Norwich bulletin., 1914-07-13
NORWICH YOUNG WOMAN
 TELLS LIFE HISTORY.
Miss Minnie sehuIman, Struggled from Russia, Converted. and Will Engage in Missionary Work

Before a good sized congregation at the evening service of the Central
 Baptist church Sunday Miss Minn.s
 Schulman, a graduate of the Bapt St
 Missionary Training school at Chica-
 go, gave a most interesting account of
 her childhood life in Russia and how
 after years of trial and temptation sine
 finally found Christ and is making Ills cause her life work, spreading the gos-
 pei among those who are as unfortu-
 nate as she herself has been.
 Miss Schulman first carried her Hs-
 teners to Russia, into a typical Rus
 sian home, composed of but one room,
 where the entire family eat. drink and
 sleep. When you wish to enter. you
 do not knock, that Is not the custom,
 you simply open the door and walk in.
 As the door swings open you see the
 wall lined with pictures portraying the
 various stages of the life of Jesus.
 Before you speak or freet anyone in
 that home. you must do homage to those pictures. There are no schools
 in that part of the country; when the
 children get old enough they are ss.lt
 to the Hoid~ or to any other available
 form of labor.
 Miss Schuiman described the Rus
 sian Jewish home such as her early childhood was passed in- There are
 four rooms, but no matter how large
 a family may be. they occupy only one
 room. In this house of four rooms there are three separate families and the fourth room Is used as a kitchen where the cooking for the three fami- Hes is done. As you enter you see a
 small tin box in which is placed a
 piece of parchment, and it is the cus- tom to touch this parchment and kiss the fingers before entering. signifyinS
 that you have left all evil spirits out
 side. It is in such home as this that Miss Schulman passed her early childhood. Her father was examined.
 passed, and ordered to the army. but escaped the officials and was forced into hiding for several years. During
 this time his young wife died, leaving
 Mss Schulnnan and her sister Celia alone. Provision was made for the two
 girls by relatives and some time later they learned that their father had mar ried again and had gone to America. Later he sent for Miss Schulman and her sister Celia to follow after them. They decided to go and the start was made. As the railroad was long dis tance from their home village. they travelled under difficulties and at last reached the border line between Rus sia and Germany. Here a passport
 was demanded but as their father had escaped from the army there was no passport forthcoming for them, and so they were smuggled across the best : way possible. They were caught by soldiers and the two girls. who were
 
 lively. were given a trial and ordered returned to their home village under guard. The trip to the German border 1 took but two weeks. but the return | trip took them five weeks, and much l of this time was passed in jalls and dungeons under constant guard of sci- diers armed with rifles. A second at- | tempt a year later was successful and | the two girls finally reached America and were brought to Norwich by their | father. Here Miss Schulman received some schooling. She found a position with a family near Norwich. and there ! for the first time in her life heard the | story of the Savior. she said. Several years later. while living at Block Isi- and. she was baptized at revival ser vice. When she became a Christian she was rejected by her family for for | salxinE the tenets of her people. Feart | later her father softened and allowed her to return to her place in the fam | fly.
 | The service was brought to close with prayer and benediction by Dr Slocum-
 During the course of the evening Dr SIocum announced that the full amount Of last years apportionment to the Foreign Missionary society has beer raised. which is very gratifying to tho 1 church members.