The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1873-03-20
LETTER FROM INDIA.

r. he La,2ie+ s. D. HerriH Hary A. Hoselg
aao j. TarbeI; anil Gentlemen John Hun-
tsr O. ~ Fehrts, n. ". Tones H. NusgroUe,
"a q D. East9n, and others 81 JdcksoH Nissis-
81 spl,i-
DEAR FRIENDS Yourselves and others.
VII names / have not given, contributed
ID March, 1871, the sum of Sill, for the
Jaful College, in the Island of Ceylon
Rendering thanks for your help in educating
some of the Tamil people in Ceylon, i
h6ve the pleasure to tell you that the insti-
fntiol was opened on the lst Of July last
an Is going on well in the charge of Rev
=. + Hastings long a missionary of the
American Board.
Dear friends, I shall never forget my
Visit to your city Of jackson, and some of
thu incidents connected with it. 1t was
very pleasant to find in Jackson, with Mr..
Powcr, "a copy of the Psalms Of David IN
Tami and English, which / had printed in
the Island Of Cevlon twcnty-onc years ago.
III Power had received it, when travelling,
from our American Boards Secretary, DR.
N G. Clark. How interesting to see in the
STATE Institution the gymnastics of the
hEind girls. Yet other sights and scenes re-
inarklblo there were among you that I will
not take time to detail.
Dr and Mrs. Spaulding, Of whom I spoke
osomc of you, are still living in Jaffna,
Cen lon, where they have been working for
Chr, since 1920. He was eighty-one last
Angu~t 22d. Mrs. Spaulding is now feeble,
bht wts able to sit in her chair in the door
Way and speak to the native Christian wo-
men IS they crowd around, when attending
10 annual convocation of the native church,
held carly this month, at Oodooville, in con-
fert with the annual meeting of the Ameri-
I'm Board. How many natives have these
NOV aged workers educated for ends and
Nm 80 much above those of the dark-mind-
ea Hindoos!
II was in 1855 that left Ceylon for work
anong the same Tamil people, about two
hhud ed miles distant on the main land of
Ipdid The work is nearly the same in
hpth fields, SO let me give you some account
m incidents in late tour of seven days, as
thcy may help you to understand the Tamil
peoplc better, and show you how much
they need the Gospel Of Christ.
Leaving my Nclur home (where | have
now been Just nine months to-day since my
feturu from visiting America), ! came four
en miles on an OK cart, on the 9TH of
Dctober. On the way, in company with a
nativc catechist, visited a village by the
roadside. We talked III front of Il low,
mud-valrd, matched house, where two
iewelcrs were at work. They were igno-
rant, Coarse-looking men, with very little
clothiug, only Il strip about the waist,
sittinc on the ground floor of the verandah,
and with few tools such n would be found
in America The Hindoo gets on very well
without the schoolmastcr, but not without
the eveler-tor all are exceedingly fond of
ornaments, wearing often rings for the fin
ger ears and nose. ornaments for the neck,
ankle and toes 70 the number of dozens
Il have counted twenty rings on the left
hand fingers. As the masses are very poor,
the most Of this characterization Is very
cheap made of brass, lead, and even iron
The men were, however making Il mar
riage badge of gold, to be tied on the neck
of the bride-this being the most important
part of the marriage ceremony The gold
was very thin and light, being valued at
onc rupee. or fifty cents, and the men, for
thcir work, were to have twenty-five cents
The work for almost nothing rs compared
MIDI .godsmiths in America; it is, however.
not expected that they will be very honest.
I'll is q common saying with the people that
ii a icweler make an ornament for his own
mother he will steal a little.
October To-day was present at fu-
neral at the burning OF the corpse of
vQung girl of ten or twelve years of age
al mass of men and women followed the
bier, waiIing and crying to the place of
burniug to the graveyard-for more are
bnricl than are burned-but there are no
grave-tones, and the same ground is used
over and over again. The corpse was laid
upon wood of the margosa tree and the
darl cloth enshrouding it was saturated
Will melted butter and OIL very offensive
III is odor) from the fruit of the margosa
Then other pieces of wood were laid at the
side and upon the body. and a brother of
the deceased, with several friends, went
round the funeral pile three times, bearing
large earthen vessel filled with water,
which was puucturcd with a bill-hook-
knife each time they passed the head of
the corpse, and then taken off a few yards
nd dashed upon the ground, the party en-
hrncig each other in circle, with heads
b0Ned down in mourning and grief. The
cetemony was significant of all being over
the pitcher broken mt the fountain"
All the same time the pile was set fire to in
two places. A half day or more is required
for the entire consuming of a corpse. \
feason for burning in preference to burying
was given me by a relative of the deceased
Girl, that there was now no grave to fire.
anently remind the mother of her loss.
Tho poor woman's grief was great indeed
Hhh threw herself down in frantic manner,
nnh appeared as one demented, till led or
enKried away.
October 10.-To-day we have been in
hIee village, where weekly market is
held A very large part of the vegetables
and articles of all kinds on sale were
bfonght on the heads of the people: then
they were spread on the ground, and the
nHners sitting cross-legged sold or bartered
their goods for small profits indeed. Where
MaReS are not more than six cents day. a
uNMrter of a cent Is often made TO buy red
pepper, tamarind fruit, and tumeric, used
FL making curry, the universal seasoning for
The ubiquitous boiled rice of India.
ID was painful TO me, at least Git did not
seetn 70 be to the people,, to see 50 many
rKnfessional beggers, with drums or cymbals
ka Mttract attention, calling on every seller.
M to observe that the lazy fellows in
IN every instance received something
much in itself, but in the aggregate,
fnnp scores Of persons, enough probably for
eek's support Many of them beg for
kHt3r god. as they say; and when rebuked
their laziness and meanueSs in begging
1 those who are so poor, their ready reply
nhaJ it was written or fated that they
ahld be beggars! The people think it
unity to give, or are afraid of the holy
la rs curse if they don't give, and so pa
ttlv bear the infliction and pest
es terday in returning from the morn
5 work of preaching in two villages, l
bee a shed where the castor oil bean was
ling in large vessels, and was told by
hanedan attendant, who, nearly naked,
stirring the hot mixture, that he re-
Zee but three cents for his work per day.
pressed doubt to him of the truth of
statement, when he appealed to his en-
yer near by. / suspect he leaves off at
b, or soon after, calling it days worke
think of working in such a hot climatr