Vepers 
 
 • n . 
 
 / JD ’ 
 
 A Visit to the 
 
 Leper-Asylum 
 at Chandkuri, India 
 
 OSCAR NUSSMANN 
 
 Historical Series No. 5 
 
 1922 
 
 The Board of Foreign Missions 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Evangelical Synod of North America 
 
 ( INCORPORATED) 
 
 2951 Tilden Street 
 
 Washington, D. C. 
 
 Eddn Publishing Hous* Print, St Louis, Mo. 
 
A Visit to the Leper Asylum at Chandkuri 
 
 OSCAR NUSSMANN 
 
 Introduction 
 
 ()n(> (lay an Kiiylisli otlfic'ial, who had r(^t'eiitly l)(“(.“ii tianslVrred 
 to I’urulia and was just returnini>- rroin a inorniny’s gallop, paid 
 a visit to tiu* now sainted tnissionarv, Itev. Mi'. I'tt'inaiin. ACtc'r hc'- 
 ing seated on the veranda of tlie mission hiingalow, tlie otticer said: 
 •‘ddiis morning 1 have had an unnsual ('xpm'ienee. I thought 1 had 
 explored (O'erv nook and corner of this neiyhlandiood. (inding noth¬ 
 ing unusual—only hills, ponds, rice-tields and vilhi'ic's. Mspi'cially 
 
 Center View of Claire Leper Asylum 
 
 the villages seemed to he nioiiolonously similar in appearance. You 
 know yourself their general ap[)(‘arance — a cluster of small huts of 
 clay with roofs inadt* of sti'aw, no windows, and only an opening 
 for a door, narrow, ci’owdc'd passages for streets, crowded hv dir1^■ 
 goats and naked children. Hut this morning 1 (-ame to a \'illagc 
 which was totally dilfei’cnt. From a distance it seemed to he a set¬ 
 tlement for Fur()j)eans. 1 saw a good numlxM’ of well-built white¬ 
 washed buildings, shaded by well-ku'pt tix'es. 'I'he center of the vil¬ 
 lage was marked hv a fiiu* church. But when I canu' ncarc'r and 
 passed thru the regular wide sti-(>('ts, I was astonished not to tind a 
 single Fmrop('an. All the people 1 met there were natives, and all 
 
 1 
 
wei'e U('il (Iressc'd, no naked cliildivn anywhere in sioht. 1 have 
 l)een in India for a number of years hut have never seen anvthinir' 
 like this. Can you tell me what kind of a settlement that is?” 
 
 “Yes, I believe I can tell you that," said the missionary. “I 
 suppose tlie village you saw lies a short distance west from here. 
 Well, that is our leper asylum, ddie people living thei'e are all 
 le])ers and because most of them have become (diristians, a church 
 has been built for them.’’ AFodesty forbade the missionary to add 
 that he himself was the foumk'r, builder, and superintendent of 
 this model institution. 
 
 Had the visitor been a man of another nature, he mioht. after 
 such an exjjlanation, have experienced the feeling that canu' j.o the 
 rider, who unwittingly crossed a river frozen oven- with ice. After 
 the danger was safely passed he became sick with fright. Many 
 people ar(' deathly afraid of infectious diseases, especially of lep- 
 I’o.sy. wealthy traveller once paid a visit to a mi.ssion in India, 
 and was very anxious to be shown all the sights. No one, however, 
 _ could prevail uixni him to enter a leper asylum. Wdien he did 
 have to pass near to one, he first took note of the direction of the 
 wind and tlum passed on the side that seemed safer. Others show 
 more fear. 'The superintendent of one le])cr asylum was informed 
 that certain ladies with whom he had coi’respomlence would not 
 louch his letters with their lingers, but used pinc(‘rs; while another 
 superintendent noticed that while he was on furlough in the home¬ 
 land many people anxiously kept at a safe distance.—AYell, this 
 lingiish ollicial did not express any fear, but he expressed .<ome- 
 ihing b(‘tter. r(‘sp(‘ct for that which is |)ossibl(‘ b(>cause (d‘ the love 
 of ('hrist. 
 
 .\nd that, dear reader, is also the aim of Ibis booklet, namely 
 by tracing the beginning and development of oui’ own leper asylum 
 at Chandkuri to show the wondrous power of (dirist’s love. May 
 this story also awaken some fear in oui’ hearts, fear because of lb(‘ 
 little that lias after all been done for these poorest of the poor. 
 I-’inally, may this booklet also be a cause of an epidemic, not of 
 some di’ead disease, but of an epidemic of greater love for this 
 cause. For this purpose, dear reader, I invite you to come with me 
 ami pay a visit to our le])er asylum in Chaiidkiiri. 
 
 I. On Oiir Way to tlie Asylum 
 
 \Vc shall s])end no time in a description of tlu* steamer trip 
 fi’om America to India, noi' of tlu* journey by railroad from Bom¬ 
 bay lo Baipiir. A de.scription of this kind is to !)(> found in many 
 books of travel. But at Itaipur we must leave the beatiMi tra(‘k of 
 ihe globe-trotter and take to side[)aths, wlu're the missionary is 
 moi'(‘ at home and a better guide. (Jlobe-trotters leave* such iiicoti- 
 
Rev. Oscar Nussmann and Wife 
 
 I'lie distance, for instance, which W(‘ hope to make in a few hours 
 this morning, could not l)e accomplished in li'ss than tw() days with 
 a laiifja. And then consider the inconvenience! of youi' meals and 
 passing the night on the road. .\o. for s[)eed and convenience, the 
 aiiloniobile is certainly mucli to he prefei'red to the oxomobile, and 
 We take' eeur seat in the fe)rmer with hearty thanks to the kind niis- 
 sieeiiary and alse) to the gooel niissieen friends who have prendded 
 him witli this helpful anel e-eeiivenient means of trave'l. 
 
 venient sieletracks severely alone anel then claim, that there is lit¬ 
 tle to he se'eii of mission weerk in the Orient. Our destination is 
 4!) miles distant on the main roael leading from Kaiinu' to Rilaspur. 
 4'he missionaries at Raipur are kind enough to put their automobile 
 at e)ur disposal, otherwise we would have to use an e)xcart. called a 
 ‘(uxja in Hindi. Until recently this was the usual e-eenveyanex' for 
 missionai'ies, causing the loss of much valuable tinu' in travelling. 
 
The road we now travel is one of the few good ones to be found 
 in Chhattisgarh. During recent years the Government has spent 
 large sums on its improvement. The rivers and rivulets that for- 
 merely retarded the progress of the traveller and sometimes led to 
 interesting or even dangerous experiences have all been bridged, and 
 we need anticipate no adventures on their account. Both sides of 
 the road are lined with shade trees. Avhich fact will be much appre¬ 
 ciated by us as the sun rises higher and higher and its heat becomes 
 more and more intense, 'hhe country thru Avhich we jiass is level 
 and uninteresting, d'liose of us who ex])ected to see beautiful scen¬ 
 ery as ])alm trees, dense jungles with wonderful ilowers and teem- 
 
 Superintendent’s Residence 
 
 ing with animal lift', will h(‘ sorely disappoiiitcfl. For such scenery 
 you must go to tlu* coast districts, lien* we see vmy few trees. The 
 I’ice-lic'lds lia\'e already l)e(Mi cut. tluu'e is nothing to se(‘ hut the 
 cliaract('risti(; Indian \illages ap|)(‘aring (‘Very mile or half-mile 
 nearer or fartluu- away from the road. We sen* one or two small 
 templ(‘S on the roadside, otherwise nothijig to (‘xcite our int(‘rest. 
 After a ride of three hours, we ])ass the oldest mission station of 
 Chhattisgarh, Itisrampur, hut cannot ])ay a \isit there because of 
 lack of tinu‘. We admire the s(iuar(‘ stce|»le of the Itisi'ampui' 
 Church tow(‘ring above the cluster of tr(‘es. and get a glimpse of a 
 
 t 
 
few of the mission buildings; the remainder of the station is liiddmi 
 from onr sight l)y many trees snrronnding tlie.bnilding. 
 
 Ten miles farther on we approach ('liandknri. ddie conntrv 
 round a1)ont is, if anything, still more monotonous than that seen 
 elsewhere. The view of the station, however, is by contrast so mneh 
 moi'e imposing. We see a clnster of white hnildings on both sides 
 of the road. To the right the two mission bungalows and a little 
 farther on the large clmreli with high steeple. Beyond and behind 
 the chnreh lies the (diristian village of Baitalpnr. To the left of the 
 road appear the buildings of the le])er asylnm, forming by tliem- 
 s(dves a good sized village. Tn between all these gleaming white 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Waggoner and Guests 
 
 buildings niiniei'oiis gretm trees and shrubs ladp to make the picture 
 a most j)leasing one. ddie view is so unexpc'cted that you may lie 
 1(‘(| to ladieve that the blue sk}^ and the air (piivering with heat have 
 [)lay(‘(l you a trick and shown yon a Fata Morgana. The (’hand- 
 kuri Leper Asylum is in reality an oasis in the desert, not a dark, 
 forbidding and sinistiu’ looking institution, bnt a pleasing, home¬ 
 like. ho])e-ins])iring village. Were wc' to pass the asylum and ride 
 on 21 miles further to tiu' next railroad station, Bilaspur, we might 
 also impure like tlu* Fnglish otlicial, “I have jaissed thru a peculiar 
 village* today.” W(‘ll-built houses, wide stn'ets, nice lawns, even 
 a church, l)ut only natives to l)e seen. What may it have l)ee*n 
 Well, we nei'd not inquire*; we are not going to pass by, but will e-all 
 
 — 5 — 
 
on Ii’ev. 11. 'r. Waggoner, who is the |)resent superintendejil, and 
 whose home is in one oJi the two mission bungalows. 'Phe horn of 
 our auto has already announced oui’ arrival to him, and theri' he 
 comes with wife and children to welcome us. 
 
 II. Facts Concerning Leprosy 
 
 The bungalow which we now enter is the smallest of the mis- 
 si(m. It contains hut few rooms. The walls are whitewashed and 
 The furniture is very simple. After we have rid ourselves of most 
 of the dust gathered on oui- trip we have tinu‘ for a little rest and 
 chat, seated in comfortable wickei’ chairs. It is too late to take a 
 walk ov(‘r to tlu' asylum now, as it is half-past ten and breakfast 
 is due at eleven. In India. Chliolii liazrl. or first breakfast is taken 
 at six in tlu‘ morning, and consists usually of tea, toast and sotju* 
 fiuit. ilazri; oi' breakfast, is taken at (deven, and coi’respunds more 
 to oiii’ .Vinei'ican diniu'r than to a hix-akfast. Th(‘ half hour h'ft 
 hid'oi'e hri'akfast we i)ass by plying onr host with (piestions. 
 
 I'ii'st ol all W(‘ want to know; irlui/ prct (iiilhtiis do ijoii /u/rr lo 
 ovoid i n j (od U)ii 
 
 'dr. Waggomu' answers smilingly: d hat is not as difficult as it 
 seems to lac Tlau'c is very little ne('d of my touching the h'i»ers. 
 as soni'c inmates of the asylum whose hands arc' still in good c()n- 
 dition arc' tiained to bandage the' wounds of tlu' others. The' dan¬ 
 ger of infection also is not nearly as great as most ])c'ople suppose'. 
 Al issionaric's have' woi'ked for years amongst these people' without 
 hc'ing infee-tc'd. A case' that oe-e-ui'red in South .Vfrie-a proves that 
 many [eeople are practie-aMy immune to this disease'. Seeme thirty 
 years ago a young married man prove'd tec be a le])er. The (Jovern- 
 Jiient eerdered him tee be' transpoi'tc'd to the lejeer colony on Robin 
 Island. Ills wife wished to accompany him, hut was denied jee'rmis- 
 sion. W hen finally the young man was ae-tually to he taken away 
 the wife e-iil a deep gash into lic'r arm and I'uhbing the same on one' 
 e)f the' lepi’ceiis ule-e'i's of lu'r husband e'ric'd : “Aeew 1 alsee am a leper; 
 now ye)U cannot prevc'iit me' from going with my husbiind.” lle*r 
 wish was grantc'd. For .se'veral ye'ars she Jiurse'd he'i' husband until 
 he' dic'd, and then she reinaiiu'd in the' asylum tee nurse eetlu'r lej)- 
 e'rs. Xe)t the' h'ast sign eef le'|)re»sy has heewe'Ve'r been discove'i'cd een 
 the weeman. 
 
 On the' otlu'r side, unde'iiiable cases of infection have* been 
 proven. 'Phus, Re*v. rffmann, the founder of the large I’nrulia 
 asylum, was led to devote his life to the le[)ers after his oldest 
 daughter had been inlected. 'Phe story of an English lady who 
 wore a Chinese wig to a mask ball and eighteen months late'r 
 showed delinite symptoms of le})rosy, is well known. 
 
 •Vobody denies that le[)rosy is infectious, but just how the dis- 
 
casi' is carritMl fi'oiii oiu' pei'son to another is not deiinitely known. 
 It is (jnite certain, however, that only [X'rsons speeially snseeptihle, 
 siieh as nndernouihslied or other ])ersons of a weak (a)nstitution will 
 he infected, also tliat the haeillns Jieeds a long tinu‘ for develo])- 
 ineid. d'o w{*ar clothes worn by a leper is nndonbtedly very dan¬ 
 gerous. .\ow no sensible ])erson will do that knowingly. In India. 
 how(!ver, such things may happen, where the lanndry-inen often 
 W(‘ar the (dothing given to them l)efor(' washing it. A case of h'p- 
 rosy (U'veloped in the fandly of a certain missionary. Tpon inv(‘s- 
 tiyaiion il w;is discovered tlnit llu' washerman who handled the 
 
 Dressing the Wounds of a Leper Patient 
 
 laundry of this family was a leper and the probable source of in¬ 
 fection. Indian washermen often w'ash laundry in ponds where 
 lepers are accustomed to bathe. And thus you need not necessarily 
 b(‘ stiperintendent of an asylum to be exposed to leprosy. But as 
 mentioned before, there is fortunately very little danger of infec¬ 
 tion if you observe the ludes of sanitation and have a healthy con¬ 
 stitution. If you wash hands and face with some disinfectant after 
 each visit to the asyinm yon arc' (pdte safe. All money passed thru 
 the asylum is disinfected. 
 
 lloir do lion reco(iNtZ(’ a leper as surit, and Is II east/ to diapnoi^e 
 leprosip is pridnihhj oar next (laeslion. 
 
 .\o. it is not. 'Phere arc* many diseases showing similar sym- 
 toms. 'Phc're are also two kinds of leprosy, the nervous ami tuhc'i-- 
 eidoiis type's. In the' formc'r kind, the* i)eripheral lu'i'ves arc; at- 
 taekc'd first of all. 'Phey heconu' intlamc'd and dc'geiic'ralc'. causing 
 the' (('11s and organs eontrolh'd h\' iIk'iii also to d.'ce'ne'rate'. diu' 
 
skill in spols and patdios cdianges its color. 'I'lu* parts lose all sen¬ 
 sation, the tissues die, ulcers foinn, and jiarts of the body, espi'- 
 cially linger and toe tijis, gradually decay and fall away. 
 
 'I’he tuherculous type of leprosy, however, first attacks the 
 skin and lyniphatic glands. !Many nodules are formed, covering 
 sometimes the wdiole body. They degenerate and form ulcers. Af¬ 
 ter the disease has advanced to some extent it is easily recognized, 
 hut this is ditiicult in the beginning. Light colored s))ots on tlu' 
 body, in which no jiain is felt if ])ricked deeply with a needle, arc 
 fairly definite, tho not conclusive signs of leprosy. 
 
 If lepromj is dkovered in the person, irlial do the other inein- 
 hfis of the faniilij do? 
 
 Those who contract le[)rosy try to hide the fact as long as pos¬ 
 sible and often succeed in doing so for a kmg time. If a wonian 
 becomes a leper she will probably, tho not in all cases, he expelled 
 from the home. If it is a man, he often remains with his family 
 until death. If, however, the man is ])oor, his relatives will prob¬ 
 ably expel him as soon as he cannot work, and thus becomes a burden 
 to the family. Tlinduk, as a rule, do not fear infectioji very much. 
 'Fhey believe in fate, namely, that whatever has been foreordained 
 will happen, no matter what one does, 'riien* are many leprons 
 washermen, candymakers, and merchants who continue unhindered 
 in their business, d’hus while many le])ers are cast out by their 
 families, the number who are ])ermitted to remain in their honu's 
 is (pute large. 
 
 What do the natives do for the onteast lepers? 
 
 \'ery little. A leper begging in a village may receive a penny 
 or a handful of rice from some Hindu who wishes to gain nu'rit. 
 hut no organized etfort is made in his behalf, d'he Hindu religion 
 has created hosi)itals for sick cows and monkeys, hut not for sick 
 men. Hindus Ixvlieve that leprosy is a punishment inllict('(l In- (Jod 
 upon a ])erson for some grave sin committed in a foi-mei- lith. 'I'o 
 help a leper, therefore, is to act counter to the will of (fod. 
 
 Oh what a dreadful religion I Hat has not the tiorernnieni 
 taken steps to provide for the onteast tepers. and for their isolation 
 from the healthp eonnn anitji so as to prevent the farther inerease 
 of the disease? 
 
 The (Jovernment mt'ddles as little as possible with the private 
 alfairs of the nativt's. 'riie people woidd not rec(»gnize the value 
 (d‘ such interference and therehn-e l)itt(‘rly oppo.M* it. In India nearly 
 all matters are connected with caste and religion, and the (!ov(‘rn- 
 ment has |)romised to he strictly neutral in thes(* things. A Le|)er 
 .Vet has been ])assed. which deals howevm-, with such destitute lep¬ 
 ers who in begging for alms exi)ose their woumL. or lepers whose 
 
 s 
 
trade oi' profession iiiakt' them a danger to llie eomniiinity at large. 
 Snell le])ers may he arrested and sent to a (rovernnient asylum. 
 But this aet is in foree in only small sections of India, mainly in 
 the large cities, and even there is not rigoro\isly enforced. Ihmee, 
 very few h'pers are detained under the leper aet. Lejiers do not care 
 to go to a (h)vernment asylum. It is very dittienlt for the (lovern- 
 ment to iind supi'i’inteiidents who are willing to accept such an unde- 
 sirahle position. It therefore jirefers. if jiossible, to erect such 
 asylums in conm'ction with mission asylums, and ]»lace the h‘pers 
 iindei' the charge of missionaries, ddnis a nnmlier of (lovernnient 
 wai’ds have been ad(h‘d to oni- (diandkuri asylum, wlu're destitute 
 
 Leper Women and Temporary Huts of Bamboo and Straw, Built 
 before Permanent Wards Were Erected 
 
 lepers mav he scmt hv the courts and kept at (lovm’mneiit expense, 
 tho uiuler the su|)ervision of the mission. 
 
 At this point our iiitcnx'St ing coin'm'sat ion is interi'uptiMl liy 
 one of the servants, Pdiwa. who entei's the room with th(‘ words; 
 Khdua lajidr liei, meaning, dinnei- is ser\(“d. An interesting pm'son, 
 this Bilwa. In his long white coat and snow white turban he 
 makes a neat ajipearance. tho his coloi’ is dark and feet arc' harc'. He 
 has taken great pains in setting oui' table this morning. The hut- 
 t(*r is ])ressed in s[)eeial forms, the napkins arc- skillfully folded, 
 and the talde is prettily decoratc'd with flowers. Bilwa eerlainly 
 
must be an ideal house servant. 'Phat is one matter in which mis¬ 
 sionaries have the advantage over ns. 
 
 Well, thereby hangs a tale, as Kipling would say. Books could 
 be written on this subject. In many eases it may be (inestioned 
 whether the service rendered by a servajit is worth the trouble he 
 makes. Bilwa, for instance, is not only ade]>t at setting a table, 
 but also skillful at jirocuring things for his own table. He has 
 peculiar ideas concerning ])roperty rights. He reasons, as do many 
 servants: 1 am the pi'o])erty of the Sahib, so if I take the Sahib’s 
 belongings, they are still his. Once when he was dismissed from 
 service because of })uttiug this philosophy into |)ractice, he cauu* 
 to his missionary with an o])en Bible in his hand, pointing to 
 Matthew" 1<S: '<^1 : How often must 1 foi'give my l)rothei‘, etc. Well, 
 very often has Bilwa been forgiven, and he is still in the service. 
 But we want to see and partake of that which he has prepared for us. 
 
 First comes a course of oatmeal. Then Bilwa brings a largt- 
 dish of rice, cooked in Indian fashion, that is, for a short time 
 only, so that each kernel is still separate and glistening whitt-. To 
 this we add curry, wliieh may be made of any vegetable or meat 
 cooked in a well s})iced sauce. Furry and rice is the national dish 
 of India, and is never omitted from the menu. Finally, Bilwa 
 bia’ngs some Indian fruit, when ends our typical Indian meal. Af- 
 t(‘i‘ the meal we are allowed to retire to our rooms to rest until 
 two o’clock. These are the hottest hours of the day, which every¬ 
 body who can manage to do so spends in the shelter of a roof. 
 
 Ill. How the Asylum ’Was Founded 
 
 Being refreshed by our siesta and a cup of tea, we ])roeeed to 
 the other mission bungalow oidy a hundred yards distant to greet 
 Kev. J. ('. Koenig, lie and his family bid us a hearty welcoine. 
 Kev. Koeiii”' is now in cbai'ae of tin* wneral station work, but we 
 soon diseovei' that for seveial years he also luul chargt' of tlu* asy¬ 
 lum. Xo doubt, the asylum must have an interesting history, so 
 we proeved to (|uestion him coneerinng this. Rev. Koenig is fpiiti* 
 ready to give us the desired infoianation. 
 
 d’he asylum was (h'finitely oi'ganized during the famine of 
 1<S!)() to I .Si)!. Foi- some yi'ars pr(‘vious, however, the missionaries 
 had had dealings with le])ers. It was discovered that the mother 
 of one of the Fhristians living at Baitalpnr was a leper. A small 
 hut was built for her in a corner of the mission property. A num¬ 
 ber of outcast le))ers living in the neighborhood also repeatedly 
 came to the missionaries for help. In a village some distance away 
 from Baitalpui- lived three hrothers, all lepers. 'I’he oldest of 
 these, dattan, desired to beeonu' a Christian. The missionarit's 
 
 1(1 
 
tried to plaee an evangelist in that village to instniet dattaii and 
 others hut could not obtain the permission of the village owner. 
 The only other course to hel]) Jattan was to place him in some leper 
 asylum, but none was available. This prol)lem of caring for the 
 lepers who apijealed to the mission was exercising the mind of l»ev. 
 K. Xottrott, when the suggestion to appeal to the newly organ¬ 
 ized Mission to Lepers, with heachpiarters in Ldinbui'gh, was made 
 by Rev. Hahn of the (rossncr .Alission. This suggestion was acUsI 
 
 Rev. J. Koenig and Family 
 
 Upon, and on February 'LMid. LSPl, tin- first grant of was it*- 
 
 cciv(>(l lowai'd the erection of a Icptu' asylum in Puiitalpui'. 
 
 'flu' beginning was a very small one. In tlu> northeast corner 
 of till' mission compound a few temporary huts were built, dattan, 
 his two brotluMs, and three* other l(‘|)t‘rs wei’e tin* first inmates. 
 Soon after this a larger grant was rcc(‘iv(‘d from Ldinburgh, and 
 
tli(' niissioiiarv planned to (M'cet an asylum foi’ al)ont twenty le|»ers. 
 n(‘l'oi'(' tills plan eovdd he executed, liowevei', it heeaine ju'cessary 
 to (Milar^'e it. For 1<S!)7 was the iirst year oF a series of famines, 
 wliieli cost the lives of thousands of peo[)le in India. 'I'lie outcast 
 lepers were the tirst to feel tlie pineli of hunger. When others had 
 little to eat, there was uothing left for them. No sooiu'r, therefore, 
 had tile news of the founding of an asylum in (’hamlkuri heeii 
 S])rea(l in the villages when great numhers of lepers hegan to floi'k 
 then'. 
 
 In Fehruary, the asylum started with eiglit inmates, hy dune 
 the nuinher had increased to forty, and before the close of the yi'ar 
 the number reached one hundred, with about twenty untainti'd or 
 lu'althy ehildivn of le[)er jiari'iits. 
 
 A long roughlv imuh' Imilding of stoiu' with many rooms shel¬ 
 tered the fii'st U'pers. Soon it was filled and ti'inpoT’ary huts, built 
 of clay and hamhoos. hail to he I'n'cted. Idie lepers received the 
 lU'ci'ssarv food and clothing, and in spile of his many labors in¬ 
 creased hy the burdens of a famine year. Ilev. Nottrott found time 
 to ])reach the (iosjiel to them. ITis efforts wc're not in vain. In 
 fact, the letters proved to he esjiecially ]ire])ared for the (ios])el mes¬ 
 sage. In I)('cemh('i', lS!)^,ou the occasion of tlu'visit of ,M r.'riioinas 
 Ihiiley, Secretary of the .Mission to lA'iiers, I’ev. Xottrott had tlu' 
 joy of haptizing the tirst-fruits of the lejier work in (’handkuid. 
 
 Soon after this, l»ev. Xottrott I'xperienced another great joy. 
 The Duchess of (Irafton had lu'ard of the le|)er work in (diandkuii. 
 and made a large contrihution towaials it. It was thus ])ossihle to 
 move the asylum from its (■I'owded site dirc'ctly adjoining a com¬ 
 munity of healthy pi'ople to a more fitting location. When Kev. 
 Xottrott ('iideavori'd to buy a suitable site, howi'Vi'r. he found that 
 the Hindus had made an agi'i'C'inent not to sell him any land for 
 this purpose, d’liey did not want a community of le])ers in their 
 neighborhood. Finally a ])lot of fifteen acres was secured from a 
 native' Christian, dagdeo. I’his site is just opjiosite the road from 
 th(' Christian village of Thiitaliiur, and with adjoining pieces of 
 land acipured later, forms the jiresent comjiound of the asylum. As 
 this land is within tiu' houndaidt's of the village Chamlkuri. the 
 asylum is otiicially known as the Chandkuri Leper .Vsyliim. 
 
 .\s soon as the necessary land was acipni'i'd jx'rmanent huild- 
 i]igs W('re erected, ddiese were built solidly of stone in lime. 'Pwcj 
 wells W('r(' dug, one for tlu' asylum and another in the home for un- 
 laint(‘d childri'ii. Fernianent hidldings could, however, not he pul 
 up ipdckly ('uough and very ofti'ii temporary shelters had to accom¬ 
 modate many of tlu' inmates. l>y .March, IhOo, the numhc'r of in¬ 
 mates had grown to IS.") l('])ers with (iO untainted children, juul hy 
 
•liuiuary, tln' mnuhcr had iiicrrased to d<Sd adidt loja'i's. 
 
 l(‘l)(‘i- cliildron, and (ii untainted children. As great nundjers ol 
 lepers einhraeed ('hristianity, a church soon hecatne a nec(*ssity. 
 Its foundation stone was laid in IhttO, and the plain hut heauti- 
 ful structUK' dedicated to the worship of tlu' dhdune (fod iji Ihfiy. 
 
 When in 1!M)1 I’ev. Xottrott left on a w(‘ll earned and long 
 oveialue furlough to Anuudca, he could look hack upon s[)lendid r(‘- 
 sults of his labors ij) Ihiitalpur. llesides ■ tlu‘ results iu other 
 hranches of mission work a model leper asylum, the second largest 
 in India, had been created, d'he institution had a good numhci' 
 of permanent and some temporary wards for lepers, a good dis¬ 
 pensary, a splendid church, and separate homes for le|)ers and un¬ 
 tainted childnm. The number of inmates exceeded four hundr(‘d. 
 (»f whom the majority had been led to Christ. 
 
 Leper Congregation Leaving the Church 
 
 h’ev. A'ottrott's place was taken by l»ev. H. H. Lohans. Un¬ 
 fortunately he Could remain oidy a year wdien he was ti'ansferred 
 to take charge of tlu' catechist school in Hai])ur. Jlis successoi- was 
 Kev. U. d'illmanns, OOd to lOOti, who left to organize a new sta¬ 
 tion at iMahasarnudra, wheji iMr. W. 11. \\ Anderson took chai'gc' of 
 the asylum. iVIr. Anderson, a successful hnsiness man of Canada, 
 had heard of tlie great w'ork being done among the lejau's of India 
 ajid felt a call from Cod to join this work. lie olfered his sci-- 
 \dces to the Mission to Le])crs, and for six years worked most siu'- 
 cesslhdly at the lu'ad of tlu; asylum i]i (diandkuri. The le])ers had 
 only twm criticisms to olfer concerning Mr. Anderson and his two 
 pn‘decessors, namely that they did not remain as long as the lejan-s 
 
 — 13 
 
(l(>sir('(l, find then, that they were haehelors. Especially the lejjer 
 woiikai missed the Mem Sahih very much, to whom they might liave 
 tmhiirdened their hearts. 
 
 During the term of all thi'ee bachelors building oi)erations 
 were continued. The temporary mud huts were replaced by per¬ 
 manent stone buildings. -IMr. x^nderson built the large hospital in 
 which the advanced cases are nursed. The funds for this building 
 were donated by the same titled lady who made the first large gift 
 to the asylum. Other large donations weie also received by Mr. 
 Anderson. The Evangelical Bethlehem Congregation of ('hicago 
 donated the funds tor one of the women's wards, and some friends 
 
 Mr. W. H. P. Anderson 
 
 made it possil)le to erect a men's ward in memory of Mr. Ander¬ 
 son’s father. xV special gift was also received for a separate home 
 for untainted girls. This home, called the (rertrude Home, by re- 
 (piest of the donor, was built near the road, a short distance in front 
 of the asylum. similar home for untainted hoys was built in 
 1 !) 1 .'). 
 
 Mr. .Vnder.son wa-< also succ(‘ssful in gaining the cooperation of 
 the Indian (Jovernment. In l!)(ll the fii’st (Jovernnumt grant was 
 made to tin* asylum. Irregular grants weie rt'ceived after that un¬ 
 til l!)l).s, when the (Jovc'rnment Ix'gan to grant monthly allowances 
 of fifty cents per adult numiher and twenty-five cents |)er h'per 
 child. 'I'his rate of a-sistance wa^^ iiu-reastal in r.M:’) and again in 
 
 14 — 
 
1920. IMany building grants also were received, the Government 
 paying lialf of the cost of many buildings. 
 
 In 1908 an important addition was made to the Institution 
 when the Government Leper Asylum of Aagpur was'moved to 
 Chamlkuri. d''o the asylum in Nagp^ir had been assigned the des¬ 
 titute lei)ers found in the bazaars of the larger cities of the Central 
 Ih'ovinces. But neither the lepers noi’ the Goveiuiment were satis¬ 
 fied with conditions there. It was impossible to secure the right 
 superintendent. The Government therefore in 1908 requested the 
 mission for permission to add some bulidings to the Chamlkuri 
 asylum and ])lace the (tovernment lepers in charge of the mission¬ 
 ary there. The arrangements were completed, the Government ac- 
 quii'cd the necessary ground, and erected two wards for men and one 
 for women. The Government, of course, paid for the buildings as 
 
 Interior, Men’s Ward 
 
 well as the maintenance of the lepers in these wards. The number 
 of lepers in the Government wards varies from fifteen to forty. 
 They are treated in all respects as the le])ers in the mission wards, 
 with one important exception, namely, that while the latter are at 
 libei’ty to come and go as they please, the former are recpiired to re¬ 
 main in the asylum. 
 
 In 1912 ]\Ir. Anderson was honored by being appointed gen¬ 
 eral secretary of the Mission to Lepers, and as such moved to head¬ 
 quarters in Edinburgh. His place in Chandkuri was taken by Lev. 
 M. P. Davis. 'Unfortunately, Eev. Davis, after a stay of only nine 
 months in Chandkuri was forced to return to America because of 
 his wife’s sickness. Again a bachelor came to the asylum—con- 
 
 15 — 
 
liluu's Mr. Koenig’ witli m smile — lor 1 wns unmarried when I took 
 cltarge of the asylum. Hut 1 fidfilled the earnest desire ot many 
 of th(‘ lei)er w-oineu by pin'seiiting- them witli a iMem Sahih l)eloi'e I 
 l)assed on my woi’k to my sueeessor. ddiis was in danuaiw, IhlK 
 wlieu I w'as asked to take eharge oi‘ the general work ot the station. 
 Since then your host, Mr. Waggoner, is superintendent, as we be¬ 
 lieve. who came to us in a providential way when we were in dire 
 
 Rev. M. P. Davis and Family 
 
 need of workers. During these years tlie asyliim natui'allv eonliu- 
 ued to grow, hut tins you may as well go to see yourself, d'lie worst 
 lu'at ol the day has ])assc‘d. ^Ir. M aggoner, L am suix*. is now readv 
 to lake you oV(>r to the asylum, and I will he glad to go with von. — 
 
 16 — 
 
IV. A General View of the Asylum 
 
 We j)}iss out of the inif^.sion eoiupound into the road, follow 
 this north for some luuulred yards, ])ass the village eluirch, and 
 part of Baital|)ur village, and then turn to the left into a gravel 
 walk. Before ns is a large o])en si)aee, and beyond that the asyhini 
 proper. dV) onr right is the home for untainted hoys, to onr left 
 the tine Gertrude Home for girls, and behind that a number of 
 (panders for asylum eni|doyees. We follow the gravelled walk past 
 the olfice building wheia^ the asylum rec'ords are kept and come to 
 the main entrance of the institution. One of the stone pillars su])- 
 ])orting the gate hears a stone }»late with the inscription : 'The ('lair(‘ 
 Leper Asylum, Founded 189T; whih,' the other (piotes l*salm ITT; 
 The Lord's delight is in them that tear Him and ])nt their trust 
 in I Ms mercy. 
 
 Office 
 
 Before av(‘ enter tlu' asvhim W(‘ ai'c to hecoiiu' ac(piainled with 
 leprosy in all its hideousness. Aear the gat(' we sec (•I'oiich ing on 
 the ground sonu‘ forms that scai’cely seem human. A few dirty 
 rags hi<h‘ their nak(Mlness. Dirty hlood-staiiuMl stidps of cloth arc- 
 wrapped about deformed and ulcerat(‘d hands and feet. A small 
 bundle contaiiiing all their possessions and a slatf on whi(di they 
 hav'‘ supporte(l themselves lies hi'side tluun. Fingxudcss stumps of 
 h;‘ads are str('lch(‘d out towards us Avhile voices hoarse with leprosy 
 (•IT out: Sahib, mahai'aj, daya kar, hammarte hein ; which is, trans¬ 
 lated: Sii', O great king, have numcy on us. We are dying. 'To us 
 the sight is gruesome, tho the missionaries have become accustomed 
 to it. Since the ojiening of the asylum over two thousand leiiers 
 have sat at this ]dace. ATn-y few have asked in vain. Pleadingly 
 we look at IMr. Waggoner to see Avhat Avill he done in this case. But 
 
 — 17 — 
 
there is no need of [)lea(ling. A few (piestions'have conviiua'd tla* 
 missionary of the need of these people; an attendant is directed to 
 take them t(j the office, where tliey will be registered, cleaned and 
 bandaged, })rovided with clean clothes, and then be led to their new 
 home in one of the wards. 
 
 As we enter the asylum we follow a well-laid-out and shaded 
 walk leading directly to the church. 'Fo our left we pass some 
 store rooms and then the neat little school, where the leper children 
 and some adults who have a desire for an education are taught to 
 read, but very few to write, for the simple reason that most of them 
 have no fingers. School is not held at this time of the afternoon, 
 but a glimpse thru the f)pen door reveals the teacher’s desk and 
 chair and a few ma])s and i)icture rolls on the wall, but no seats for 
 
 Twilight Service at Hospital 
 
 the pu])ils. I’hese sit, as is the universal custom in India, on the 
 floor. Behind fhe school is a small compound, containing the Ob¬ 
 servation Ward, where childi'en are kept until it can be decided 
 whether they can bi* placed in a home for healthy childriui or must 
 rejuain witli the lepcu-s. 
 
 \ow we have reached the center of the asylum. Directly in 
 front of us is the fine little church. To the right of it, the still 
 finer hosi)ital. Behind these buildings we catch a glimpse of the 
 store and carpenter shop. On our left is a grouj) of buildings sur- 
 roiinded by a stone wall, the wards for women. To our right is a 
 large, well k{‘pt lawn, and beyond that another group of buildings, 
 the wards for men. All tlu‘ buildings are white-washed and covered 
 with red til(*s. (fravel walks kept scrupulously clean lead from one 
 
 — IS — 
 
to another. Many trees planted along- the walks provide abundani 
 shade. Order and cleaidiness is observed on all sides, and the pic¬ 
 ture ])resented is indeed a pleasant one and a credit to the mission 
 and the missionaries. 
 
 We decide to enter the church first of all. A class of lepers 
 pre])aring for baptism is jnst receiving instruction. As we enter 
 the neat and simple building, the instructor of the class, the asylum 
 evangelist, comes to greet us, and friendly mlaains are heard from 
 the class of al)out sixty leper men and women, seated on matting- 
 spread over the cement floor of the church. As we look about we 
 notice the absence of any luxurious furniture usually associated 
 with a church. Simple chairs and altar and reading desk are found 
 on the i)latform, tw() stone tablets, one inscribed in Hindi with the 
 Ivord’s Prayer, and the (direr with,the. ten commandments, decorate 
 
 Dispensary 
 
 the front wall, and a side niche provides a few benches for the 
 healthy emphryees and their Families, otherwise there is no furni¬ 
 ture. But the spiritual atmosphere prevailing and the religious re¬ 
 sults achieved in this place are a nobler furnishing. 
 
 'Pile class before us are le])ers who have asked to he prepared 
 for baptism. No one coming to the asylum is in any way forced in 
 religious matters, but practically every leper, after a short time in 
 the institution comes forward to be admitted to the church. The 
 love they experience from the hands of ('hristians, after having 
 been disowned by the members of their own religion, leads them to 
 Him who has implanted this love into the hearts of His followers, 
 d'hus there is always a large class under instruction, -wdiich is given 
 by the superintendent with the help of an evangelist. The instruc¬ 
 tion must necessarily be simple, being restricted to the life of 
 
 19 — 
 
Clii’ist, the Lord's Prayer. tlu‘ ten (•oiiiinandnieiits, and a sim[)le 
 (tiitline of l)il)le teaehiny. Sonudiiues even tliis is more than many 
 of the simple folks can i:ras[). Thus it once hap])ened that an old 
 mother of over sixty, who simply conld not memori/ce some of the 
 li'ssons. and therefore had heim put hack repeatedly, linally asktal 
 wliether the matter conld not h(‘ adjusted lyv <>'ivin,y her just a lit¬ 
 tle l)it of haptism, because she conld learn only ])art of the lessons: 
 sIk' declared she wotdd Ix' satisfied with only !i few drops (d‘ water. 
 
 In spit(‘ of such oceiirrences. it is a pleasure to note how well 
 many le[)ers arci accjuainted with the IJihle. .Mr. \\hii>yi()ner impdrcss 
 wlu'ther tve wish to test tlui class Indore ns. and accord!noly we ask 
 him. to have one man relate an incident from the life of (’hrist, 
 another to recite th(‘ Loixl's I’rawn-. and oiu' of tlu' woimm to r('- 
 
 Interior, Women’s Ward 
 
 rile a hymn. 'Fhe promptiu'Ss with whii-h the answers come as¬ 
 sures ns that lessons are well h'arned. altho we understand noth¬ 
 ing of what is said. Wc* ask Mr. \\’ayy()n(.i- wlu'ther th(“ (Jospel 
 teachings prove to Innc an ('tfert upon the lives of tlu' h'pt'rs and 
 are assurcxl that it has. In fart it is t hr |)hasr of work anionust 
 h'pers which hi-inys tiu' most satisfaction. In tem[»oral matt('rs we 
 ran at best briny them sonu' reliid' in tlu' last f(‘W years of life, 
 while th(' spiritual yrowth that is often observed is niarv(‘llous. 
 (tuteast lepei-s ari' often most (piarrelsome and vicious, (‘ven crim¬ 
 inal people, feariny neither (lod nor man, hut most of those in the 
 asylum Ix'eoiiK' kind, lu'lpful and obedient. It is wonderful how 
 lives are ehanyc'd thru the (iospel. how even these lowest outcasts 
 can he raised and sa\X‘(l hv Christ. .\nd if manv Christians in the 
 
asylum lag beliiud tlieir brc'tli('eii in America as I'ar as iiiteliectual 
 nmlei’staiKliug' of ('bristianity is eoneeriUMl,, tluy ofteii excel in a 
 simple strung faith in Jesus, and timst and hope in (lod.” 
 
 Oil Sunday’s tlic chiircli is a crowded ])lace. There is liarely 
 room foi- the wliole congregation, for every one who can manage to 
 be up and about wants to go to cbiircb. Tbo tlu' singing is not very 
 melodious, as most lepers have lioarse voices, it makes up in fervor 
 what it lacks in beauty, /lhajdns, or Obristian songs set to Indian 
 melody, ar(‘ most beloved, tho the lepers would not be (Mubarrassed 
 when called uj)on to sing a Western hymn, such as Jesus, Saviour, 
 Pilot l\Ie. All songs must be memorized, of course, as only two or 
 ibree inmates of tbe institution are able to read. Tb(‘ sermon de- 
 livenal by tbe missionary must lit* simple and adaptcal to tbe knowl- 
 
 I 
 
 1 . 
 
 Church in Asylum 
 
 edge of tlH‘ audience, and abound iii illustrations. 'Flu' close at¬ 
 tention always paid by tbe h'pm-s shows how they comprehend and 
 appreciate tlu* sermon. Xo service is closed without an olfering b(>- 
 ing takmi, for the lepers are taught and arc' glad to give'. It is 
 surprising that they are able to save anything out of tludr meagi'r 
 allowance of only four pecks of i’ic(' and foitv-tive cents a month. 
 ,\everth(‘l(‘ss tlu' oiferings in a year amount to ov('r -tloO and an' 
 sufficient to pay the salary of the asylum evangidist and foi- suh- 
 stantial cont I'ibut ions to the Bible Society and Christian 'Tract So¬ 
 ciety. 
 
 '21 
 
On Sunday afternoons Sunday school is held, which has ai? 
 (‘nrolhnent of over three Imndred. ddio in organization and e(iuij)- 
 ment it lags inueh hehind suc-h institutions in America, the resnlt 
 ac-hieved is often more satisfactory. During the week morning 
 prayers are held early every day, hy which the spiritual life of the 
 inmates is much henefited. It is interesting to know that on om* 
 occasion when the lepers wen' askeil to ((note the Bihle verse he 
 or slu‘ liked Ix'st, the following were amongst t!ie answers; Itejoiee 
 in the Lord always; as one whom his mother comforteth, so will I 
 comfort you ; and, they that sow in tears will reap in joy. 
 
 Krom the church vve move on to the hospital. 'Phis is a large 
 building of ])leasing architectural design. As we pass along the 
 
 'aiiNiaHirtii ; 
 
 feiywroaxtipin 
 
 Altar in Church 
 
 vtuanda we sei‘ thi'u the windows two large high rooms with Ihxirs 
 of c(‘ment. On cots a number of patieids are lying who are hrought 
 here from the wards because the disease has progressed so fai' that 
 they cannot help themselves. The nursing is done voluntarilv bv 
 some of their leper friends. Sonu* small reward as an e.xtra piece 
 of (doth may he given at (’hristmas to those rendering such e.xtra 
 scu'vice. The medical treatment is given by a trained Indian doc¬ 
 tor, employed by the mission. Such doctors are, however, verv 
 .scarce, and it is dillicult to find one willing to treat leper patients. 
 'The superintendent therefore is fre(iuently minus the aid of- a 
 
trained doctor, and then the duty of >;u[)ervisinfi the medical work 
 r(‘sts entirely upon him. 
 
 Most cases brought to the hospital are so far advanced that it 
 is usually only a matter of giving as much relief as possible before'* 
 the ('ltd comes. Mo cure for leprosy lias as yet been found. All 
 that can be done is giving relief and checking somewhat the rajiifl 
 development (d' the disease. The death rate in the asylum there¬ 
 fore is naturally high. The numher that is put to ri'st in the eem- 
 eterv at a small distance behind the asylum exeei'ds se\'ciuy-!Ive 
 per yeai'. How sad v’ould he tiu' work among h'jiers if the eye of 
 faith could not ])iei’c(* the veil, and st'e these mutilated hodii's arise 
 
 Supervising the Dressing of Wounds 
 
 cleansed and clothed in heavenly splendor on the day (d' ressurec- 
 tion. The great majority of those who have passed thru the asylum 
 have left believing fully in a new life to come where “death shall 
 be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain 
 any more.” 
 
 T)ut medical men still hope to lind a cure for le|)rosy. Many 
 experiments arc' lieing made and our asyhtni helps in this work. 
 Hrc'at hope's were' placc'd in Xastine and Antih'prolin, I'c'tuedic'S de- 
 
vised on a sejaim principle, but both proved to be failures in our 
 asyJuni as elsewliere. 'I'lu' l)est i-esidts so far liave been aeliievi'd 
 l)y treatments wilb the old and well known Cliaulnioo^ara oil. 'I’lio 
 no cures have resulted, its regular iisi- combined with nourisliiny' 
 diet and antiseptic care of the wounds, uives miieli r(‘li(d‘ and elu'eks 
 to soni(‘ extent the rapid advaiaa* of h'prosy. d’be lunvest ti'<‘at- 
 ments ar(‘ modifications of this oil. An extraction from Chaulmoo- 
 ,ura calk'd sodium ^'vnocaialite, la'iipu' dissolved and inj(‘eted into the 
 muscles and V(‘ins is'at pix'seiit beine: l(‘st('d at tlu' asylum. 
 
 W’bik' sbowiii”' us thru the hospital Mix Wa^'^oner has bemi 
 yivinii- us tlu'se explanations and we have arrived at tlu' dis])ensary. 
 Mere, back of the hospital, we find a gToup of le])ers and the In¬ 
 dian doctor busy dispensing' niedieitu's to them. One has tonsilitis. 
 another trouble with bis ('ves, and a tbii'd asks for la/ida (/(iii'di. 
 cold mediciiK', as a well known laxative is i)opularly known in In¬ 
 dia. Olf to tlu' side tbrei' leper nu'U sit busily enpi^'t'd in eleaniny' 
 and bandayiny wounds. A small niouutaiu of bandayes lies la'side 
 them, for the number of pati('uts they attend to in a day is yi'cat. 
 In a box m-ai' tbi'in are a numla'r of instruments which they use to 
 amputate' (k'cayc'd finyei's and toes and sometimes whole hands. 
 'I'hrii mueb ('xpm ic'nei' tlu'se' nu'ii ha\ (' be'eome very skill ful in their 
 woi'k. 
 
 W’e pass thru this busy see'iie to anotlier inte'restiny buildiny 
 called the shop oi' store, situate'd Ix'hind the hospital. Ih'n' can 
 be seen buye stocks of rie'c, for each Friday, wlu'ii (‘ve'ry inmate' eef 
 the institutie)!! receives a pe'e-k eef rice, a small ineumtain of yrain is 
 distrileuted. This weekly pc'ck eef rice with twe) sets eef clothiny ami 
 forty-live cents a month is all that the lepers re'erive. It weeuld 
 be impe)ssible feer Europeans tee live eeii such an alleewance, but the* 
 lepers are very e-eeiitent, feer this is more than tlu'v eve*r had befeere'. 
 The forty-five cents a me)nth must suffice fe)r all the pep|)er, salt, 
 lentiles, wood and other extras a leper may want, and still they 
 inanaye to save sonu'thiny for the chui'ch olferiny and for a rainy 
 day. 
 
 V. In the Ward for WOmen 
 
 W’e next wish to see tlu' le])ers in their homes, ajid so pass 
 thru a yate into tiu' eiu'losnix' reservi'd for wonu'ii. 'hhe c('nt('r of 
 this enclosure forms a larye open space laid out in lawns with a 
 number of tiowei' beds. At oiu' ('iid is a hiyh well where healtby 
 nu'n are ('inployi'd to draw water into a tank. Fi'om bere the women 
 an' allowed to help themselvt's, whih' for those who cannot carry 
 their own wal(‘rpots, water is brouyht to the wards. On two sides 
 of the opi'ii space aiv sinyle rows of buildinys, while on the third 
 sid(' there ai'e tbr('(‘ rows. These twenty-four buildinys are similar 
 
 •Jt 
 
ill sliapi', built of stune and covuTod witli |■(‘(! tile. Mauli building; 
 contains tlireo rooms, r^\12, witli a \(‘ran(bi in I'ront and is de¬ 
 signed to aceoniinodate tweh'e patients. 
 
 'I'lie women have lieard that visiiors are eomiipu'. for as we en¬ 
 ter. a (b'leitation of leaders is s(‘en near tlu‘ entranee. d'hey lun'e 
 pul on tiudr \erv l)est sY/r/.s. and liavi' used an extra amount of oil 
 in eoinbiiiit their blaek hair, so that it in tlu‘ sunshine. l*oor 
 
 folks, they know that they are not to touch us. therefore they stand 
 respectfully away from the xvalk. Ibmdaoes. seen here and tlim’e, 
 r(‘mind ns of ulcers that must be siillered. d’ludr I1ny;erless hands 
 and other (h'fonuitic's are hidden as much as possible by tiudr cloth¬ 
 ing. It i^ plainly e\idenl that these are sick people, but as wc 
 
 Mr. Anderson and Assistants 
 
 peer into tladr faces we notice more of content and hajipiness than 
 of sulferiny. Sui'oly a wonderful transformation as com[)ared with 
 those* w<! met at the gate begging for admission! 
 
 'The leader of the delegation is lUiijnu, who greets and wel¬ 
 comes us in the name of her sisters to the asylum. Mr. Waggoner 
 translates her words for us. Bayan also xvislies to know where our 
 home is, what the ohjeet of our visit is, whetlu‘r we have families, 
 and otlu'r things, for the lepers are iiiti'rested in every one that 
 shows an iiitei-est in them. After wr* have satisfied her curiosity 
 as much as wi* see lit, we pass on to the first ward. The inmates 
 
art' lined u]) and waiting to greet us with a friendly salaam. As 
 we chat with these folks we can observe leprosy in all its stages. 
 W'hile many do not seem to suffer much, others can barely stand 
 upright, and we are told of some confined to their rooms. We no¬ 
 tice that two of the women whenever s])oken to, always hide their 
 faces behind their saris. Mr. M'aggoner e.xplains that these are 
 newcomers, and that their action is but the expression of the re¬ 
 serve Indian women naturally feel iji tlie presence of men. 
 
 ddnis we j)ass on to the second ward and then to the third, 
 for we dare skip none, for fear that the inmates will feel slighted. 
 On the veranda of one ward we notice some rags lying about. It is 
 only necessary for Mr. Waggoner to point to them without a word. 
 Immediately one of the women })icks them u|) and takes them away, 
 for cleanliness is one of the lessons taught in the avsylum. As we 
 peer into the rooms we notice that order is observed everywhere. 
 'Phe wooden cots are placed upidgiit in the corner. 'Phe clay fire- 
 plac(!s ai'e kept clean, and every lej)er woman has ac(juired a box 
 in whic'h she kee{)s her clothing and pcissessions. 
 
 .\t anotlu'i' ward \va notice a woman carrying a boy of about 
 thr(‘(‘ years on lu'i' hips. She is ('videidly proud of her son, for he 
 is a healthy looking chap in s|)ite of the fact that his mother, who 
 has nui’sed him to this day, is a leper. 'Pho we examine him closely, 
 not the least sign ol’ li'prosy can be discovered. How fortunate 
 that leprosy is not heri'ditarv. and that childivn seem to be immune 
 to infection until they is'ach the age of four or five. Women often 
 bring, babies with them when they enter the asylum. They are 
 perixiitted to keep their babies until thy reach the age of foui- and 
 then are re(iuested to ])lace them in the observation ward, where 
 the childi-en ai'e kept until they can safely hv put into the home for 
 untaintc'd children, rsually the mothei’s suhmit to the separation, 
 hut cas(>s have occurred where the imPher would rather leave tlu' 
 asylum than give up tlu* child. 
 
 One of tiu' wards which we visit is the (Jovernment ward foi‘ 
 woiiK'H. d'hes(' patients are treated just as the other h'pers, with 
 the exception that tlu'v are not pi'rmitted to leave tlu' asylum. An- 
 otlu'i- ward is of gi'cat inti'rest to us. Here some twelve girls are 
 liiu'd up ranging in age fi-om six to eighteen. How sad is their lot. 
 for tlu'V are all lepers. Som(‘ show as yet only tlu* Pirst signs, oth¬ 
 ers h:iv(‘ already dc'velopt'd ulcers, while a fi*w have lost a finger oi- 
 more. Siki, a bright and dependahle young woman, who herself 
 was raised in this home, is a mother to these girls. For some hours 
 daily they attend tlu* leper school, and the rest of the time are al¬ 
 lowed to play. Siki. Hayan. and the missionary try to help tlu'in 
 forget their sad lot as much as possible. .Vbout six leper boys lead 
 
a similar life in one of tlie rooms of the men’s ward. Some are or¬ 
 phans, others have a father or mother living in the asylnm. Oiu' 
 bo}^ was found, his body covered with le])er ulvers, in a bazaar with 
 nobody to claim him. Kachri, a girl, came as a baby to the asylum. 
 When at the pro])er age, the mother would not consent to placing 
 her in the untainted home, hut rather left the asylum. After a 
 year she returned. Kachri had in the meanwhile develo[)ed lep¬ 
 rosy and had to be ])laced with the leper children. It is not alwa 3 ^'^ 
 easy to help these poor children forget their sad i)light. A small 
 girl whose case was much advanced and who sntfered much pain 
 was so depressed that nothing seemed to make her happy. Kven 
 tlu' stories of Jesus made no im])i‘ession upon her. until one day 
 
 One of the Buildings of Women’s Ward 
 
 the missionaries daughter |)resented her nicest doll to this girl. 
 That broke the ice, and since then this h'per giid has learned to 
 believe in love, and has herself become a lo\(dy character. 
 
 Two looms of a ward are occupied by the leper girls. 'The 
 third room is also of great interest. Altho we see no cots and no 
 fireplaces, there are evidences that the room is much used, d’lu' 
 floor is carefully plastered and on the walls hang a number of col¬ 
 ored Bible pictures. It is a prayer room I'cserved for this pur])ose 
 by special reipiest of the women. tMany a secret jirayer is otl'ere<l 
 here during the day, and this is the place where Bayan on her own 
 iniative takes the movcomers to give them their first instructions 
 in (Christianity. 
 
 We have nearly completed the rounds of the women's wards. 
 Our leader has had much to do, as besides answei'ing all our (pies- 
 
rioiis, Ih‘ also had to listen to man}’ re(]iiests from tlie wojueii. Sev¬ 
 eral times he was asktnl to enter a room for a prayer with some very 
 siek patient. Sev(>ral women have asked for ])ermission to make a 
 short visit with some relatives in their home village. -Vt intervals 
 such ])ernnssion is given, l)eeause it helps to make the inmates more 
 contented. It is wonderful that these lej»ers, altho one(‘ east out of 
 house and home, still retain some love foi‘ their relatives. A nuither 
 may even manage to save a little from her nuaiger allowance for a 
 son or daughter living in the villages. l>ut now we must hurry 
 on 1(» th(‘ men's ward, or we will not have, finished before evening. 
 
 VI. The Wards for Men 
 
 Passing over tlu^ lawn in front of the ehnreh and hosj)ital. we 
 come to the wards foi‘ men. These are not surrounded hy enelos- 
 ur('s, excepting the wire fence that runs around tlu* entire asylum. 
 'rh(‘ wards for men contain six rooms each, and aeeommodat(‘ twim- 
 ty-four patients. The eight wards are built in two I'ows with suf- 
 (ieient space in between to give the i)atients [)lenty of air. 'rite hist 
 two wards were erected by th(‘ (Jovernment. and in them are placed 
 the lejjers sent by the courts. While there are nearly three hundred 
 women, there tire only a hundred and fifty men in the asylum, diU' 
 to the fjiet thiif a woman, jiftt'r heeoming a leper, is more' (juiekly 
 turned out of Itouse and home thiin a m:in. 'I'lie life of a beggar is 
 also more (‘as_v to :i man than it woman, and tluM'rd’ort' the h'per 
 wonum set'k the sludttir of the Jtsyluni sooner than th(‘ num. 
 
 We notice that the men have also hetird of onr eoming, itnd 
 have prejiared a special weleonu* for us. .\s we approiieh their 
 wards, \v(‘ ln‘ar something that resemhles mnsie. .\nxions to hear 
 what this may meiin. we pass t!u‘ first wards to the middle of the 
 eomponnd, and then* see a large group (d‘ men si'atcal in a circle on 
 tlu' grass. In the eenfer of the circle a man with a hirge long tlruni, 
 suspended from his n(‘ek. is seen moving about with :i rhythniie 
 step while hetiting his drum at both ends with his hands. Around 
 tihoiit him a dozen iikm; :tr(‘ moving in different directions, some of 
 them he.iting eynihals. and all of them tdianting a song. .Many of 
 th<- num seated on the grtiss are <tlso singing, while the otluu's art' 
 intently listening fo what is going on. 
 
 Can these men. .st'emingly so joyful, all he under the awfid 
 tlooin of leprosy!" ^’es. they tirt'. d'host* in the center are such 
 with whom the disetise is not jidvaneed, while tin* others sitting 
 about are too wt'ak or otherwise physically unable to take pai't in 
 ihe exercise. 'Tlit' men enjoy such doings vt'iy mueh. Pvt'ry 
 morning after they have performed their daily tasks — for all lejaws 
 who are physically abh* to do so are retpiired to help in ket'ping 
 
tlu! grounds clean and ])erfonning similar easy labor—they will 
 gather in grou})S to amuse themselves. IMusic takes an ynportaut 
 part in their entertainment. Many o! the men have become experts 
 with the drum and cynihles. while some even try to perform on a 
 small Indian violin. The songs they sing are usually hhajans, the 
 Christian songs set to old hidian melodies, so much beloved by 
 Hindus. 
 
 Now the men are performing for our benefit. As we wateli 
 ihem we notice the keen eiijoymejit seen in most face's. We cannot 
 hut thi)d< how much better off these men are in the asylum than if 
 they were still roaming the villages. Suddenly the music comes 
 to a halt, ddie singers bring out a ringing jai j(ti! tVhieli uu'aus 
 
 Leper Women in Asylum 
 
 Hail, Hail 1 And which is taken up ami eoutinued by all the iiu'ui- 
 bers of the group. This is oui’ we'leoiiu' and we are e'xpected to 
 make a little speech, d'his we do, telling tlu'in of oui‘ jov in seeing 
 them so happy and contented. We expi'ess to them the love of 
 their friends beyond the ocean, and point to the fh'ieml abeve. who 
 made a. greater sacrifice for us all than any earthly friend ever 
 can. .Mr. Waggoner inter[)rets (»nr speec-li as well as that of l>aya- 
 dau, who mak(‘s a fitting answer in t)eha]f of the lepet's. 
 
 While we now ])ass around the difl'erenf wards ijispeeting the 
 rooms with their roughly made beds of bamboos and grass ropes, 
 -Mr. Waggoner tells us a story of Dayadan. Ih* was a nu'nd)er (jf 
 the Chamar caste, which is so numero\is in (Mdiattisgarh. and of 
 which w(' have nioi'e representtdives in the asylum than of any 
 
 2 !) 
 
other. This caste is much despised hy other Hindus, as they orig¬ 
 inally had that so inneh despised oecu})ation of skinning dead ani¬ 
 mals. Many ('hainars are thieves and criminals l)y profession. 
 'Pheir lives are very immoral, many i)raetiees connected with tludr 
 religion heing .so vile that they cannot l)e deserihed. Still, many of 
 our best converts come from this low caste. In Dayadan’s youth he 
 heeanie ae(iuainted with a witch doctor from whom he learned the 
 art of maL’ie. Ihiyadan still believes that he onec' [los.^^iissed sujau- 
 natural |)owei-s at that time. Ih* went about fi-om |)laee to place 
 perfoiuiiing luiiaeles, having spi'cial powers to cure snakebite. Foi' 
 a while all W('nl w(‘li and Dayadaii became tpiite w('althy. 'I'heii 
 suddenly misfortune came, h'prosy developed, he spent all hi.'- 
 money in attempting cures, and lu* heeanie a wandering beggar. 
 Dayadan beli(‘ves bis misfoi'tunes were due to the jealousy of the 
 ('vil powers lu' onta* .seived. During his wamhu'ings he heard of our 
 l('|)(‘r asylum where he fimnd a shelter and soon felt thoroly at 
 home. He took great interest in the religious instruction, learned 
 ('.xeeedingly well, and what is moi-e important, contact with Christ 
 changed his (mtire life, and he became a tboro Cbiistian. !1(‘ 
 gained a position of great intiuenec' among bis ft'llow sulTercus in 
 the a.sylum, became their leadci' and spokesman and could always 
 be counted upon to sujiport the .superintendent in all matters. Dav- 
 adan had sjieeial gifts of music; he organized a little liand. and was 
 a leader of all the singing in and out of church. 
 
 Of eonr.se, i\Ir. Waggonei’ continues, not all uum are as reliable 
 as Dayadan, jusl as among the women there ai'e some that causi' 
 the superintendent worries. Some are often given to (|uarrelin'_'’. 
 others are tcunpted t(> steal. It is not always easy to discover tlu* 
 guilty one, but when discovered, discipline is necessary. Dsually 
 a light ])unishment. such as withholding .some rice or money, suf- 
 (iees to settle the matter. Very seldom e\|)ulsion is necessary. 
 Freipiently a leper is carried away by his wandei'lust to leave tlu' 
 asylum. After several months they usually leturn, begging to lx* 
 taken in again. If asked why they left tlu' asylum, they usually 
 answer: Man ndas Ito (/ai/ia. which translat(‘d literally nu'ans: My 
 heart heeanie sad, hut figuratively e.\'))resses that the desire for ihc 
 free life onei' livi'd in roaming about the villages tempted tluaii un¬ 
 til they could not resisc. Hnless the le])er has hd't tlu* asylum too 
 freipiently, he will he readmitted after a small line has been plaei'd 
 upon him. With such characters, much patient woi'k is necessary. 
 Patient treatment, comliined with continued instruction from tin* 
 Word of (Jod usually results in building up Christian charaeti'r. 
 
 While missionary Waggoner has lieen giving us the detaiD. 
 w(“ have reached the last of the men's wards, and arc now ready to 
 
tlu' asyliiiM lo inspet-r the lioiiics lor imtaiiiled childi'eii. W'c 
 lia\(‘ looked n|)oii many lack's. W’e liav(‘ scum ilicre, deep liaees 
 ol pa'^t sulh'riip'H’ and misery. A\ (> liave also nolie(‘d mneli hodilv 
 sufteriiiii- wldeli is beyond human power of relief. Hut as we look 
 deeper we notice that underlyin'^- it all there is ymieral contentment 
 and happinc'^s. .Vn official who once visited the asvliim wi'ote into 
 tlu' visitors' hook that lu' saw more ,i;-ennin(' happiiu'ss Ilian e,'en- 
 m-allv found in India. What a splendid testimony to tiie (diiistian 
 service otfered in tlu' institution! Christ's love, a - e.\|)ressed thi-n 
 th(> s('r\ iees ot 11 is ministei-s, ehanyes the misery of h'prosv to eon- 
 ien inmit in thi' will ol (Jod, and the dc'cpi'st dospaii' into faith 
 and hope of a helter future. 
 
 Untainted Boys of Leper Parents 
 
 VII. The Homes for Untainted Children 
 
 We now leave the asylum hy the same gate used on entering, and 
 pass along- the walk to the right, jiassing a numher of homes, for 
 asylum (‘inployei's. llcnv live the families of tin* eanOaker. evan¬ 
 gelist and doetoi- of the asylum. Wv lak(‘ the oppoitunitv to speak 
 with some of them and jneet the wife of the evangelist, who is em- 
 [iloyed as a Jfihle woman and visits the sick women who cannot at- 
 t(Mid the .services. .Soon we reach the Certi-nde Home foi- (iirls, 
 whic'h consists of a few huildings sni-i-ounded hv a sfom* wall. As 
 wi‘ approach tlu' same, onr nunnories are eari-ied hack to childhood 
 days, for do we not hear the familiar words; “A tasket, a green 
 and yellow basket; 1 .sent a hdter to my loV(', and on the wav I 
 lost it.” As W(' come nearer, however, we recognize that tlu* words 
 ai'e not Mnglish, hut Hindi oiu's n.sed to the well-known tune. As 
 
 — :’.l 
 
wi! pass thru the entrance we see a gi'oiip of girls playing drop tlie 
 liaiulkerchief, just as it is played in America. Yes, they love to 
 play, these dark-eyed daughters of India, in their j)ictures(|ue In¬ 
 dian costumes. Who are these forty girls who have found such a 
 haj)py lionu'? d’hey one and all ai'e children of leper parents. 
 Some have a le])er mother, othei’s a leper father, while both par¬ 
 ents of some are lepers. Here a home has been provided for them 
 wheiv tlu'v an' safe from infection, which they could hardly e.-^cape 
 had tlu'V remained with their parents. 
 
 We watch the lai-ger girls at their play, while some of tiu* 
 smaller ones, harely five years old, look up to us with such ap])ealing 
 eyes that we cannot refrain from picking them uj) and fondling 
 them. 'Then the girls are asked to sing us some song.s, which they 
 are glad to do. Next we inspect the huildings, going thru the lai'ge 
 dormitoiT where neatly folded bedding along the walls shows whei'c 
 the girls sleep on the floor, passing to the kitchen where some of 
 the oldei' girls pre[)are the meals for tlu' whole household, and along 
 ihe w'id(' veranda wheie the girls play during the rainy season. 
 Mach girl has a little hox and we ask one or two of them to show 
 us thei]' treasure's. 'Flu'V reveal to us several sarie.s, or dressc's, a 
 new one for Sunday, and se'veral old ones to he worn while at work, 
 an old well woi'ii doll, h'ft over fj'om last Chi'isfinas, and a nc'ck- 
 
 lac(' of glass heads, the gift of a fond mother. 
 
 'This honu' is the spc'cial sphere of the superintendc'iit's wib', 
 and as Mrs. Waggoner had to leave us .<ome tinu' before to atti'iid 
 lo household duties, Mrs. Koenig, who foi- some time has had charat' 
 of flu' home answers the many (pU'Stions we havi; to ask. Slu' t('lls 
 us how the girls spend their days. 
 
 In tlu' morning the}’ are u]) (piite early hut do not I'at break¬ 
 fast at once like childn'ii in America. YIk'}’ wash and take gi'('at 
 
 pains in oiling their hc'autiful black hair until it is smooth and 
 glossy. 'I’hey also nev('r fail to clean their tecdh, for which they use 
 a new brush every day. Hindus cannot understand how Kuroi>eans 
 can u.se a tooth brush for a long time. The brush used in India is , 
 howi'N'er not as expensive, In'ing made of the ci'ushed end of a twig 
 each morning by tlu' usc'r. After tidying up the honu', tlu' gii'ls 
 huri’V off to school, which Ix'gins at .seven o'clock. 
 
 All the girls attend the mi.ssion village school for girls, d'here 
 ai-(' six clas.ses beside the infant class. 'Fliis is calk'd a vernacular mid¬ 
 dle .school and is the only one of its kind in Drug, a district of 6'^S,- 
 (100 population, d'here an', however, about twenty girls' schools iiji to 
 the fourth class, called primary schools in this district. In the in¬ 
 fant class the girls are taught the letters of the alphabet by means 
 of tamarine seeds. "Flu'y each have a board on which the teacher 
 
 — 32 — 
 
draws two or throe letters which the childivii follow up with seeds, 
 tiuter they can make them by memory. Thus they learn hy and 
 hy to learn and read the letters of the alphabet, tifty-three in nnm- 
 her. One ])eculiar method of teachijig is to have the children leai'ii 
 each letter in connection with some well known thing, for instance, 
 for the letter K, they learn Kapra, which means clothes, and for 0, 
 (lay, which is the Hindi word for cow. 
 
 After learning all the letters thoroly, which generally takes 
 a year, they are promoted to the first class, and school life begins 
 in earnest. All the girls ai'e taught many ])retty songs, both Indian 
 and American, and they learn to sing the Western tunes (piite well. 
 In the higher classes they are brought (piite far. being taught about 
 
 Untainted Girls of Leper Parents 
 
 the same subjects as in the grammar schools at home. For a girl 
 with a sixth class certificate, a place is always open as a teaeluu- in 
 a firiniary school. After passing tlu' sixth class, souu‘ of the 
 hi’ighter girls are sent to normal school, and thus hivome bettor 
 e(pii])ped teachei’s. A great numhm- of the girls of our Home are 
 now employed as teachers, or ai'c* the wivi's of catechists and teaeh- 
 (‘rs. Some are laboring for t!ie Ford as Itihle women. 
 
 'Idle first half hour each day is devoted to religious instruction 
 in each class of the school. 'lAvice a week the girls are taught sew¬ 
 ing and fancy work. They learn the difl'erent kinds of mending, 
 sewing jilain garments by hand, knitting, crocheting, and drawn- 
 thread work, ddie latter they do especially well. At 9:d() A. M. 
 they have recess and go home to eat ha.^i, food left over from tin* 
 evening meal, after which they return to .school until twelve o'clock. 
 
 — ;5:5 — 
 
'riuMi they eat their midday ineal, whieh is eooked hy one of the 
 larger girls. There is always a large ])ot of rice, and either dal, a 
 kind of dried i)ea, or vegetahles. Once a month they liave a meal 
 consisting of rice and meat cnrrv. The food is alvvavs cooked very 
 tasty, hut a trifle too hot for American palates. 
 
 From two to four F. M. the girls study their lessons for tlu' 
 lu'xt day. After this they are free to play, read, or tidy up their 
 home, ddiey take turns at the latter, and also at cooking the food. 
 'I'hey lik(‘ to gather together and sing songs or [)lay games, both 
 Indian and .Vmerican. Behind the doimiitory is a small gardim 
 ill which the girls raise their vegetables. At sundown the ladl is 
 lu'ard for evening services in the mission church across the way, 
 where they attend r('gul;irly every evening. After prayers, they cal 
 th'dr evening meal, and then are soon off to slumherland, dreaming 
 of things to come in the future which woidd he a blighted one hut 
 for the 1()V(“ of (’hristiaii people' across the sea, who have made' pi>s- 
 sihlc the' (ie'itrudc Home feir (Jirls. 
 
 'I’lieise' e've'ning hells just nu'.ntieiiu'd. soon will ring, and we* 
 have' still to visit the' heiys in fheii' heeme. W’e' walk aleing the' roael 
 in eirde'r tei re'ach it. It is enu' of the latest huilelings eif the asylum, 
 completed in Ihl.-). ()ne' e'lid of the' lai'ge enclosure' is fennu'd ley 
 
 the; large' deirmitory. 'I'lic fremt wall of this huihling is built up 
 only thre'e' fe'e't, and a spae-e aheive' left cntii'e'ly eipen to give' the' 
 heiys ple'iity of air ail the year arenind. At enie' e'liel the reienn is I’e'- 
 se'rve'd for the' sie-k, whie-h feei'tunately is seleleim use'el. In one e-or- 
 ner eif the' e-ompeiiinel is feiund the home for the' heiusefather, a peist 
 assigiu'el te) eine eif the' tcae-hei's, in another e-eirnyr is the kile-hen. 
 We are' soein e-emvine-e'd that happiness reigjis in this heime as well 
 as among the girls. Seinu' eef the' large'r heivs are returning from 
 weirk in the garelen, locateel just behind the heime. .\nother gre)up 
 e)f heys is playijig loeithall eiutsiele wjth the village heiys, while' the' 
 snndler one's are' amusing themselves in their eiwn ways. 
 
 'The elaily reiutine' lor the heiys is very similar tei that eef thei 
 girls' home. 'riu'V attenel the vernacnlar mielelle se-heie)! eif the vil¬ 
 lage'. 'I'lieise who pass with credit are helpeel fee enter the mission 
 theole)gical scheieil or the (le)vernemnt neirmal sclioe)! in Baij)ur. 
 Seenu' of the' he'st evangelists anel teae-lu'rs in the missieen are' the' 
 rese-ueel seins eif le'pers. Xe)f all the beys, howeve'r, are' fit feir or 
 have a elesiiv feir sue-h a peesitieen. Some hee-eime farnu'rs, eer car- 
 pe'iiters, e>r aeleept some either [ireifession. Semu' eif the masems and 
 e-arpenteis at weirk at the' huihling eiperatiems cemstantly going em 
 in the asylum eir in the missiem aiv former heys of this hemie. Af- 
 te'i- tlu'v have' jiasseel thru the schoeil or have taken u[) a preifessiem. 
 the yening nu'n usually marry girls from the (u'rtrude Home. Many 
 
 — :U — 
 
rliristiciii lionies have thus been founded, and there is no case on 
 rectord in wliich the ehildj'eii of such marriages have developed lej)- 
 rosy. What would have been the lot of these young people, had 
 they remained with their leper parents and not come under Chris¬ 
 tian care! Are not these Christian homes a t(‘stiiuony to the sa\- 
 iiig power of Christ? 
 
 But there go the church hells, and the hoys arc' already form¬ 
 ing in line to walk over to the village church. We follow after 
 them and soon see the girls approaching from the opposite direc¬ 
 tion. The ijiterior of the village church is just as plain as that iii 
 the asylum, wdth the exception that benches are provided for the 
 congregation. Besides the untaintc'd hoys and girls, some of the 
 mission emphjyc'es with their fainilic's and a iiuiuIk'I' of Christians 
 from the village come to the evening ser\ice. After a song, the 
 missionary rc'ads the scripture les.'^oii, gives a short c'xptanation of 
 the same, and then offers prayei'. 'As the service is conducted in 
 Hindi, we iindc'rstand nothing of it, but the close attention given 
 by everyone and the atmosphere' of reverence prevailing leads us 
 naturally to worshi[) with our Indian brethren. At the close of tlu' 
 service we rc'cognize the doxology and join in singing a heartfelt: 
 Brai.se (iod from whom all blessings How, Praise Mini all peoples 
 here below', Praise Him above ye heavenly host, Prai.se Father, 
 Son and Holy Chost. 
 
 Conclusion 
 
 .Vs we ])ass out of church, the Indian twilight has given way 
 to darkness, and every one seeks his home. We also follow our host 
 to his home and partake of a simple evening repast. As it is too 
 hot in the house, we spend the rest of the evening sitting out in 
 front of the bungalow in easy wicker chairs, conversing with tlu' 
 missionary folks. The many impressions received this day, how- 
 t'ver, have made us very tired, so that we are soon ready to retire'. 
 Our host shows us where we are to re.st, and here* w,e are due to 
 (‘iid the day with another unusual experience. Oui- l)eds have been 
 prepared for us out in the open air oh one side of the bungalow. As 
 we remember tlu* stiHingheat we learn to be vei'V thaid<ful for this 
 Indian custom. 
 
 As we lie gazing up into the clear starlit sky over us, our mind 
 reviews the many experiences of the day. We have seen the honu' 
 III which misery is changed int(» content, where little children an- 
 saved from a horrible future, where the poorest despised outcast 
 is led to Him who gives peace to the soul and hope for the future. 
 How much good has been done in that institution just across tie' 
 road from where we are .sleeping! 
 
It is exactly twenty-live years since the asylum has been 
 founded. During these years more than 3,500 lepers have found a 
 haven of refuge there. How much suffering has been relieved, how 
 many tearful faces have been changed to happy ones! Most of 
 those unfortunate ones have passed away and now lie abreast in tiu' 
 cemetery beyond the asylum, waiting for the glorious day of resur¬ 
 rection. Their bodily disease could not be cured, but most of them 
 have come to know Him who cleanseth the soul from the leprosy of 
 sin. Statistics show that over 1,500 lepers have accepted (Mirist 
 and were baptized in Chandkuri. Over 300 children were rescued 
 from the worst of bodily diseases, and given an opportunity to be¬ 
 come useful Christian characters. 
 
 What better investment could be made than heli)ing the work 
 of such an asylum? Where would money bring greater returns in 
 contentment, joy and happiness, more spiritual returns of faitli. 
 love and hope? Only live hundred dollars are necessary to l)uihi 
 a honu> for twelve leper women, and one thousand dollars will erect 
 a slu'lter where twenty-four leper men can find a refuge. Should 
 not thousands of (liristians be found ready to give, out of thank¬ 
 fulness for being spared a similar sad lot, twenty-five dollars |,)ei' 
 year to support one of the lepers or one of the untainted hoys or 
 girls ? 
 
 As we close oui’ eyes to rest, we determine henceforth to do all 
 we can to help this noble work and to win for it many friends, so 
 that with its mission of loving service it rnay always reach greater 
 nundjers of these })oorest of the poor. We close the day with 
 prayer: “Lord, strengthen th}^ ministers engaged in this noble ser¬ 
 vice. 0 Christ, 'I’hou who. hast died for every sinner, permit Thy¬ 
 self to be found by these unfortunate ones who have experienced S(> 
 iiiiich misery. 0 Father above, awaken in the hearts of Thy chil- 
 ilren all over the world a true brotherly love, that may reach out to 
 succor many more of these their brethren, living in greatest misery 
 across the ocean.” .And as we breathe this pra 3 'er, a voice seems to 
 amswer withTii us: Inasimich as ije have done if unlo one of the 
 leasf of these .1/// hreihreti, ije have done if unlo Me. 
 
 :Ui 
 
* 
 
 > 
 
 V, 
 
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