Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-03-16
KINGsVILLE.
FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS


Eds. Tel.-The Baptist church in this
place have for years sustained a missiona.
ry enterprise with very encouraging sue
cess. Its meetings are held monthly, al
the residences of the members, partaking
of devotional, soeiable and hospitable
character-the news being gathered by the
President and read at the meetings. Con-
tributions made at these meetings are suf-
ficient fer the support of a Bible reader in
foreign lands.
The Woman's Foreign Missionary Socie-
ty of Cleveland Presbytery, has an auxl-
iary in connection with the Presbyterian
church, which met at the house of Mrs. R.
L. Grover, the other day, and letter was
read from Miss Marsh, from Ashtabula
now Stationed at Yokohama, Japan.
This letter will be read with deep inter-
est by the many friends of Miss Marsh at
your place. 1t was written to Mrs. Hun
tington-the President of the parent socie-
ty, and dated as follows:
YOKOHAMA, Japan, Nov. 9, 1876.
Dear Mrs. h
1 expected to do much writing on the
voyage, but was sick every ont of those "a
dreadful days. Now that | am here. nv
hands are mere than full, and but little
time is found for it. The passage was re-
markably stormy, and my sufferings from
fear and sea-sickness, terrible. Had / fore
seen all the misery of the voyage, my cour-
age would have entirely failed. But it was
probably a part of my preparation for my
work. | thought | was going to find the
rest / so much needed, but, instead, | was
tumbled and banged and bruised beyond
endurance. There was no rest to be found
anywhere, and night after night l wander
ed like an uneasy ghost, up and down the
passage-ways, too terrified to stay in my
berth-even had that been possible. Ny
faith almost failed; but now that am
here, where have so long wished and
prayed to be, / am glad and happy. l find
it hard to wait for my strength to come
back-but it is coming rapidly, and l have
been in school for something over a week,
taking entire charge. Only two of my girls
can speak English at ALL 1t is wonderful
how useful pantomime may be made in
reaching the understanding.
Mrs. Hepburn usually comes down and
conducts the opening exercises, and leaves
for the day. Her state of health made nv
presence necessary long time ago; so kind
and motherly is she, that one cannot help
loving her. am boarding with ]. G. Bal
logh, who has charge of the boys depart
ment. Ny home is pleasant, and l expect
to be happy in my work. | long for the
time when can talk with these dear girls
when they will come to me as to dear
| friend. / have 30 of them, and Mr.. B has
about the same number of boys. Three OF
the girls and five boys are boarding sehol-
ars. Each of the schools is provided with
an organ. l sing with the girls half hour
before school, then teach until one; my
teacher comes at three, and l am through
in time to run to the five O'clock prayer
meeting. The evening-so much as is left
] Of it after nine o'clock-is devoted tC
study, for when there are no services al
the native church, the devotions with the
servants and scholars occupy all the first
of the evening. They are reading the gos.
pei of John, and are much interested. AT.
ter spending an hodr or more in asking
questions, attend all the native services
as a means Of acquiring the language the
more readily, by hearing it spoken. l hops
soon to play the organ to them. do moi
SoU Vu0 Iilhe W pTdcIlce Gudb ueeu, III lnl'
part of the Lords work. / have little
book with hymns written in Roman char
acters, and from this l sing with all my
might, though not with the understanding
-for the words, as yet, convey no meaning
to my mind.
On Wednesdays. some ladies come in t.
assist iH teaching the girls to sew; jus
now we are helping them to make Christ
mas gifts for friends, There is great de
mand for fancy work; more material i
needed; some Of the mission bands woulC
! do good service by taking the matter il