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1926-08-02: tour stops---images---~AUDIO~---transcript---notes---links---site navigation
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1926-08-02: ​tour stops---images---audio---~TRANSCRIPT~---notes---links---site navigation
177 Orange St.,
Kingston, Jamaica
West Indies
Aug. 2 1926
Via England
My dear Miss Hosking,

I received yours of 2nd June last night and I am all nervous and worried about some of the things you wrote me about and am replying right now to clear matters up.
​
In the first place, I shall let you know what happened in June 1925: One of the members of our Station was fined for trading.  The Mission took up the whole affair and made an inquiry and another party was also found out for doing the same thing i.e. “trading”.  Dr. Tucker, on the last day of the inquiry, met me near my gate and in quite a diplomatic and half sardonic manner said to me that some time ago Mr. Rafaiso and Rev. Steed told him that I was not keeping accounts and that the Portuguese were giving me merchandise in lieu of fees.  I became blue, and quite mad at hearing this and collected all my books and exposed them to the committee including Dr. Tucker.  They found my books O.K.  I thereupon told them I was not going to work with Mr. Steed anymore and could easily find work some other place.  Dr. Tucker, I think, is a little more than a friend to me.  I thought he was man enough to write me about my not keeping my books or come to see them but he did not.  I think if our missionaries were fair to one another many of those confidential letters that were and are still being sent to Canada and America would not be written.  I am awfully sore, Miss Hosking, over this matter and I don’t know what is going to happen in the future.  To be pushed around, spoken about and treated like a native by some other missionaries is very humiliating.  I cannot stand for a thing like that.  I am away and now can see what I could not see there.  If I had not gone to Cissamba I would have been better off in mind body + pocket.  Some of my colleagues are at home and are doing exceedingly well, having their motor cars, working only a few hours a day and having no “ordained man” to play the boss.  I think that I have lost more going to the mission field than I have gained.  My temper is lost, my good nature, my skill along certain lines gone and least but not last my religion and faith in my brother man tottering to the ground.  Africa not Africa but the mission field has ruined my life.  In these days I am just looking back at the time I spent at Cissamba + most of then sour days. [???what?  Sour?]

You asked about 60$ and 983$00 = 1043$ escudos I entered into the book and cannot find the record of the spending of this amount.  I am rather careful about my books for the reasons mentioned above and “honor”.  I can quite see your position.  Mr. Lloyd, a little before I left there, saw and signed all my books for me.  I was also keen on his doing so.  Looking up my notes I find that there is a total of 1043$ in February.  Now, listen, please look on the lower shelf in the book case in the office and you will find some account books, they are old ones, you will find among them one marked “journal”, please search that book + you will see Boys Boarding School acts, and Hospital, “Medical” or Dispensary you will see everything I spent for years.  Look at the other books also and you will find how the amount was spent.  As a matter of fact, the medical owes me something.  Look on the debit + credit and you will find things in good shape.  If you don’t understand it Miss Read will help you for she has audited many times for me.  You will find amount of cash I spent on the hospital building.  It is a good thing you were good enough to write me about it; had it been someone else Dr. Hall would be called a “thief.”  Please look up for my account books.  I do hope you will find them.  You may forget but I can remember showing you my accounts and how they are kept.  Having so much to do and somethings you are nervous about, it is impossible to do and know everything.  Please go through timely all those books for above all I must preserve my “honor.”
A few days ago I got a statement of my account from Mr. Allen in England.  He was ill + I did not see him + have $11 dollars for the medical and also 200$ (escudos) that were paid to me by a man called R. Silva.  I thought I wrote you about it, I got it the day before I left + stuck in my pocket + found same on my way to Lisbon.
The quinine I got for Dr. Person [???] is a small matter, only 20 ozs I think, in 1924.  We, as I told you got a regular supply every 4 months or so + this I gave the Dr. was not from ours.  It was included in an order I sent away.  Months before I left Africa I wrote to Canada asking that the supply of quinine be continued and even sent an order off for some drugs to leave with you + which came while I was at Cissamba.  The £:0.0 [???] at that time = 100 escudos. That is ok.  I cannot say what the price of corn is now, so you are the better judge.  Dr. Person is a gentleman + honest, had it not been for that I would have been fined several times and our medical department is a big mess.  Another thing, during the construction of the hospital although we had bricks in Cissamba, I had to buy from Dr. Person’s place and got some for very much less than other people and even the evangelist we had there had to pay a different price.  I cannot tell you all on paper but if you were in my position you would give him anything he asked for in that line.  During my time at Cissamba the station was more helped that was known.  Say, you know I got wax, lard, olive oil for only the asking to make medicine and lots of drugs from Dinizi [???].
So Mr. Paulo is riding his high horse.  He is an old ass!  I cannot see why he couldn’t stay there and get along with you.  I think he knows too much now.  You are right, get rid of him, and any other who is not acting well + sensible.  I had no bed to give him and he must leave that alone.  I bought only one bed for a native named “Nanga”.  Some natives expect too much.  He thinks that he is the “Know-it-all” as I used to show him lots of thing.  Take the bed away.  All these things go to show that I shall certainly enjoy a wonderful holiday!!  Sometimes I wished that it was a huge mistake to go to Africa - God knows.  During my time there I was on pins all the while and only began to enjoy the work when you began to help me!
So the Rev. L up to June 2nd had not touched his books.  I hope he won’t make a mess of them and mess up my accounts for I know they are all straight.  He is no bookkeeper.  He should not have any difficulty in making up his books as he hasn’t many accounts to handle this half year.  He needs a lady to help him!!
I saw an old legua [???] near the hospital before we started to build + I heard Kanye [???] + Lumbo made some or were using it about 2 years ago Kanye came to me and said that he couldn’t get much water and he was going to dig me one which he did, and use the old one.  This is all I know about it.  I hope I shall not have many more native affairs to bother me!  Please excuse me!
I heard when I was in Lisbon the Simangos were gone to the east so I did not write to them when dropping you a card.  What is the mission doing with them?  What a thing.
Kind regards to all.
Write soon again!
Yours truly
R S Hall
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1926-08-02: ​​​tour stops---images---audio---transcript---~NOTES~---links---site navigation
1.
The letter looks as though it may have been in the flood in Aunt Kay's basement in Oregon.

2.
I had some trouble figuring out some of what Dr. Hall was saying.

3.
Mr. Lloyd, Mr. Tucker, Rev. Steed, Elizabeth Read, mentioned in this letter, are in the Non-family page for mission folks on this website.

4.​
177 Orange St.,
Kingston, Jamaica
West Indies
Aug. 2 1926
Via England
My dear Miss Hosking,

I received yours of 2nd June last night and I am all nervous and worried about some of the things you wrote me about and am replying right now to clear matters up.
So Sibyl wrote on June 2nd, and it reached Dr. Hall in Jamaica on August 2.  I figure it went the same route that Dr. Hall apparently did: to Lobito on the coast of Angola, then to Lisbon in Portugal, then to England, and then to Jamaica in the Caribbean.

5.​
To be pushed around, spoken about and treated like a native by some other missionaries is very humiliating.  I cannot stand for a thing like that.
AG (Sibyl's daughter) read this letter decades later, and this was the sentence she remembered, in particular: "treated like a native".

​5.
​So Mr. Paulo is riding his high horse.
I this this is probably the Paulu mentioned in: I might say here that we had two good assistants in Sapunga, who is Dr. Cushman’s helper and had assisted her before as a sterile assistant or as an anaestheticist and in Paulu who Dr. Hall has trained so that they are reliable young men and now considerable responsibility can be entrusted to them.
Maybe when Dr. Hall was gone, Paulu decided he knew more than a female nurse?  I don't know.

5.
So the Rev. L up to June 2nd had not touched his books.
This must be Mr. Lloyd.  The June 2 date would be the date of Sibyl's letter to Dr. Hall.

6.
I heard when I was in Lisbon the Simangos were gone to the east so I did not write to them when dropping you a card.  What is the mission doing with them?
The Simangos ended up in Portuguese East Africa.  They have Non-family page on this website.
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