Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-12-11
Letter From India,

JEFFERsoNYILLE, o., Nov. "a, 1879.
EDITORS HERALD:
Being the happy recipient of letter
from Mrs. Mary Scott Bailey, and
knowing the readers of the HERALD
have met her through its columns be-
fore, we thought few extracts from
our letter would be very welcome.
Mrs. o. X. CoRBTT.
LUCKNOW, INDIA, Oct. z, 1879.
Mrs. 0. K. Corbitt:
DEAR FRIEND--Do you suppose Icould
make you realize how much surprised
and pleased I was one day last May to
receive a long letter from you. l think
cannot. 1t was in the middle of our
hottest month here; in the month of
May the thermometer stands at 100 de-
grees in our coolest rooms on the hot
test days, and at from 96 to 9S degrees
on our cool days. How would you like
that for hot2 We have swinging fans,
suspended from the ceiling in every
room, and these are pulled day and
nightto keep us cool. A rope is fast
ened to the panekeb or fan inside, and
passes through the wall and man on
the outside keep it going by pulling the
rope regularly. If it were not for these
fans we could not live here very long.
The panekebs are not swung in every
room all at once; whichever room we
are in, that fan is pulled. 1t takes four
men to keep them going; you see they
must pull every moment, night and
day, so they are obliged to relieve each
other quite often, as it is wearisome
work. Our men cost us $8 per month,
all four together six months out of the
year these fans are required. The other
six months the weather is pleasant with
out, but in some parts of India they are
needed the whole year. 4
After l had read your letter and sGoo
you all as 1 used to in the old days of
1867 and '69, etc., do you know what
came to me in Imagination? 1t was the
fragrance from the lilac blossoms. |
shall never forget the lilac blossoms, the
great purple clusters, that filled the
whole air with sweetness the first Spring
we came to Jeffersonville. shall never
forget the sweet boquets of them "the
boys loved the best" used to give me
at school. All the good old times came
back to my mind afresh after reading
your letter, and all the dear friends Of
those days passed before me like pam
Drama Of beautiful faces. How scat
tered we are! Some are dead, some are
worse than dead, and some are very
happy, and / belong among that some.
Yes, am very happy; our Heavenly
Father has been very, very good to us;
our home here in India is sweet one,
and God has given us hundred-fold
since we left all and came to India.
We were married at home, in Mis-
souri,, in August of 1872, if you remem-
Der, and in October we sailed from New
York to India. My husband only told
me short time before our marriage that
he was accepted as missionary, and |
had made all my plans for life in Amer
lea; but as had said, "for better or for
worse, until death do us part" / will
ingly came to India. 1t was so new
and strange thought that hardly re-
allied what it was until l had got away
off con the ocean sailing" 1t was a
trial to leave home, you may be sure,
God has been good to spare the lives of
my home friends, and nowI pray every
day that they may all live to see me when
come home. Ifall goes we'll it will be
our turn in three more years to go.
That seems short time, and still how
many things can happen in short time
in this world of death. You must keep
a room ready and lots of good things to
eat, for shall surely come and see you
all on my return. Oh how hungry we
shall be for some nice food cooked at
home. We get good things here, but
they do not have the home flavor to
them.
Wehave buried two little boys; Ar
thur, our second little boy, is sburied in
a city over 100 miles from where we
live; was visiting there when he died;
took him for change. Louis is buried
here in Lucknow. The cemeteries here
are lovely places; beautiful trees, shrubs
and flowers, grow here.
Now, you wanted to know about my
life in India; have taken up so much
room with other things, but l will try
and tell you something about it. You
will want to know how we live. You
know India is under British rule; that
it is governed by Queen Victoria. Well,
there are many English people here.
These English people are wealthy and
fashionable. The houses in which we
Europeans liye are built Of brick, plas-
tered inside and out. There are no other
kindhere. The walls are very thick
and the houses are:painted different col
ors on the outside. Our missionary
society has furnished us with very
good home. 1t is very necessary for us |
to have these good houses, else we could
not stay in India. We all have to keep
servants; no white woman can do her
own work, for the climate is so hot, be-
sides there are no oeonveniences; no cook
stoves, no tubs, no wash-boards, no
brooms, no anything with which to do
work, Since left home | have never
cooked meal nor washed dishes, nor
made beds, nor anything of the kind. l
have a man who does all the cooking,
washing dishes, etc. He dresses in nice
white clothes and wears great White |