Why Visit PHS?
Unsurprisingly, the Society’s main strength is missionary records. But this doesn’t mean that the collection’s scope is limited. Even if you’re not interested in missionaries per sae, they ran hospitals, taught at schools, and visited small towns that no other westerners were interested in. Thus, their observations give unique insight into cultural trends and political tensions of the time, as well as allowing a detailed look at religion and perceptions of East Asia at the turn of the century. Just as a note of interest, PHS houses a number of original letters written by Pearl S. Buck, author of the famous book The Good Earth.
