Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-03-15
DR.. FOSS WRITES
FROM OFF INDIA
Letter to j. B. Oakleaf De
scribes Experiences in ms
pection of Missions.
FINDS AMERICAN FRIENDS
Sailed Feb. is ON the Way to Egypt
From Whence Expedition Will
BE Made to Holy Land.

The following letter written by Pro-
fessor c. w. Foss of Augustana col
lege. who with Mrs. Foss and their
daughter, Miss Martha Foss. are IN
| specting the Lutheran missions IN
India. was received by j. B. Oakleaf
of Moline and read at the morning
service at Grace Lutheran church yes
terday:
f.roscafo, on Board the Rubattino,
The Red Sea, Feb. 25, 1909. ]. B. Oak
lear. Moline, ILL., Dear Friend have
often thought of writing to you but
have been kept SO busy during i'll
my stay in India that | have really
found no time for letter writing.
| We landed in Colombo, Ceylon. on
Monday, Dec. T. This city is almost
an Eden in its wonderful charms ana
beauty. After passing over a briny
waste of thousands of miles. seeing
only here and there barren rocks and
sandy shores without a blade of grass
or green tree, to be placed suddenly
in the midst of cinnamon groves, sweet
scented gardens, and avenues 81
stately palms acts upon ones imagi
nation almost with magic charm
should have liked to have spent some
| time on this lovely island and to have
seen its famous capital, Handy, and its
hurried cities. ruins of very ancient
civilization, but out duties called us
to India at once. and so we took ship
and sailed the next evening for Tut
corin-the southern point of India. We
arrived there the following morning
passed with our baggage through the
customs house-a mere ceremony
and boarded the train which stood in
waiting beside the custom house. Thus
in a few minutes we were transfer
red from the ship to the train ant
were moving through the rich plains
of southern India, where everything
was new and strange, towards the
large native city of Madura, which we
reached in five hours. Here our worl
began.
Visited II STATIONS.
But l am not going to tire you will
a detailed account of our work ans
our travels Let it suffice to say tina
We spent three weeks in visiting othe
mission stations in South India befor'
we arrived at our own station-Raja t
mundry We visited II different sta
tions, representing II different mis-
lsicnary organizations, European ant
American, saw rs different missional
les and great number of nativ
workers. From Madura to Madras tn
Tamil language was used; from Mao
ras to Rajahmundry the Telugu pre-
walled.
We spent our Christmas at Guntu
among a host of American friends VIII
made. us feel so much at home tina
1--we hardly realized that we wer
: spending Christmas in another elm
/ thousands of miles from home.
We reached Rajahmundry on Monda.
Dec %, and spent six weeks on on
field in and around this place. Thre
weeks we spent in the city itself visi
ing and inspecting our missio
schools, hospital and medical worI
and in attending the meeting of til
mission council Three weeks W
spent in touring the seven distric'
into which our field is divided W
travelled hundreds of miles over OIL
extensive field-by canal boats, bu
lock handles, pony carriages and blu
gies, and on foot. One day We ira
eled no less than Is miles on foot ov'
rice fields where it is impossible
travel in any other way. Two su
cessive nights we travelled by bulIoe
handles up into the mountains ar