The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1915-11-18
MISS BERTHA EVANS
WRITES INTERESTING STORY
OF HER WORK IN INDIA
ongole, Guntur Dist.
South India, ?

Dear Friends and Fellow-Workers:
During May and June spent seve-
weeks in the Nilgiris, which word
means The Blue Mountains" The
altitude of Coonoor is just that of my
home town, Canon City, Colorado. but
because it is much further south the
weather is milder. There is a myth
that once upon a time thin sheet of
ice formed over basin of water in
Ootacaamund, which is two THOUSAND
feet higher than Coonoor. Whether 1t
is true or not, nevertheless, it is
much cooler than the plains. You
can't imagine what luxurious feeling
it is to wrap up in blanket at night.
In the last of June 1 returned to
ongole to get ready for the return of
my family. They came trooping in
from their villages on the first of
July. Most of them walked. some as
far as forty or fifty miles.
School has been in session six
weeks now. We have already had
two visits from Government inspec.
tors. and expect some others soon.
The normal school and the model
school inspections are over for the
year. These of the higher elementary
and boarding school and the high
caste girls school are yet 10 come.
Results of the government examina-
ton last April have just been made
known. In our normal class of TWEEN
ty, eighteen were given preliminary
Teachers Certificates. new class
OF seventeen is studying this year
These teachers go everywhere. back
to their villages as wives of the
preachers or teachers resident in the
villages to other mission stations to
teach In boarding schools or to the
cities and towns as teachers in govern
ment schools. We are happy to have
wherever they go they may hold
the word of life
There have been eighteen school
weddings since school closed last
term. and one or two more are com
ing in the near future Two girls
who are doing drawn work now will
be married in a month or two.
Mentioning drawn rk.-perhaps
you will be interested in knowing
that during May and June in the hills
! sold about FIVE hundred rupees worth
of work made by our girls. Three
rupees make a dollar. Since school
began we have brought the sales ny
to two hundred dollars. When | go
home to America next spring. | plan
to bring some drawn work to sell
Perhaps some OF you would like to hell
me sell 1t.
We are grateful for every bit OF
help from friends at home. Some
|, extra help is enabling US to repair
the dormitories just now. First tn,
tiles had to be removed and relaid
Then the mud floors were dug out and
concrete put in their place. The brok
en- walls are to be replastered Will
mud and nicely whitewashed. Their
as a finishing touch. the rude WOO,
work is to be painted a pretty brighJ
color for the first time in its history
Some friends sent Miss Roberts some
pictures.-Perry prints and backs OF
magazines-and another friend sen
her some money to spend for herself
she is using the money to frame the
pictures for the girls houses. Miss
Roberts. you know. is my companion
who is to take charge OF this school
when ! go on furlough. She is study
ing Telgu now. She has been quit,
shocked at the rudeness OF the houses.
Perhaps you would be shocked too /
you knew there was no furniture al
all except a wooden box for each
girls colthes. About twenty girls
live in each house.
There isn't room to step when they
lie down at night In long row OF
the floor. It's SO warm they don
need coverings. In fact, these nights
they often come out OF the houses
and sleep right out in the open with
only a cloth or a grass mat between
them and the ground
! have six girls in the sick ward
today, malaria fever. dissentary and
chicken pox. There are thousand
and one things to do all the ,time
when one has hundred and fifty
children. not counting those who come
to day school. ana the high caste chill.
dren who attend the other school.
Yesterday spent good part of the
morning in the school and the chill
dren's houses.