The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1874-06-24
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From the Missionary.
Letter from Miss Henderson to the Children


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some time since any of US have written, es
pecislly to you, and perhaps you are begin
ping to wonder what has become of your
friends out here. Well, we have been pas
sing through the rainy season. AS you pro-
baby know, instead of having summer and
winter, as at home, we have rainy and
dry season. Almost every day during the
former We have a heavy rain storm, not rainy |
days generally, though this sometimes occurs,
but perhaps a pleasant morning and then a
stormy evening, or the reverse. As this
lasts for good many weeks, every thing
about the house becomes mouldy, and if you
could take look at US, many sunshiny days,
you would End a whole array of clothing,
books, and trunks cut airing. Besides this
we have many destructive insects which de-
srOy our clothing, and remind us frequently
Of the Bible admonition, Lay not up for
yourselves treasures on earth, where moth
and rust corrupt" One Of these insects is
sort of moth which they call traea" here
Ii lives 10 a little oblong covering, about the
shape and size Of watermelon seed. At
the first glance it appears like little scrap
of brown paper, but if you watch it a little
while, you will see it put out its wOrm-ike
head and drag its covering after it. In this
way it creeps up the walls, and you will Of
ten find them festooned with the little crea-
lures.
l hope you have followed with interest the
history Of our school If so you would like
to hear little more about it now. We still
assemble in the church room for the morning
Scripture lesson, boys and girls together,
and as we number over eighty five pupils
now, the room is almost full. wish you
could take look at US some morning, but as
you cannot, viii describe it to you. 1t is a
large room, with three windows, and door
opening on the street; desks are arranged
around the walls and in front of the benches
which occupy the centre. There are eight
of these which accommodate twelve or thir-
teen grown persons each. At the end We
have a melodeOn, and small bookcase for
the Sunday School library, and the pulpit
Perhaps you imagine the pulpit is like the
ones you are accustomed to at home, so
will tell you its history. For good while
We had borrowed table with little box
Of reading desk on it, but thought it best
to be independent, so the gentlemen decided
that we should make one, and went to work
accordingly. They made rough table Of
unplaned boards, then We got green baize
and covered it, putting curtain and 6Dish-
ing it off with black braid and brass tacks,
then the old desk was recovered and set on
it, and merry afternoons work it cost US.
The baize is becoming shabby, and expect
we will have to cover it again soon. But to
20 back to the room. The ceiling is high,
as they generally are, to make the room
cooler, and is ceiled with boards the walls
are papered half way up to prevent the rough
plastering from sitting off, above it is yellow
washed Altogether it is an humble place,
purity and order which should reign ia0he
spiritual temples, but we hope that few
faithful souls have found there the pearl OF
great price, over which they shall rej)ice for
all eternity. Now that the school is so large
our accommodations are becoming very ip-
sufficient on Sundays, and often persons
have to sit in the adjoining room. We re-
gret this as it does not leave room for
strangers, who are constantly dropping in.
The gentlemen have suggested that the peO-
pie should begin, in their small way to con-
tribute to a fund for church building
They do very well in their regular Sunday
collections, and are being educated in liber-
atty; We hope if they make beginning, God
will in some way provide them with the ne
cessary means for building place for His
worship do not doubt, if We had larger
room and better accommodations, the con
gregations would be doubled in a little time,
but it is almost impossible to rent suitable
hall here Mr.. Lane has promised to make
donation of the brick for the church if the
means can be raised to build it.
saw something the other day as we were
coming up the street, which know will sur
prise and shock you, but We grow aocustom,
ed to such things here. The negroes carry
fruits about for sale, in wooden trays on their
heads, and We met one acting rather strange
", chanting a wild sort of note and hall
dancing along. saw saw something yellow
in the tray but thought Twas oranges as he
passed, something attracted my attention
more closely to him, and saw that he had a
little ehild's corpse, partly covered with a
cloth, but the head aud feet were uncovered ;
and what 1 supposed was oranges proved to
be a few yellow marigOlds around the little
head. He was carrying it to the cemetery
to be buried, without a cCfio, as they fire
quently do. Sometimes a cofin is hired to
carry the body to the grave, and it is taken
out on reaching there, but suppose il is a
luxury the poor do not often indulge in
They bring bodies in frequently from the
country in hammOcks slung on pole. All,
even the slaves are brought TO the cemetery,
as they would not bury out Of consecrated
sround-but such dreary, hopeless looking