N

CHAPTER XIX.

PERSECUTION AND DELIVERANCE.

Oodooville, January, 1885.

EAR the close of last year we were stationed at Oodooville, a place about a mile distant from Manepy, and in addition to our other work we were given the charge of the Oodooville Girls' Boarding-School. Will you not pray that grace may be given us to meet these added responsibilities? The past year has been one of much encouragement. Fifty-nine persons have united with the three Churches in our field, namely forty-five in Manepy, eleven in Navaly, and three in Panditerippu. Besides these, quite a number from our field, former members of our day and Sabbath schools and inquirers' classes, have been received on profession of faith in the Wesleyan and Church Mission churches, and are now students in the boarding-schools of those Missions. In all this we rejoice. Our native Christians, at the beginning of the year, during the week of prayer, united together to pray that fifty might be brought to Christ within the year. Some thought

it was a very large request, but it was the prayer of faith from more than one heart. They now feel that God has heard this prayer, and they take courage to ask for great things this coming year. We do not forget that dear friends in the home-land have been praying especially for this field and work, and we are glad that these prayers have been and are being answered, and we believe that we shall rejoice together at the last great ingathering.

Another encouraging feature of the year has been the forming of several new inquirers' classes. There are now held weekly seventeen such classes, with a total average attendance of about 150. In these meetings the portion of Scripture appointed to be read during the week is explained. Each one is expected to repeat a verse of Scripture and to offer prayer. The leader also inquires after and encourages each one in the class in regard to habits of daily prayer, Bible study, and church attendance. The classes are conducted by the native pastors, catechists, leading native Christians, and by ourselves. To join one of these classes helps the young people to take a step toward confessing Christ, puts them under the care of older Christians, and thus, by meeting together from week to week, they become a band of friends to encourage each other. They also become known in their villages as inquirers. Inquirers' classes are rallying points to which any one showing signs of interest is at once invited. In countries where to leave idolatry and come over to a public profession of Christianity is so vast a change, such a class as a stepping-stone is a great help. It is our desire to see an inquirers' class, however small, in every dayschool before the end of the coming year. For God's help in this, and for these 150 inquirers, we ask our home friends to pray. The religious history of some of those who joined the church this year seems to us interesting. I will mention a few instances.

Chelappah, a man in Arnikotty, was led to Christ by the persistent efforts of a young Christian boy. He has shown so much earnestness in regard to bringing up his family, as quite to put to shame many of our older Christians. He brought his wife and children to church. He did not make the common excuse of want of jewels and beautiful clothes, and though the heathen relatives persecuted and ridiculed him, he took no notice. He had his children baptized. He bought a whole Bible and began family prayers. He sought the Bible-women and invited them to teach his wife. He brought his daughter often to the girls' inquirers' class, walking the mile both ways and waiting patiently outside during the meeting. He had the joy of seeing his wife join the church at the close of the year.

One of the inquirers, a young man of a high heathen family, has lately achieved a great success in being married without heathen ceremonies. The parents of boh

A Brave Christian Pariah.

7.5

parties were strong Sivites, but the young man never for a moment wavered. The bride had formerly learned the Bible lessons in our day-school, and again, when too old to go to day-school, i.e. after the age of twelve, she had been taught in her home by one of our Bible-women, so she also favoured a Christian marriage-one of the many good results of Bible-women's work.

Another, a young man of the Pariah caste, who had studied in one of our day-schools, was threatened by the higher-caste heathen people, his former masters, with dreadful punishments if he should join the church; for the old system of master and serf, though under the English Government it is done away with in name, still exists in a greater or less degree, and the Pariahs stand much in fear of, and are in subjection to, the higher castes. For three years he hid the light in his heart, living privately as a Christian, but fearing to confess Christ. At last the light would not stay hid, and he joined the church. The next Sabbath he was stopped on his way to the morning service and ordered to work, and beaten because he refused. He still continued to attend church, and because of this, one day when on his way to town with a bundle of cloth to sell, he was caught, robbed of his cloth and earrings and waist-chain, compelled to walk ten miles in the hot sun, and left in a strange village, with threats that if he ever returned to his home he would be imprisoned. This was done, it appears, to intimidate other low-caste people from becoming Christians, lest they should become enlightened and no longer submit to heathen control. The youth stayed away some weeks, and then ventured back and still continued to attend church. His late masters then instituted a false case against him in court, but through the efforts of our native Christians it was abandoned, though both parties were fined a considerable sum for non-appearance. The heathen people were enraged that they had to pay this sum, and forthwith dragged the youth to their house and made him stand for three hours in the mid-day sun, with his face turned toward the sky and holding a stone on his forehead—a most cruel torture. On learning this, we warned the people that if they committed another act of violence toward him they would be prosecuted. On the next Sabbath the youth, notwithstanding threats and punishments, was found in his place in church both morning and evening. The lesson in Sabbath School was about Paul's willingness not only to be bound but also to die for the name of the Lord Jesus, and I noticed, while teaching it, that his face was shining as if with the very light of heaven. Poor youth, I little thought how soon another trial would come to him! On the very next day those men took him to their house, and, tying his hands and feet, beat him in the most shameful manner and left him bound in that way for some hours. My sister was called by a relative and saw him in this state. The moment she had left him in order to seek for help, they, fearing she would take a case

against them, dragged the youth for some distance over the dust and stones on his bleeding back, which was unprotected by any clothing, and then marched him off to town over fields and fences a round-about way, for fear that others would see them, their object being to get a false case into court before we could enter a true one. But their plan did not succeed, for my sister saw the police inspector the next morning, and the magistrate at once gave orders to have the men arrested and sent to jail, with the prospect before them, if the case were tried, of being sent to prison for a term of years. They begged for mercy, which for the sake of peace in the village we thought best to grant, but they had to pay fines and costs, &c., amounting to about Rs. 100, I think, and they have promised in future to let the youth alone. The incident has proved a complete success, for if any low castes wish in future to join the church, they will feel at liberty to do so. The people of that village have learned several lessons. And I want to say that all along the self-control, firmness, and courage of the youth were admirable, and showed what Christianity could do even for a Pariah.

ELEPHANTS BATHING.

CHAPTER XX.

BRIEF VISIT TO NEWERA ELLIA.

Newera Ellia, July 30th, 1885.

YOU will see by the heading that I am not at this moment

in Jaffna, but in the interior of the island, on the top of hills over 5000 feet above the sea. I have come here for a few weeks of rest at the invitation of a lady, the wife of a missionary of the Church Missionary Society. They were in Jaffna for some years, our neighbouring fellow-workers. They are our dear friends, and "esteemed very highly in love for their works' sake"

I was very glad to escape for a little while from the trying heat of Jaffna. The hot season, February to May, was unusually long this year, for the wind was late in coming; and as we had more than the usual amount of work on our hands, three of the missionaries being absent in America on account of health, I suppose I must have overworked a little, for I began to be very easily tired, and to feel unable to go on with my duties. Now, after a little perfect quiet and freedom from care, in this delightful climate, with the beautiful wooded hills all about me. reminders of the dear home land, and a pleasant change from Jaffna which is quite flat, I feel my old self again, am able to eat and sleep well and to take long walks of two or three miles morning and evening. I shall soon return to Jaffna, and when this letter reaches you, you may think of me as back again at Oodooville with our 108 girls in the boardingschool, and with sister, who has been finding it a little hard to be without me. But she has been going on with the work nobly, having large moonlight meetings and women's meetings, also a thank-offering meeting, besides the Sabbath-school, whose