/ 
 
 flftattie M. gurgesg. 
 
 [From Missionary Tidings, May, 1899.1 
 
 “I was born in Buchanan county, Mo., Feb¬ 
 ruary 6, 1862. I received my education in the 
 public schools of St. Joseph, Mo., and spent all 
 my life, up to my coming to India, in St. Joseph 
 and near there on a farm. My childhood and 
 young womanhood were quite uneventful. I 
 was baptized when I was somewhat more than 
 thirteen years old. As a child 1 was seriously 
 inclined and had my first really deep religious 
 experience when I was eleven years old. I 
 used to think a great deal about engaging in 
 philanthroijic work, used to have my schemes 
 about Christian socialism, but not by that 
 name, long before I thought of becoming a 
 missionary. I must have been twenty-three 
 years old when the though t of becoming a mis¬ 
 sionary first came into my mind. A letter 
 from Mrs. Garst, of Japan, was a decided step 
 forward for me in the development of this 
 thought. But most is due to the Christian 
 Evangelist. At that time we were living on the 
 farm. Attendance at church was very irregu¬ 
 lar, but I had the Book of books and the Evan¬ 
 gelist. In 1888 we moved into the city. I at 
 once became identified with the C. W. B. M. 
 and began to read all the missionary literature 
 which I could find. The desire ‘to go’ grew, 
 
but I found few sympathizers. After Miss Sue 
 Robinson’s death I felt that I could stay at 
 home no longer. While I had said a great deal 
 about becoming a missionary, my parents had 
 not allowed themselves to think such a thing 
 possible. In 1892 I told them of my desire 
 and, upon the advice of a dear friend, gave 
 them a year in which to become reconciled to 
 the thought. That year I attended our Na¬ 
 tional Convention at Nashville. There I met 
 many of our State and National workers. When 
 I returned home I sent my application to the 
 C. W. B. M. and was accepted. August 8, 1893, 
 I left St. Joseph, Mo., and September 9 sailed 
 from New York. We landed in Bombay Novem¬ 
 ber 24,1893. In February, 1894, we went to Bina. 
 I lived there two years and three months. Then 
 I was asked to go to Bilaspur and take charge 
 of the Orphanage during Miss Kingsbury’s ab¬ 
 sence. I had this work for one year and eight 
 months. Since then I have been engaged in 
 school work. This work is Mrs. Lohr’s and I 
 only have charge of it during her absence. 
 Substitute work is hard work. It keeps one 
 from becoming ‘ puffed up.’ But I rejoice that 
 I have been able to do this most necessary 
 work and thus relieve my fellow-workers, who 
 have so well earned a rest. And now I must 
 close this plain and uneventful story. I have 
 been very happy in India. God has been very 
 merciful to me. I often think of the verse, 
 ‘ What shall I render unto the Lord for all His 
 benefits toward me?’ ”—From a letter written 
 to Mrs. L. G. Bantz, St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 Published by the Christian Woman’s Board of Mis¬ 
 sions, 152 E. Market St., Indianapolis, Ind., March, 1900. 
 One cent each ; five cents per dozen.