The Republican journal., 1915-01-21
Letter From India.

Last week we published letters from
Miss Amy Porter of Pittsfield to friends
at home, written en- route to India, where
she is to engage in mission work. The
following letter is from the Pittsfield Ad-
vertiser of last week:
Balasore, Orissa, India,
Tuesday, Nov. "a.
Dear Folks: This is the day for our
letters to go home. / got my first let
tiers from you this morning. Didn't
they look good? Letters come very slow
y now. Everyone had been opened by
the censor. For that reason l plan to
send postals principally, hoping that they
may reach you more quickly.
Oh, if only you could be here and see
this place for yourself. 1t is Just beau
tiful, beautiful. Of course this is the
beautiful time of year, but it can't be
very awful any time.
How can ever tell you all the things
OF this new life! l don't know where to
begin. Last Tuesday afternoon the CITY
OF Paris steamed up the Hoogli River to
Calcutta. At first we could see big
crowd Of people on the wharf. Very,
very slowly, we pulled in nearer to them.
We had supposed we would have to
spend night in Calcutta, but we came
straight home instead. We took a train
out OF Howra at about eight and reached
here at midnight. We live now in land
where all baggage travels on the beads
OF coolies. Such enormous weights as
they do walk off under 1t is lots of fun
to see other people pay them off, but de-
liver me. They always want more than
they can get fer their services. We
rode second class that night. Usually
the missionaries travel in the inter cars,
which is much cheaper. Our party had
one big apartment to ourselves, just
square room with seats all around the
sides. Such stacks of baggage as was
packed in with US. All the people from
here had their bedding. They had spent
one night on the train going down. Every
one takes his bedding with him here
when he travels. They had all been
shopping, and | tell you we were loaded
down. The train stopped only at Kharag-
rur, where the people for Midnapore
changed and went for eight or nine miles
in another direction Mrs. Holder went
to Midnapore with her aunt. Mr.. and
Mrs. Brown are to do English work at
kharagpur for time. They will live
with MIR. and Mrs. Oxreider and their
three children. We came to like Mr.
and Mrs: Brown so very much 1t was
decided lat the committee meeting) that
DR.. Mary should divide her time between
Baasore and Santipore and that Ruth
Daniels should go to Midnapore for
time at least until she had learned Ben
gall. So am the only one learning
Oriya.
When We reached Balasore that night
at twelve Amy Coe and Miss Fenner
We're there with some Indian women and
tne servants to carry out things. The
Indian women had flowers for US all.
This house of Sadie Governs is lust
grand. 1t is furnished very simply and
lnexpensively, but 1t is just lovely to have
great doors standing wide open all day
and vases Of fresh flowers all about the
rooms all the time. The veranda is full
OF big ferns and plants of all sorts.
There are beds of carnations, nastur-
tlums, pansles, violets, cosmos, basam,
etc, just starting now.
Inc next morning latter arriving)
Sadie took me to the Kindergarten.
Thursday she took Ruth and me to visit
zenanas with her. 1t was very different
from what expected and so very inter
estlng and full of opportunities. Truly
lhal Is great work. She took US to
one OF the biggest households in Bala-
sore, eighty persons, men, wives and
children
That night at church prayer meeting
Pastor asked each of US new ones to
speak for few minutes Through an in
terpreter). Then he started in a verse
OF Blessed be the Name" in Oriva and
then told how year ago when word
came that l was coming they had
thanksgiving prayermeeting and sang
that song and now had really come and
they were singing it again. Oh wish
you could know him. He IS one of the
finest pastor ever saw. That meeting
made me feel that l must begin the Ian
guage just as soon as possible. AS a
result Rajendra Mohanty came for an
hour Friday morning. Saturday he gave
me an hour and half. Monday nearly
two hours and today nearly three. He
IS English teacher in the girls schools.
he IS superintendent of the big Sunday
school-average attendance TO eigh-
teen classes and teachers.
Friday we went through the Orphan
age and Boys High School. Mrs. Frost
has whole charge of the orphanage of
nearly eighty boys. The day before, We