i /oo'] 
 \O ita, 
 
 THE 
 JAFFNA MISSION, 
 
 Col aka OuN: 
 
 Occasional Detter. 
 
 OCTOBER, 1887. 
 
A 
 
 ADDRESS IN GREAT BRITAIN FOR THE NEXT 12 M 
 
 MissEs LEITcH, 
 
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND, 
 October 4, 1887, 
 
 DEAR FRIENDS, 
 
 A little more than a year has passed 
 since we sent you our last annual letter. 
 
 The last of January, 1886, the Rev. and Mrs. W. W. 
 Howland left Uduvil for a period of much-needed rest on 
 the Pulney Hills, in South India, and, after their return to 
 Jaffna, they were stationed fora time at Tillipally ; so that 
 from the last of January till the middle of October we were 
 the only resident missionaries in the Uduvil Station, and 
 with the work of that station, as well as of our old stations 
 of Manepy and Panditeripu, of which we still retained the 
 care, our time and strength were fully occupied. 
 
 Our last report mentioned that on February 14, 1886, a« 
 class of 28 girls graduated from the Boarding School. 
 
 March 16 was the day appointed for examining candidates 
 fora new class. It was thought that a class of 30 might 
 be taken. 
 
 Early on the morning of the day appointed the parents 
 came, bringing their daughters in ox carts. For, as you 
 know, in Ceylon a girl is considered too beautiful and 
 precious an article to be exposed to the public view. 
 
4 
 
 When the hour for the examination arrived, what was 
 our surprise to find 120 girls waiting to be received into the 
 school, 
 
 Those who were able to pass the fourth standard subjects 
 were given a very careful examination and, on account of 
 the eagerness of the parents, who were very desirous that 
 their daughters should be taken into this Christian Board- 
 ing School, a class of 52, of those who passed the highest 
 in the examination, was taken into the school, and the 
 remainder of the girls went home, many of them in tears, 
 because they could not be received. However, we told 
 them to keep up good courage and to come again the next 
 year to the entrance examination. 
 
 Most of these who applied were of high caste, and more 
 than half of them were from heathen homes, Yet so 
 highly is the education prized which is given in this 
 Boarding School and so great is the revolution which has 
 taken place in the minds of the people, that these high 
 caste Hindu parents are willing to send their daughters to 
 this school (in many cases paying all the required fees) and, 
 allow them to eat, sleep, and live with the Christian girls; 
 and to be under the strongest Christian influence contin- 
 uously, attending the Weekly Prayer Meeting, the Church 
 Service and Sabbath School, studying the Bible every day, 
 singing the Christian songs and learning to pray ; and when 
 
Lad 
 
 0 
 
 a young girl embraces Christianity and asks to join the 
 church, as is almost invariably the case when the girls are 
 allowed to remain a year or two with us, the parents 
 seldom now make objection ; so that, by God’s great bless- 
 ing there are numbers joining the church from the 
 Boarding School every year. 
 
 Very often at the close of a village meeting, or when we 
 are. visiting in the homes of the people, when we urge 
 them to become Christians they say, ‘‘I am too old to 
 change, but here are my children, you may take and educate 
 them, and if they become Christians I will not object.” 
 This school, after the new class was taken, numbered 121 
 pupils. 
 
 The annual Mission Committee examination of this 
 school was held on September 30, 1886. The following 
 was the order of exercises :— 
 
 1. A Chant in Tamil, by a choir; and Prayer. 
 
 . Examination VIII. Standard, History of Ceylon. 
 . Examination VII. Standard, Acts of the Apostles. 
 4, Singing in English by the School: Take me as I 
 
 2 bo 
 
 am; Composition, subject Power of Habit; Recitation, 
 subject Saviour like a Shepherd. 
 
 5, Examination IV. Standard, Bible verses, Hymus and 
 Golden Texts. 
 
 6. Examination V. Standard, Arithmetic, 
 
6 
 
 7. Singing by a Choir, Bye Baby ; Composition, subject 
 How to spend our vacation; Recitation, Good-night and 
 Good-morning. 
 
 8. Examination VI. Standard, Arithmetic. 
 
 9, Examination, Queen’s Scholars, English. 
 
 10. Singing a Motion Song The Mill Wheels, by a 
 choir; Composition, subject The Visit of the VIII. 
 Standard to Jaffna Town; Recitations, subjects Bow- 
 wow-wow, Good-morning, Mr. Monday. 
 
 11. VIII. Standard, Theruvakku Puranan. 
 
 12. Singing by the School, Little Red Bird; Recita- 
 tions, subjects Kitty Kitty, Two Little Feet, Sleep Baby 
 Sleep. 
 
 Singing an English part song by a Choir, Good-night; 
 Composition, subject A farewell to the Misses Leitch ; 
 Singing a farewell Lyric to the Misses Leitch. 
 
 Remarks—by Rev. 8S. Eliatamby, Native Committee. 
 
 Do do E. P. Hastings, D.D., Mission do. 
 The School flourishes financially. In February, 1886, it 
 earned a Government grant of R2582. 
 
 It now receives no aid from the American Board excepting 
 the superintendence of the missionaries, The expenses of 
 the school are met by the Government grant, the fees of the 
 pupils, and the interest of the endowment and scholarship 
 funds. I mentioned in our last letter that we had been 
 
? 
 
 able to secure from Ceylon, subscriptions amounting to 
 £1,360. We have since received subscriptions to the 
 amount of £140, making altogether £1,500 promised in 
 Ceylon ; £710 have been already paid, and the remainder 
 is to be paid in monthly or quarterly instalments through 
 the next four years. We feel that the natives showed 
 much self-sacrifice in this matter, and we were much 
 touched by the way they gave. They gave not what was 
 easy for them to give, but what was difficult. We felt 
 that many of them gave from love to Christ, desiring that 
 more girls might be educated in this Christian Boarding 
 School, and there learn about Christ. We have the list 
 which shows how the people gave. Some gave £24, some 
 £12, some £6, and others, smaller sums. Those who gave 
 these sums were not people of wealth; some were in 
 government employment, some in mission employment, 
 and some were farmers. 
 
 Some gave £6 who were receiving a salary of £3 
 per month, which meant giving two whole months’ 
 salary. 
 
 Friends of this school in America have most kindly sent 
 to us or paid to our brother sums amounting to £160 which 
 have been invested for the school, the interest will go yearly 
 to aid in paying the fees of those who are unable to pay 
 the whole, such as daughters of Bible women, or of native 
 
8 
 
 pastors, catechists, day school teachers, etc., many of 
 whom receive only a living salary, and have not money laid 
 by with which they might provide for the higher education 
 of their children. Also children of poor Christians, and 
 especially orphan children will be aided by this fund. 
 
 A Society of Christian Endeavour has been formed in 
 the school and it and the two others in the field are 
 flourishing and doing much good. The Manepy Society 
 sent gifts to the island of Ninathieve for a Christmas tree 
 to gladden the little children there. The Oodooville 
 Society has been devoting its weekly collections to furnish- 
 ing a supply of oil for the lamps used at the moonlight 
 meetings. Several from each of these societies joined the 
 church during the past year. 
 
 Fifty persons joined the Uduvil church on profession of 
 faith the past year and the Manepy, Nevaly, and Pandit- 
 eripu churches received accessions. 
 
 Through the kindness of friends in America, our brother 
 was able to send a new and beautiful communion set which 
 was given to the Manepy church. All the members of 
 that church feel most grateful for the kind gift, The 
 beautiful silver plated service seems so much more befitting 
 to this sacred ordinance of our religion and so much more 
 attractive than the dingy pewter vessels which they have 
 been using for many years in the past. We wish that some 
 
9 
 
 friends might send out similar communion services for the 
 Nevally and Panditerpu churches also. 
 
 Much work has been done by the native Christians in 
 the direction of holding village moonlight meetings in 
 different villages in Uduvil. Permanent good resulted 
 from these meetings and inquirers’ classes were started 
 
 in different villages. 
 
 MANEPY FESTIVAL. 
 
 Preaching services were held as usual on the car-drawing 
 day of the great Manepy Hindoo Festival. 
 
 Large numbers came and listened to the preaching and 
 singing, and bought or received Gospels or tracts. Very 
 little opposition or hostility was shown by any one. We 
 trust some seeds were sown which will bring forth fruit. 
 
 The members of the Manepy church have subscribed 
 R300 toward the repair of their church building. This 
 was in addition to the amount which they usually give for 
 the pastor’s salary, church up-keep, church poor, and the 
 native Bible, tract, and missionary societies. 
 
 The women of the Uduvil church have also made an 
 
 earnest effort on behalf of the poor of their church and 
 
10 
 
 district. They have formed a Society called the Widows 
 and Orphans’ Society, and raised by subscriptions over 
 R250. They hope to add to this sum year by year. The 
 yearly interest of this sum will go toward aiding widows 
 and orphans or the very poor Christians. 
 
 The Uduvil church, after the harvest, had its thank- 
 offering meeting or Feast of Ingatherings as it might be 
 called. To this the people bring a portion of the increase 
 of the field; grain’, fruits, vegetables, the firstlings of the 
 flock, fowls, eggs, braided mats, needlework, etc., etc, 
 After appropriate addresses and songs of praise the meet- 
 ing closed and the sale of things took place. The proceeds 
 of the meeting amounted to R84. 
 
 Such meetings are held in all the churches and preaching 
 places of the American Ceylon Mission. The proceeds are 
 usually devoted to the Native Missionary Society. 
 
 This Society, supported by all the native churches of the 
 American Ceylon Mission, is now in its 46th year of work, . 
 It has been officered and managed by natives for the past 
 30 years, 
 
 It is probably the oldest missionary society in Ceylon or 
 India which has been supported and conducted by native 
 Christians for solong a period. It carries on work in some 
 islar ds lying beyond Jafina. Its receipts last year were 
 R870. 
 
11 
 
 Several touching incidents might be told relating to the 
 giving of native Christians toward this Society. 
 
 An elderly widow belonging to the Nevaly church, came 
 to us one day, and, taking off several pieces of jewellery, 
 which had descended to her as dowry property from her 
 mother and grandmother, gave them, saying, ‘‘ Here, 
 sell these and give the money to the Native Missionary 
 Society. I want to have a share in sending the 
 gospel to some of the poor people on the islands before I 
 die.” 
 
 This is but one of the many instances which we could 
 mention of such gifts on the part of native Christian 
 
 women. 
 
 TEMPEHRANCH WORK. 
 
 The petition of the World’s Women’s Christian Temper- 
 ance Union was sent to us for circulation. We had it 
 translated into Tamil and Singhalese and circulated in 
 these languages and in English. We circulated at the 
 same time a somewhat similar petition to be signed by 
 men, 
 
 We sent these petitions to the various missionaries in 
 
12 
 
 Ceylon, who gave them into the hands of their native 
 pastors, catechists, teachers, and Bible women, and they 
 were thus circulated in this way by responsible parties, 
 The natives in general expressed great eagerness to sign 
 the petitions. We were told that many Hindoos signed 
 these petitions with a prayer. Raising their hands and 
 eyes to heaven they would say, ‘‘Thervan ethu say ert- 
 thum,” z.e., ‘‘ May the Lord prosper this.” 
 
 Within six weeks they brought to us 16,000 signatures. We 
 feel that the hearis of the people spoke by these signatures, 
 No one received any pay for circulating these petitions, 
 Those who circulated them did so in their leisure time and 
 for the sake of the cause. 
 
 The people wish for just what the petitions ask. They 
 are total abstainers, and they wish their sons and daughters 
 to grow up such. They wish their homes protected by the 
 prohibition of the traffic from their midst. The Govern- 
 ment, by selling the liquor licenses at public auction to the 
 highest bidder, creates a class of men whose business it is to 
 push the trajfic. The great majority of the people on ac- 
 count of their religious beliefs and social customs are total 
 abstainers, and they wish that shops should not be opened 
 in their midst, 
 
 They fear to have such temptations placed before their 
 sons. 
 
13 
 
 Recently, a native in Ceylon was convicted of murder 
 and sentenced to be hung. He sent word to all his 
 relatives and friends to come to the execution, as he had 
 something important to say to them. When all were 
 assembled he knelt down on the scaffold and said, ‘‘ Strong 
 drink caused me to commit the deed. Had I been sober I 
 should never have done it. I warn and entreat you all 
 never to drink a drop of strong drink.” The Government 
 creates a class of men whose very business it is to push the 
 traffic in strong drink, and then when ignorant natives fall 
 under the temptation and commit crimes when drunk, they 
 are hung, while those who tempted them—who sold them 
 the liquor—are let go free to go on with their nefarious 
 traffic, and tempt and ruin yet others who are ignorant of 
 the nature and effects of the drink which is offered them ; 
 and even, it may be, given to them freely at first till they 
 have acquired the taste. Natives have repeatedly told us 
 that this is the case; that in different parts of Ceylon it 
 has been given away freely at first in places where the 
 people had not learned to drink. 
 
 Can nothing be done to give the people a voice in this 
 matter which so closely affects their homes? If the Tamils 
 could have a voice in this matter they would very quickly 
 shut up the shops. 
 
 Our attention was first called to the fact that intemper- 
 
14 
 
 ance was spreading among the people by being told, shortly 
 after we had settled at our station, that anative gentleman 
 living near us had drowned himself in the well which was 
 by his own door. The wells in Jaffna are usually deep, 
 sometimes 60 feet in depth. I went to the house. The 
 family was one of the wealthiest in our field. The house 
 was a fine large house and was built after the English 
 fashion. The gentleman had been educated in English, 
 and was, to as great an extent as possible, following 
 English customs. We see almost everywhere the natives 
 acquiring English customs. Because the English are their 
 rulers they look up to them with great respect, and are 
 eager to acquire their habits. 
 
 I was told that this man who had drowned himself had 
 been associated in business with English gentlemen; that 
 they were accustomed to ask him to drink with them ; and 
 that, along with acquiring other English habits, he acquired 
 this habit of drinking and became a drunkard; and when 
 he found that he was a drunkard, and did not feel himself 
 able to conquer the habit which had got so strong a hold 
 of him, filled with a sense of shame and disgrace, he 
 drowned himself in the well at the door of his old home. 
 
 I was told that the father, some time previously, had 
 drowned himself. He also was a business man, and was 
 associated a good deal with Europeans and acquired 
 
15 
 
 drinking habits, became a drunkard, and drowned himself 
 in the same well. 
 
 I was told that in the same way a brother and a sister’s 
 husband were both drunkards. I saw, in the house of 
 mourning, the mother, who was a lovely Christian woman 
 and a member of our church, weeping with breaking heart 
 over her lost son. The bitterness of her bitter cup was not 
 that her loved ones, son and husband, had been taken from 
 her, but that she well knew their souls had gone into God’s 
 presence polluted and degraded. 
 
 Sometimes it is said in England, ‘“‘Oh well, the 
 liquor is there, but we don’t force the natives to drink.” 
 Still we feel that a great wrong is being done, because 
 those ignorant communities are everywhere being tempted. 
 Is it right to tempt? The devil does not force people to 
 dowrong. He only tempts, yet the devil is the devil because 
 his business is to tempt. 
 
 We were astonished to find that intemperance was 
 spreading among the people, that many were using wines 
 and imported liquors, that many families were in great 
 sorrow because a husband or son or brother had gone to 
 some of the large towns in Ceylon or India, and following 
 the drinking customs now prevailing in these towns had 
 learned to drink, We heard the most pitiful tales from 
 
 weeping wives and mothers in almost every village in our 
 
16 
 
 field. In holding temperance meetings we felt a lack of 
 temperance literature in the native language, and we had 
 a little book of 37 temperance songs prepared in the Tamil 
 language, and 5000 copies of this book printed. We 
 wished to have tracts to circulate among the people, and 
 we had several of John B. Gough’s temperance lectures 
 translated, and circulated a few thousand copies which 
 had been printed in our mission press. But as Tamil is 
 spoken by 16 millions of people in Southern India, and as 
 we knew that drinking habits were spreading among the 
 people there also, we wished that these temperance 
 lectures might be circulated among the people so that they 
 might not drink blindfold, but might know what ruin and 
 degradation drink could cause. With this object in view | 
 we sent our manuscript to the secretary of the Madras 
 Tract Society, asking if they would print these temperance 
 lectures and offering to help with the expenses of printing, 
 After considerable delay we were informed that this society 
 did not think best to print these lectures, for it was feared 
 that the unveiling of European crimes and sins would 
 disgust the natives with Europeans, and they said that one 
 of their natives, after reading the lectures, said :—‘‘ We 
 never heard of such horrible and abominable things done 
 even by the worst savages and heathen as are there told 
 of you.” We believe that native was right. So far as we 
 
17 
 
 know heathenism, we do not know anything connected 
 with it which can match the ruin and degradation which 
 the liquor traffic is causing. However, we were very 
 anxious to have the lectures printed in order to warn the 
 poor ignorant communities against the evils of intemper- 
 ance, and we went to work and modified the lectures, 
 leaving out the worst stories for fear of shocking the 
 savages and disgusting natives with Englishmen ; and the 
 lectures were accepted for publication. 
 
 We have held temperance meetings in our field and 
 worked as earnestly as we could during the past seven 
 years, but we feel that while we have been trying to rescue 
 one drunkard the liquor shops have been making ten. 
 Iam sorry to have to tell you that the great liquor-shop 
 
 in Jaffna is kept by a man who is a member in a Christian 
 church, and occupies, so I understand, a front seat in this 
 church. He isa European. His liquors are sent all over 
 Jaffna, and are carrying into the homes of the people 
 miseries worse than death. This man knows what ruin 
 these drinks are causing in this ignorant community, and 
 yet he carries on this trade. Why does he, who professes 
 to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, do this? His 
 trade is ruinous to the interests of his fellow-men, and he 
 knows it, but he carries on his trade, for what? to make 
 money. What a thing it is to set the heart on money ; to 
 
18 
 
 worship it—mammon-worship! We know a good deal 
 about devil-worship. In Ceylon and India many of the 
 low castes are devil-worshippers; but we don’t know of any 
 devil-worship which can match this mammon-worship. I 
 was talking one day with a Mohammedan. I was speaking 
 about the religion of Jesus Christ, and I asked him to 
 become a Christian. He straightened himself up and 
 looked me in the face, and said :—‘*‘ Madam, do you want 
 me to become a Christian and sell liquor? If I were to 
 sell liquor I could very quickly make a fortune, Fortunes 
 are made in these days by the sale of liquor, but,” said he, 
 ‘J would scorn to make a fortune by the sale of liquor. I 
 would scorn to touch even an empty liquor bottle. But,” 
 he said, pointing to the liquor-shop right in front of us, 
 “there is a liquor-shop kept by a man who is a member 
 in a Christian ckurch, and who occupies a prominent place 
 in a Christian church.” I felt dumb in his presence and 
 turned away, but I could not help asking myself the ques- 
 tion, ‘‘ Why is it that liquor dealers so often occupy front 
 places in the Christian churches? Is it because the 
 churches desire a part of their dirty money.” 
 
 While we have been in Scotland we have been asking for 
 aid for a Christian College in Jaffna, and Christian people 
 often have said to us, ‘‘ Oh, go to this rich man, or to that 
 
 rich man, he is able to help you ;”’ and when we have asked 
 
19 
 ‘* What is his business?” they have often said, ‘‘ Oh, he is 
 
 a brewer,” or ‘‘Oh, he is a distiller,” as if we wanted the 
 money of brewers or distillers to carry on Christ’s work in 
 Jafina. Whatever money we may take back to Jaffna, be 
 it little or much, we want it to be clean money. We are 
 willing to take the pennies of the poor if the money is 
 clean, and given with love and prayer, and we believe the 
 Lord can make such money go a long way in His work. 
 What good would money do us unless we had God’s 
 blessing with it? There is something that we need much 
 more than we need money, and that is God’s blessing. 
 When will individuals and societies and nations learn that 
 there is a God who reigns in righteousness? And under- 
 stand that money from a traffic which fattens itself at the 
 expense of the morals and happiness of our fellow-men can 
 never be blessed, whether it be sought for by churches to 
 aid in carrying on Christian work, or by governments for 
 the sake of a revenue. 
 
 This liquor traffic, licensed by the Government, and the 
 drinking habits of Europeans are the greatest obstacles in 
 the way of missions. Because the traffic is licensed by the 
 Government it claims for itself a respectable place, and it 
 is accorded that place, and drinking habits are growing in 
 our midst. Whatever can be done to check drinking habits 
 
 in Christian lands will help us in heathen countries; for 
 
20 
 
 we feel that the drinking habits of Europeans are against 
 us. 
 
 I may mention, simply as an illustration, that last year 
 there was a native wedding in Jaffna between two wealthy 
 families. 4000 high caste natives attended the wedding ; 
 many Europeans also were invited and were present on the 
 occasion. After the marriage had been solemnised,refresh- 
 ments were served, and, as it was known that Europeans are 
 accustomed to use wine, wine was passed to them, and 
 they drank it in the presence of those natives. The 
 thoughtful natives said among themselves, ‘‘ What a shame 
 that Europeans should set such an example before our 
 people!’’ For they know that their young men when they 
 go to the large towns, and are away from home restraint, 
 and have cast aside the native customs, will be very apt to 
 go into some of the many shops which they see open, and 
 they will just say to themselves, ‘‘ We will try some of 
 that drink which we saw the Europeans drinkiog.” How 
 is it that Europeans, living among a people who are eagerly 
 copying their customs, are so regardless of their infiuence, 
 whether it be good or bad; and set, apparently quite 
 thoughtlessly, an example to the natives which is a most 
 harmful one? 
 
 These Europeans are from Christian England and Scot- 
 land, and they are probably from homes where Christian 
 
21 
 
 mothers and sisters have placed wine on their tables, 
 These wives and mothers thought this a little thing, a 
 harmless indulgence ; but who can tell to what their ex- 
 ample, if it be not an absolutely safe one for others to 
 - follow, may lead? We see the natives in heathen lands 
 stumbling over this example into drunkards’ graves. 
 
 Will not God hold Christian Great Britain responsible 
 for the great wrong which is going on in Ceylon and India? 
 
 The religions of the Hindoos, Mohammedans, and 
 Buddhists forbid the use of strong drink, and formerly the 
 people of India and Ceylon were for the most part total 
 abstainers ; but now in Ceylon nine times as much is spent 
 for strong drink as is spent by the Government for educa- 
 tion, and in India in the last 12 years the excise revenue 
 has increased 75 per cent! This frightful increase is due 
 to two causes, the influence of European example, and the 
 fact of Government encouraging the traffic for the sake of 
 revenue. 
 
 Thus Great Britain goes to India with the Bible in one 
 hand and the brandy bottle in the other. The ships which 
 take out the missionaries take also thousands of gallons of 
 strong drink. The venerable Archdeacon Farrar said in a 
 recent address, ‘‘It is now a considerable time ago that an 
 Archdeacon of Bombay, with whom I was acquainted, gave 
 
 the shocking testimony in public that, for every Christian 
 
22 
 
 whom we lad made in India, we had made 100 
 drunkards,” 
 
 We believe that until the Christian church makes a clean 
 separation between herself and the liquor traffic, so that to 
 be a Christian will mean one who is out and out on the 
 side of total abstinence, and utterly opposed to the whole 
 ' traffic in strong drink, Christianity will never make the 
 progress which it otherwise might in India, Africa, and 
 elsewhere. The connection of Christian nations and pro- 
 fessing Christian men and women with strong drink is one 
 of the greatest stumbling blocks in the way of the nations 
 receiving the Gospel. Christ says to each one of us, 
 
 ‘* Roll ye away the stone.” 
 
 ABSENCH FROM CHYLON ON 
 FURLOUGH. 
 
 Having received permission from the American Board of 
 Missions to visit America on furlough, we left Ceylon 
 the middle of October, 1886, and came to Great Britain 
 via India. In India we went from Negapatam in the 
 South to the Himalaya Mountairs, and from Calcutta 
 in the east to Bombay in the west. We had the 
 petition of the World’s Women’s Christian Temperance 
 Union translated and circulated in ten of the great 
 
i 
 
 23 
 
 leading Indian languages, through the medium of the five 
 great Religious Tract Societies of India. We also had 
 
 | “Looking unto Jesus” translated and circulated in many 
 
 re 
 
 languages by the same societies. We also arranged with 
 these societies to have the temperance addresses of John 
 
 B. Gough translated and printed in several of the leading 
 
 . Indian languages. We also took to Madras and offered to 
 
 the Madras Religious Tract Society Tamil translations of 
 “The Christian Religion,” by Prof. Fisher, ‘‘ The Children 
 
 | and the Church,” by Rev. F, E, Clark, a Temperance 
 
 Catechism of 160 questions and answers, and several of 
 
 Moody’s Sermons, additional to those before published. 
 
 _ We secured the insertion of temperance articles in many 
 of the leading newspapers of India, and we had the oppor- 
 tunity of seeing much of mission work and of addressing 
 various assemblages, mission schools, etc. 
 
 We have great pleasure in stating that in this tour, in 
 
 - which we met over 200 missionaries and were entertained 
 
 in many mission homes, we never saw a drop of strong 
 
 drink on any missionary’s table; but instead we found 
 many missionaries to be earnest temperance workers, 
 having total abstinence societies in their churches and 
 schools. 
 
 We pray that the day may soon come when every foreign 
 missionary may be a pledged total abstuiner, and when only 
 
24 
 
 the pure juice of the grape, and not port wine may be used 
 at the Zord’s table. At present in some missions in India 
 converted natives taste strong drink for the first time in 
 their lives at the Lord’s table. This is a great evil 
 since it leads Hindoos and Mohammedans, who by their 
 religious beliefs and social customs are total abstainers, 
 to look upon the use of strong drink as a part of Christi- 
 anity. When a drunken European soldier or sailor is 
 seen on the streets the people say, ‘‘ There goes a drunken 
 Christian.” When a dispute arises as to whether a native 
 is a Christian or not the reply often is, ‘‘Oh, yes, I know 
 he’s a Christian, I saw him drink brandy.” When a 
 Mohammedan begins to use strong drink his friends go to 
 him, and if they cannot persuade him to give it up they 
 say, ‘‘ Well, if you must drink, don’t disgrace us and our 
 community, go and becomea Christian and drink properly.” 
 
 The use of intoxicating drink in native Christian com- 
 munities isa matter for deep regret. Mr. Gregson well 
 says, ‘‘ What a blessed thing it would have been if we could 
 have said to the natives of India that there was perfect 
 sobriety among Christians—a line clear and intelligent 
 that the man who is a Christian is a man who does not 
 drink. Isay we should have had a force to-day in India 
 which does not now exist. I don’t believe that the success 
 
 of missions depends upon the number of mission stations. 
 
25 
 
 The power, the strength, the efficiency of the cause of 
 Christ, if that is synonymous with the cause of missions, 
 . must depend upon its purity, and that is its power. 
 
 You profess Christ; then abstain from drink that no man 
 | may question your position, and that we may get that 
 | dreadful saying in India cast into oblivion—‘ to be a Chris- 
 tian is to be a drunkard,’ ” 
 
 ‘* Let us get that removed from the language of Hindostan 
 by some means, and when we can say, ‘If it was so in the 
 past, but it is not so now,’ we shall be bringing all the force 
 of practical Christianity to bear upon the people, and we 
 shall be able to say, There is no need for you to drink 
 liquor when you become a Christian, any more than it was 
 necessary for you to do so when you were a Mohammedan or 
 aHindoo. . . . If drink is the destroyer of souls, the 
 curse of the Christian community, let us use at the com- 
 munion service what the Master Himself commanded—the 
 fruit of the vine in which we are to commemorate His 
 death. Let there be no mistake about the wine in which 
 we commemorate the death of our blessed Lord, that a 
 Hindoo, seeing the service, will not turn away with scorn 
 and say, ‘These Christians are drinking strong drink— 
 look at those Christians drinking.’ Let me suppose that 
 you had the whole of India Christian, what wine could be 
 used at the communion service? Are they to be supplied 
 
26 
 
 with hundreds of dozens of port wine from England? 
 What would they have todo? They could not pay for wine 
 from England. Whereas there are raisins to be purchased 
 in every bazaar in India—the fruit of the vine— and they 
 could make from the fruit of the vine the wine* that Jews 
 make to-day when they keep the Passover. So that it 
 seems to me we are not starting some strange fanatical 
 fancy, but simply obeying the command in using the fruit 
 of the vine, which for a few pence can be purchased in any 
 bazaar in India.” 
 
 BIBLE LESSONS AND CHRISTMAS | 
 TREE. 
 
 Although we were not present with our dear people in 
 Jaffna on Christmas last, yet we made arrangements 
 before leaving Jaffna that the Christmas celebrations 
 should take place as usual. Roll of Honour Cards were 
 printed and were ready to be filled out with the names of 
 those who had been faithful in learning the prescribed 
 Bible lessons in the day and Sabbath schools throughout 
 the year. Also copies of ‘‘ Christie’s Old Organ ” in Tamil 
 
 * The juice extracted from raisins soaked in hot water. 
 
27 
 
 were given to deserving Sabbath school children, the cost 
 being met by the Foreign Sabbath School Association of 
 America. 
 
 Large Christmas gatherings were held in the different 
 centres, conducted by the native pastors, when the singing 
 | of Christmas songs, reciting of the golden texts, and the 
 rendering of dialogues, declamations, and recitations by the 
 children, and the giving of brief addresses by pastors and 
 others present, together with the distribution of prizes and 
 ' other gifts, such as bananas, cakes, etc., provided by the 
 _ native Christians for the little ones, made the occasions 
 
 happy ones. 
 
 Several Christmas boxes, sent out from America by 
 friends, reached Jaffna only in January this year, but their 
 contents will make glad the coming Christmas. We have 
 written full and careful directions to our native pastors; and 
 the missionaries now in charge of the station, aided by the 
 | native Sabbath school committees, will make the most 
 careful and judicious distribution. We are particularly 
 grateful to the kind friends in America for these boxes. 
 It is a great relief to us to know that in our absence the 
 Sabbath school children will still be provided for, and that 
 as usual Christmas will be a glad day for them, 
 
28 
 
 WORK IN GREAT BRITAIN. 
 
 We arrived in Great Britain about the middle of January 
 last. Since that time we have addressed 180 meetings in 
 different parts of Scotland. Up to date we have by God’s 
 blessing secured £3,300 toward the funds of the Jafina 
 College. 
 
 The accompanying pamphlet will explain fully the needs 
 of the College, and the great work which lies before it in 
 the future, in training up native Christian helpers for many 
 missions in India and Ceylon. 
 
 It is hoped that altogether £15,000 will be secured in 
 Great Britain, and £15,000in America. Trusting in God 
 alone, who holds all hearts in His hand, and who has so 
 plainly laid this work upon our hearts, and who has thus 
 far so wonderfully opened up the way before us, we will 
 go on with the effort we are making in Great Britain. 
 Will not you, dear friends, who read this take a hand in 
 raising the sum wanted from America. 
 
 Our poor native Christians in Ceylon give, many of them, 
 a tenth of their income for the cause of Christ. They 
 support a native Bibl; society, a native tract society, and 
 a native missionary society, besides giving to the support 
 of their own native churches and to aid educational 
 
 institutions. 
 
29 
 
 The native Christian women give in a way of their own. 
 The mother of the household each morning measures out the 
 food for the family for the day. She measures it out by 
 the handful, so many handfuls of rice for her husband, so 
 many handfuls of rice for each child, so many handfuls of 
 rice for herself. After she has thus measured out the usual 
 amount for the day, she takes out from this amount one 
 handful and puts it in a little box (which is to be found in 
 almost every Christian house), called the Lord’s box. So 
 day by day, when she measures out the food for the body, 
 she thinks of the soul hunger of those around her who are 
 starving for the bread of life, the Gospel which is so 
 precious to her; so she denies herself every day a little, a 
 handful, and puts it, with a loving thought and a prayer, 
 into the Lord’s box. The church collector from time to time 
 visits all the Christian houses, collects the rice from these 
 boxes, sells it, and the money goes at once to their native 
 missionary society. This proves a good plan for the women 
 of Ceylon ; would it not prove a good plan for the women 
 of America? A penny a day for missions would not be so 
 much for them as a handful of rice a day would be in 
 Ceylon. But the average giving of Christians in Great 
 Britain and America for foreign missions is only on the 
 average one penny a month ! 
 
 Could you not help us in the effort which we are 
 
30 
 
 making in behalf of this Christian College? Could 
 you not take a collecting card and secure from each of 
 your friends and relatives the promise of “fa penny 
 a day fora year?” Would it not be good to have a real 
 personal share in the great work going on there by the 
 daily sacrifice of a penny a day? Would that impoverish 
 you or your friends? Could you not do this, and get nine- 
 teen other friends to do this. In this way you would 
 secure £30 for the College. We are sending this leaflet to 
 300 friends. If each follows this suggestion £9000 could 
 easily be raised for the College—just by giving a penny a 
 day and persuading nineteen friends to do the same. 
 
 If we can undertake to raise, by God’s help, £15,000 in 
 Great Britain, and are willing to give all our time to it for 
 maybe one or two years, paying our own expenses, travel- 
 ling hundreds of miles, and speaking night after night to 
 large audiences—could not you who love Christ and His 
 cause, and who daily pray ‘‘ Thy kingdom come,” help on 
 the coming of His kingdom in Ceylon and India by speak- 
 ing of the object, by distributing the little pamphlets about 
 the College, by praying daily for the Jaffna College by name, 
 and by taking a collecting card and securing small sums or 
 large sums from among your friends? 
 
 Christ says ‘‘If ye love Me keep My commandments,” 
 and His last command was to carry His gospel to all nations, 
 
31 
 
 Are you doing all you can toward the keeping of this 
 command? Can you not help on the work in Ceylon by 
 the methods indicated above? If you can, will you ? 
 
 Collecting Cards, or copies of the pamphlet about 
 the Jaffna College, will be sent post free to any one who 
 desires them, by our brother, Mr. G, W. LrEITcH, Rye- 
 gate, Vermont, U.S.A. 
 
 All money raised for the Jaffna College may be sent to 
 the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Jaffna 
 College— 
 
 Rev. N. G. Ciark, D.D., 
 Foreign Secretary of the American Board, 
 1 Somerset Street, 
 Boston, Mass., U.S.A. 
 In sending such sums it should be plainly stated that 
 they are to go into the Funds of the Jaffna College, Ceylon. 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 M. & M. W, LEITCH, 
 
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