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Astor House Hotel, Shanghai. Jan 13th 1911. Dear Colonel Hecker - I have just cabled you " Please send Homer's Early Evening to Metropolitan Museum. Tigonner Tambreet Wayfoong, Shanghai Strebulis." The Metropolitan Museum is to hold a memorial exhibition of Winslow Homer's work and having invited the " Early Evening " I have consented to lend it. Will you kindly have Stephen pack and forward it. Some especially interesting early paintings are being brought to me from Soochow, Nankin, and other interior points and I cannot resist them. So, Ihave asked you to kindly cable me on the 16th inst. nine thousand dollars, through the Hongkong Shanghai Bank of Shanghai. At present they prefer to have remittances in American dollars rather than English sterling - why, one can never understand in this land of endless exchange m ysteries. Rates of exchange differ daily, and the returns on American and English money in Mexican silver or Chinese paper currency is considerably less than last year, and this in addition to the rapidly advancing prices for all first class works of art, runs up my outlay. I comfort myself with the assurance that prices will never go lower, and how long the supply now pouring out will continue to flow, and how much longer exportations of these things will be allowed by the Chinese Government, are conditions to be reckoned with. But on these two latter points there are no authorities to consult - the opinions expressed by different people who pretend to have opinions are extremely varied. I do know however, that all Occidentals have much to learn of this land of wonders. Yesterday I spent many hours with delightful old-fashioned Chinese family inspecting things thousands of years old that have seen little daylight for centuries - and which not more than a half dozen foreigners have ever a seen. The courteous way of showing their treasures and the home entertainment of the dignified and sympathetic old Taotai made a very strong impression on me. How little America knows of China and how much our people might learn from the Chinese! , and with best wishes to you and yours, Very sincerely yours, Charles L. Freer.
