There's a mystery of soul-chasten'd joy Learnt in their pilgrim days. They've seen the safely garner'd sheaves,] The yearning, plaintive music And well does He know each chequer'd tale, All the lights and shadows that cross'd their path, The heart's unspoken anguish- One had climb'd the rugged mountain-side; The tempest had scatter'd his precious sced, But a stranger-hand had water'd And one-he had toil'd amid burning sands, He had grasp'd the plough with a fever'd hand, But another, and yet another, Had fill'd that deserted field, Nor vainly the seed they scatter'd, Where a brother's care had till'd. Some with eager step went boldly forth, Some water'd the scarcely budding blade, By the withering touch of woe; Her days were sad and weary, And she never went forth to sow; But there rose from her lonely couch of pain, She looks on many a radiant brow, 103 104 LEPER ASYLUM. Yes! sowers and reapers are meeting; [SEPT. LEPER ASYLUM. For those afflicted persons who are the victims of the modern leprosy, or Lazarus sickness, asylums have been formed, under the care of the British Government, at the Cape of Good Hope colony and at Calcutta: besides we know not where else; and if any of our readers have any information to give us on this subject we should gladly receive it. In the Cape colony the hospital for lepers was first formed at Hemel en Aarde, about twelve miles from Caledon, and a short distance from the sea. It was in 1824, under the administration. of Lord C. H. Somerset, that this humane measure was adopted, and at his request a Moravian Missionary and his wife stationed themselves at the hospital to care for the souls of these poor people. In 1846 the hospital was removed to Robbin Island, Table Bay, where it remains, the United Brethren continuing to supply the pastors. We do not think the change of locality to be for the better. The aspect of the island is one of extreme sterility; and there the lepers are isolated, with nothing around to divert their thoughts from themselves and their sickness. These creatures want something cheerful around them; whereas there is only what is calculated to depress and harden the feelings. In a sick room, which the patient never leaves, feeling hearts and tender hands will introduce flowers and whatever may be culled of what is bright and pleasant from without; and we are inclined to think that what is cheerful and pleasant in nature is more congenial with the Gospel than what is harsh and gloomy. The last report from Robbin Island which we have seen (June 1863) is not encouraging; and the Missionary laments that the tone of feeling which prevails is not such as might be expected from those who, for the most part, have but a short time to live. Grants having been made for new buildings, there is no prospect that the establishment will be removed to the mainland. At Calcutta there is also a leper asylum, and to the poor sufferers within its walls the attention of our Church Missionaries have now for some years been very earnestly directed, and, we rejoice to say, with much of happy result. In the year 1861 seven of them were brought into the Christian fold, and in the next year seven more— six Hindus and one Mussulman. The conversion of the latter was particularly interesting. Two years previously he had been in the Medical College hospital, where also there happened to be one of our Christian boys. This poor child used to go to the bedside of 1864.] LEPER ASYLUM. 105 the Mussulman to read the Bible to him, in his simple way endeavouring to lead him to Christ. After a while the boy died; but his works followed him. The Mohammedan could not forget what he had heard from his lips, and for two years continued to study the Bible without any human teacher. The result was his being brought as a poor sinner to Jesus for mercy; and he became the fourteenth convert from among the lepers, who, by baptism, made public profession of faith in Christ. Our readers will now be prepared for the following very interesting report of what has been accomplished during the year. The Rev. J. Vaughan states— The Lord's work amongst the poor sufferers here has steadily progressed. No one can visit and talk with the converts without a conviction that it is his work truly. They display now and then weakness of character, but it is evident that the root of the matter is in them. Some months ago I opened a school amongst them. A number at once commenced to learn; and now several can read who before did not know a letter. This acquisition is a gracious boon to them; for, as they have no fixed duties, their life is one dreary monotony. If they have no mental employment, they can but sit and watch the progress of that loathsome disease which, sooner or later, must destroy them. Reading, therefore, is to them a great relief. I have also furnished them with a library containing religious and other interesting books. The library is placed by the cot of poor Daud: he can never leave his bed, hence it was needful that the books should be within his reach. This young man is a very happy and really intelligent Christian. He has got a little desk attached to his bed; and there he spends his day, now reading his Bible, now studying a commentary, now perusing a biography. He also dots down his reflections on paper, and amuses himself with writing Christian hymns. Once in the day he conducts the devotions of his brethren: he imparts to them instruction, watches over their deportment, and is, to all practical purposes, as their pastor. It is very pleasing to note the rise in the moral standard of the converts. An illustration occurred the other day. I announced my intention of giving them the Lord's Supper on the following Sabbath. The intelligence gave them joy, for this ordinance is to them a matter of great solemnity and importance. Presently two or three, with anxious faces, began to whisper to Daud. He explained this circumstance by telling me that one of their number, the last baptized, had been guilty of falsehood, and they thought he ought to be excluded from the communion. The erring brother was present. He, with great simplicity, admitted that he had, in a trifling matter, prevaricated; but he said he could not see that to be such a grave offence as they represented. Who that knows the universality of this vice among heathen will much wonder at a new convert taking such a view? I spoke to him seriously, and requested the rest to use their efforts to bring him to a better mind. The matter of communicating was left an open question. 106 THE ORPHANAGE AT SECUNDRA, AGRA. [SEPT. On the Sunday, when all had come together, I appealed to Abhilash, inquiring his present view. The poor man, in a most simple and humble spirit, admitted that he had obtained better light; that he now saw that he had committed a grievous sin against God, and stated that he had with contrition implored his pardon. His brethren expressed themselves satisfied, and so he partook of the sacred rite with them. During the year four have been baptized-one woman and three men. The case of one of the men is remarkable. Four years ago, when I began the visitation of the asylum, this man showed considerable attention. His interest increased, and at length he confessed his faith in Christ. I hoped he would seal that confession speedily by baptism. This was not the case. Months and years passed over, yet he lingered; one after another of his friends joined the Christian ward, yet Attaram hesitated. I greatly feared for him. Still his conscience remained tender; this gave me hope. He always looked wretched, and it was evident the Spirit had not left him. Within the last few weeks he has broken through his reluctance. I found him one day sitting by Daud's bed. He said he dared not delay any longer: he felt he had sinned greatly against God by hesitating so long. He declared he felt himself the greatest sinner on earth, and only hoped for mercy through the merits of Jesus. On the following day he was baptized. May He who of old said to the leper, "I will: be thou clean," continue to bless the labours of his servants, and cleanse many of these poor sufferers from the leprosy of sin, that when death comes may be to them a happy liberation from a diseased body to the presence of their God and Saviour! it THE ORPHANAGE AT SECUNDRA, AGRA. IN 1838-39 there occurred in the North-west Provinces of India a fearful famine, so fearful, that in six months no less than 14,000 persons died in the hospital of our Relief Society at Agra. Hundreds of children were left not only orphans, but entirely destitute. Some of them were collected together at Agra. The difficulty was, where to lodge them. At length a house was found where least it would have been expected. At Secundra, a little distance from the city, and near the tomb of the great Akbar, two large tombs were converted into homes, the one for boys and the other for girls. As the children grew up to man's estate, the Christian village was formed round the tomb, and by degrees there grew up, as the means of support to the Christian families, a printing press, which became the largest printing press in India. In 1842 a church was built through the contributions of friends. Such was the state of things when the mutiny of 1857 broke out; and the native Christians, with their wives and children, fled with the other Europeans to the Fort of Agra, a formidable place, standing, with its huge tower-bastions of red sandstone, on an elevated position. Here they proved to be of great use, for the Hindu and 1864.] ORPHANAGE AT SECUNDRA, AGRA. 107 Mohammedan servants having fled, they were enabled to supply their place. Some baked the bread, some had charge of the guns, some were set over the workmen, and others were employed as servants. They were far more useful than the heathen servants could have been, for they were Christians, and could be trusted. Allahabad having been made the seat of government for the North-western Provinces, these native Christians have been transferred thither, where they are employed upon the Government printing-press. But Secundra is again an orphanage. Three years after the mutiny there came upon the very districts where it had raged, and where so much blood had been shed, another fearful famine. Again, as its result, orphans in great numbers were left destitute; and again many of them have been gathered into the old premises at Secundra. Some of the printers who had gone to Allahabad having offered to return to Secundra, and setting up a printing press at their own cost and risk, to give employment to as many as they could, their offer has been accepted, and now the events of the past are being acted over again. What the orphans are when they come into our hands, our Missionary, the Rev. C. T. Hoernle, informs us Our orphans are, with few exceptions, from the lower grades of the Indian population. How low the condition of the Hindu villagers is, our friends in Europe cannot form the remotest idea. It is only by itinerating a good deal in the cold season that the Missionary learns something of it. It is far below the condition of the villagers in the remote districts of Europe. Many of them are very little exalted in their aspirations above those savages in East Africa, of whom it is related that a Missionary, after speaking to a number of them of heavenly things, asked the most thoughtful of his listeners what he would now desire, and received the answer, that "lying with his friends round a large fire surrounded with full flesh-pots" was the highest and dearest wish of his heart. The desires of these poor villagers rise indeed little higher than their niere animal existence. Their language, too, is vulgar in the extreme, although to the Missionary the worst part of it remains fortunately unintelligible. Our friends must try to stoop down a little into these dark and low places of India, from which their protegés have been rescued in this and other nurseries. They must be followers of the lowly Jesus in this respect also. And who stoops so low as He did? They ought also to see these orphans when they arrive here; some, especially the smaller ones, having often no covering except dirt, others a few filthy rags, which are burnt as soon as the barber and the bath have done their work and made them fit for clean clothes, But these dark sides of the picture ought to be relieved by some bright features. And there are indeed some beautiful sights, which our friends would greatly enjoy; such as seeing them sitting in long rows at their meals, with their new brass plates before them, and waiting till they are all filled, and till one of them has said the blessing, in which the poor |