The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1897-08-21
FROM FAR away india.
Rev. L. A. Core Sends Greeting.
His Work Among the Hindoos.

Multiplicity of Duties That Fall to a
Missionary's Lot-Yet He is doing
Good Work and Enjoys His Stay-Is
Not Affected by the Famine.
| MoRADABAD, INDIA, July 13.-The
| New DOMINION finds me regularly once
week and is most welcome visitor,
and its items Of news are eagerly read.
cannot say that the political sentiment
aired in your columns are always quite
to my liking, but emitting that part OF
your paper, | enjoy it exceedingly. 1t
comes like breath OF pure West Vir-
ginia mountain air sweeping over these
sandy plains. The nearest feelings
akin to home sickness are those kindled
from reading some item of news, bring
ing back to me some long forgotten boy
hood incident or experience.
Many times in the past five years !
have been on the point of writing you
something from this far away land, but
since leaving Allahabad nearly six years
ago and getting into the real mission
airy work, my time has been fully occu-
pied.
A rapid sketch of some of the things
that fall to a missionary to do may not
be uninteresting to those who have no
idea of the nature OF our work. In a
word we have to do little of everything.
When | first took our charge here the
first thing that met my eye was big
| pile OF account books, which was in
formed, belonged to me now, and the
thousands of rupees that pass through
my hands every quarter. paid mostly in
small sums, must be faithfully kept
ready at moments notice for the auditor.
Then there is some 70 houses of all
sorts to be looked after and kept in re-
| pair, which, in India, is no small care.
| Here the sun crooks your concrete
roofs, the wind and crows and other
large birds break and dislodge the
tiles on yuor roofs, the thatch roofs
take fire in the dry season, the white
ants eat up everything that happens to
be made OF wood. and any building that
is not strongly built and perfectly rooted
is liable to collapse in the rains. Last
year in the midst of hard rain, as
looked out early one morning the first
man. saw said "Sahib, Dany girga
girgaya, z" "Sir, Dany church has fall
en-" A half hour later another man
came saying, "Sahib kitab CHAR hi
chat CIR fioga, ''the roof of the reading
room has collapsed" These are no
exceptional expressions. These form g
part of our cares. Then we have here
in Moradadad boys boarding house
with 140 Christian boys, ranging from
8 to % years. Those boys must be
clothed, fed, kept clean and taught, and
looked after when sick. Then there is
the day school for these boys. In this
school about 100 Hindus and Mohame-
dams stuay. We have staff of twelve
teachers, all HindustaDis but one. We
teach about as far as the freshman class.
This school is under the care OF the mis-
sionary. He must be on the lookout
that none Of his l40 boarders play tru-
ant, and none can do this more skillfully
than the average Hindustan boy. The
work of each teacher must be looked
after, and perhaps the missionary him
self will teach several hours each day.
| Besides this there are in my charge
some 90 workers of various grades, stu
ated at different places throughout the
city and surrounding villages. Their
work must be planned for them, super
| vised and examined The 1900 Chris
tians scattered through the city and VII
lagos must be seem organized into
classes, taught and generally looked af-
| tSi. Dtolutp lhtSG lOIUlS Vi WOTk, are
meetings in the central and smaller
churches to be conducted, bazar preach
ing to be done, then comes the endless
interru! tons of visitors, inquirers, those
needing help. Besides this mission
airy must keep up his study of the Ian
guage There is scarcely day passes
that | do not wish it were twice as long.
But though we have plenty OF work,
yet it is not all work. We have our
play times too.
Many readers will doubtless expect
me to say something about the great
famine prevailing here now, but / am
only on the edge of the famine district.
We see infinite misery and wretched
ness and want, but no famine as the
term is usually understood. Many
hereabouts go for months with the
cheapest, coarsest food and only one
meal even at that in two days The
millions Of poor in this part are having
fierce fight with the wolf, but there
have been few cases OF actual starva-
ton. But at Allahabad, Lucknow, Jab-
balpur, &C., the condition of things is
beyond description. Thousands have
died and are dying. Thousands more
have left their homes to beg. Many
have sold their children for 10 cents
each to save themselves from starva-
ton.
The government has done noble, he
roc service to help the famine stricken.
The officers have not spared themselves
to help the people. A month ago 900
900 people were ON the various famine
relief work in the country. Aid
is distributed in every possible way and
wisely distributed. Both Government
servants and missionaries are doing
their utmost to alleviate the sufferings
of poor famine stricken, plague cursed
heather India.
Now that the rains have set in again
there is hope that after some months
the condition Of the people may change
for the better. With the famine re-
moved and the plague nearly stamped
out, matters will begin to be more
hopeful.
Just a few words about Indian wealth
er and | will close.
This has been long, irregular hot
season. The highest temperature reg.
istered in the shade 80 far as l know
was l27 degrees. Many times here it
was l15 degrees in the shade on my
veranda. This heightened and empha-
sized by the hot west winds makes it
TdtHeI WARM even IOr Inuld.
My wife and two babies left me in
April for the cooler climate of the lower
ranges of the Himalayas They will
remain there till October. Little chill
dren, especially during teething period,
find the hot season on the plains trying.
50 much so is it that few parents care
to assume the risk of keeping their little
ones at home during the hot season,
SO families must be separated from four
to six months every year. / hope to
to leave in September and join my
family for few weeks in the hills and
and then bring them back to the plains
for the cold season.
AS our first term of missionary SER
vice draws to close, we often find our
selves thinking of the home land and |
wondering just how soon we may see it |
again. These eight years have been |
happy, busy years. And now India has
come to seem like home. So deeply |
has Indian life laid hold OF us that we |
shall never be quite happy for any con-
siderable period outside Of India. The |
Orient has peculiar charms and few
who have lived here long care to live
outside OF this interesting, fascinating
country. Sincerely yours,
L. A. CORE.