The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-05-26
Letter From Turkey.
MARAsH, TURKEY, Apr. 10,

spring morning this is, and how wish
might make you see it as do The
young leaves half open in the orchards
below us, where birds tlutter, anxiously
looking for the best building sites, and
stop occasionally to relieve their minds
with snatch of song, the storks clat-
tering away on the minarets below us;
the green plain stretching off a hun
dred miles with all its variations of
color; and over all a soft haZy atmos-
phere, clothing the mountains in
regal purple, worthy of their dazzling
crown of snow. From the castle comes
the notes of trumpet played in a
minor key, dreamy haunting frag-
ment that seems to voice the whole
scene. 1t is the Orient No sound of
carriages or loaded wagons; no rumble
of trains; no factory whistles or hurry
ing feet on the pavement, betoken that
new days work has begun, for none
of these sounds are ever heard in
Marash Porters are bending under
their loads in the street, but they make
no noise. How peaceful it all seems
peaceful as death, and resembling it
altogether too much. The one discord
(?) is in the neighboring yard where the
sound of saving and hammering re-
mind me of the house that we are re-
my mind that this one manifestation of
life and work was set in motion by
American money.
Yesterday my Sunday afternoon nap
was broken up by the orphans who
came under the trees and sang, first
in concert, and then, as BELTS would
be free and independent race, each
struck out on his own account with his
favorite hymn. Never mind, ''mere
noise is not to be despised it once
knockeddown the walls of Jericho, land
we hope these children may be 4b to
repeat the same feat with many a
Jericho in this land. This morning, too
there will be a hum of labor in the
workshops where our orphans are
learning their trades;and certainly there
Us great one in our college here where
our fifty-four girls are as busy as bees
learning lessons that shall fit them to do
for their own people work that neither
we or any other foreigner can do for
them. Thirty-six of the girls who have
studied here are teaching the fifteen
hundred children in our Protestant
schools in the city, and several hundred
more in the Gregorian schools. Oh,
the leaven is working, and some day
this whole inert mass of sin and ignor-
ance, and Indebtedness. will be light
ened. Pray for each teacher and
each orphan, for there are stronger in
fuences to drag them down than you
can ever imagine. Satan knows that
the way to keep plant from getting
foothold, is to destroy the first seeds,
and it seems to me that never before
has there been greater need of prayer.
| must tell you of the last ''thank
Offering" of our alumnae and former
students. When Mr.. Montgomery died
a scholarship fund was started, but only
$50 dollars was raised, and we have
wished to make it 800, so that it would
draw interest in the bank. The inter.
est is to be applied to paying the tuition
OF INDECENT girls who could not study
here otherwise, so hektograph letter
merely stating the case was sent out to
the girls, and what do you think the
result has beens AS yet only about fif-
teen girls have had chance to reply, !
and they have given over thirty dollars.
Many of them are teaching, and the
highest salary received by any is not
more than four dollars fortySocents a
month. This doesn't mean the average
salary, at all. One girl told me she re.
eeived go piastres (about so. 10 lMarash
money, and that she longed to give
this whole months wages, but that at
least she would give half of St From
this they must get board and clothes,
and they love bits of finery quite as we'll
as girls do the worldSover. And think
of their cold dreary school rooms with
out stoves, four in the church, two of
which are the galleries and the other
swo the curtainedof places under them.
The poor children sit on the floor with
not half enough books to go around,
and four hundred of them would be
without food all day were it not that we
give bread to them at noon.
told you of our girls missionary So
ciety, THE Lighters of Darkness" and
their determination to earn money to
help the Board, did / nots They de-
cided to raise silk worms, for one thing
and such anxiety as they have been
having over them these last weeks. |
But you should see their delight now
that the worms have really come out