The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1877-05-02
VOL. 1.-NO. 3.


tedious journey across the Atlantic
and travelled sfter that SIX hundred
miles on horseback, to 0rooniia, Per-
sia, where we were to labor. They
had no Bible till we carried it TO them.-
They have no railways there, no car
riages go on horse back always. The
mountains are steep, snow lies there
hH summer, when it melts and over
flows the country, sometimes doing
serious damage. They have no rain
or dew in Persia. Women are held as
mere servants there, the same as In
Siam and all foreign heatheni lands
Women and girls came out TO see us
when We arrived and stared AZ my
wife because she rode Sideways 7
asked them about their souls, and they
said, task our husbands" They have
plenty of religion but no salvation.
The boys and girls used to marry st q
very tender age. The boys at eight
and the girls at ten and twelve;. and
they are never allowed to select for
themselves; often never see each:other
till presented for the marriage cetemo-
ny. The girls always veiled so'thick-'
ly that no one can tell who she,i The
friends bring wine for the groom, and
apples for the bride. After marriage,
the wife is never allowed to- cat with
her husband, or speak to him in pres
ence of others. If man is asked how
many children he has, he always an
swers according to the number ofboys'
in the family, and no mention is ever
made of the girls The wife takes
her infant and goes into the field ifp
the morning to work. Sometimes;
she goes to the spot where she left her
child, and finds it has rolled: about till
it has fallen into the river and drowned,
1t is taken away from her and buried
but she goes to its grave and walls and
weeps, for they love their little ones
though they have no hope Of meeting
them again. The mussulmen take all
the prettiest wives they find, and eaeh
mussulman has several wives. My
wife once ventured into one of their
harems and saw such degradation dis
en- to reach these and many other
places, for men cannot get into them.
But thanks to God, 25 years of Con-
stant labor there has changed all this;
wonderfully. There are christian
homes there now where the wife and
mother is loved and respected and has
her usual place in the family Deacons
and priests were allowed to LEARN how
to read, and none others. When Miss
Fiske asked the women to learn to-
read, they said: "They will laugh at
u.s." but she induced three to come to-
her school and so she started a school,
which has done wonderful amount Of
good. They read the bible and can tell
all about it. In four months they could
read the New Testament we'll. The
women do not go about veiled now as
they used to. They see how we love
and respect each other in our homes,
and they follow our example as closely
as possible. The greatest work woman
can do is to go there, and by her exam
pie, help to enlighten those down trod-'
den women of heathenis1n. There are
many natives preaching and teaching
the gospel of Jesus now and Persia is
improving"
Now when we hear these things which
women are doing, can any stand back
and say, no woman is capable Of teach
ing the blessed gospel? That she should
take no part in public worship? May
all the women of the land awaken to
the cry, which comes UP from the depths
of darkness, and boldly and bravely
defend the nations of the earth less
blest than we are. .
MAUD: