The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-04-01
Letter From Miss Hess.


MARAsH, TURKEY, Jan. 1898.
MY DEAR FRIENDSHIPS. Radford and
Ash, Mrs. Doane and Mrs. Perkins:
This is the first time I have written '9S,
indeed it is the FIST chance have had to
write it. have come home from church
where l went for the early service. rising at
$3.50 to do so. like to go to early service, at
least once year. The church was crowded,
except up stairs, where sat looking down
on the sea of red fezes with the sprinkling of
white head coverings on the wOmen's side.
There was great deal of singing, and let
the strange words pass unnoticed, and
thought only of the familiar tunes. Some
took me back to the old school house praye
meetings when was child, and made me
feel that Turkey was far away, indeed At
last they sang when the Mists Have Rolled
Away" and seemed to be in University
Hall with Geo. Stebbins singing it, and Mr..
Moody preaching. 1t 'just broke me all
up!" The lamplight hid the rags and it
was most picturesque sight until | became
ped up in the music. 1t was little girl,
though you would not have known 1t, for
her "dress" (?) consisted of pair of loose
cotton drawers, once white, but now the
color of the earth, ragged cotton waist, so
ragged that l could not see what the orig
inal cloth was This covered one more
quite as ragged, and that with thin rag
f,r the head was every bit of clothing she
had on. l questioned her and know. Her
face was pinched with hunger, and blue
with cold. Presently, when had changed
my seat l found her still beside me, and
when she had ventured to pick few bits
of dust from my warm coat she timidly
whispered: Couldn't you give me dress,
Pm naked?" / asked her where her mother
was and she said: "Home, in bed, she has
the rheumatism" l did not need to visit
the place in order to see it-6reless and
foodless, and hopeless. The father is dead
and she said she had one younger sister.
Her trousers, originally white, were the
color of the ground. Well, brought her
home and made the story-books come true"
for her-a fairy story, her eyes seemed to
say. did not forget that the tales of my
childhood always had flannels for the rheu-
matte mothers, or pictures and candy as
we'll as clothes and food and money for the
younger members of the family. fear l
felt bit rebellious in the morning, want
ed to be at home and hear the Messiah, but
afterwards felt as If He had visited me In
sending Une of His little ones. Oh, if 1
could only have done the same for the hun
dreds, yes, thousands here. And then
visitors began to come, for we ''receive"
every one on New Years day, and over
six hundred came before night. Tired?
Yes, Pm not over 1t yet. always know
when Pm tired, for l lose my words.
About noon Miss b. and Miss w. slipped
down to dinner and / was left with the
roomful. While speaking to some on one
side l did not notice the door open, and
when 1 turned l saw two soldiers. You
may judge my surprise, and perhaps my
facial expression, but some native friends
enjoyed 1t hugely. didn't say, MAY our
year be blessed" nor shake hands, simply
tried to 'freeze" them. At last our carpen-
ter managed to convey the fact that they
were christian policemen. 1 atoned by TAX
log them into the library and showing them
the wonderful (?) stuffed animals and
Egyptian curiosities, but couldn't get over
the repulsi0n to that uniform In our house.
One of our callers was very old man,
about one hundred, and he told me of his
establishment the first time he saw woman
write. He did not know that 1t was posi-
BILE, and felt quite as we would have done
should an ape deliver a learned lecture.
We served cookies and tea, our girls pass
ing the refreshments.
You know our Protestant brethren, in
their desire to break away from the old
church and not adopt the Catholic (our)
Christmas, have decided to keep New
Years day. The Gregorians keep to the
old style and their New Year is the same as
the Greek church countries celebrate.
For the girls the day before New Years
we had a magic lantern exhibition which
they greatly enjoyed. l don't believe
have told you yet about our Christmas,