Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1886-03-04
BULGARIA..
How Its Natural Life was Quiekened-rhs
Work of American Missionaries.

How Its Natural Life was Quiekened-rb.
Work of American Missionaries.
From Article in the Evangelist by Dr. Henri
NJ Field.
The reawakening of Bulgaria dates
from the Crimean war, which brought
to it's shores the armies of France and
England, and gave some little idea 81
what was goingon in other parts 81 the
world. The Bulgarians had nevsrfor.
gotten their proud history; and now,
as they looked upon the armies 81
Western Europe, they recalled the
deeds of their ancestors; 'they re.
membered the days of DID, and
loaged to see.''the Bulgarian nations
again appear among the powers Of
Europe.
Shortly after the war there came in.
to Bulgaria another influencefron tbe
West-not western Europe, but fhs
farther West which lay beyond tba
sea. DR.. Riggs had already translated
the New Testament into Bulgarian
which had sold rapidly. Such was
the eagerness for knowledge thar i
was bought in many cases by peon;r
who could not read, in the hope tIsas
some day they or their children would
be able to enrich their minds from its
precious pages. Seeing the field thus
open and inviting, DR.. Hamlin, Who
visited America IN 1856, urged upon
the American Board (which ALREADY
had a mission in Roumelia, WITH sta.
tions at Rodosto and Adrianoplel to
establish q mission also in Bulgaria
but as the Board had its hands full
he laid the proposal before the Methos
dist Episcopal Board, by which the
work was undertaken, with the same
results which missions had wrought
in Asiatic Turkey.
They found amopgthe people an a..
ger desire for education, which thev
met by establishing schools-an 4
pie which provoked imitation, in which
these schools were the models OF Other
schools, so that in a few years there
was a system of popular education all
over Bulgaria. Even in poor Villages
there was a little school-house, from
which there came the buzz and hum Of
children learning to read.
The most important American in
stitution in Bulgaria is at Samokoy.
in a picturesque spot at the foot OF
the mountains, not far from the capi.
tai, Sofia. Here is a seminary for
girls, in which there are nearly eighty
boarding pupils; and Q theological
and training school, in whichth there are
about sixty boys. This is practiealIy
what We are accustomed toeall a ner.
NAL school, for the teaching of teach.
ers, whose influence therefore will be
multiplied, as each pupil will beatthe
head of 9, school, or ip the case Of the
illogical students, OF a church. orit
may be of a church and school toseth-
er.
The desire for a higher education Is
shown by the number of young men
who have been sent to Robert Collece.
From the founding of that college, q
large proportion OF its students las
been from this province OF European
Turkey, to which they returned prepar. ]
ed for any duties which the course Of
events might throw upon them; and !!
SO it has come to pass that its gfadur
ates are now filling the highest posi. ]
tions in Bulgaria. This single TACT u /
illustrates the f~ar-sighted wisdom as Z
well as benevolence of the America !
philanthropist who was its founder y
But even he could not see all that he I
was doing. "He builded better than
he knew" When he erected that IN
stitution on the shores of the Bes
phorus, he could not conceive that it
was to educate the rulers OF q Stats 3
which did not yet exist. He died
without the sight, " but this generatioa
is reaping, as others yet to come VIII
reap, the fruit of his noble generositys
With the new life given By Tree
churches and free schools, one thing
more only was necessary to the be
ginning ofnationale xistence-politra
independence. That was to come, tut
by what terrible instrumentality3 OF
the path of blood through which Bul
garia was to pass to obtain it-aft The
massacres and the waF-I am yet 10
speak. / here allr6e only to the result
in the priceless blessing ofliberty The
sense of freedom at once gave tile peo
pie new courage and hope. The eoun-
try still remains q part of Turkey, n
the sense that it pays Tor owesfor the
princes government are morethan re.
luctant to obey this obligation aid
upon them by Europe) an annual
tribute to the sultan; but in the man
agement of its internal affairs, be has
no more control than the car OF Rus
STA; and, indeed, in the degree OF infiu-
ence, not half as much. The govern
ment belongs to the people them
selves. They may be poor, but they ~
free-free in their humble homes in4
to cultivate their little plots ofgroiInd
free to send their children to schools
in which their own language is spoksns
free to worship God.
Thus Bulgaria has at last her lnmbz
unbound, and is free to work out be-
own destiny. With a people 50 if
~dustrious, and no longer impoyerfsh
ed by theexactions ofthe government
and the church, their material con
dition must improve, not rapidly
perhaps, but surely, even though slew
ly. AT present the traveller raiig
over the country sees no such villae7
Is those of New England, but who &C
tell what changes time may briI9
The country itself, in its natural if
tility is much richer than New EilE
land, and who can tell what signs g
prosperity may cover these plains g
ter a hundred years of freedom troa
oppression, of industry and OF peafez