughtful and kind to me.
We came by rail from Kut to Baghdad and were met by
two officers and a motor and taken to the Civil Commissioner.
We arrived early enough to be received by him in his pajamas ;
but after apologizing, being very much a man of the world, he
was quite as much at ease as I.
We are at the best hotel here and I wish you could see it.
It has not one modern convenience, and the furniture is in an
advanced state of decay; but there is a huge, good-looking
rug on the floor, and the meals are very fair. Our host has
been in America, for which country he professes profound
admiration, and he has told the servants to be as helpful as
45

Around the World to Persia

possible, and they are. They are all Chaldeans, one of the
many Christian sects here.
Baghdad is the hottest place I ever was in, and yet the
officers tell us the great heat is over. With the thermometer
in one's room 112°, one wonders what summer must be like.
There is no breeze and without an electric fan you can fancy
what the heat is like, even at night. All the guests sleep on
the roof, but being the one woman, I have to stay in-doors.
Will, of course, stays too. The city is dusty beyond words
and there are no pavements as there is neither wood nor stone ;
in fact there is nothing but sand, date-palms and two very
shallow rivers in this land : nothing grows without irrigation,
and that is still of the most primitive description.
Motors are owned only by the Government and are very
scarce. We have had two drives, both to see mosques. One
morning we went to a neighboring village; the head man, a
dignified old Arab, invited us into his home, let us take a
photograph from the roof and gave us coffee and cigarettes.
Two of our party talked Turkish with him, and Will managed
some Persian. The number of languages in the Orient is per
fectly appalling.
We lunched this same morning with Sir William Marshall,
the Commander-in-Chief. His drawing-room looked so clean
and was so cool with electric fans, it was a treat to be there.
The dining-room too, was delightful, and a delicious luncheon
served by capable Hindus in their neat white clothes, was a
great treat. I am afraid I like the " flesh-pots of Egypt " —
and of Mesopotamia ! It is a great pleasure to be thrown so
constantly with these delightful English gentlemen; yet I Hke
my own sex too, and for that reason was most glad to meet
Miss Bell who is in the Political Office here, and remarkably
intelligent. She told Will his " Persia, Past and Present " had
46

In Baghdad

been her constant companion in Persia and she had known it
for a long time. It is in great demand here, and neither here
nor in India is there a copy to be had — a crying shame !
One day two young officers got a launch and took us to
Ctesiphon, where there is a very beautiful ruined arch, nearly
fourteen centuries old. Our boat was dreadfully slow and we
took a long time to go, and a longer time to return, not reach
ing home until 1.30 a. m. ! All the boats stick in the mud of
this dirty, shallow river. With the thermometer well above
100 in the shade, we walked about half a mile to the arch and
found it very interesting. Will, of course was in his element
and had some enthusiasts with him. I did my best, but the
heat was tremendous and the flies maddening. There is a tiny
fly here called the sandfly; not a gnat like ours, but a most
active insect that apparently lights only on human flesh and it
has stung us so, we are covered with bites. To return to the
arch. It is in the middle of a huge, desert plain, the most
God-forsaken spot now you can possibly imagine. There was
a battle there between the Turks and British and there are
many bodies buried there, which have been dug up by jackals
and Arabs and reburied more than once.
Tuesday. — Sunday a nice young Major, whom we met at
Kut, was told off to take us to Baqubah, where they have a
camp for the refugees irom the mountains of Northwestern
Persia; they are Armenians and Syrians, very ignorant peas
ants. The military have organized a splendid camp and want
our Relief Commission to co-operate. At present a part of
the work may be done there instead of in Persia. One cannot
for a moment forget here that a great war is on. Baghdad is
a big camp and we are all a part of the army; our plans,
therefore, are vague. Some of us may shortly get into Persia
to take supplies, or we may have to wait awhile. I should be
47

Around the World to Persia

glad to get into a cooler climate. Last night was so hot, I felt
as though I could almost cut the heat in my room.
We had a very interesting afternoon to-day. In the little
public garden. Sir William Marshall held a reception in honor
of some eighty Arab Sheiks. All Baghdad was there, even
Arab ladies with their black lace veils, which really do not hide
their faces at all. There were scores of Baghdadis in Euro
pean clothes and fez; then a lot of older men, among them our
old friend of the village, who entertained us the other day.
He got up at once and shook hands with us. At five. General
Marshall came, walking through two rows of Hindu troops,
who held lances and pennants. The band of course, played
" God save the King ". The General went up on a high large
platform, where there was a sofa between two arm chairs and
he sat on the former. Will and I were the first guests to be
presented. We marched boldly along the platform; and I do
not believe it was necessary for the hundreds below to use
their opera glasses to see us ! After we took our places on an
other sofa, others were presented and then came the Arab
chiefs, a very dignified looking lot. They shook hands with
the General and took their places down in the front row below
the platform while the General delivered a little speech in
English. It was afterward read in Arabic. This part of the
ceremony over, an aide came and said General Marshall would
like to talk with us, so W. and I had a pleasant little chat with
him. He is a charming man, a soldier every inch of him,
and I always enjoy meeting him. We gave place to the Grand
Rabbi, a very picturesque looking old Jew. I shall always re
member this afternoon, with the various groups of Orientals
in their native dress, flags and pennants everywhere, a Hindu
band playing Occidental music, and on all sides, these splendid
British officers, representative of a great, progressive Power

48

In Baghdad

which is gradually bringing civilization to this country. I do
wish we had Ted and Jack with us to show them a fine type
of young American manhood; but, alas, "It's a long, long
way from the banks of the Seine " and Potomac to the banks
of the Tigris!
Wednesday. — One week here to day! It has been a very
interesting one, but oh ! so hot. To-day we lunch with a Gen
eral, take tea with Lloyd George's son-in-law, and dine with
the Military Governor. Will has to see another general on
business this morning. It is rather too much, I am afraid,
particularly as we went to the Consulate last night and did
not get home early. Our Consul is very nice even though his
name is Heizer !
Of course, we still have had no news from home. How
glad I shall be to get back there, for one gets tired of living
in trunks and being always on the go. I do hope you are all
well. Much love to all, from
Katewill.

49

LETTER X
BAGHDAD CONTINUED Baghdad, Sept. 29, 19 18.
Dear Nannie : —
Here we are still in this dust heap and we are likely to 'be
here some time longer. Dr. Judson arrives in Basrah this
week and it will take several days to get from there here, as
one has to go part of the way by water; at present the Tigris
is very low and boats spend more time sticking in the mud
than going. So there is nothing to do but be patient. The
others who are with us have settled at the refugee camp at
Baqubah where they are working with the military authorities.
These latter are doing everything, and can do so very much
better than civilians; one is also handicapped in these present
circumstances by not speaking the language. Some of the
missionaries with us know Syriac, Turkish and Armenian, so
they are in great demand. The refugees are mostly very
ignorant and behave accordingly, but one of the officers here
tells me the Belgian refugees he saw were about the same. In
the meantime the glorious news we are getting from all the
fronts is a splendid tonic. Just think of the drubbing the
Turks have had in Palestine! We all hope it will have an
effect on them in Persia. The officers here are most optimistic
about Germany, and the Commander-in-Chief said last night,
he thought we could make our own peace terms when the time
comes. Speaking of Sir William Marshall, he invited us very in
formally to dinner last night ; only the archaeologist Miss Bell
— a dear woman — who is now in the Political Office, our Con-
50

Baghdad Continued

sul, who is very nice and a gentleman, thank God! and one
aide. Afterward Will lectured for the Y. M. C. A. to a big
audience, on Persia, and Sir William introduced him. I was
just a little proud to have my man introduced by the Com
mander-in-Chief in Mesopotamia, and lecture to hundreds of
British soldiers. Afterwards we went back to the General's
house for a sandwich. One night a couple of years ago, I
think it was, he was giving a dinner; a telegram was handed
him and after reading it, he put it under his plate and con
tinued to entertain his guests in his charming way; finally
when alone with an aide, he said : " Thank God they have all
gone! I have just received a dispatch telling me my son has
been killed ". He spoke so sadly last night of the toll Death
had taken of the British.
To-day I began Persian lessons. I tried to get a teacher
earlier for I need even now some knowledge of the tongue.
Our servant, Mehdi Khan, speaks Persian, Arabic and Turk
ish. Will manages with the former but I have an awful time,
and the little fellow's pantomimic efforts only serve to conceal
his thoughts from me. Mr. Heizer has lent us some brass
buttons and stars and stripes epaulettes, and Mehdi is beam
ing. The fact that this elegance is put on a dirty white suit
does not in the least mar his joy, though it somewhat dims
mine! Every now and then it strikes us as unreal that we should
be 'way out here. It seemed strange for instance, Sunday
morning, to go to an English service at eight and step out into
a street crowded with a motley Oriental lot, in their various
costumes. The better class women wear an "aba", a vol
uminous silk cloak, chiefly pink. They have them in all colors
and so many of the officers have bought them for their wives,
the price has gone up tremendously; the doors of the New
51

Around the World to Persia

York Opera House would have to be widened if I attempted
to pass through in an " aba ", so there is no temptation to buy.
When the Turks evacuated Baghdad, they blew up, very
kindly, a lot of houses to effect their retreat, and the debris,
when removed, left the one fairly wide thoroughfare in the
city; the English call it New Street. The old streets are only
seven or eight feet wide, so that the sun cannot get anything
of a chance at them. They are fairly clean; at any rate the
British have forced each household to have an incinerator for
burning garbage and trash, and the number of flies has been
greatly reduced in consequence. I took Will to-day through
some of the narrow streets to the French Convent to call on
the sisters. Six of these dear souls received us in the most
charming, hospitable way and formed a contrast to the almost
strictly military society we have. These nuns keep a school,
train native children to earn a living, and they do embroidery,
dressmaking, and even washing. No wonder when the Turk
ish Government ordered their expulsion the Military Governor
refused to obey, for he said they were too useful.
I shall continue by saying what a delight it was to receive
your letter, dated Savannah, June 30. It is the first letter we
have had from America. You know how mail is delayed.
Joy at hearing has been ever since in our hearts.
[Inserted postscript by A. V. W. J. — I am doing the scribe
act as Kate's right hand is out of commission through an acci
dent, and she found she was not ambidextrous enough to write
with the left. The accident happened through dropping a soda
water bottle which she was placing on the washstand just after
her Persian teacher had left after giving her a lesson yester
day morning. The bottle struck another which broke with an
52

Baghdad Continued

explosion, inflicting a deep gash in her right wrist. We for
tunately obtained a doctor in a few minutes; he took her at
once to the Central Dispensary to the surgeon.
Most happily on examination, he found that what seemed
to be a dangerous cut, turned out to be a very painful wound,
severe enough to require stitching — which she bore like a
soldier, magnificently. In spite of the abundant flow of blood,
no artery was cut and no nerves severed. So it was accounted
a lucky escape; and with Kate's inimitable spirit she was re
ceiving calls from two military friends an hour later, one of
whom came to ask her and me to luncheon (a charming Col
onel he is) and we both enjoyed the impromptu occasion.
Last evening there was a guest at dinner, and this morning,
callers after she returned from having the wrist dressed. So
everything is going most favorably, and no occasion for
worry. (Just this moment she has had another caller. This
time a Major. So you see what a popular hostess she is!)
To-night Kate and I have early dinner as I go out of town
some seven miles to lecture on Persia, for a Cavalry Brigade,
and am invited to give another lecture Friday. Only too glad
to be doing a little bit extra besides all the daily routine of
work connected with the Commission, which is a busy task.
Kate says I am not an expert hairdresser; she insists that
her coiffure looks like a battlefield, but I don't agree with her
as I think it is very becoming. We have a great deal of fun
about the morning and evening toilet. In a few days her
ready pen will be in trim to describe it all.
The news continues great ; we have just heard of the fall of
Damascus! You know the love we wish to give to all, and
tell Lillie so. Yours,
Will.]

53

LETTER XI
DEPARTURE FROM BAGHDAD Baghdad, October 8.
Dear Nannie: —
Will wrote you of my accident. I have had an ugly arm,
but fortunately neither the artery nor the nerves were cut so
now I am decidedly on the mend. I fell into the hands of a
delightful young surgeon, a Captain Pim, and I go every day
to have the wrist dressed. That is preceded by Will's dress
ing me, which, as you may imagine, is a sore trial to us both.
Dr. Judson, as Director, arrived on the sixth at 7.30 p. m.
That did us out of a dinner to which we had looked forward
with great pleasure, but we were perfectly delighted to have
our " Chief " arrive. He is extremely nice, very capable, clear,
firm, and fortunately comes armed with authority. I am so
glad to have Will relieved of responsibility.
October 10. — We all went out to Baqubah Monday. It is a
two hours motor drive over a perfectly flat plain and clouds
of dust almost choke you. The only things one meets are
donkeys with their Arab riders, wagons, and sometimes a
string of camels; occasionally one sees a camel whose travel
ling across the desert has come to an end. The refugees, Ar
menians and Syrians, are pouring in by thousands and are
being looked after as well as possible. Our party out there
are providing work for some of the women, — a part of whom
spin, and others make garments on the sewing machines we
brought from Bombay.
The other day I put my foot on a post, just outside of the
tent where they work, while Will tied my shoe and that caused
54

Departure from Baghdad

great amusement. These ladies, I fancy, do not receive many
attentions from their husbands — indeed when possible, the
latter have ridden their donkeys while the women walked.
You will never have the right kind of a country until the
status of women is what it ought to be, though these people,
of course, are mostly ignorant peasants.
I have so regretted that Will and I could not have had a
home here in which to receive the many men we have met;
they do so enjoy seeing a lady, even an old one like me. They
are delighted to have the "sisters" (nurses), but of course
they are pretty busy. The day I cut my wrist, the Y. M. C. A.
van happened to be at the door and was offered us at once to
take me to the dispensary; on the way back, when I spoke to
the Tommy who was driving, he said : " You are the first Eng
lish ' Laidy ' I have talked to in a long time and it has cheered
me up a lot, ma'am ". He was a London coachman, and prob
ably used to ladies.
Four weeks yesterday since we came to Baghdad! They
have been pretty uncomfortable weeks, but certainly I shall
carry away many pleasant memories. I have never been
served with such really loving kindness as here — all male serv
ants of course, and only a few English words between them,
but they are eager to wait on us. So is our own particular
Persian one, but oh ! the lack of language. You should have
seen him and Will the other evening, with rapt expression,
reciting together an ode of Hafiz! I, in the meantime, was
thumbing the dictionary to say my shoes must be cleaned.
To-day Will is at Baqubah and I, for the first time since
leaving home, have emptied the trunks ! I explained to Mehdi
Khan as well as I could, to put all the Sahib's things on his
bed, and my things, on mine. He seemed able to pick out the
masculine from the feminine garments pretty well, but my

55

Around the World to Persia

corsets were a puzzle — ^he held them up and asked if they be
longed to the Sahib!
I have spoken of more than one pleasant memory here, and
one of the others is the delightful hospitality these charming
officers have shown us. I never knew more attractive men;
their manners are perfect, their interests wide and varied, and
their kindness, wonderful. We have been to three dinners
this week and declined another invitation and these entertain
ments help mightily to pass time pleasantly for me. Will, of
course, has a great deal to attend to, but I have not, so I am
grateful for these attentions. There are a few civilians here
and they too are very kind ; one, a banker, is so thoughtful and
generous. Yesterday, for instance. Will went off after lunch
eon with the key, and this man insisted on my making myself
comfortable in his room, had his servant put cushions at my
back and I read while he worked. He has lent me a chair and
books and been so courteous. It certainly is a comfort being on
the threshhold of fifty; you can quietly enjoy these filial civili
ties, knowing no one, not even the meanest old cat, can accuse
anyone of wanting to flirt with you nor you with him.
In two days we expect to start for Persia, with Teheran as
our objective. Dr. Judson has divided the party, taking five
of us with him and leaving the others for relief work at Baqu
bah. We are going in two Ford motors followed by ten vans
— six of us of the "officer" class, and fourteen servants, in
cluding, of course, the drivers. The vans will be sent back
here for more materials. It will be strange for Will to go
into Persia in a motor. It will be a very hard drive, for the
roads are not smooth boulevards, but the saving in time is
great ; one can get from here to Teheran in six days. I don't
know how long it will be before we turn our faces homeward,
56

Departure from Baghdad

but Dr. Judson does not waste time, so I hope we shall not be
out here indefinitely.
To-day Captain Pim, my surgeon, and Major Stanley, in
charge of the Red Cross, lunched with us. The latter took us
through his place the other day and it fascinated me. It is a
long time since I have seen such a well-stocked store.
Well, it will be hard to leave these dear Baghdad friends;
some of them we shall probably meet in Persia, and should
we return this way, many of them will be here. The Turks
seem to be so very near the end of their rope, we may have
our choice of routes going home. It is perfectly delightful to
think that America has (as we hope) saved the day by coming
so splendidly into the war; it is nice to have the President of
the U. S. A. the most important statesman of the present time,
and almost without exception he is spoken of with great ad
miration. But there is one American who receives unstinted
praise from every man in " Mespot ", that is Henry Ford.
They think he ought to have a peerage !
Love to all
from
Katewill.

57

LETTER XII
ON THE WAY THROUGH PERSIA
Hamadan, Persia, Oct. 25th, 1918.
Dear Nannie: —
Quite an imposing procession of two touring cars and ten
vans set out from Baghdad on Oct. 13th, but we have not sped
along as swiftly as we hoped. So many motor diseases at
tacked us, we finally dropped nine of the vans or rather have
stopped waiting for them to catch up with us. The first night,
we did not make our expected destination and arrived at an
other camp after dark and without our kit. Of course, we
were wonderfully treated, and would have been given stretchers
to sleep on had not our beds arrived about ten. I have learned
how to adapt myself to camp life, making up my mind to for
get about the dusty ground on which we have to put every
thing, as there is literally nothing in the tent when we arrive.
Sometimes we eat with the officers, but when we arrive unex
pectedly, we get our own meals; they give us rations — bully
beef, potato chips, bacon, tea, bread or hard tack, and jam.
Six of us have come.
Our second night we had crossed the Persian frontier and
camped near some ruins which Will was burning to examine;
he went without breakfast the next morning and ran a good
way to photograph them. With Persia, came the mountains
and never in my life have I seen such wonderful colors; per
haps the Bay of Naples is the nearest approach. The sky has
been very blue, and the mountains, bare of vegetation, have
had the tints of an opal. The country itself is pathetic, noth
ing but ruined mud villages ; the Russians and Turks have been
fighting here and the devastation is terrific. All the houses
are built merely of mud, with beams only for the roof, so when
58

On the Way through Persia

these are pulled out, having been taken by the enemy and also
used by the owners for fuel, there is not much of a building
left. The situation in Persia is somewhat better than it has
been, but is still deplorable; we have not seen people dying in
the streets, but many you can see are hungry, and the filth is
fearful. We tried to make Kermanshah that day, but at 4.50 p. m.
we were told that it was still sixteen miles away, and we had
been strongly advised not to travel after dark. Yet I thought
if we got in fairly early, as the moon was bright, we might
risk it; so when Dr. Judson said I must decide, I said I was
game. We had to stop for the other cars a minute in a Kurd
ish village, which I did not relish. We had also been told
(after we had gone many miles), that Kermanshah was much
farther away than we had been informed at first, and when
one of the cars cut up and we had to stop for a long time. I
was not happy. To my intense relief, I spied a small camp,
and there we were given tents and most hospitably treated.
Oh, the British! This host was particularly attractive. It
was a wonderful night, and the mountains, even then, were a
beautiful color; just outside the camp was a caravanserai
where a caravan had halted, and all during the night, we could
hear the tinkling of the camel's bells. It was fearfully cold,
so I was not sorry to get up, and as the camp was breaking up
at 6.30 we were ready, after an early breakfast, to start.
I was glad to come into Kermanshah by daylight, for it is
prettily situated almost in the shadow of a long range of
rocky mountains at the end of which is Behistun Rock, the
place where Will climbed up to read inscriptions fifteen years
ago. It was our first large Persian city, and one day we
walked through the bazaar,— very narrow streets with shops
on both sides, many people, and dirty, oh! so dirty. A stream
59

Around the World to Persia

runs through the city and into this all sorts of refuse is thrown ;
there was the carcass of a horse among other things, yet,
people drink this water! A pleasanter experience, however,
was the delightful hospitality we received in Kermanshah;
Dr. Judson and we stayed at the Bank Manager's house. At
present, Mr. Eldrid from Tabriz is in charge, a delightful man
whom Will had met fifteen years ago. I did enjoy the com
fort, I tell you, and was sorry when the two days devoted to
details connected with the Commission were up.
We left early on the morning of Oct. 19th, and Dr. Judson
let us make a detour to see some interesting rock carvings,
which I am glad to say proved so to all. By noon we reached
the famous Rock of Behistun, with its historic Inscription of
Darius, and we lunched in front of it. Will got as near the
sculptures as possible, but this time, alas! there were no ropes
to be had, no guides, nor, above all, time; so he regretfully
came back to the car again. I was so grateful to see the great
Rock with him.
The road between Kermanshah and Hamadan is very bad,
and there is an 8000 ft. pass to get over; needless to say, I
was glad to strike the plain. What a joy it was to drive up
here to Mrs. Edwards' home at 5.20; never did drawing-room
with open fire and tea-table seem so delightful, and the fact
that I looked as clean as a chimney-sweep and had to talk
French with a Russian colonel did not in the least mar my
enjoyment. Mr. Edwards is an Englishman, in the rug busi
ness here, and Mrs. Edwards is a New Yorker; on her last
visit there she took some work with Will at Columbia. She
is bright and very nice and we are so glad to be guests of her
and her clever husband, both so attractive.
We had expected to stay here two or three days but the lack
of gasoline (petrol the British call it) is keeping us here; I do
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On the Way through Persia

hope we shall get away to-morrow, for I arn getting tired of
this vagabond life and want to get home. In the meantime,
the man are holding daily conferences, as Dr. Judson is or
ganizing committees for relief work; the need is very great
and the terrible things we have heard about famine conditions
last year are perfectly sickening. Prices are exceedingly high,
only a few things being cheaper than with us, eggs and meat
among them. I do wish I could go out with my arms full of
bread, but hundreds of people would spring up out of the
ground and I should be crushed. Yesterday, Will and I saw
four forlorn little waifs, and alas! I had but two nuts and a
milk tablet in my pocket. We carefully divided our meagre
store and as we turned to give it, two more children appeared,
so more division was necessary; Will then photographed the
group, to their intense delight. The children on the whole,
behave well, and I believe much could be done in this coun
try if one could only take infants from their homes and train
them; the home influence must be something awful. For in
stance, Mrs. Edwards has a dear little boy, eight months old,
whose nurse — a very nice woman, now a Christian, — was
married first when she was only nine years old to a young
man who was very good to her but who died when he was
twenty-five. She married again and was the sixteenth wife
of her second husband, who had divorced all his other wives,
and they were all living. With this ladykiller she lived fifteen
years, when he died.
It seems strange to leave the still great heat of Mesopo
tamia for this cold; Hamadan is over 6000 feet above sea
level, and of course, very cold. We have superb weather here
but I expect we shall freeze at nights in tents ; and two nights,
at least, we shall have to be on the road. Our next city id
Kazvin, then comes Teheran. We shall be there probably

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Around the World to Persia

several weeks and then turn our faces homeward. If the war
is not over. Will and I shall have probably to return the way
we came.
It is so cheering to get the good war news, just an outline
we have here, in the Renter dispatches, so you may fancy
how I miss my four daily papers; and Dr. Judson is as im
patient for news as am I. He is such a nice man, splendidly
balanced, and we get on admirably; he is a good business
man, clear, firm, and a gentleman to the fingertips. Im so
spoilt by the charming manners and manliness of these British,
I am more critical than ever. Fortunately, the other half of
the Jackson family fills the bill!
Much love to you all
from
Katewill.
Postscript, Kazvin, Oct. 28. — The ride from Hamadan to
Kazvin was beautiful, particularly just before reaching the
Russian Post House where we spent the first night. The pro
prietor at first said he would not take us in; but when he
learned Dr. Post was a physician he was eager to consult him.
He turned out two Tommies, gave up his own rooms, and
did what he could to make us comfortable. He was an ill
man, and Dr. P. was most kind to him.
We arrived at Kazvin in the afternoon ; it is not a very in
teresting place, but Will and I were most hospitably treated by
Mr. Hart of the Imperial Bank of Persia, a man whom W.
had met in Persia on two previous trips. Both nights he had
guests to dinner, among them being General Thomson who, I
believe, is Head of the army in these parts. We met also in
Kazvin our Consul and his wife from Tabriz, from which
city they had to flee when the Turks captured it.
62

LETTER XIII
THE FIRST WEEKS IN TEHERAN
American Legation
Teheran, Persia.
Nov. II, 1918.
Dear Nannie: —
Two weeks we have been in Teheran ; the road from Kazvin
here was uninteresting but I did feel a thrill when I entered
the gates of Persia's Capital. We went at once to our Lega
tion, where Dr. Judson remained, while we others were taken
care of by the missionaries.
No suitable house to lodge the Commission could be found,
so our Minister and Mrs. Caldwell kindly asked us all to stay
at the Legation. As furniture was scarce, a Zoroastrian friend
very kindly loaned us some things, among them being a rug,
which fitted our twenty six foot room to the very corners.
We were told to-day that a mail would probably be sent off
to Bombay to-morrow and may be one would not go again
for a long time, so I must try and get something to you. I
have time enough to write but the interruptions are awful,
and there is a great deal of noise. The men have made and
are receiving a multitude of visits; there are besides meetings
with the local Relief Committee and no end of social affairs.
Luckily for us, we arrived just when the Allies came out so
gloriously on top; that killed pro-Germanism here and made
America correspondingly popular. They seem to think there
is nothing we can not do, and the suggestions handed in for
our consideration, if carried out, would mean the entire re
making of Persia. Dr. Judson arranged matters satisfactorily
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Around the World to Persia

in other cities, so I have no doubt he will make a wise deci
sion here. He is perfectly splendid, and so nice, we consider
ourselves more than fortunate to have such a Director. I told
him God had sent him to us. Mr. Wertheim, also, is fine, and
takes his job seriously; being a banker, he knows all about
finances, and helps materially to make the Commission im
portant. Dr. Post, the other member of the Commission who
came to Persia with us, is the physician of our party; his
services in the Relief Work are invaluable, and Allah be
praised, he, and not a reckless Hindu driver, has driven the
car in which W. and I have travelled. As to Will, there are
several young interpreters about the Legation and they have
brought me many remarks made about him. I am told for
instance, the papers said Professor Jackson's coming was an
historic event for Persia! The Persians seem really to have
great esteem for him and know him well by reputation.
There is great poverty here and also great riches; I hope
the time will come when things are better adjusted than now.
The crying need here is transportation ; there may be plenty of
grain in a place a hundred miles away, and the people in the
next town starving for lack of it. The roads are wretched,
most of them fit for animals only, and so many of these have
died for lack of food, it aggravates the bad conditions. Persia
has splendid resources, heaps of coal for instance, yet it is
selling for one hundred and fifteen (115) dollars a ton!
Charcoal is almost unobtainable, and the poor use it always,
so there is another thing to worry about. A great calamity
for this country has been the nearness of Russia ; it has done
every thing in its power to keep Persia from developing. But
I hope, this curse having been removed, the Persians will brace
up and improve their country ; they will need a lot of help.
So much for the dark side, and now to tell you about our
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The First Weeks in Teheran

social activities. The Shah received us last week and kept us
two hours and a half ! He spoke French very well and asked
intelligent questions; he is about twenty-two and very stout,
has pretty eyes with long lashes; twice he ordered tea served
to us, but did not have the fire lighted which we should have
much appreciated, Persian houses being like ice-boxes.
Dinners are being given us everywhere. For the first time
in its history, the Madjlis (Parliament) gave us a dinner the
other night. It was a superb affair. The grounds were illu
minated and there were many electric lights in the house and
on the table, with dozens of candles in silver candelabra and
lots of flowers; it was a fine sight. There were eleven courses,
all delicious, and before dessert, a speech was made in Persian
to which Dr. Judson very happily responded in English. The
Chamber of Commerce also gave us a dinner, and last week
there was a delightful dinner-dance at the Imperial Club at
which we were the guests of the Persian members. Every
one seemed surprised to see the white-haired Jacksons know
something about dancing ! Of course only European ladies go
to social affairs here, in this Mohammedan country, so I am
getting to know all the prominent men very well but have not
yet seen their wives; some calls are to be arranged for me
soon, on the ladies. The Prime Minister and the Minister of
Foreign Affairs have dined with us, and there are a lot of
others, past and to come. I generally have to speak French
with these men, for only a few of them know English. One
day we had tea at the Ministry of Education, where three
young Persians played the violin very well. Afterwards we
went to the School of Arts, and it was very interesting to see
how well the pupils painted in Western fashion.
We see a good deal of Sir Percy and Lady Cox, very at
tractive both of them. Yesterday, she and several from her
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Around the World to Persia

Legation, accompanied us to Rei, a very ancient city of which
now there are practically no traces left; but Zoroaster's mother
was born there, and that, and the Parsi Tower of Silence,
made Will glad to visit it again. The latter is situated on the
side of a mountain in the weirdest, loneliest spot imaginable,
and unlike those in India, may be approached by anyone. It
seemed a suitable place for such burial as they have, and the
view that faced us as we turned away, was superb. As I wrote
you before, the coloring on these bare Persian mountains is
something indescribably beautiful and last evening it was
particularly fine, the most vivid hues changing rapidly to pale
amethyst as the sun gave way to a full moon waiting across
the valley to shed its own lovely light over the scene. Alex
ander the Great had been over the same route we were travers
ing and we were leaving behind us the ruins of a city that
flourished seven or eight centuries before Christ, enough to
make one motor home in a thoughtful mood.
When the news of the signing of the Armistice came, we
felt we must effervesce some way, so we decorated two cars
with American flags and drove to the British Legation. There
we enthused Sir Percy and Lady Cox, who in turn had their
cars hung with British flags and we all proceeded to the
French, Belgium and Russian Legations to call. I could not
help feeling how funny it was to be celebrating our great vic
tory by riding around the streets of this far-away capital.
You do not know how hard it is not to get the New Yoth
papers, although we do get the Renter dispatches.
Mrs. Caldwell gives a dinner to-night so I had better stop.
I have written you a great deal about so-called pleasure, but
there is a serious side to our stay here and I hope some good
will result from it. I understand now the deep interest Will
and others have taken in Persia, and I trust I will live to see
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The First Weeks in Teheran

the day of its renaissance, for its possibilities, its beauties, are
too great to allow it to go to ruin for lack of help.
We hope to leave about the first of December, but are not
sure of our route. We all very much fear that the quickest
one, Baku, Batum, will be impossible and that we shall have
to return to Baghdad.
(Later). It will be possible now to go via Europe instead
of Japan, Allah be praised! as it is so much shorter. Best of
love to all from,
Katewill.

67

LETTER XIV
TEHERAN AND HOMEWARD BOUND
Batum on the Black Sea.
Dec. 14, 1918.
Dear Nannie : —
A letter I wrote you in Teheran several weeks ago, I am
still carrying with us, as we think we are the quickest post that
has left Persia in a long time. To our surprise and intense
delight, we are able to return this way ; from Teheran to Kaz
vin, Resht, Enzeli, across the Caspian Sea to Baku, thence to
Tiflis, Batum, Constantinople, probably Taranto, Rome, Paris,
London, New York! We have had a marvellous trip from
start to finish, and I have written you I fear, in a stupid way
about it, up to the second week in Teheran, as I recall. There
were many business meetings there where relief measures
were decided on; famine conditions are better, but still bad
enough. Life in Persia will never be comfortable until trans
portation is different, as now it is sometimes with the greatest
difficulty things can be carried a hundred miles. The country
is a succession of huge plains surrounded by the most beautiful
mountains I have ever seen ; but to transport freight and peo
ple over the passes there are only animals, many of the roads
not being fit for carriages let alone motors. As thousands of
animals have perished of hunger since the war, it is dread
fully hard to get provisions from the places where they exist,
to the places where they do not. The Persians knew, we, as
Americans, had come solely to help and not to get anything, so
our Commission had a wonderful reception.
The poor people alas ! have little, but there is plenty if one
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Teheran and Homeward Bound

has money enough, and many were the dinners given in our
honor. Cabinet Ministers, Princes, rich merchants and the
foreign Ministers invited us to their homes. We were also
guests of honor at the two Clubs, and guests likewise, one
evening, of the Cossack Officers, Russian and Persian (the
troops are Persian) .
I was taken also to call on several ladies of "high degree",
among others the Prime Minister's wife, the wife of the
Master of the Hunt, an aunt of the Shah, and others. This
last lady is very intelligent, though she, like all of them, leads
a secluded life. Infant mortality in Persia is about 70%, so
it is greatly to this woman's credit that all of her nine children
are still living. Most of the women have their homes arranged
in quasi-western style, at least they receive one in such rooms ;
but in one place, we were shown into a real Persian room, and
sat on the floor on a little platform with cushions at our backs,
and our feet under a table, covered with a big satin quilt.
Under this table was a brazier with charcoal, and as I struck
a rather warm day for this call, my toes in patent leather
shoes did some quiet squealing. Scarcely any of the Persian
ladies speak French, but I always went with one of the Mis
sionary ladies who spoke Persian. I don't know what on earth
I should have done in Teheran had I not spoken French; with
the women it was easy enough as they were not able to con
verse much better than children, and my interpreter asked
them very simple questions for me. The men, however, are
educated and there was plenty to talk about with them. The
old-fashioned women seemed quite content with their lot, but
some of the others were, I think, very unhappy; they must
compare themselves with us and rebel against their treatment
—and think what it must mean when there are several wives !
Of course there is always the chief one, and she can't be
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Around the World to Persia

divorced unless her dowry is returned. But there are so-called
" temporary wives ". It is all a grand mix-up, very revolting
to our ideas, and I took good pains to tell many of the men
their country would never amount to much until women were
treated differently.
One of the dinners given us, as I have told you, was in the
House of Parliament, the first time such a thing was ever
done ; it was a superb banquet. The nicest luncheon was given
by an uncle of the Shah, the only other guests, besides our
selves, being his three brothers. It was out in the country at
the place I mentioned, called Rei, which was formerly a great
city centuries before Christ. This Prince owns the site and
gave us each a gold coin, a very old one, which had been dug
up there. It was a perfect day, and the mountains were daz-
zlingly beautiful. As we drove through one of the multi
colored city gates, with a blue mosque to one side of it and
the glorious mountains as a background, I thought it was one
of the loveliest pictures I had seen in the Orient, and I have
seen many.
The Minister of Education invited Will to lecture at the
University, and I was immensely pleased when, after the lec
ture he was presented with an order, that of the Lion and the
Sun; it was quite a surprise to both of us, and as every one
said, greatly merited. The evening before we left, the Min
ister for Foreign Affairs, and the Shah's Master of Cere
monies called and bestowed orders on Dr. Judson, Dr. Post,
Mr. Wertheim and Will, and gave me a diamond ring. We
felt very fine, and it was nice to have one of the men from the
Foreign Office tell me that they often gave orders for diplo
matic reasons, but all agreed it had never given them such
pleasure as to do so for the American Commission. It is very
pleasant at present to be an American in foreign lands, and it

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Teheran and Homeward Bound

is particularly pleasant to be a member of an American Com
mission; it is distinctly nice to have people wonder if one's
President will allow this, or advise that, or do thus and so, for
such and such a country. Dr. Judson has had delegation
after delegation call and present their case, Persians of all
kinds, Armenians, Syrians, Tartars, Georgians, etc. We have
found the British everywhere delightful and are glad to be
their Allies. I don't think it is because I belong to the Anglo-
Saxon race I think it so superior; but I have seen enough of
the world to compare it with others, and I must say, every time
the odds are in our favor. We saw a great deal of Sir Percy
and Lady Cox and liked them immensely. The British Lega
tion in Teheran is large and comfortably furnished and the
grounds are beautiful. All the other countries have nice lega
tions there and it is only our great country that makes itg
Minister hire anything he can get — such a draughty, dingy
place as ours there was !
Of course there are many, many more things I could write
you about our stay in Teheran, but I shall have to tell you in
stead when we get home. How I ever got packed, I don't
know, for the interruptions were tremendous; lots of people
called the afternoon before, and even on Monday morning.
We were to have started at nine, but the lazy Hindu drivers
we brought from Bombay (trifling as some of our darkies)
managed not to be ready till 10.30. We found what space
our numerous parcels and bags would permit, and drove away
from a garden full of friends and acquaintances, and salaam
ing servants. Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell, and Mr. Bader the
Consul, accompanied us to the nearest village, and the last per
son we saw whom we knew, was the Prime Minister to whom
we waved as he came along preceded and followed by clatter
ing Cossacks. It was very late when we arrived at Kazvin
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Around the World to Persia

and our host had asked people to meet us. I could hardly
keep awake after dinner, and in the morning, we had to get
up at half past five.
Our drive that morning was over a pass, with most beau
tiful scenery. Just as we neared the foot, a little before sun
set, we passed the longest camel train I have ever seen; ani
mal after animal, with its pack, walked along in stately
fashion and I longed for a picture of the whole scene, with
camels, drivers and the mountainous background, bathed in
the beautiful sunset colors. Will did his best with a Kodak,
but even should it turn out well, it can be but a reminder of
the actual picture.
At last we left the mountains which had been such a keen
joy to me for weeks, and we reached what they call the
" jungle " — trees on the hillside which gradually became level.
For a long time, we had known only sunlight and, in conse
quence, dust; so it seemed perfectly delightful to smell the
damp earth once more, for it rains a lot in that part of Persia.
It is a rice-growing country and very unhealthy, as the pallid
faces of the natives show; there is great distress there which
Dr. Judson took steps to try and alleviate. There are no
hotels in Persia except two or three awful ones in Teheran,
so at Resht some of us stopped with Dr. and Mrs. Frame,
missionaries, the others with the Bank Manager.
After a day's rest, we went on to Enzeli on the Caspian Sea,
about ten miles away and took the boat, a very dirty one, but
pointed in the right direction. It was afternoon when we
sailed, and though the sun was not shining, there was a won
derful golden light on a fine range of snow-covered moun
tains. I watched them till it faded and thought it a fitting
farewell, that mountains which had greeted my gaze as I

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Teheran and Homeward Bound

entered Persia, were also the last bit I saw of the land of the
Lion and the Sun.
The next morning about ten, we reached Baku, and one of
the British General's aides met us and took us to the hotel.
There have been Turks, Bolsheviki and Armenians and Tar
tars, all fighting there, so the town was rather a sorry looking
place; still it had pavements and at present was quiet, and I
had the pleasure of walking, and sometimes, by myself, quite
unusual after Persia. There Will had no time to walk with
me, and it was so little fun having our servant go with me,
I used to stay at home.
In Baku and the adjacent country, the Tartars and Ar
menians loathe each other. Last September, the Tartars mas
sacred some twenty thousand Armenians as a return compli
ment to the Armenians who last March killed twelve thousand
Tartars. One Armenian boasted of having killed sixty-six,
but in a report of the Bishop, great stress was laid on the hor
rible cruelty of the Tartars and their fearful September mas
sacre, while the Armenian massacre last Spring was called
" the events in March " !
There is tremendous work to be done out here by the British
and other Allies before certain parts of Asia are fit to live in.
The British have some splendid men in Baku, their Chief,
General Thomson who is only thirty-eight, being one of the
best all-round specimens of manhood I have ever known. Will
and I had tea with him and his staff the afternoon before
leaving Baku. He sent his aides the next morning to put us
on the train, and six Tommies, who to their intense joy are
being allowed to go home, accompanied us as guards and
servants. We had a car to ourselves and proceeded in most
leisurely fashion expecting to come straight on to Batum ; but
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Around the World to Persia

the Government of Georgia begged us to stop over as their
guests at Tiflis.
We arrived at Tiflis at 8 a. m. and found the town all
decorated, as it was the first anniversary of the National
Guard. We did not like red flags everywhere, but the more
moderate natives assured us they were not as socialistic as
they seemed. Tiflis is the Capital of Georgia and notwith
standing the fact the country became a part of Russia and
was almost Russianized, the natives still retain their language
and their love of country. They are crazy now to have a
Republic, one of the many this war will produce, and they
point with pride to the fact that Georgia is the only part of
Russia where Bolshevism was kept out. They have also
been Christians since the third or fourth century and one thing
that impressed us all, is their great respect for women. As
Dr. Judson says, they have a home life, something their Mo
hammedan neighbors lack. The Committee that took charge
of us was composed of very pleasant people, among them a
Prince and Princess of old lineage, a general who had been in
the Russian army, a very attractive man, a doctor, etc. They
gave us three delicious meals, rooms to rest in, and took us
sight-seeing, finally bringing us to a train which carried only
us, at 1 1 p. m.
We reached here, Batum, the next night and had to stay —
such a hotel ! quite the filthiest I have ever seen. We all slept
on camp beds as a precautionary measure! Mr. Balfour has
ordered a British man-of-war to take us to Taranto, and at
daylight Dr. Post knocked at our door and said the boat
would be ready for us in three quarters of an hour. We
promptly got ready for the boat, which did not arrive till later
and which cannot sail till to-morrow. We can scarcely wait
till the time comes, and in the meantime, have cast many
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Teheran and Homeward Bound

grateful glances at the Black Sea, the connecting link between
us and home.
H. M. S. "Forward"— in the Gulf of Corinth.— ^& left
Batum on this Cruiser in the loveliest weather imaginable.
Two high ranges of snow peaks run on either side of the town
and for a long distance; in the sunlight, they looked superb.
All went well that day, but oh! the next. This boat shook
dreadfully and rolled a lot, so although I have sailed on many
seas, I lowered my colors for the first time this trip, on the
Black Sea. Our Captain, such a nice fellow, gave me his
cabin (General Townshend and also Venizelos once occupied
it, as passengers) which made me feel very badly, until he
assured me he always slept in his quarters on the bridge ; Will
slept on his camp bed, and to my delight there was a private
bath for our use. It certainly was an unusual experience for
me to be a passenger on a British man-of-war, but it has
been a very agreeable one. A British General whom we know
quite well came along also and our meals have been pleasant
affairs. On the 17th we reached Constantinople and were fortunate
to have fine weather in the Bosphorus which was beautiful;
the harbor was filled with Allied war ships, and a military
lorry took us all and our big pile of luggage to the Pera Palace
Hotel, the same one Will and I stopped at before. You can't
have any conception of the delight it was to us to get to a first
class hotel, even though lack of coal prevented warm baths,
and also, heat ; but we did not suffer from the cold. We got
good food but the prices were perfectly exorbitant. Constan
tinople is as dirty as ever, being far more attractive to look at
from a ship — at least, I think so. The Bazaar is filled with
trashy Western things, and the shops in the principal streets
charge enormously for everything. Fortunately W. and I
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Around the World to Persia

had done the sights religiously before, so this time we went
only to St. Sophia (very dingy it looks) and for a few min
utes to the Museum.
For a time we did not know how we were to continue our
trip; but Dr. Judson saw the British Admiral, who is the
Commanding officer, and to our joy word came we were to
be carried to Taranto on the same boat. To-day we went
through the Corinth Canal, which is about four miles long
and only 80 ft. wide. This is the largest boat that can get
through, and it is no easy job, I fancy. Unfortunately it was
a rainy day, but one could easily imagine how superb the
scenery about here is. We expect to reach Taranto to-morrow
and go straight to Paris, where I shall mail all of our letters.
As Dr. Judson said, we did not come out for pleasure, but
we have had many pleasant times, and altogether, it has been
a wonderful experience. We are all longing for home now,
though, and thank fortune, it will not be long before we get
there. Much love to all
from
Katewill.

76