The text of the document is typed, with 84 small photographs pasted within the text throughout the five pages. The text recounts a trip from Portland, Oregon, by steamer, to Japan and China. The couple’s journey begins at Mt. Carmel, Illinois, where Blanche lives. There are photos of her father and her little brother Henry at Mt. Carmel in front of their home. The couple appears to have attended the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago shortly before leaving for China, as there are photos of their snow-covered car in Chicago with M.B.I. being mentioned.

        From Mt. Carmel they traveled by train to Portland, Oregon, where they boarded the steamer S.S. Heiyo Maru for Japan. They travel down the Columbia River from Portland to the Pacific Ocean and Japan. Fred injured himself during the passage and needed to have several stiches in his head. Photographs of their journey from Portland, down the Columbia River, then across the Pacific Ocean to Japan illustrate the text.

          They arrive in Japan and using several modes of transportation (ox cart, motor tricycle, steamboat, railway, rick-shaw), all illustrated, to get around as they travel through Japan (Tokyo, Kobe, Osaka) visiting various churches, missionaries (Joel Anderson, C. E. Carlson, H.H. Wagner) and missions (Oriental Missionary Society in Tokyo, Methodist Seminary at Osaka). They also visit the Great Buddha at Kamakura, view Mt. Fuji, as well as the Inland Japan Sea.

              After Japan, they head to China on the S.S. Assama Maru where they visited Shanghai’s City Hall, take in the street scenes of Shanghai (illustrated), and meet up with the Missionary James Taylor, grandson of Hudson Taylor, founder of the Inland China Mission. They also meet a Mr. and Mrs. Moore and someone named Douglas, (perhaps a son of the Moores). The journal relates how the Moore’s escaped the Red Army (who were 10 miles away), as well as the Moore’s with others, helping a Mr. and Mrs. Frencham escape from imprisonment by the Red Army.

        The end of the journal has photographs of Blanche and Fred’s new born son Philip. The entire story is illustrated with the above mentioned 84 small photographs.

         Sample Quotations:

         “Various Means of Transportation in Japan.

        Ox-cart. Bicycles: - Japan is truly a land of bicycles, as well as ‘The Land of the Rising Sun.’ Some of these carry enormous loads on trailers and otherwise. The busses are always shining because the lady conductors are continually polishing them. Blanche in a rick-shaw. This vehicle is rapidly disappearing in Japan, but not in China. Steamboat. Motor - tricycle. Railways. Missionaries Joel Anderson and C.E. Carlson saying ‘goodbye’ to us at the R.R. station in Tokyo.

        A Japanese church, where the audience sits on straw-mat covered floors. The characters back of the pulpit mean ‘Jesus’ Blood from all sin (cleanse). The last word is hid from view by the pulpit. These characters are the same in Chinese, but the Japanese pronounce them very differently, and in addition use the ‘cana’ which is very similar to the new Chinese phonetic script, but the Chinese cannot read ‘cana.

        A gym class at a Japanese school in Tokyo. After presenting our calling cards, we were ushered into a reception room and served tea. Then they showed us the building, this gym class and also a music class, where the teacher sat at the grand piano playing and teaching the scales and other pieces to the class. They really sang very well. Before leaving, they sang for our benefit ‘Home Sweet Home’ in Japanese, but with our melody.

       Mr. C.E. Carlson and Fred visited the Oriental Missionary Society in Tokyo, attending one of their Bible institute classes. At the door they were met by a maid in true Japanese style, with profuse bowing, down to the very floor. In order to enter, it was necessary for us to remove our shoes, and put on slippers which they provided for us to wear. As this was required almost every place we went, it became quite a tiresome ordeal. Mr. Hanaki, our room-steward on the Heiyo Maru, was a member of the Oriental Missionary Society, and knew Mrs. Cowman, complier of ‘Streams in the Desert.’ He was faithful, dependable, prompt, pleasant and artistic. We were happy for the privilege to fellowship with this Japanese brother in Christ, and to encourage him to let his light shine for our Master on board that ship.”

       “Sights on the Streets of Shanghai.

       Water buffaloes, horses, carts, wheelbarrows, banners of all colors and sizes advertising all kinds of shops and wares; little cars and big cars, double deck busses down to little Austins and rickshaw, Street cars with a first-class section and a third class. Machines are quite expensive, but labor cheap, so that is why there are so many coolies on top of the truck in Upper right hand corner, so that it can be unloaded more quickly and kept in actual service more constantly.

        Missionary James Taylor (Grandson of Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission) and family sailing for the States on the Tatsuta Maru.

        Notice the hundreds of paper streamer confetti, totaling miles of length, which break one after the other, until there is only one left, as in the last picture, until soon the last ‘tic’ is broken as the vessel steams away.

        “Mr. & Mrs. Moore and Douglas were in the party which were compelled to flee from their station when the ‘Red Army’ was only ten miles away. They could not take a thing with them except the clothes they wore, s most of them had to walk for days. This picture was taken about a month later at the R.R. station, when Mr. Moore and Mr. & Mrs. Glassford (a nurse), went in the face of great danger to the help of Mr. and Mrs. Frencham, who had just been set free in a most marvelous manner, from captivity by the Reds. They were held two months, and the only reports about them was that they had been killed, so their release was a great joy to us all.

        On the night of the same day that Moore and the Glassfords left Shanghai we had the great happiness of welcoming our darling baby, little Phil. Everything went perfectly, for which we humbly and sincerely thank our loving heavenly Father…”