The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1900-03-23
From the Black Girl.
EMMA S. DAY, Mission STATION,
Jan II, 1900.

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EMAA S. DAY, MISSION STATION, .
Jan II, 1900.
1o my dear girlies ii W orthington,
This is such an odd way to
address a letter, but on account of
my numerous little duties am sorry
cannot write to ca h one indiyidu-
ally. z-.s +, rs. i. - >~.>>ss*
have often thought of the old
girls in Worthington and often wish
l [so see some of your jolly and
mischievious faces once more. but as
We We are separated by SO many miles
We will try to express a few of our
thoughts on paper.
Since my arrival here, Dec. 9TH,
have tried many times to write few
lines to the girls.
The two ladies of our party died
after only eighteen to twenty days
spent here after arrival, so I have ex.
ira work to do.
/ am in the girls school built as a
memorial to Mrs. Emma V. Day. We
have at present eleven girls in our
home. and as this is also an industri-
al school they are getting more train
ing in that line than in the educa-
tional line.
Since beginning this letter this
evening, the American minister's wife
and little daughter came up to stay
over night with us, and so stopped;
had Alice get supper for them, and l
made bed for them, and have put
my children to bed and it is just $50.
l have locked the house and attended
to Mrs. Pohlman, one of the mission
aries who is sick, and made my
rounds in the children's domain land
whipped the youngest.) am now
trying to write as the house is quiet. |
The rats are quite busy moving
around, but as they are privileged
characters I cannot cut off their beau
tiful tails as the children do when
they see them through the ceiling in
their kitchen.
/ have been busy nursing Bap-
fist missionary, mulatto, handsome,
from Boston for week, with few er
Yesterday he and Doctor Pohlmann,
our medical man, and several other
started up the country
on two hundred mile tramp to look
up site for a new mission station.
They have only gone ten miles and
Mr.. Morris is sick. at Mt. Coffee, and
we expect him to be brought back
here again for me to wait on. He
was so weak when he left here he
had to be carried.
If he is not careful, I am afraid he
will never go back to America again.
Now I will try and give you an idea
of what I am doing. School has not
begun as yet, but if my patient is not
to sick when he comes it will begin
next week. At,six a. m. the children
get up and put them to their differ
ent tasks; eight o'clock sharp, they
must all be at the table ready for
breakfast; at quarter of nine l have
prayers and teach them a verse each
day. One of our little girls knows
all of the hymns in the c. E. hymnal.
Mondays | have them wash, Tuesday
iron and mend, Wednesday wash
again, Thursday iron and mend. At
present we will do that until school
begins; I give them music lessons |
sewing, drawing, writing, and cutting
a little; between times they have a |
good deal of other work to do.
Their work is changed every two
months. One girl acts as our cook,
another as dining room girl; third
takes care of my room; four, cleans
parlor and front piazza; fifth, DR..
Pohlman's Office; sixth, Mrs. Pohl-
mans room; seventh, our sitting
room; eighth and ninth, the girls
cooks and walters; tenth and elev-
enth, clean yard and the girls room.
They are six and four years of age,
and so cannot do much. I visit the
sick with the doctor, try to straighten
out family quarrels, and lovers quar-
rels, am usually told the whole story
on both sides, and often by third
party also, and must play the part of
lawyer and cross-question them, and
do not let them think for a moment,
I know anything about the case, Am
even called upon to assist in naming
babies. Invent five miles, lately, to
name baby. The father came after
me and ] told him name, but he
wanted me to go with him, as he was
afraid his better half would not be-
lieve him. And so the work goes on
although such trips usually mean
sickness for me-. at least of few
hours. Well, that baby was named
Jerusha Jane Settlemoyer Harrison.
I did not add SettlemoYer. The IA.