Putnam patriot., 1909-04-09
Early Missionaries of windham County
ELEI.N n. HARMED.
PArKR Nc. VI
Missionary reschers in Thomp.on and
 Kilingly.

efat kuoMteuXe tifh Wnem Ne Wefe wont to call our one Thompson mis- sionary-Rev. Elijah Robbins of the Zulu mission, South Africa. He was born in Thompson in lsas. He belonged to family somewhat noted as esange- lisiic itinerant exhorters. The only child in this section who won a place in religious literature was the aunt of our one missionary.
 A small leatlet tells the simple story of the last illness of ..Littte Rachel Robbins, aged eleven and half years, y story of childish patience, faithful hope, as naive as the singing of spring birds
 We learn little of the early life of Eli jah Robbins. His parents removed to Ashford in ls2e, and in lsa2 he entered Yale College. Under what impulse and by what aid he was fitted for college does not appear. We might infer that the missionary atmosphere of Ashford was the melting spring et all his effort, but tor his own statement that his choice of missions came i'll connection with his conversion while al \ ale and resulting influences.
 He was graduated from Yale college in 1856, and from East Windsor theo- logical seminary in 1859. lie was mar ried at about the same date to Miss Ad- cline Bissell, and in September sailed for theirimission field. After learning something of the language he went some fifteen miles from any missionary 1 station, locating at Um-Zumba, Port Natal, where he engaged in missionary work, while pursuing his study of the language and translating the scrip lures. Here he gathered school and church ,and built meeting house ,burn- ing the brick and doing the work him. self with his Zulu congregation, without a penny of expense to the Board. His care for his flock included medical as well as mechanical and spiritual ser vice. With true Yankee facility he turned his hand to anything. His sur gical practice, though rude, was very effective. A poor fellow came to him with badly swollen toe, which he wished cut of. MT. Robbins had him put his foot upon stump and with we'll aimed blow of sharp chisel sev- cred the offending member. Next Sun day the patient walked several miles to hear him preach.
 MT. and Mrs. Robbins returned to their native land in 1872, and enjoyed a well-earned two years furlough, va ried by rel ation of South African expe- riences at the usual missionary convo- cations. We had the pleasure once of recognizing him in our lecture-room and listening to "a plain unvarnished talen of missionary experiences priv ilege that we should have valued more highly, and remembered more vividly had not his native modesty and some what unfamiliar using of English in- terfered with our realization of the full value of his services.
 MT. Robbins returned to Africa in 1874 and entered upon what he deemed the crowning work of his life in the Mission Training School at Adams. His associate in the work, the veteran Rev. Zariah Tyler, reports:
 "The seminary for training young men for .he ministry is, in great mea- sure the fruit of MT. Robbins zeal and De erseverance. Amid many discourage ments he carried out plan he had formed nearly twenty years ago, oi training ithe best men we had fin our stations for evangeiistic work. His zeal was not spent in vain, and the native laborers now in the field are ready 10 testify to the diligence and thorough ness of their teacher"
 In contrast with the short lived terms of the other African missionaries, Mir and Mrs. Robbins spent nearly thirty years in effective service. Mrs. Robbins was first called home-a bright buoy ant spirit most helpful to her husband. In rapidly failing health he continued in his work and was able to participate ih the annual meeting of the Natal mission, which was held at Adams. He died during the session, Sunday morning, June 30, 1889. The funeral service was conducted in the Zulu tongue by his brother missionaries. A large number of natives were present, and many were the tears shed. His theological students were almost heart broken. His Yale cIassmate, Rev. The ron Rrowu writes.
 aHis pen was no tool of ambition but was busy and useful. A strong and able paper on How to Deal with the Problem of Polygamay in the Zulu Church. and his translations Of scrip tufe, remain monuments of Dts indus try and devotion. Ills record Of high conseeraiion and noble seif-sa- crifiee is an eternal honor To the class Of which he was the only missionary
 And may we not add, to the town in which he was born and the family with which he a. connected.
 One well known 10 many here, and more lately removed from us, an hon. ofed son of KilIingly. was also concern ed in this vital work Of training others for Christian service. Few ministers raised up in our country have teen more widely known al home and abroad than Rev. Waiter ,. Alexander, b. D. Growing up among as. Ekadaated al Yale sssliege. sersing in tae n1anislry at PomfTef. his early life Eas familiar to many. We saw him again as repre-
 {.xt