The Portland daily press., 1894-09-28
WOMAN'S LIFE In HEATHENDOM.
Missionary Physicians Tell Portland
Audience About India.


is Threshed-Effects of the Fall of Sill
yer on Missionary Effort-Portland
District Woman's Foreign Missionary
Society Holds Its Annual Meeting.
The first annual meeting of the newly
organized Womans Foreign Missionary So
ciety for the Portland Methodist district
was held at the Clark Memorial church.
at Woodfords, yesterday, the session lasting
forenoon and afternoon. While this Or
ganization is in new form the association
of women who compose it have been labor
ing together for a long time. The change is
in form of organization only.
Mrs. J.B. Donnell of Portland, presided.
opening the meeting with devotional SER
vice led by Mrs. l. G. Ross of South Ber-
wick. At the business meeting reports
were read from these auxiliaries: Berwick
Biddeford, Congress street Chestnut and
Pine streets. Portland; Kennebunk, Kit
terry, Old Orchard ,Pleasantdale. Saco, South
Portland, South Berwick. Woodfords, West
End of Portland, and the Portland Young
Peoples bands.
Mrs. f. B. Clark and Mrs. Ella Turner of
Portland, spoke ON young peoples work.
Mrs. Wood of Kittery, read a paper on
Woman's Work for God in Missions. A col
lation was served at noon by the ladies of
the Clark church. In the afternoon q
paper by Mrs. Kimban on the needs of the
heather world as seen by converted Hin
doc was read by her daughter. 1t was
voted that under the new district organi-
cation meetings be held twice year in May
and October, the annual meeting to be in
October. 1t was voted that the expense
of the the district secretary be paid by
the twenty auxiliaries in the district,
contingent fund being established from an
assessment of ten cents member.
The following officers were elected:
President--Mrs. J.B.. Donnen of Portland.
Vice Presidents to be appointed by the
various auxiliaries, one from each.
Corresponding Secretary-Mrs. J Johnson of
Woodfords.
Treasurer-MrS. Adam Leighton of Port
land.
The addresses by the
RETURNED MEDICAL MISSIONARIES
were a very interesting portion of the
meeting. The first to speak was DR.. Mary
Sheldon.
AT Moradabad, under DR.. and Mr.. Parker,
the speaker began her work as asmissionary.
MOfdudUdu, WulCu is IN NOfbu6Tu luula, Is
one of the oldest missionary centres in In
dia. 1t has large settlement of Christians.
Later DR.. Sheldon was sent to Murta,a lit
tie farther south. The Zendna work oc-
cuped much of her time. DR.. Sheldon spoke
of oneshigh caste homeswhich sshe visited,
where the contrast between the apart
ments of the men and the women showed
forcibly the mode of life and thought in
that country. The apartments of the men
showed the result of contrast with the Eng
lish. There were carpets on the floor, COM
Portable chairs, and chandeliers to furnish
light. Passing to the Zenana, or the apart
ments of the women, the contrast was most
surprising. There were no carpets, the
furniture was of the rudest and simplest
kind, .and theronly lights were furnished
by the native lamps, consisting of wick,
fed from baked earthen bowl. No mis-
sionary had ever entered this particular
zenana, although in general in India the
zenanas are now opening to missionary in
f1uence. The more progressive .Hindoo
men like to haye.their wives taught by the
missionaries, not particularly that they
may become Christians but that they may
be made more companionable.
In the mountains, high up among the Him.
ala vas. the condition of the native women
are even worse than in the low lands, since
they are bought by their husbands and
treated more like chattels than is the Cease
with the plains women.
At one mountain station, which is under
charge of Miss Budden, we'll known and
heroic missionary, there is a home for home
less women, managed upon plan that
sounds strange to American ears. All the
mountain women are accustomed to farm
work, and the home consists of large
farm which~the inmates till under proper
superintendent. Dr.Sheldon amused her
hearers by suggesting that aslittle farm
work wouldn't hurt any woman but would
| rather benefit them.
The next woman speaker was DR.. Chris
tiancy, who was introduced, first to correct
the erroneous impression thai 1.-THE Metho-
| dist missionaries in India are paid higher
than those of other denominat ions, and
secondly. to speak of the general work.
The native worker gets for the first year
$l.25 month, and the highest pay she gets
is So month At the same time her hus-
band gets from 81 to $5sa month as teacher,
preacher and exhorter. Every white mis-
| sionary has upwards of twenty of these
helpers. and the salary which he receives
includes the pay of sthese. helpers. At the
present runious rates of exchange the
missionaries get just enough to support
them.
The English government, while neutral
in matters of religion, allows "a stipend to
assist the schools, which are examined by
government inspector.
Some of the native Christian congrega-
lions are now supporting their own pastors.
Though very poor the people are ready to
give One contributes handful of rice
| another a handful of flour, and one mis-
sonary was surprised one day by gift OF
ten little pigs. The povertysof the people
| is very excessive. The wheat that they
send tossLondon to ompete with American
wheat is threshed by treading out with
| oxen and winnowed@ by being shaken
| through hand sieve while the wind blows
away the chaff. Those who raise this wheat
can rarely afford to eat it themselves; Their
| diet being the coarsersgrains.
The speaker explained this is delightful
| time to send money out to India although
a sad time to bring it from there. All sal
| aries are paid here in rupees. When the
sneaker went TIC India a dollar brought