The Republican journal., 1912-01-18
Missionary Work in India.

Extracts from personal letters from Miss
Sadie B. Gowen, native of Troy, now mis-
sionary in Balasore, 1ndia.)
While you are shivering at home, we
are having perfect weather here. Ii it;
only could last longer. 1t has not be-
come cold yet; it is like early Septem-
Der weather at home. Last year it be-
came cold earlier. By cold | mean about
like early October weather at home; but
after one has been roasted and boiled for
eight months or more in the heat and the
rain. one-or | at least--feel as fancy
roast chicken on ice must feel, when 1t
really gets as cold as it can in this part
of India
We have just had our yearly meeting
in Midnapore, and the new missionaries,
Mr.. and Mrs. Frost, came in one morn
ing during the opening prayer. l can't
begin to tell you how we all rejoiced
to see them. They are to have English
work for a while in the city of Khragpur.
1t is a large railway center and manu-
featuring town. A great many cars and
engines are made there, and there is
large English speaking population. Our
mission has very good church there,
and a parsonage as comfortable as in
America. with electric lights, fans, and
other luxurious necessities in this land.
They will be pleasantly situated, but l
fancy it may be a disappointment to
them not to begin among the native
people. The work there is much like
taking a pastorate at home. They will
not remain there permanently, but until
some one else comes.
The language is becoming easier. l
am now beginning to get some pleasure
out of it, but don't know j. all yet.
Our Training School closes next Fri
day Next year the few girls who will
take teachers training will go to another
school, and I am to have Miss Goes
school come down to the Training School
house and have charge of all the girls
there. That will be work from the
kindergarten up to what we call here
third class, or ready for High School. l
asked to be released from school work
for year, and go out into a country
place where the people are starving and
densely ignorant, and where no mission
airy has ever lived; but I got another
school added onto mine, and there was a
vote to give me the Widows Home also,
but it didn't pass. am very fond of
my school work and perfectly happy in
it, but still would leave it all and live
in mud house if | could do evangelistic
work all the time. Another year of
language will be better, can t talk very
fluently yet, but my courage is fairly
good that some day shall be able to do
something. It's better than year ago.
| have in mind three Incidents: one
about the poor starving people in Ujurda;
another about baptism at which nine
people were baptized from Hinduism;
and the third is about some of the pro-
ceedings connected with a Mohammedan
wedding. Only one will try to tell.
One of the Government officials here
is Mohammedan, and he has cousin
who is a college graduate, and govern
ment official also, in another place who is
seriously considering marriage All the
arrangements are made by others than
the people who will marry. There are
two girls in tbs mans considerations.
He has bought the wedding gifts, but he
can't decide which to take. Yesterday
the Balasore man started on l 200 mile
Journey to see the relatives of one of the
possible brides. He will go and try
through different people to find out if the
young woman is good looking, what her
endowment will be, ETC., but never,
never, will he, or can he, see her. ,
If she is satisfactory, he will come
back and report, and if the cousin de-
cides to marry, then he will go taking
the gifts which will be presented to the
girl through her friends Some months
afterward they will be married, the
groom remaining in one room and the
bride in another during the ceremony,
and not until after all is said and done
do they meet.
went to Lucknow in October and
managed to see one of the two women
This man has in mind. 1t was a cause
for uuceasing gratitude to them, but still
he cannot decide until ne knows about |
the other one as well. This Balasore
man invited me to his house to dinner
asst Thursday night, and he had special |
caterer from restaurant come and serve
a ten course dinner. An Indian lady was
invited with me, and the man and his son
ate with US, but his wife and daughters
did not come into the room until after
the dinner was over. They are very
nice people for Mohammedans, and it is
quite unusual that they should be so
friendly toward Christians. This is one !
Of the incidents that goes to help make
life interesting; but how would you good
Americans like that sort of an engage
ment arrangement. Sunday the Bala-
sore man. Mr.. Huy, came to see me and
+,tn L., %