The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-01-20
THE ORIENT.
A GLIMPSE AT PERSIA.

HEATHEN-A RAY OF LIGHT IN A LAND OF
DARKNESS-wHAT HAS BEEN AMI MAY BE
DONE.
Notwithstanding the exceeding inclem-
eney of the day full congregation of hear
ers gathered yesterday afternoon in the
chapel of the Second Presbyterian church to
listen to Mrs. Rhea, a returned mis-
sionary. This lady spent many years in
Persia, in company with her distinguished
husband, whose death not only glooms her
life, but infiicts heavy loss upon the cause
of Christian missions abroad. In Mrs. Rhea
one sees rare specimen OF woman. OF
medium feminine size, youthful likeness,
lovable expression, positive presence, modest
hammered, sweet voiced, without the least
substance or shadow of personal vanity, she
seiZes her audience by a strong and subdu-
ing influence from the first, and never lets
loose until she clinches conviction and re-
ceiveS their love. Looking at her, and
listening, one can not withhold thought of
contrast between this gentle lady-standing
before her Christian sisters exciting their
sympathy and succor for their common
sisters in sex who are in heathen darkness
and those other women of the platform who
pirate about political rights, speaking for
the modest price OF 500 a night. What
lesson of modesty of true womanly mis-
sion; of sincere. self forgetful, conservation
might the Cady Stantons and Anna Dickin-
sons and Olive Logans ct id omne genus
have learned had they listened to this little
woman of the silver speech, and girlish shy
ness. The services were opened by some
preliminary songs and prayers conducted by
the pastor DIR. Withrow. After this the
bonneted speaker opened her subject. So
smoothly flowed the measures that it
seemed like poem. 1t seemed she must
have written and committed every word;
the senten -es were so complete and polished.
But these delights and delusions were soon
left behind, when she began to glow with
eloquent and loving appeal.
THE LAND OF PERSIA
Was struck of in a few word-photo-
graphs. After which, it was easy to walk
with her through deserts or vineyards,
tude and degradation and dismal de-
through villiges which are socially
and morally different from cities
only in their baser conditions of humanity
Incidence, absence of thrifG, dogs, beggars,
sore-eyed and repulslve; dirt and ignorance
has done it all. OF all society, woman
stands on the bottom strata; donkies and
women are on an equality. She is the slave
to labor and to the lust of her lord. Her
mind has become so imbecile with long
centuries of abuse that she can not ap-
preciate any instruction that is higher than
we give to infant classes. But withal, she
is blinded and bigoted beyond anything
found among men, so far as the religion Of
idoltary goes. And yet these women are re-
claimable. Mrs. Rhea stole sufficient time
from statement and argument to tell the
story of one Nargie, girl who was brought
out of darkness by Mrs. Rhea's own en-
deavor. The low condition OF the child's
mind; her gradual PERCEPTION; her positive
acceptance of Christ as her Savior; her en-
durdnce of great persecution rather than
deny Christ; her successful efforts at a SUBJ
sequent time in winning her husband to the
Christian faith; her fair and fruitful lite
all these were pictured and emphasized with
such
POWER AND PATHos.
That any auditor must at least for the
nonce, have agreed that the salvation ofthis
one soul was worth the sacrifice of all the
speakers self-uenying labors, as well as the
whole cost of missions.
"Were the world one chrysolite,
The earth a golden ball,
And diamonds all the stars or night
| One soul outweighs them all"
And as the eloquent lady said the United
States spent m1ch during one week in
conducting the late war, as the American
Board of Foreign Missions had given il to
spend in the long role of fifty six years of its
I
the briefsketchy history of the old HISTORIANS
of Persia, the graphic picturing of the down
| fall of the ''SeVen Churches of Asai." These
once had the Scriptures, the true religion
But they lightly esteemed the truth. The
Bible was lost sight of; superstition and ig-
norance prevailed and the people sunk
| lower and lower until at last they
are as heathens again. But the Bible
being translated into modern SyriaC
they receive it gladly. The manner
in which the translation of the scriptures
came to be executed was given with great
interest and sharpness of detail. The man
who did it, DIR. Perkins, was, at leaving
America, thought to be in dying condition
But he reached Persia to stay and labor there
thirty years. The obstacles he faced, the
success ne achieved,
THE FRUIT ALREADY GATHERED,
And the great promise were all deeply
plans OF Bible study common in missionary
schools in Persia, the aptness and efficiency
of the scholars in the recitation of Bible
geography and history ana precept, she
made a sharp practical turn, SAYING, "Oi
course you all could do this" The edge oi
the supposition which cut all round was the
felt sureness of large number that
they could do nothing of the sort.
"But these" said she, "are but
converted heathen." Among the many i'm
pressive and instructive and thrilling things
one of the best was a brief biographical par
agraph of an old HISTORIAN patriarch called
Mi Eli. That venerable man, the Oldest
among them, wise influential, their conf
dental adviser in all difficulties, was
brought to an acceptance OF the Bible Sa-
vior. He became a devotee of Scripture
study. To him the Word of the Lord was,
like it was to David, "honey and the honey
comb" His weary days ended in delight
full assurance "though L walk through the
valley of the shadow of death / will fear no
evil" Mrs. Rhea is the representative ofthe
Woman's Board of Foreign Missions. Her
way through. the Western States has been
amply successful.
RITRRTE RITRST