Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-01-08

school boys and girls, and teachers too, aud |
even superintendent and ministers, for re-
peating verses and chapters Of the Bible. |
have never seen any one who would so rarely |
make mistakes il asked such questions as,
What is the fourth verse of the tenth chap |
ter of Mark aud the tenth verse of the fourth |
chapter of John2 They know what the
Bible verses mean too. We will question
them a good deal about that, children, for
see, there are the heads OF men and women
too, looking in over the low wall of the
house all around, and some of them have
come in and are sitting down near the door.
They are the fathers and mothers of these
children. They have heard that the mis-
sionaries have come, and so they have left
their work TO come and listen. Their own
children can teach them great many things
about the Bible, and think it is good
way to let them be the teachers when we
can. All their lessons are good for that pur
pose, for somehow or other there is good
deal of Christianity in our school-books here
in Ceylon. Geography is first-rate study
for it. Those fathers have heard their
priests read out of their heather bibles that
the world is one great flat plain, something
like table, resting on the backs of four
great elephants. These boys who are study
ing geography know better than that, and
they can prove that the world is round like
a ball, instead of fiat. That shows their
fathers that their heather bibles tell lies.
We will let some of them read from their
Testaments too, about Jesus. How they
dorattle it off. Worse than Vermont French
isn't it, Tom We will hear them sing, too
They like that. Even those little chaps
down there in the dirt, themselves almost as
dirty as the dirt they sit in, will sing with
all their might, and do it pretty well, too.
The tune is one you know. Perhaps it is
Hold the Fort" But the words sound so
queerly that little Nellie has to laugh again.
| think you can catch one or two words il
you listen carefully. "Yasn Krstn u think
you will know what that means. And by
and-by when one of the Christians prays to
God think you will recognize two other
words in his prayer" Amen the last one,
aud one other, " America" You hear that
word in almost every prayer out here. And
by-and-by think, children, we shall find that
our country owes something to those simple,
faithful praying Christians, out in these
heather lands, whose prayers have called
down Gods blessings upon us. After
meeting with the parents and children at
which we have tried to tell them more of
Jesus, we must start for home again. But
unless there has been great change since |
visited Karadivo some years ago, we shall
not get away at once. There has been some
change, know, for the English government
now helps in supporting schools throughout
the island. But let us suppose they are just
as they were then. The teacher tells us that
perhaps thirty of his forty scholars have
only heather relatives, and that this is the
only school in the island, though there are
over four thousand people here. He says
that some of the older boys have been hav-
ing trouble lately, because they have refused
to worship the idols any more, and he thinks
that some Of them are real Christians and
are enduring great persecution for Jesus
sake. Perhaps he tells us how he himself
while a boy in this same school first learned
about Jesus. lie speaks of his own trials,
and yet tells how he rejoices in having
found such a Saviour, and how he delights
to try to lead others to him.
And who are those men waiting to speak
to us ? They will not do it until we give
them leave. 1t would be impolite, Just as
it would be for them to go away after speak
ing to us until we tell them to "go and come
again." So we tell them to " say on" Ah
they have come from another village little
way off, where there is no school. They
are heather, but they have been at our
meeting, and listened to what has been
said. Now they say they believe ours
is the true religion. But when we urge
them to be Christians they say they are too
old. 1t means trials and prosecutions, and
perhaps disgrace and poverty. So they say
they are too old. But they say, we want our
children taught of your religion and then
they will grow up Christians So we want
you to give us school for our village. Per-
haps they offer to build the school-house,
but they are poor and cannot pay the three
dollars month for the teacher. All, children,
how | wished one night that had with me
there some of those rich men of New Eng
land or even one of those Vermont SIM
day-school teachers who smoke more than
three dollars worth of cigars in month, or
that one who has just paid fifty dollars for
breast-pin and pair of ear-jewels for her.
self. Do you think they would have al
lowed me TO answer as | had to answer that
night? had to tell them no. If | had
the thirty-six dollars of my own / would
give you the school for year. But we
missionaries agreed when we left home that
our salary should be only our support the
year is not ended and have overdrawn my
salary already. Then the times are so hard
in America that we are having to retrench
in our expenses, instead of adding to them.
Children, there's a question in one of our
good old hymns that want you to answer.
1t is hymn that was written by good
man who was sailing along by Ceylon, and
the question is this
" Shall we whose souls are lighted
With wisdom from on high,
Shall we To men benighted
The lamp of life deny %