' RANGOON DIOCESAN

ASSOCIATION.

PRO DEO ET ECCLESIA.

QUARTERLY PAPER.

No. 2.

MAY, 1897.

;Jonb.on:

HARRISON AND SONS, PRI~TERS IN ORDINARY TO HER MAJESTY,

ST. M.A.RTIN!S LANE, LONDON.

t

SEE OF RANGOON.

LIST OF CLERGY AND ENGLISH MISSIONARIES.

Bishop:

TnE RrGRT REVEREND JoHN MrLLER STR.A.CHAN, D.D., M.D.

S.P.G. Burmese :Mission.

REv. F . C. P.C. CLARK E, Moulmein. REV. E. H. DAY, 8hwebo. REV. J. HacKNEY (on furlough). REv. B. MAHON, S. J obn's College, Rangoon. REv. J. H. M. NoDDER, Shwebo. REV. '1'. RrCKARD, K emendine, Rango0n. REv. J . SHWAY HLINE, Kem endine, Rangoon. REV. H. M. STOCKINGS (on furlough). REV. L. L. SuLLIY AN, M.A., Mand~;tlay.

REV. G. WHITEHEAD, B.A. (on furlongh). MR. J . T. BEsT, B.A., S. John's College, Rangoon. MR. G. W. HERNE, All Saints' School, Shwebo. MR. T. F. J ONES, Toungoo. MR. C. R. TonKINGTON, Thayet Myo. MR. MACK, B.A., Toungoo. MR. W. B. RuTLEDGE, S. John's College, Rangoon.

S.P. G. Km·en Missiun.

REv . .AQu AAH, Toungoo. REY. P . R. L. Fr.sHER, Toungoo. REv. H. KENNEY, Toungoo. REV. MARTWAY, 'l'habarper. REV. J. MAu S.A.u PAu, Kasahder. REV. T. PELLAKO, Tbel<'pwah. REv . .A. SALMON, 'foungoo.

.... lll

REV. SHWAY Nro, 'Ioungoo. REv. 'l'ARRUAH, W athoco. REv. TErt DER, 'foungoo.

S.P. G. Tamil J.lfiss?'on.

REv. T. ELLIS, ~.A., S. Gabriel's, Hungoon. REV. S. ISAIAH, S. Gabriel's, Rangoon.

A clditional Cle1·gy Soc1'et!J (Burma.).

REV. W. B. CALDECOTT, Insein. REv. J. E. MARKS, D.D. (Hunorary, S.P.G.), Moulmeir:. REV. A. S. PENDLETOX, S. Philip's, Rangoon. REv. G. S. SEELEY, Bassein. REV. J. A. SMITH, M.A., Mandalay Town. REV. A. vV. TAYLOR, M.A., Akyab.

Go~·ernment ClzaplaiM.

BBv. H. ·w. BLANDFORD, B.A..., Shwebo REv. W. G. BuRRC1UGHs, B.A., Port Blair. VEN. ARCHDEACON C. H. CHARD, Rangoon Cathedral. REV. ,J. H. CoLLINS (on privilege leave). REv. C. P. ConY, M.A..., Thayet Myo. REv. H. G. B. CowLEY, Rangoon Cantonments. REV. J. P. DYER, M.A..., Shwebo. REv. A. H. FINN, Mandalay Cantonments. REv. J. Low, M.A. (on furlough). REV. J. H. PARRY, B.A., Meiktila. REY. C. H. RICHARDS, M.A., Dagshai.

Tlte Bishop's Commissaries in Eugland.

Rt!!V. CANON BAILEY, D.D., Canterbury. REv. G. CECIL WHITE, M • .A.., Nursling Rectory,

Southampton.

1v

vVORKERS IN BURMA-(continuect).

Connected zcith tlte Wo:nen's Missionar!t Association,

S.P.G.

Rangoon-l\frss WrrARTON.

Mrss CouRTENAY.

Mrss SAVAGE.

Mrss SEYMou 11.

Mrss DARLIXGl'ON, n.A. MRs. NoRMAN.

Five Native Teachers.

Thayet 1\fyo-Mrss SMITH.

One Eurasian Teacher.

1\tloulmein-Mrss LYSTER.

Mns. Swor.

'1\vo Native Teachers.

Touncioo-Mns. KENNEY ( Honorw·y). MRS. SALMO:" (Honorary).

Two Nutire Teachers.

Shwebo-MISS EDWARDS.

Two Native Teachers.

RANGOON DlOCESAN ASSOCIATION.

:ID res iutnt. The RIGHT REVEREND THE LonD Brsnor OF RANGOON.

~J'ict-~rtsi:l}mts:

The RIGHT REV. THE LouD BrsnoP OF NEWCASTLE. * i'he REv. CAKO;i B.uLE·Y, Cant erbury (Commissary). The REV. M. LA MEnT, Vicae of Roth crsthorpe, Northampton

(formedy Senior Olmplain, Bengnl). *The REV. G. 0ECIL vVnlTE, Nursling R ectory, Southamp·

ton (Commissa t·y).

(i;;ommitt.c.c: Sm AI,EXANDER .J. AnnuTHNOT, N ewf·on House; N ewberry. R11v. F. BoAG, St. Alba n's Vicarage, N ottingham.

*H. F. CLARKE, E sQ., Secretarv fol' Roches ter Diocese. *REv. G. H. CoJ;BECK, fot·medy of 1\fa ndalay. *REV. P. H. CooKE, Sec t·etat·y for London Dio()e se.

'L'he VERY REv. THE DEA.N OF EXE TER. *Mrss HoDGKINSON, Car Colst.on, Bingham. *Mrss G. F. MmTIN,, Vp to n Grq H :mse, Winehfle1d. *R.EV. A. H. SE RRE 3, Adcliscombe.

REI' . CANON SKELTO;i, Hwkling R e:)tory, 1\Ielton M owb ray (formerly Princip1.l of B ish')p's College, CalcLltta ).

JoHN SrEEDMA.N, EsQ., J.\lla.;ter3 R Jad, Nottingham. REV. J. STEPHENSON, B_oston Vicarage (f-mnel'ly Senior

Chaplain, Bengal). ~REV'. w. G. MINNS.

Qg.entral ~.w:.ctnru.

*-CoLONEL Ii. R. Sr:EmMAN, 8, Grange Ra1d, Ealing, W.

* These form the Executive 0-:.mmittee.

~ a:nkcts: tto-ru1s BANrt:, LIM:TTED, Herries' Ftu·quhar Brauch,

16, St. James's Street, S.W.

.~Ho.czsan unD ;J.ocnl ~r.crelnri.cs.

Diocese of Bath and Wells-REv . .A. N. HAYNES, 3, Taunton Road, Bridge water.

Dioceses of Linculn and Southwell-MJss IIoDGKINSON, Car Colston, Bingham, Notts.

Diocese of London-REv. P. H. COOKE, 118, Forest Road, Dalston, N.E.

Diocese of Rochcster-II. F. CLARKE, Esq., 9, vVroughton Road, Balham, S.W.

DioCI'se of Winchester-REY. G. CECIL ~V"nrTE, Nursling Rectory, Southampton.

Ladies' A.ssociation-Mrss G. F. MARTIN, Upton Grey Holl8e, Winchfielcl; l\f1ss SHUTTLEWORTH, Collyers, Petersfield.

DiocesA of Worcester-REV. R. C. BATEs, S. Jleter's, Worcester.

Vll

LADIES' \~TORKING. ASSOCIATION.

1\fembers make articles £or sale in England for the benefit of the Ran~roon Diocese. "Clothes for poor people find the readiest sale; underclot.l1ing is ah,ays asked fur."

For sale in Burma, c·lothes for t11e Europeans are the brst. We hope to announce from time to time the parking of a box for Burma.

Secretary-MIR5 G. F. MARTn;r, Upton Grey House, Winchfield.

SCHOOL CHILDREN'S FUND.

For t.he support of orphan and other children in the S.P.G. Scl:wols.

Amount required :-£3 a year for a Karen cl1ild at Tonngoo; £5 for a Burmese child at Moulmein or Mandalay; £6 for a Burmese child at Rangoon.

Note.-It is not nef'e!'sary for a School wishing to maintain a child to pledge itself to raise the full amount in the first year or in llny year-only to do as much as it eau.

Miss LANGTON, All Saints' Vicarage, Haggerston, Londo11, N .E., will be pleased to furnish in for­ruat.ion.

NEvVSPAPERS FOR THE MISSIONARIES.

Friends willing to send weekly, monthly, or quarter1y papers and magazines to any of the :Missionaries should communicate with--

Mrss N. LANGTON, All SaiHts' Vicarage, Ilagger­ston, London, N.E., who . keeps lists of papers sent, ano papers desireo.

COLLECTING BOXES can be obtai11ed from tlze Geneml, the Diocesan, ancl the Local Sec1·etcwies.

THE .~ CHURCH AGENCY, Ld., 6, Southampton Street, Strand, W.C . ... .. . .. (General Manager, ILERBERT LAURENCE, Esq.)

Music Department-The Agency un Advertisements inserted in all papers; replies received (free) and forwardeu.

Architectural Designs--The Agenr.y undertakes the preparation of designs and vlans for Churches, Mission Buildings, Parish Halls, etc. ; to obtain tenders, ~tnd to superintend their erection:

· liet tal; es the se led ion,. purt:hase,. an :.I ' erccrion of Organ~. Harmoniums, "Piano­fortes, and other instruments: and thE' a rran gement a~d Felection of all kinds of Music for Choirs, Ort:hestras, and Choral Societies.

Books supplied ; full discount allowed. Second-hand Books searched for.

Cassocks and Sluplices for c :erg-y and Choirs. CassL·ck, Surplice, and Col­lege Cap for Boys, 10$ 6d .

Church Furniture, and ere1·y requi sit e for Church. HlJm e. or Personal use; selected, packed, or for11 ard1·d.

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Commissions of every kind excctaeu promptly and economically.

Educational Appliances of every kinu.

"CHacier" Windows fnr Church or Home designeu and executed.

Insurance (Arcident, Burglary. Fire, Life, Murine) effet:ted with leading Oflices.

Legal Advice and Assistance obtained in Ecclesiast.ical and other causes.

Papers and Periodicals forwarded promptly.

Passages booked free of charge. llli~Fion Cleqry, NurseF, etc., at special rates. Passenger Agents to S. P.G., &c.

Photographs of all the Bishops at ho,me liml al.Jroad, and leading Clergy, supplie!.l.

Prie-Dieu for Oratory, &c., Is. 6tl.

Printing and Fublishing attendeu to promptly.

' Reading Ca.ses tur.Dioce£an. Parish, and other Magazines.

Removals arranged and superintended. Shipping in a.U its branches. Goods

nceived and forwarued.

Funds and Parcels received and forwarded to all Parts .

. ~lublit«fions. Tlte "Ideal" Memento of t!te late Archbishop Benson.

3d. , ls ., 2s., 2s. 6d ., 10s. , 2l s., 3 Gs. •

Ou1· Motlu:r C!turclt of E ngland. A Service of Song for Church History and Defence. Words anu )lusic, Is.

Tlte Cornplete L1'st of B 1'slwps of the Angl-ican Church, With dates of Consecration and Foundation of Sees. Price Id.

Plwto of the Bishops at Lambeth Conference, 1888. With Key. Price I_s .

The Cltildren's Altar Book. In simple language (or Children's use at the Choral Celebration.

Paper covers, 2d. [for Parochi.~tl use, 7 .~ . 6d . lOO]; limp cloth, 3cl.; boards, 6£1.

P1·ospectus and Fo1·m oj Applicat-ion .for Mem be1·sh-ip 11u•y be obtained oj the Manage1·; as well as the Speciul 1'eJ ·ms to MeliLb~ ;·s .

Telegraphic Address: '' CHvn.cuwAY, LoNuo~."

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SOME RECENT MEETINGS FOR BURMA.

Mr. H. F. Clarke, our Diocesan Secretary for Rochester, sends the· following report ;-

"Feb. lst.-S. Mary's, Battersea. This Meeting was well attended, and most encouragino·. The·

S.P.G. Parochial Society in this parish has decided to ~upportl Mr. Salmon's work amongst the Karens at Toungoo, and a Ladies Working Party has ~een formed ":"itl_1 the same object.

March 16th.-Chnst Church Misswn, College Park, Kensal Rise. This Meeting was well attended. Mr. Fisher, who is workino·

with Mr. Salmon at Tonngoo? is known. here, and '':as formerly ~ worshipper at the Church. His brother IS a worker m the parish . an<f was interested in seeing his brother'~ portrait amongst a grou 1~ of the Mission staff shown on one of the slides. They hope to arrano·e to support a Karen child.

5

March lRth.-Sir \V' alter S. John's Middle Class Boys' School, Battersea.

By invitation from Mr. Taylor, head master, I gave a lecture to the senior scholars in this school. It was interesting to learn that one of the masters in the Moulmein School had formerly been on the staff here. A collection was made and handed to the Secretary of S. Maris Parochial Society on behalf of the Karen Missio11 ,

Toungoo. April lst.-Christ Church, }...,orest Hill.

This Meeting was fairly attended. The lecture was much appre- ­ciated, and a desire expressed that 1 should pay another visit later.

April 8th.-S. Anne's, Wandsworth. This was the concluding lecture of a series held on Thursdays i!l:

Lent on behalf of the S.P.G., and was fairly attended. I have met with much encouragement at all these meetings and1

trust that an increased interest in the work in Burma will be the result.''

The Rev. P. H. Cooke, Secretary for London Diocese, spoke on· Burma at the quarterly meeting of the S. Mary's, Battersea Paro-­chial Association to a most appreciative audience. This parish is just forming a branch of the Children of the Church, the. Ju.venile · Union in connection with S.P.G., and the branch will probably adopt a Karen child.

Mr. Cooke also gave lantern lectures at meetings f01~ children and adults, arranged on Monday, May lOth, at S. Jolm's, Limehouse where it is hoped to start some work for Burma. '

The Secretaries for Rochester and London will gladly give addresses, on the work in Burma, with or without lantern. Mr .. Cooke, however,, cannot arrange for Tuesday or Wednesday eYenings.

TOUNGOO-WORK IN THE NOHTHERN DISTRICT, l 896-9i.

N).TliRE or vVoRK.

The work of a .:\fissionary to the Karens in the Toungoo Distri ct 1s entirely rural. 'V ith the exception of a settlement on the opposite s ide of the river to Toungoo town, and a few scattered hamlets in the plaint:i, the work in both 11orth and south districts is entirely on the mountains. The size of the village:S va.ries front 8 or 9 to 2;j houses. 'The latter we consider a fairly large village. In some of the villages the houf:les occupied by each family a re detached from the rest, bnt in most they are all under one roof, each family having a room or suite ·of room£ which are a.nything but priva.te. In the midst of the~e 1ong b:uTack-like buildings there is a common haJl called the" Blaw," in which the young unmarried men ;sleep, and t he elders consult about village matters.

:MoDE oF TRAVELLI::s-G.

The Missionary must either ride a. pony m· walk from vill<-tge to village. Once in the mountai1~s , walking is very ple<tsant unless there is some exceptionally steep climbing to be done. If the Missionary can manage it, he will always have a pony at hand, in case of e~haus­tion from walking. For food, &c., he depends upon the kind11ess of the people he visits, who, if Christiaris, willingly supply him with rice, eggs, fowl s, and yams. But ut;ually it is necessary to take a few cooking nte11 sils ; some tius of compressed meat:S, soups, &c., bread, .tea, coffee, and so on, to make life bearable. It is also ·wise to take a. Jew blankets and rngs, as it is sometimes very cold at night on the mountains, ancl the Missionary cannot stick his feet into the warm oashes on the hearth of earth as the Karens do. Besides these, and a few other things for personal use, we here in Toungoo invariably take a medicine cbest or two, a magic la.ntem , slides, and sheet, and a few books. If only one is tra.velling five calTiers are usnally enough, but i f there arc two of us seven or eight carriers are necessary. Fre­quently in traveliing to visit our Christian people we can do without paid carriers, as the villa.ge children g!adly carry our impedimenta. from village to villa.ge. In this case we generally like to reward them with a Karen Hynm Book or Prayer Book, but this is not by stipulation.

A MrssiO.NA RY's DAY.

The Missionary usually arrives a t th e village in the afternoon. He "is travel-stained, tired, and hungry. But he has to shake ha.nds with the entire population, from the oldest t o the youngest. Some of the hands thrust ont, or ilil the case of babies pullEd out by their parents -or guardians, are anything but clean, hut, nolens volens, it has to be gone throngh. Then, if possible, a short rest ami a bath take up the

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time wltile a meal i::; Leing prepared. Our cook is one of the S<;hool boys, who can just manage to prepare a curry and cook some rice . .

It is next to useless taking an Inoian servant, as he is almost sure to get jungle fever, and be a hindrcwce instead of a help. If one wants anything specially nice, it is Lest to be able to do it one's self. By the ~ime the meal is over the Missionary is ready to receive visitors, or to pay a visit to some of the bou i:'es. Th e Catechist, or, if Lhere is one, the Native Pa~ tor, is called in, and the roll of Com­municants gone through, with a view of ascertaining if any are inegular or need any special exhortation. By this time the sun is going down, and preparations must be made for the Evening Service

· and Lantern Lecture. The lantern must be cleaned and trimmed by the Missionary himself, if it is to be done properly and without breakages. Then comes Evensong. Everybody tri es to come to Ghnr:ch on this occasion, even those who are not very regular at other times. The Service is usually nice and bright, in spite of the efforts 11 f t he babies to join in, for the K arens are very good singers, and heartily join in responses, canticles, and hymns. In the course of his to ur the Missionary in the Northern Toungoo District, at any mte, bs to do with people speaking various dialects, and as he is only but partially acquainted with more than one-the Sgau-his address frequently has to be interpret ed, either sentence by sentence, or as a \\"h ole by the Native Pastor afterwards. This makes the senno11 ra Lher louger tl1<:Ul usual. Sometimes a preparation Service for Holy Communion follows, but in any case the elders do not disperse at once, but stop to ask a few questions, either about the sermon, or uews from afar~ wars and rumours of wa17 o1· some difticulty they have had with their ueighbours, o1· some knotty religious question or controversy.

Later in the evening the lantern is shown. It takes a very short time to arnwp;e for a bamboo frame for the sheet, and a bamboo stand for the lantern. The subjects with ns are the Nativity; the P assion; the Life of our Lord-and a few pictures of S. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge, the late Archbishop; the Queen, &c.

The range of subjects could be extended indefinitely of course, if we had the slides. No more effectual way of propagating the Gospel among such people as the Karens can be imagined than by means of these lautern exhibitions. The writer would be glad of some Church History aud Old Testament sets (coloured if possihle ), and anyone lmving the means and the will to help forward the work in this way, eo uld not assist better than by sending us a good supply of slides, or the money wherewith to buy them.

The lantern exhibition over, the Missionary is very tired and would be glad to retire to bed, but frequently some more than usually curious body will come in and want to talk. Often it is midnight before he can get to bed. Next morning the day beg ins with a celebration of Holy Communion. Those who absent themselves are

noted and called upon after·wards to explain. Sometimes a frivilons reason is given, sometimes a more serious one requiring a lengthened enquiry. If possible the obstacle is removed, and if the number is large enough, another quiet Celebration will be held. The Celebration over, we frequently find some excitement going on amongst the men. " What is it ·~" "Oh ! the Missionary comes but now and again, and it gives us an opportunity to have a village feast, so we are collecting to purchase a pig for that purpose ! " Presently a long-drawn squeal is heard and we know they have been successful. The Missionary however contents himself with a modest chicken, as he prefers as a rule not to eat Karen pork. Meanwhile the village school children have been c0llected, and in fear and trembling they go through the ordeal of an examination in religious instruction, most of the parents coming to listen. Several will acquit themselves very well in the Church Catechism, others, the smaller ones, will know the Lord's Prayer, Creed and Ten Commandments, and the simple Catechism we have published as an Introduction to the Church Catechism. If the school is a fairly large one, and has three Standards, the elder ones will have leamed the Catechism with Scripture proofs. Prizes in the shape of K aren Bibles, Prayer Books, and Hymn Books are awarded to the best scholars.

Now comes one of th~ Missionary's most important duties, that of administering medical aid to the sick and ailing. F ar away from all medical help, and knowing next to nothing of the remedies nature ha~ provided for them in the surrounding jungles, these poor people suffer t erribly from all sorts of diseases. Many undoubtedly die for want of p1·oper attention and medicine during illness. In the absence of qualified medical help it would be nearly criminal if the Missionary did not utilize to the utmost the medical knowledge and skill he possesses to relieve these sad cases. He has probably had some trailJ­ing in medicine in England before he came out, and the knowledge gained in this way has been extended by continual practice. He is thus able to diagnose the most common ailments and to dispense suitable medicines for them. This means a great expense to the missionary personally, but he is amply repaid in seeing, and learning of, the relief, and frequently the cure, he is able to give. It is no un­usual thing to find that half to two-thirds of the inhabitants of a village have been treated rluring the course of a single visit. It is now getting hot and time to get ready to move on, and go through the same or very similar duties as the above at another village say 15 miles off. But a short visit must first be paid to each apartment, aud a few greetings made to the very old and infirm and blind of whom there are sure to be a few. And now good-bye must be said, the hand-shaking process being repeated, and the village children preceding us with tom-tom, cymbals, a couple of gongs, and a buffalo horn or two.

Such is the usual course of a Missionary's visit to a Cl~ristia1l Karen village. There are usually a few grave questions to be enquired

35

into, as we must remember that the people are not, as yet, very far removed from heathenism, and many superstitions still abound. . The world, the flesh, and the devil, still have a very powerful hold over even the best of them. But speaking generally, the visit is a very happy one, and we delight to Ree signs of improvemPnt from year to real' in matters both spiritual and temporal. . .

vVoRK AMONG HEA'fJIEN.

In a heathen Karen village the work is somewhat different. There in Tmmgoo, the work of supervising about 30 Christian villages each Ltkes up the time and thought of the Missionary to such an extent th:tt he bewares of extendillg the work to hea.then villages until tlw Li111 e comes when the native clergy ca,n be better trusted to do the work without such close supervision as is necessary at present, or until the European staff is considerably strengthened. But if, through the efforts of the natives themselves, whether clergy, catechists, or, what i::; even better, the rank and file of the converts, heathen communities desire to place themselves under Christian instruction, or to hear the Uospel preached by the European Missionary himself, preparations are made and an invitation sent to the latter. Without this invitation gtven, experience proves that the visit would be most unwelcome to the Karen community, and probably the chief people of the village would make themselves scarce by retiring to the jungles. When the preparations have been made by buildin; a special rest-house for the visitor and a place of concourse for the people, the Missionary gladly goes and spends a day or two. The people here are more curious than the Christians, and learning that t~1e visitor has medicines they come at all times to beg for it. They throng the cook-house where the school-boy is preparing the Missionary's food, to see what he eats and how it is prepared. They come and peep in all the chinks of the ltonse (of which there are many) tu see what he may be doing himself. Even the well-ventilated bath-room is not proof against their inquisitiveness.

At sun-down the gong sounds and all the people come together. The Missionary and his Christian followers sing a hymn, have a few simple prayers, and say the Creed. Then a lesson of Scripture is read and explained, and then comes a general discussion. It being understood that they are anxious to learn about Jesus Christ and His " way," the question arises are they ready to build a place of worship in which to receive instruction and learn to pray together? If so, will they keep Sunday specially as a day of rest and worship, and will they give up all their ancient superstitious ceremonies, incantations, charms, &c., &c., and destroy all the visible emblems thereof 1 Some wish to delay, and do these things at a more convenient season-others c~1~ hardly bear the idea of giving up their cherished modes of pro­pltlating evil spirits, but if there happen to be one or two strong­minded men in favour of receiving a teacher or catechist-this

36

conc:lusion is usually come to after a time. Then comes the question of the Catechist. If we have two or three youug men suitable for the work with us- we generally give them the opportunity of saying which they would like ; if only one, they must ta ke him, and then the question of his support arises. If he has a wife aud family, the people usually demur at once at having to support them, Lut they will usually g ive way after considerable discussion on the question of the support of the n1an himself as far as giving him rice and vegetables is concerned. But they will have their q1tid p ro yuo. H e must be able t o reacl and write the Burmese language, so as to read notice~ which come from the Government, an d to Le able t o administer medical aid if necessary. The Burmese ques tion is easily got over but not the medical aid. The cost of medicines is one difficulty, the man's knowledge of disease and medicines another. But he will be abh~ in most c:tses to use the most simple remedies at a slight cost t o the Mission. One more question, the cat echist's residence. If a single man, it does not matter much. H e can ta;ke his food in one of the houses and have a small room b uilt off the chapel to sleep in. But if a married man we expect the people to build him a house, and this is usually a sore point. Generally the man agrees to come himself for a time, and the question of a house settles itself in the course of a year or two, especially if he proves to be an earnest worker.

Before we leave next morning, th e Christians with us go round to each house and bring out for destruction all the emblems of their old superstitions, chicken-bones, jawbones of pigs, withered branches of trees, leaves, etc. It only now remains to get them to decide to send their children t o be taught daily by the catechist. This is frequently a most difficult matter, but in course of time the difficulty di sappears.

A RECENT E X PERIENCE.

We have, within the last m onth (February, 1897), had a similar experience t o that described jm t above in tive Karennee villages. Some of the discussions were very interesting, but very tiring, especially to the mind, a.s every sentence had to be interpret ed twice, first from Sgau K aren to Bghai, and then from Bghai t o K arennee and vice ve1·sa. Of all our eat echists only two can speak K arenuee, and only one at all flu ently, and he knows very little Sgau K aren; and we must not think of K a rennee, either, as oue homogeneous dialect; in the villages we visited there were three different dialects.

We had the happiness to baptise our two first converts from K a.rannee heathenism this journey. Both are young men about twenty years old, and both have been most earnest in following the instructions of the Catechist for the past two or three years. One was renamed Andrew and the other Simon. Let us hope and pray they may become messengers of good tidings to their benighted race.

37

Summary of district work in the North Mission, December, 1896, to February, 1897, inclusive :-

Villages visited .... 33 Lantern Exhihitions 35 Sermons and Addres~es 70 Pa-tients treated, about.... 1,000 Communions Celebmted 25 Persons Communicated 849 Scholars Examined in Heligious Knowledge 127 Baptisms (Infants) 27

, (Adults) 2 Mr. Fisher did most of the medical work, and the dtlty of exhibit­

ing the lantern also devolved on him. · The number of Bghai villages has been extended by the reception

of a new heatheu village in the Kunon District. We had the pleasure of spending two days (January 26 and 27) there, and of receiving their promises to build a church and receive a Catechist. An experienced Catechist was subsequently appointed ou February 4th at our Annual Conference. The name of the village is Tah Pier.

ALEXANDER SALMON, Jfissiona?·y, S.P.G.

TouNGoo, 11th MaTch, 1897.

THE KARENS.

(F1·om .Notes supplied by REv. A. SALMON.)

The name "Karen" is given to a large body of people occupying the mountainous districts of Burma. Be:::;ides those in the mountains a large number of Karens live in the delta of the Irrawaddy, in the district of Bassein, and other parts.

The word "Karen" is only employed 8y outsiders, as the Burmese and ourselves fror..1 them. Some derive it from a Burmese word meaning "wild," others from a word meaning "dog." Whichever may be correct, the name expresses the great contempt with which the Burmese regard them.

The Karens are divided into three principal tribes, viz., the Sgaus, the Bghais, and the Pivos. These again are subdivided into numerous inferior clans or tribes. These are distinguished by outsiders by names descriptive of dress or occupation, as "Tunic-wearing Bghais," etc. Each tribe calls itself by its own name for "man" O!"

"men." There is no common appellation among themselves for the K arens as a whole.

n 2

38

The traditions of the race tell that they came into Burma with Chinese invaders. The Pivos came first, and then the Sgaus. In their journeyings they crossed " a river of running sand:" which is generally supposed. to be the great "Gobi" desert. They passed on the way Bhamo, on the Chinese frontier, and Pajan, "the city with gold and silver towers.''

There are many points of resemblance in religious observances, social rela,tions, language, etc., bet\veen the Karens and other peoples whose original home was Central Asia, which seem to corroborate tbis tradition. Moreover, the Chinese in their traditions state that when Lhey first arrived in the country it was occupi ed by "tattooing" people.

The Karens say that once they lived in harmony, the children of a common parent. This parent took a bamboo bucket, cut it up into seven pieces, and gave a piece to each of his seven sons, with injunc­tions to keep it carefully. He then sent them away in different directions. Some day these seven pieces will be brought together again, and then the Karens will regain their position as an undivided nation.

They have a prayer which runs thus :-" 0 Lord, we have had affiictions for many generations, and now we should have our share of the good that the gods provide. The Burmese, Talaings, and the Siamese, as well as European foreigners, have obtained their desires in this respect, while the Karens have been left out in the cold." Some of their songs look forward to a sort of millennium, as e.g.,--When the Karen king arrives there will be only one monarch, there will be neither rich nor poor, the beasts will be happy. When the Karens have a king lious and leopards will lose their savageness (~f I saiah xi. ).

Notwithstanding these aspirations and traditions, the Karens have as yet made no efforts to bring them to a practical conclusion.

Some of the customs and religious observances in which the Karens resemble the Central Asian tribes are as follows:-

(i.) Spiritual power over health and life, reaching even to the realms of the dead, is obtainable by certain living persons.

(ii.) The practices of sorcery, divination, and ordeal are common, influencing their daily life, and causing them to live in an atmosphere of distrust, dread, and revenge.

(iii.) All natural objects, animate and inanimate, have presiding deities, which have power to cause diseases, disasters, and death, and must be propitiated by offerings.

(iv.) For the ghosts of the dead they bnild miniature houses near the graves, while food and articles of dress are placed on the graves. Some of the Bghai tribes conceal the burial places of their chiefs.

(v.) They bind slaves and ponies near the graves of their pro­minent men.

The Karen language (Karennee) belongs to the Indo-Chinese family. It is monosyllabic an cl tonic, that is, it has a system of tones, a sort of musical inflection at the end of a word which decides its meaning. Thus, the syllable "ba '' has six different meanings, accord­ina to the t cme with which it is pronounced. The nearer one gets to Cl~ina the greater the number of tones found in the language. Thus, Burmese has 3, Karen 13, Anuamese 15, and Chinese at least twice as many.

The Karen writing character is an adaptation of the Burmese, with specially invented tonic signs. These signs were invented by Dr. Wade, of the Ame1·ican Baptist Mission, about 50 years ago. This ch<tracter is found more convenient than the Roman, on account of the many gutterals and compound sounds in the language.

On the plains the Km·ens live m bamboo huts similar to those of the Burmese; but in the hills-and especially among those who have not been christianizecl- the whole of a village occupies one or two large buildings, 300 to 400 feet long, and 30 to 40 feet wide. Each building consists of 30 to 50 li ttle compartments, according to the number of th e families- each family occupying one compartment or " hearth," as it is called. There are one or two passages, or corridors, running the whole length of the building, and right in the centre there i :~ a common meeting place for the village, and for the accom­modation of visitors. The building is raised t o a height of from 12 to 20 feet above the ground on bamboo poles, some of which are of immense size. To get into the house, a ladder, consisting of a single bamboo into which notches have been cut, has to to be mounted. This is drawn up at night. The houses are generally in a terribly filthy state, cattle, buffaloes, and pigs being allowed free ingress to the lower part; dogs, fowls, &c., as freely occupying the rooms above. In fact, so dirty are the people and their habitations, that every two years it becomes necessary to b nrn down the buildings and raise new ones either on the same site or on a neighbouring one that has been formerly occupied. At a distance, a Karen village is very picturesque; but at close quarters it has been compared to "Rrobdignagian rabbit­hutches on scarlet-runner sticks."

Each village, or group of villages, is a little republic under the rule of a chief, generally hereditary, but occasionally elected. He is always assisted by the elders of the village, who are held to be the depositaries of the oral law of the Karens.

This law enforces the general principle of doing good, and avoid ing evil, and has very severe provision for the punishment of immorality or the violation of the marriage bond. The right of private vengeance for wrongs is recognised.

(To be continued.)

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CHILDREN'S PAGE.

CHRISTMAs A T SHWEBO, UPPER BuRMA.

Almost at the last moment it was decided t o have a Christmas Tree and Treat; and Mr. Day, who was going to Rangoon to be ordained as Deacon, was commissioned to make a few purchases of toys, &c., fo1· the Tree.

On the evenings of the 2:~rd and 24th, the boarder boys and girls, who had been carefully trained Ly Mr. Stockings, assisted by Mr. Day, went carol singing round the cantonments, and in the town, and succeeded in securing sufficient money to make th e Tree and Treat a financial success. Their sing i11 g was really very gooJ, and the people of the sta tion ·were lour! in th eir pra ises ; one gentleman r emarking that if the singers could be taken to London their fortun es would be made.

At Burmese Celebration of Holy Communion on Christmas Day, there were 33 communicants, 19 beillg· men and the other 14 women. In the eYening of t he same day, two young men and one girl were bapt ised.

On the day of the treat, t he 26th, there was a great mustering of the Christ ian commuiJi ty, the Dep1:1.ty Commissio11 er and most of the ladies and r.ent lemeu of the station being present, besid es over a hundred of our B urmese Christi ans.

Two transport elephants, kindly lent by our popular Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Collins, were brought down for thA children t o r ide upon, but as they were uot used to having a crowd of noisy children round them, they were not a success, insomuch that they would per sist in getting up long before the would-be riders could get seated in the howdahs, and consequently those who had not been fortunate in getting inside, had either t o drop off or to hang on t o the ropes securing the howdah on the elephan t's back ; most of them preferred t o do the latter, and it was most amusing to see the half stripped urchins hanging on to the huge animals like limpets on a rock, and seemingly not a bit afra id.

As soon as it became dark a move was made into the school room, and the boys and girls of the Mission had plenty of occupation during t he next hour and a half in r eceiving aml stowing away their numerous presen ts off the tree, which had been prettily decorated by MrR. Littl ewood, assist ed by the girls.

A fter the Tree had been carefully and completely str ipped, a Magic Lantern Entertainment was given by Mr. Stockings, and enjoyed immensely, both by Europeans and Burmese. " God Save th e Queen " was sullg about half-pas t eight, and we all returned to onr homes, feeling satisfied tlta.t we had spent a really happy Christmas.

GEO. \V . HERNE. H ead J.1!a.; ter .

.A.ll Saints' School, S.P. G. Mission.

41

FEMALE EDUCATION IN BURMA.

In Archdeacon Chard's article on the " History of the Diocese of Rangoon," in the last Quarterly Paper, there was no special mention of the state of female education in Burma, or of the etforts made for its promotion in the Missions of our Church, the commencement of which was there briefly recorded. To supply this omission, we have been 1·equested by the Editor to give a short sketch of the work carried on, and of the Girls' Schools which have been aided or established dnring the last thirty years in this country by the Ladies' Association (now called the Women's Mission Association) of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. The circumstance that the women of l3nrma are not like Hindu or Mahometan women, secluded in their l1ouses or zenanas, but occupy in the family very much the same po.:; ition n,s women do in England, has rendered it a much more easy ta:;k to introduce education here than in other parts of India. 1\iore­t•ver, though uneducated, Burmese women are for the most part nn,tnrally clev~r, l'!,ncl show great readiuess to attend the Mission Schools.

As already stated, there was no Missionary of the Church of England in any part of Burma until 1859, when the Rev. A. Shears was sent by the S.P.G. to commence a Mission in Moulmein, the c;tpital of the province of Tenasserim. In 1863 another Mission was e~tablished at Rangoon, the capital of the province of Pegu, the Rev. J. E. Marks commencing a school there, into which in less than a month 100 Burmese boys were admitted. And in 1871 the Rev. C. Warren was sent to begin a Mission at Tounghoo.

In 1866, three years after the commencement of the Mission at Rangoon, a Burmese Girls' School was opened there, and carried on most successfully by Miss Cooke, now Mrs. Chard. In 1868 the Ladies' Association began its work in Burma, by sending out Miss Miller to a.ssist Miss Cooke. .A large number of Burmese girls have been educated in S. Mary's School, but in the course of years many changes have occurred in its arrangements. Established, as already stated, by the S.P.G., its expenses have been for some years shared by the Laclit>s' Association, and since 1884 it has been entirely supported by the Association, l•y local subscriptions, by the proceeds of the boxes of cluthing sent from England, and by the Government resu lt grant, the funds of the S.P.G. not admitting of any help from that source as formerly. The school and ground on which it stands are the property of the S.P.G., but a large sum having been expended by the Ladies' Association in 1891 on the old buildings and the erection of a new wing, the Society granted the use of them to the Association at a nominal rent so long as they use them solely for educational purposes.

The Lady Superintendent of S. Mary's School is Miss Wharton, an English lady ; the Head Mistress, Miss Darlington, appointed last year, i~ the first woman B.A. in Burma. There are 116 children on

42

the roll, of whom 86 are day-scholars and 30 are boarders. No boarder is admitted who is not baptized, or willing to be baptizetl. The ages vary from six to nineteen. In secular knowledge, the teaching is up to the Seventh Standard, and a normal class which has been lately started will, it is hoped, supply the qualified Church of England female teachers so much needed in Burma.

Besides S. Mary's there are two other more recently established schools in Rangoon which receive small grants from the LaclieF:' Association: S. Bamabns's School for Burmese girls, originall y established nt BataJoung, now rem ove•l to Poozooncloung, in charge of .Mrs. Norman; and S. Galll'iel's, a school for Tamil girls, under the care of the native pastor.

In 1871 the Rangoon branch of the Ladies' Associntion 1·esol ved to establish a Girls' School at Prome, n,nd it was opened by Miss Mille1·, who had then been for three years Assistant Mistress nt S. Mary's School, Rangoon. Within six weeks 30 pupils, Burmese or Chino­Burmese, were admitted, and Miss Miller continued to devote herself to the work until 1877, when her health gave way and necessitated her return to England. Since then the school has been carried on with varying success until last year, when it was considered by the Bishop a11d Committee advisable that it should be temporarily closed.

In 1871 a School for Burmese girls was begun at Thayet Myo by the Rev. C. and Mrs. Chard, and in IR75 the Ladies' Association made a small grant (increased in 1882 to £100) for the salary of an English mistress, the Burmese teachers requiring more supervision than Mrs. Chard was able to bestow. For some years this was a large and successful school, but, like the one at Prome, it has suffered from the want of the support and supervision of a resident S.P.G. Missionary, and the number of pupils is much less than formerly. The present Head Mistress is Miss Smith.

S. Agnes's School, Moulmein, was opened in 1882, under the immediate control of the S.P.G. Missionary, the Rev. J. A. Colbeck, and it has from the first been aided by a yearly grant from the Ladies' Association. A boarding department was added in 1888. This school has been doing a good work, and goes on steadily, but the numbers continue small. The Head Mistress is Miss Lyster; the number of girls under instruction is between thirty and forty, of whom ten are (Christian) boa.rders under the care of Mrs. Swop.

The Rev. C. Warren, who was sent by the S.P.G. in 1871 to com­mence a Mission at Tounghoo, after a time applied to the Ladies' Association for help in establishing a Girls' School there. In 1874 a grant was made, and an English schoolmistress was sent out, but a variety of circumstances prevented the carrying out of the plan, and the grant to Tounghoo was for a time withdrawn. At length, in 1884, the long-desired school for Karen girls was opened by Mrs. Salmon, the wife of one of the S.P.G. Missionaries, under whose active and efficient superintendence it is still carried on. During the absence of

43

Mr. anJ Mrs. Salmon on flll·lough, her place was ably supplied by Mrs. Kcnney, who continue8 to assist by superintending one division of the school. From the first it was found necessary to board the uirls, t he Karen people liviug so far away from the town. The ~n~mge number of borders in recent years has been between thirty ;md fGn-ty ; the new School House, opened in 1887, will accommodate 50. Already three of the elder girls have been trained for nurses at the Lady Dufferin Hospita1 at Hangoon; another is now a junior teacher in the school, and. it is hoped that many more will turn out ,guod and useful wives to the boys trained in the Mission, and also teachers' and catechists' wives on the .hills, who will do their part in :spreading the Kingdom of Christ among the as yet non-Christian Ka1·en:; of the Bnrma Hills.

Shwebo, in TTpper Burma, was visited by the Bishop of Rangoon in 1887, and a Mission was opened there in charge of the Rev. Dr. and ~lr,.;. Sntto11, under whose direction a Chapel a.nd Mission House were Lui lt, also a hospital, cottages, and school buildings, all in the native ::;tyle. In answer to an a.ppeal for help, a portion of the Ladies' .:-\ ,.;suciatiou grant to the Diocese was applied t o the commencemeut of a. Girls' School, and in J an nary, 1889, a young Missionary, Miss Edwards, was sent out by the Association to assist Mrs. Sutton in the Scl10ol and other work of the Mission. A few months later Dr. and Mrs. Sntton were unfortunately obliged, by the illness of the latter, to lc:we and return to England, and Miss Edwards was left to carry on the Girls' School (in which the number of the boarders had increased tu twenty), with the help of an EaRt Indian teacher. She was soon joined by Miss S tockings, the sister of the S.P.G. Missionary who succeeded Dr. Sutton, and under their care great progress has been alre;tdy m; tde.

Miss Edwards has just returned to her wo1·k at Shwebo after a well-eamed furlough in England, during which she did much to advance the cause, by addressing meetings and giving many interesting t letails of the present st.ate of the Mission. The boarding establish­ment, in which the members have been (chiefly from lack of funds) !imited to twenty-five, is the most hopeful part of the work, and the1·e 1::; reason to believe that many useful Mission women and teachers will he sent out from thi,; depa.rtment. The girls, in return for their food, ellucatiou, and clothing, work hard at weaving material for their clothes, pounding paddy for their food, sewing, cooking, sweepiug, cleaning, all(l water-drawing. The weaving establishment openetl in I s:n h<:ts proved a great success, and also a source of income to the M1ssiou. There are t welve country looms at work, and the girl~ are uow able not only to weave their own clothing, but also to supply the station and other Missions with glass cloths, purdahs, and many useful Iuaterials. The girls are usually admitted on agreement for eight or ten years, accordinO" to their ages. All now in the school are baptized, and many 0f the ~lder ones are confirmed. The Day-school, which

44

now conta,ius 100 scholar:;;, undergoes an annual Government examina­tion and receives a gnmt; the Inspector has always given a very favourable r eport. The two na tive teachers employed in the school, :Lre girls who di rl not even know their alphabet when they first came to the Mission ; now they are able to teach up to the third standard. N early all the day scholars in the Infant School now are of Christian p(l,rentage.

LOUISA BULLOCK.

SCHOOL CHILDREN'S FUND.

' iV e shall be much obliged if those in c.haq:.;e of Schools in Burma will :;;end full lists of patrons of children iu their Schoob, whether inclivillnal schools or parishes.

The reports of meetings on another page will show that this aspect of the vv01·k commends itself to many, and is fonud a help in interest­ing our children at home. W e trust in our next number to be able to uute a distinct advance in this direction.

The Rev. Bernard Mahon, of S. John's College, Rangoon, writes: ­"Can you secure supporters for Christian boys in this school ? We

have uo funds from which to support them, and should be very gmtefnl if the children at home would help in this. ·

"We have several Christian lads here, and many of them can pay nothing at all, so that we are very grateful for ;my h elp we eau get. Should you be able to do this, I would ·write, sending particulars about the boys we should cboose for the support thus giYen."

A QUlET DAY ..FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN FOREIGN MISSIONS.

This opportunity for devotion and intercession has b een arranged by tLe Conference of Missionary Associations for R ogation Tuesday, l\Iay 25th, at Christ Church, Stafford Street, Marylebone. The Church is a few minutes' walk from the Edgware Road station of the Metropolitan Railway, and ju8t off the Marylebone Road.

The conductor will be the Rev. Father Congreve, of the Society of S. J obn the Evangelist, Cowley.

Particulars as to times and meals can be obtained of the Rev. P. H. Cooke, 118, Forest Road, Dalston, N.E.

vVe trust onr friends outside London will r emember this Quiet Day. ~ome may find it possible to arrange for Intercessory Services on the same day.