The Association in South India MADRAS 600 LEXINGTON AVENUE, NEW YorRK CiTy 1914 THE ASSOCIATION IN SOUTH INDIA MADRAS The Field. Of all the cities of India, Madras satis- fies the traveler as typical of his idea of an Indian city. No pen can paint the shimmering heat, the sun-baked streets, the tropical foliage with its brilliance of flower and insect, the gorgeous wares of the shops, the fantastic colorings in the dress of the people. Madras is the third city in size in India. It extends for nine miles along the coast and for three and one-fourth miles inland; the Indian population is 515,000, with 5,000 Europeans. It is not an industrial city, but is a center of government and of educational work. It has a sandy beach and an attractive boulevard along the shore. The resi- dences of the English and of the pros- POUNDING RICE 3 THE MapbRAS INSTITUTE AND COMPOUND perous Indians are very attractive, being set in extensive grounds and surrounded by tropical vegetation. The houses of the masses of the people are wretched and unsanitary, only the constantly prevailing sunshine acting as a preventive of disease. Madras is the city where the East India Company had its first factories, and there remain still many interesting relics of this old company which for so many years was the power that controlled affairs in India, its functions being taken over by the Crown in 1856. Madras has the largest number of Christians of any city in India. The first church in Madras was started by a Syrian Christian and it is traditional that one of the disciples of our Lord was the founder of the church in South India. The missionary effort has reached largely the laboring and poorer classes.* Association Activities. - The Young Women’s Christian Association was organized in 1892 and has for twenty-two years been an influence in the lives of *In South India there are millions of ‘“‘pariahs’’ or ‘‘outcasts,’’ whose social position is not admitted by the Hindus. They are regarded as unclean and are allowed to do only menial work. They are forbidden the use of the temples and even of the village wells. It is among these outcast people that the ‘“‘mass movement’ toward Christianity in India has come. Whole groups or “‘castes’’ of pariahs are seeking baptism into the church. 5 young women of Madras. It was here that Miss Mary Hill began her work and through her efforts was secured the beautiful build- ing, set in its ten acres of trees and foliage. On this plot also is builded the Indian hostel or boarding home for Indian women students. (It is of interest to note in the annual budget of Madras that a small sum was realized to the Association through the sale of fruits and pasturage from the ‘‘compound’’ or yard. This is no doubt unique in Association records. ) The membership of the Association numbers 769, of whom 346 are students. In the Central building is the “‘Institute’’ or gen- eral Association for Europeans (largely Anglo-Indians”*). Thirty-three residents are accommodated in the boarding home. Among their numbers are school teachers, schoolgirls and a few business women. In the Central building are held the weekly religious meetings and Bible classes, and on the compound delight- ful social gatherings. The educational classes, largely in com- mercial branches, are held in the Institute. An interesting educational feature of the past year was the picture exhibition. Copies of celebrated pictures of the world to the number of 250 were arranged in gallery fashion and a small admission fee was * Anglo-Indian is the term adopted by the British Government in 1913 for people of mixed European and Indian blood. 6 A BRANCH SOCIAL—MARATHI BIBLE CLASS 7 charged. Whole schools attended in a body under their mistresses to study the pictures. In that far-away land where there are few copies and no originals of the great paintings, the opportunity was much appreciated. Travel talks are in great demand by these young women, who seldom journey beyond the sunny plains of South India. Lectures have also been popular. An employment department has been a real aid to the community life, especially in the placing of nurses, who are less in number than are needed. A recreation much enjoyed by the members are the moonlight evenings spent upon the beach. The Governor of Madras Presi- dency (a province or state) has given the Association the use of the bathing tank at Government House, and the members use it two days during the week. A branch boarding home was opened during the past year near the business section of the city for busi- ness young women who could afford only a minimum living ex- pense. Twelve young women are accommodated at an expense of not over seven dollars per month. (The wages of business girls range from seven to twenty dollars per month.) Indian Hostels. In the hostel for Indian students are young women who are attending government schools and universities in Madras. ‘The 8 A STUDENT GARDEN PARTY majority of them are medical students (a resident matron lives in the home). The young women are largely Christians of the sec- ond or third generation; few of them are Hindus. The number that is accommodated is sixteen and there is an increasing demand for rooms. A petition has gone to the government for aid in enlarging the hostel. One social feature of the Indian hos- tel are the Indian dinners given on the roof of the building. Scattered Branches. Madras has scattered branches in various sections of the city. These are really ‘“‘neighborhood groups’’ of women under the leadership of ‘‘honorary’’ (volunteer) secretaries. Each secre- tary is responsible for her Bible classes, sewing classes and other activities. Eight of these branches are scattered throughout the city, while one branch is for non-resident women who live in remote parts of the Presidency. These members are kept in touch with headquarters by letters and literature sent regularly by their secretary. The Madras Association has its own news sheet and printing is a considerable item of the annual budget. Student Work. In cities of the Far East the number of trained secretaries is limited. The students are so intimately a part of all progressive 10 life among women in a city that the student Association work is under a student committee and a part of the central work. There are eleven student branches in nine mission and government schools in Madras. The students have special recreation in the form of intercolle- giate sports held in two groups, one for the Anglo-Indians and one for the Indians. The prizes are a conspicuous part of the sports in the East. An exploration club is organized among students for a knowledge of local places of interest. Lantern lectures on England and other parts of the world are popular. At a joint meeting of the students during the past year, a delegate from the Mohonk Conference from the United States gave a report of the World’s Student Christian Federation Conference held in June, 1913. An Indian student secretary had charge of the department for three months the past year. Miss Bretherton of Great Britain has just completed one term as student secretary for Madras and is now on furlough. A system to develop practical Christianity among the students is directed in the line of giving treats at Christmas time to children in various schools. The Indian hostel students conduct a Sunday school in Tamil, one of the Indian ‘“‘vernaculars.’’ 11 Conferences . The third conference of the Young Women’s Christian Associ- ation of South India was held in Madras at Easter time in 1913. There was an attendance of 105 delegates. Difficulties. The inevitable changes in the East, due to shifting population, make continuous committee work or even secretarial supervision extremely difficult. Miss Leila Guitner, who was for many years general secretary at Colombo, has been general secretary in Ma- dras for the past two years. Her first years in the Far East were spent in India and she has done splendid constructive work. She is now on a well-earned furlough, having spent two terms of ser- vice in India and Ceylon. During her absence and owing to the unexpected illness of another of the Madras secretaries, Miss Jessie Mather was called from Allahabad, where she was the only resident secretary, to take charge of the larger work in Madras city. Five is the usual number of secretaries on the staff. There is request for a secretary from the United States to go at once to the help of Madras. 12