Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-09-09
stlomth's GoImtnla.
From Far-OH India.

The following interesting letter has
been received from the Rev. Edwin
B. Stiles, formerly of Albany, and
now q missionary in India under the
auspices of young peoples society
which is connected with the Free
Baptist denomination, and which is
addressed to the young people of the
various churches of that denomination
in this section of the country:
/ tsBHINPoRE, India, Dec. 'S0.
My dear yoatng brothers and sisters
81 am out here in the jungle sta
ton. Two of US are the only white
persons within 25 miles of here, and
we are the only missionaries within
! % miles. I came but yesterday in a
| two wheeled cart called ''tom-tom"
/ drawn by little hill pony. Such a
rig can be had for about $75 and you
/ can get a man to take care of the
team, and to accompany you WHEREBY
er you go for rupees, (the rupee is
about 1873 cents now month, and
| lie boards himself. I came out over
a good road for II miles and then
changed horses and finished g miles)
over very rough one; as result it
is very uncomfortable sitting to-day.
| This region, between here and Midna-
pore is quite level there are no hills.
On all sides as far as the eye can
reach are rice fields. The fields are
all cut up into little plots by mud
banks, that keep the water from rum
ming off so that in the rainy season
the ground is soaked full. The rice
is sown very thickly over small ter
ritory, and then the young plants are
transplanted in little cluster of roots
in a place. The harvesting season is
just finished and now men can be seen
everywhere beating the grain out.
She straw is carefully preserved for
thatching most of the roofs are
matched here. Our mission houses
have to be matched once year. To
thatch is to single Gf you will par
don the expression) with bundles of
straw. Every few miles / came
across little villages where the farm
ers live. They do not live alone here
as our farmers do, but their homes
form a cluster of houses, and from
here they go out to their fields. The
fields are full of cattle, goats and
native buffalo now. An amusing
thing is to notice how familiar the
crows are with the animals. 1t is a
very common sight to see crows on
the backs of cattle or goats, picking
away at the vermin or at sore. The
beasts seem to appreciate the service,
and the crows get something to eat.
About two miles from here, soon aft
er I passed last night, some wild ele-
plants took possession of the road
and DELAYED Mr.. Burkholder's bullock
garry (cart) for some time. They
were finally frightened off by fire. 1t
is fine place here, good comfortable
houses, and, best of all, an unfailing
spring of cold water. l have attend
ed the morning prayer meeting,
preaching, Sunday school, and cot
tage prayer meeting out across the
fields mile and half. am much
interested in what / have seen of the
work. It looks hopeful. 1t has its
discouraging features, SO has the work
at home. The people are bright, in
telligent and capable of becoming
Christians. Many have SO become.
/ wish that you could all be here for
a few days. 1 am sure that you
would go home thanking God that
you were born in America and prom
Using Him to use all your ransomed
powers, and all your worldly posses
sions, to help give these bright peo-
pie the true knowledge Of him.
A sANTAL CHURCH.
l. The building-It is of mud, sur
rounded by mud platform, (piazza
fioor.) The thatch runs down over
this so that you have to stoop down
to get on to it. There are doors on
two sides leading into a large oblong
room, the interior of the church. The
windows are square holes crossed by
sticks set in the mud. The pulpit is
a rough table; back of the table are
two chairs, one for the preacher, Mr..
Burkholder, the other for the new
sahib, your missionary. The pews
are the bare floor, softened CD by |
straw mating.
2. The people-They come in much
as people do at home, only they do
not make as much noise, being bare
footed. Neither do they gather
around the register and gossip; they
sit down very quietly on the floor with
their knees under their chins. They
keep coming until there are more
than a hundred, all sitting on the
floor; some, very small children,
have nothing on but piece of Irvine
about the loins, but the most of them
are neatly dressed in the native cloth
that they know how to adjust and
wear gracefully. The men all sit in
the front; the women and the babies
in the rear. The women do not stay
at home with their children, they
bring them and let them run about
the house their little bare feet make
no noise. The service began with
half hour prayer meeting in which