Connecticut western news., 1922-08-03
FORMER TEACHER
 WRITES FROM INDIA Miss Ruth Manchester Tells of. Her Work in Isabella
 Thoburn College

The following IS an extract from a
 letter written by Ruth c. Manches- ter, a former member of the faculty
 of the Canaan High School, now a teacher at the Isabelle Thoburn
 College, Lucknow, India.
 In the past the Isabella Thoburn
 College has been affiliated with the University of Allahabad which has given our students their final exam nations and granted them their de- grees. But last year a unitary teach ing university, a government insti- tuition, was established at Lucknow with a faculty of Englishmen and Indians. Most of the latter have studied abroad. Our college was made the woman's department of the university; the missionaries were appointed members of the faculty, and served on various committees. This new arrangement has given prestige to the college, prestige which should be increased by the unusually fine record made by our seniors in the B. A. examinations this year.
 Perhaps you have heard about the fund which is being raised in Ameri- ca for the union mission colleges of the Orient. We in Lucknow are interested in it's outcome, for we are planning to leave our present com pound, so long overcrowded; and to move the college to some fine property across the river. This will mean heavy expenses for building and equipment, but it all seems worth while for it will make possible a larger college of wider influence at a time when this awakening but illi terate land is in desperate need of education and of education which is Christian. At present just two women out of every hun dred can read and write.
 The Isabella Thoburn school, which has classes from kindergarten to second year high school, will re- main in the Ruby Garden bought Ey Miss Thoburn fifty years ago. In the old days this property was oc- cupied by the kings treasurer, and there is tradition that great wealth was hidden here, including the pre- cious ruby which has given the land its name. Whether or not riches still lie buried on our com pound, l can not say, but do know that the Ruby Garden, called Lal Bagh in Hindustani, has some very lively treasure today in irs three hundred and fifty Indian girls.
 Though most of our college stu. don:s dre Christians, we have four Hindus and four Mohammedans | One of the latter, member of this years senior class, has the name | Nur Jehan, meaning Light of the World. Before her final examina- 5ions for the B. A, her pious old 1 mother went all the way to Delhi | and Ajmere to pray at the Noham- medan shrines for her daughters success. You will perhaps be inter- ested to hear that Nur's results were very good. During all four years 'f her college course she lived at come, coming to us as a day stu lent. Since the principles of her 'eligion forbade her to be seen by l he general public a3 she passed through the streets of Lucknow. she lad to ride on little scat, sus- pended from a long poc and carried 'y two coolies A curtain Of ncavy ed cloth hanging around the seat concealed her completely from the yaze of all inquisitive passers by. When our seniors took their final over a3 she mems col ege, they had to sit in d room where
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