The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1875-11-24
Missionary Letter.

nave forgotten my promise TO write occa-
siona!y toyour Society. But have not
My opportunity for seeing the natives and
the progress and character of the Mission
Work among them, as you know, has been
quite limited this summer, owing to our resi-
dence among the English in Ramie. Conse-
quentIy preferred to wait until saw some
thing of Egypt proper. I am now in its
Metropolis, and my eyes look on many
strange sights every day. Perhaps I could
not do better than to give my good sisters of
your Society an account Of our work and
employments for to-day. One day is very
much like another, so when have taken you
through one twenty-four hours, you will be
able TO form tolerably correct idea Of our
life here.
Some of you know that have not been
assigned TO particular Station as yet, owing
to the fact that several of the Missionaries
are temporarily out of the field. When
those in Syria are able to get through the
Quarantine the new Missionaries will be dis
posed of at least for the winter. The interim
am to spend in this city with the, two ladies
who have charge of the Girls Boarding
School. Their house is in the third story Of
a large building, and DR.. Lansing's, with
whom we take our meals, in the second. We
are ready for work in the morning by about
halfpast six. By that time the girls break
fast is ready and at the ringing of the bell
they take their places round the table, stand
ing Miss Johnston asks the blessing, and
then we leave them in charge Of the woman
who does the housekeeping, to so to our
own breakfast. We 60 up twenty-five steps
| to the roof or terrace, and there we have
spread out around ls one Of the finest pano-
ramaS I have ever seen. Besides this great
Mohammedan City with its mosques and
minarets, there are the Palm groves and
| mountains on one side, and the beautiful
open country with its green fields and Acacia
trees on the other. We stop to look over and
admire it every morning, but after little we
get across the terrace and 90 down fifty steps
, to Dr. Lansing's. Immediately on coming up
| have my Arabic lesson, and then 90 to the
school room to morning prayers. These over,
Miss Thompson goes out to distant part OF
the city to look after Miss Smiths day
school, where she spends about two hours.
During that time a teacher of Arabic PEN
manship has come in and given the girls
| lesson, and Miss Johnston and | sit and write
with them. This exercise over, Miss j. gives
the whole school "the Bible lesson," which
is chapter, and running commentary and
questions on it. Then come ordinary school
recitations in Reading, Writing, Geography
and English. I assist as I am able, with
two or three little classes in Arabic and some
in English, sitting always in the same room
with Miss Johnston, so that she can give me
the words want in tying to talk to the
| girls. At half-past ten, Miss Thompson is
back and ready to take charge of the school,
so that Miss Johnston can go to her day
school. This morning went with her. AS
| we weat down the street we met, of course,
all sorts of characters. 1t is one Of the
| favorite drives, and has wide, nicely paved
|
ed at regular intervals. The flags in the
| pavement do not come up to the trees quite,
a sufficient opening being left to admit the
sunlight to the roots, and also to form little
basin for the water, which IS turned on every
morning. 1t had just been turned on when
we wen. out, and all along the street the
people were drinking out Of these miserable
holes. It is true there are no pigs here to
revel in such places, but there is everything
else under the sun that is repulsive. These
people were natives, of course, Of the lowest
class. but it is nevertheless a very large
class, and one which is totally destitute OF
auy idea of cleanliness. We passed through
part of the Coptic Quarter, with its dark,
narrow streets, in which, il the windows
could be opened in the second stories of the
| houses, you could step from one side Of the
street to the other, from the house on one side
TO the opposite one. Of course the sunlight
never gets into the miserable thoroughfares
except for few minutes at noon, and they
are always damp and slippery from the water
thrown out OF the houses into them. Some
times too we need to exercise little care to
keep our heads from getting an undesirable
bath from upper windows, bu: to all these
little things one soon gets accustomed. we
thread our way through these diugy, dirty,
crowded alleys without the least apprehen-
sion of danger, and with but very little of
the feeling of contamination which we would
experience at home.
The school is in the third story of dark,
gloomy old house. We climbed up the
narrow stairs and into the main school room.
Before opening the Boarding School, Miss
Johnston had spent the greater portion OF
each day in this school, and then, she said,
there was better order in it than we found
to-day. The head teacher was sick and ano-
ther had been dismissed, and the whole four
put together would not make the commoneSt
kind Of teacher at home. Yet, compared
with other women around them, they were
marvels Of wisdom, their more ignorant
neighbors wondering chow one small head
can hold all they know" There were seven
ty-six girls present. After we had been
round all th rooms the whole school was
brought together in the large school room,
and Miss Johnston gave the daily lesson
from the Bible, sometimes reading herself,
and sometimes making the larger girls read,
asking questions and commenting on every
verse. She closed with psalm and prayer,
aud VIC took cur leave to make some calls,
The house of the wealthiest member of the
church was near by, and we went up in the
hope OF securing little girl for the Board
ing School. After we got on the third floor,
things began to look pretty clean and COM
Portable The drawing room was handsome
ly furnished, and the ladies of the family
the wives of three brothers who all live to-
gether-were neat and clean. Their dresses
were made with tightwaists, which is great
step forward, and also had little trimming
in the necks. Native women never dream
of wearing collar. Their dresses are made