The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1916-04-06
LIFE IN INDIA.

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LIFE IN INDIA.
EXTRACTS from Miss Amy Porter's Home Let
ters.1
BALASoRE, INDIA, Jan. 10, 1916. For
one thing l am unusually well. have a
most awful appetite for this cold season.
We are having lettuce in our own garden
now and the tomatoes will be ripe in two
or three weeks. Caulifower, cabbage.
and beets are on the way. The girls
brought beets, celery, carrots, OF anges
and apples from Calcutta. We have had
some really good apples here this cold
season with real taste in them. They
grow north of here in the highlands.
Tomorrow there is to be big Hindu
festival near Dantoon. There will be a
big crowd there and we hope to get in
some preaching and sell lot of books.
| AT four O'Clock today we are urgently
invited to attend prize giving. The
Magistrate of Balasore is giving prizes
to the men who captured five traitor
Bengalis here few months ago.
guess you hear more about the unrest in
India than we do. l have wondered if
you are worried about conditions here.
didn't know that anything was happening
until heard of it in foreign papers,
as P. M. Have been to the prize
distribution. 1t was far bigger than
thought. Thousands of rupees given out.
Jan. Is, 1916. Such a good time as we
had last week at Dantoon On Friday
there was big Hindu festival at Sara
sauka about two miles from Dantoon.
Thousands of people came from nearby
places. 1t is fine opportunity to reach
Hindu people. A whole party of US went,
DIR. Mary, Miss Barnes, Mabel Frost,
two Bible women from Balasore and two
from Jeliasore, Baston and five other
men from here. The men folks came
home on the afternoon train, but our
party stayed later and spent the night in
the dak bungalow at Dantoon. Such
gathering is toe noisy place for much
preaching but splendid time to sell
books. We carried small trunk OF
books with us. mostly Bengal gospels.
We sold somewhere around a hundred
and twenty-five of them. They are only
half cent apiece. Some people won
take them if they have to pay anything
for them and others won't be seen buying
anything so cheap, but we can satisfy
those who really want to own a book
about Christ
One thing l never could imagine my
self doing was selling books or giving out
tracts, but Ibid both that day and it was
not bad in place where everybody just
crowded around and was eager to see and
hear everything.
We were up early, packed our food.
bedding, harmonium, books, lanterns,
ETC., off to the station and took the seven
O'Clock train to Dantoon, reaching there
about half past nlne went to the dak
bungalow half a mile away to see if we
were going to be able to stay there all
night. Then Joined the party again and
at the first good clump of bamboos we
stopped to eat our picnic breakfast. Then
we had two miles to travel. In some
places the road was quite washed out
When we came to the tank it was
beautiful sight. The tank itself is like
small lake, and straight across 1t on the
sloping bank were the thousands of peo-
pie dressed in their white garments, with
the usual bright green, red. yellow or
blue shawls. AS we came near the place
we passed little temple where the offer
ings of flowers, rice, cocoanuts, milk,
etc, were given. Cloths were spread on
either side of the path to receive the
offerings. Then few minutes later we
came into the crowd. People with wares
to sell were sett 'ng up their little shops
all over that hill. There are lines of fish
mongers, vegetable shops, fruit, saris,
shoes, bracelets, ornaments, sweetmeats,
Everything that could be sold almost.
1t was like great picnic. Families were
seated about in little groups.
Every devout Hindu at some time dur
ing the day waded out into the tank,
sprinkled some of the water upon his
head and most of them drank some of the
water. Many carried beautiful wreaths
of flowers which they put on the water.
so that by the close of the day the whole
place was full of flowers, mostly mari
COLDS, the flower which they offer espe-
cially to their gods. 1t was an interesting
day to me. There we stood under big
tree near the waters edge singing Chris
tian hymns, talking with the folks who
eagerly gathered around, and selling Cos
pels to them,- while little way off peo-
pie were laying their offerings to the gods
upon the water of that little lake.
1t was rather long day. We made
tea beside our garry and had bite to eat
from the basket. We reached the bun
galow after dark that night.
Don't l wish you could see some of
these things! l am so we'll these days
with the energy that makes living
pleasure. No mail from you for two
weeks. Last week. 8 mail went down on
the PERSIA and this week s mail is very