Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-30
GOING AS BENEDICTS.
Five Young Men Will Take Wives
With Them to India and Egypt
TO ASSIST IN MISSIONARY WORK,
A Contract is Signed to Remain in Foreign
Lands Ten Years
IN THE INTEREST OF THE .. P. CHURCH

Quite romance, as we'll as an interesting
precedent, is attached to the five young men
recently appointed from the United Presby.
terian Seminary in Allegheny to 60 as mis-
sionaries to Egypt and India, notice oi
which appeared in The DISPATCH few
days since. The five young men will sail
for the fields of their labor in the middle OF
last of September. All are now single, but
it is understood that each one will carry to
his new home bride and helpmate. AT
least one of the young ladies is Pittsburg
girl. The young men are now studying
and planning for their new work, and it is
supposed the five brides are preparing their
trousseau and reading works on the heath
ems, incident to commencing their long we'd
ding tour and honeymoon.
The young mems names are: E. E. Fife, T. f.
Cummings and Z. E. Holiday who 60 to India,
and E. M. Griffin and w. M. Nichols, who will
labor among the Egyptians. They will not be
permitted to visit home or friends again for ten
years according to the agreement under which
tiley are sent. Five young brides and five
grooms with more than the responsibilities of
married life suddenly cast on them will sail
away for heather lands.
Three of the young men will be sent and sus-
tanned for the ten years by churches. Mr.. Fife
will be sent by the Second United Presbyterian
Church, Allegheny. Mr. Cummings by the
gheny, and Mr.. Nichols by the Third United
Presbyterian Church, Pittsburg Their sal
aries will be from ST. 81 400 per year. and the
members have pledged themselves to give diff
ferent sums per year in their support outside
Of the regular missionary contributions. A
gentleman nam ed Stewart, of Indiana, will
send Messrs. g rifin and Holiday.
WHERE THEY WILL GO.
Messrs. Griffen and Nichols will land at Alex
andria, and, according to the present proposed
arrangements. will proceed to Asyoot, 200 miles
up the Nile river, where they will spend about
a year learning the languages and dialects they
will have to encounter. at the Presley Memorial
Institute The latter was founded through the
beniicence of Rev. J. d. Presley late pastor
for 40 years of the First o. P. Church, Alle-
gheny.
Among the teachers at the school is Miss
Jessie Hogg. sent and sustained by the Young
Peoples Missionary Society of the Second U.
Church Allegheny three years ago From IN
work in some of the towns or cities by the
Egypt PresbyterY of the Church.
They will labor PRINCIPALLY among the Mo-
hammedans and Copts- The latter are fanati-
cal race, who have some ideas of religion. but
very corrupt practices. Until the English
gained a nominal control over them they were
accustomed to put to death those OF their
v
and misslonarys life was not all pleasure.
But this is changed greatly now.
The heather counties are districted on by
the different evangelical denominations so that
all may do the most work possible without con-
ficting. The United Presbyterians have the
whole of Egypt, and are responsible to the
world for carrying the gospel to Its multi
tudes.
Messrs. Fife, Cummings and Holiday will
land at Bombay. and will then be assigned
teachers to learn the languages which they will
have to use. The principal languages are the
HINDosTANEsE AND URDU,
but the dialects are countless and hard to
master The region assigned to the United
Presbyterians in India is called the Three
Rivers" region. 1t is in the northwestern part,
and was the scene of the great Sepoy rebellion.
It touches the Himalaya Mountains on the
north. Its Inhabitants number over 5000, 900
people.
Although missionary has to leave his
friends and give himself up wholly to the work
of the Lord, his life is rarely one of privatiOn
in the present age. None Of the luXuries of
life are denied him. They always have COM
Portable, though somewhat rude and novel
houses. and their salaries make it possible for
them to live Verv comfortably, In a town of
is looked up to as authority and respected and
is often nominally chief. The climate is the
worst difficulty to contend with and unless a
man or woman is physically sound they often
come back to die or are buried in the land of
their endeavors. Those that go now are sub
jected to physical examination. according to
the rule of the United Presbyterian Church.
will be sent by Zenia College, max
inp SIX in all.