13 Divided Duties

Chapter 13

DIVIDED DUTIES

(1897)

Those who have so far followed this record of steadfast service under conditions of exceptional difficulty will not be surprised to find the strain beginning to tell, as Miss Reed herself expresses it, on "my health as well as on my heart." For upward of five years, with few and brief intervals of rest, she had been fulfilling a two-fold ministry. Not only was she district missionary for the Women’s Foreign Missionary Society, but also Superintendent of the large and growing Institution for Lepers. In the former capacity there devolved upon her the supervision of a band of native Bible-women, whose labors extended over a wide area, as well as much direct spiritual and educational effort, while, in the work to which she has been so specially called and consecrated, many duties, both painful and exhausting, had to be personally performed.

Let the reader endeavor again to realize the position. The multifarious duties arising from the two departments of work just noted ; dependent solely on very limited native help, in frequent contact with suffering and death in its most loathsome form, and painfully reminded from time to time of the presence of this most dreaded malady in her own person — no surprise need be felt that the strong brave spirit seems to falter for a moment, and that occasionally the entries in the diary for this year sound a despondent note.

I am glad to be permitted to reproduce some extracts from Miss Reed’s daily journal for the early months of 1897 :

January 1st. — ’’Praise God from whom all blessings flow," was the first thought that entered my mind as I awoke at dawn on this New Year’s morning; and then followed the precious promise ’’Certainly I will be with Thee." May my heart and life praise Him continually throughout the year ! I sat down at my organ and played and sang —

Come, let us anew our journey pursue. His adorable will let us gladly fulfill, And our talents improve, By the patience of hope and the labor of love.

January 3rd (Sunday). — No message from above this morning when I awoke. Sick and in pain almost all day. Misery indescribable. Very stupid and dull, too. However, I managed to teach the Sunday school lesson to my women and girls.

January 4th. — No message this morning after a wakeful night. Worked at accounts and wrote letters today. Taught women and girls from Hebrews, chapters 9 and 10, and had a good meeting.

January 10th (Sunday). — Most trying day of physical suffering. Much depressed mentally, and not bright and happy spiritually.

January 12th. — Much better to-day. Lessons given and letters written in the morning, Spent the afternoon with Miss Budden.

January 24th. — A blessed meeting with the women to-day, lesson from Ephesians 3.

January 25th. — Went to Panahgah (the quarters for the male lepers), but was not able to give the Bible lesson. My throat too painful to talk today.

April 12th. — A glorious day! My heart rejoices with joy unspeakable over Tarwa’s conversion. His face is so bright and his heart so happy, it delights my soul to look at him. The Sunday school lesson yesterday, ’’The Conversion of Cornelius," affected him deeply, and after an almost sleepless night — spent in prayer, he says — he was converted in the early morning in his little room at Chandag. Now that he knows Christ’s power to save, and to forgive sins, may he know also His power to keep and be eternally saved !

April 24th. — A glorious victory Tarwa won today through the grace and strength that Jesus gave him. We had a solemn time with his mother and brother, and finally they yielded for him to be freed from performing the idolatrous ceremony on the anniversary of his father’s death tomorrow.

April 25th. — A blessed day. I went down to Pithora to hear Mr. ___ preach, and was so delighted to meet Tarwa and his brother with their faces toward Chandag, on their way from Sunday-school, instead of going home today. They knew the Brahmin priest was coming to perform the ceremony of their father’s sharad. They were absent, and thus Satan was foiled. They are by this brave act set free from idolatry. May the Son make them ’ free indeed ! "

These earlier entries give us a glimpse of the times of bodily suffering and mental weariness, which have been so minimized by Miss Reed in the many letters used in the preparation of this biography. It is well that the veil should be so far lifted, in order that the sympathy to which she is entitled, and the prayers she so much values should be called forth. These selections from Miss Reed’s diary may be supplemented by the following record of one day’s duties — a specimen doubtless of many — (Wednesday, October 5 th) :

__Immediately after chota hazri went to the Hospital and spent more than an hour giving directions and seeing them carried out, about the making of the concrete floors.

__Called and examined my class of six boys in Hindi 1st book. They are making good progress for boys who suffer so much — poor fellows ! I hope they will be ready by Christmas to read the Testament intelligently.

__ Next, a call from some villagers, pleading for a school for their village.

__ Settled down with account-books, on camp-stool in veranda of Hospital, so as to oversee the workmen and do accounts. An hour spent thus.

__ Call from native preacher in charge of Pithora, who called for my report of the schools for his annual report.

__ Another hour given to carpenters and accounts. Home to breakfast at twelve o’clock.

__ After breakfast called a woman, one of my helpers, herself a sufferer ; gave her carbolic soap and directions for bathing and dressing wounds of a new case, recently admitted. Gave out clothing for another new woman.

__Went to look after people cutting grass and making hay. Returned home, swept and dusted, and set my house in order. Transplanted some pansies.

__Had lunch, and then called to see Miss Sheldon. Called to see the cook’s son, and gave him some medicine. Spent another hour with carpenters. Then, a wild-goose chase to see a lame woman, who sent word pleading for admittance to the Asylum. Not a leper, only wanted food and clothing. Not admitted.

__ Rang the bell to assemble people for service. Gave lesson, and then at sunset walked down the hill half a mile and back.

__ I trudged up the hill, stopping to see Dr. S., then came home to dinner, read for an hour or so, and finally scribbled these notes of my day’s work."

It is gratifying to note how the lives of the lepers are brightened and their characters improved by their experiences in the Asylum. Evidence of this is afforded us in a letter giving some particulars for the information of those who have kindly become responsible for the support of individual inmates. Respecting some of these Miss Reed writes :

’Chandra, a woman of thirty years or upward, is growing in usefulness, and during the past year has become one of my three matrons. She has the oversight and care of six or seven women and girls, to whom she is learning to minister help. She used to be a most selfish mortal, and the joy of service is a new one to her. Strange to say, she is more healthy now that her soul-life has begun to prosper.

’Parli is a girl of about seventeen, who has been here only five months, but has improved wonderfully in that time, just by being an attentive listener while our Christians were being taught their little catechism. She learned to repeat the whole of this with only one slight mistake. Her heart seems permeated with the blessed influence in the lives of Kaliyani, and her own sister Rebli, and others who take delight in teaching her of Christ. She would receive baptism tomorrow if permitted to do so, but I cannot consent to it until she experiences an outright change of heart. I shall, however, pray and look for her conversion. She is learning to read, and was so happy two or three days ago, when I told her I would ask special prayer for her (This prayer was answered, and on August 13th Parli joyfully confessed Christ in baptism).

’Kaliyani is a real deaconess in her works of love, untiring in her ministry, and manifesting the sweet spirit of the Master. She is a blessing to all and a great joy and comfort to me. She is very happy that you have enrolled her trying brother Nankiya in your list to be prayed for. Verily a change does seem to be coming over him. He has suffered much lately, his feet have been in a terrible condition. He, too, is reading the New Testament daily with a teacher.

’Dipahf poor little girl, has become more of a sufferer, and it makes my heart ache to witness her sufferings — such a gentle little thing she is. The disease makes much progress in her little brother Rupwa. He is much disfigured and is hard of hearing.

’Gmiri Datt is growing in knowledge and years and is a great comfort to Yuhanna, because he is developing into a most earnest Christian. The disease makes much progress in his case.

’Har Singh has become a teacher of the men and boys who read and of those who are learning. He goes down to Panahgah from his home here (his parents are at Chandag) four times during the week to teach his classes. His father and mother suffer terribly and almost constantly. Har Singh repeated the Catechism from beginning to end to me this week without one single mistake. I do not teach this by rote either, but ask many questions, bringing out all the many good points in this excellent little book."

These notes of special cases may be supplemented by an extract in which Miss Reed speaks of the effect of her work on the lives of her inmates in more general terms.

"As to the spiritual life among my dear people at Chandag Heights, I am deeply gratified to be able to say my heart is often made happy by evidences that other hearts have been made new. The Holy Spirit’s blessed influence permeates, teaches, and enlightens minds, and comforts hearts that used to be filled with only thoughts of self seemingly."

Chandra tasting the joy of unselfish service ; Parli drinking in the Divine teaching, influenced by the lives of others ; Kaliyani showing the Spirit of Christ in her steadfast service ; little Dipah bearing her terrible sufferings with gentle submission; Gauri Datt growing in the spiritual life ; Har Singh gladly teaching his fellow-sufferers ; besides the fruit of the spirit manifested in many others ; these are cheering points of light, as they shine out from the dense darkness of heathen ignorance and of foul disease.

Let it be remembered that these are they that are counted unclean or outcast by all save the Christian Missionary, and that, apart from such beneficent work as that of Mary Reed, they would almost certainly be enduring the wretched lot of the homeless leper. This surely is to find the jewel in the mud, and to cause the desert to blossom as the rose. As the question of Miss Reed’s health, and the progress or otherwise of the disease in her own case, is to many, of equal interest with the story of her work, quotations from two letters of 1897 are appended, which reveal some of her experiences in this respect. In touching on this subject, I wish as far as may be, to imitate the reticence which characterizes all her own references to it. An obvious shrinking from the use of the words "leper" and " leprosy," together with a brave determination to make the very least of her symptoms and sufferings, give added weight to the mildly expressed allusions to be found in Miss Reed’s letters, and of which the following are specimens :

February 6th, 1897. — "I, myself, am not in the best of health. I have some very trying sieges, though there is no cause for anxiety. I am kept through all. . . . The ’Friend that sticketh closer than a brother’ is so tender, and His presence is salvation from sin and from care. His love satisfieth."

Toward the close of this year the shadow of suffering seems to be falling more darkly over her life. In November she writes: "My throat is becoming much affected by disease, and is often very painful, and I feel as if I could not talk and sing more than I do in my work among my own people, during the coming year. I am becoming a fellow-sufferer, with many of them. Their throats cause them much pain. A certain type of the disease has affected a dozen or more of those now here. Some have lost their voices entirely, and suffer agony at times to get breath. They are all praying much for me lately, and dread to see me suffer. I am alone this month, as Yuhanna has gone to Naini Tal to attend District Conference. I miss his help much. I go to Panahgah to have service with the men and boys every day and to minister to the sick ones, of whom there are a goodly number who are in an indescribable condition just now." A very pleasant experience may find a record at this point. In May of the year under review Miss Reed had the great enjoyment of meeting her co-workers of the Women’s Foreign Missionary Society at their Sanatorium in the hills above Almora. Thither, at their cordial invitation, she journeyed for fifty miles, camping in her little Swiss-cottage tent, which also formed her dwelling during her sojourn with her friends. It was pitched in the shade of an evergreen tree in the lovely grounds of the Institution, and beautified by her sister missionaries with flowers and shrubs and creeping plants. The gracious act of these friends in welcoming her into their midst once more was much appreciated by Miss Reed. Not only for her own sake did she value it, but also for the assurance it would give to her dear home circle that the disease was being kept in check, and had not as yet developed to such a degree as to render her an absolute exile.

If the Lord of the harvest has specially fitted His servant by painful experience to labor in this difficult work, it is that she may reap many golden sheaves from a field which, to human eye, would appear so unpromising and uninviting. At the close of 1897, we find eighty-five lepers being sheltered and cared for in the Asylum, of whom sixty-seven had confessed their faith in Christ by baptism, and in many of whose lives the fruit of the Spirit was being manifested. This large proportion of conversions testifies powerfully to the fruitful character of Christian work among this afflicted class. The outcast leper is preeminently ready for the Gospel of Christ. With no help from his kindred, no hope from his religion, no remedy for his disease, no means of subsistence, he is surely, of all men, most miserable. When to people in such a plight as this the Christian Asylum offers freely food, clothing, and shelter, as well as bodily relief and spiritual hope, small wonder that the lepers are found pressing into the Kingdom. It may well be questioned whether any form of missionary and philanthropic effort better repays the self-sacrificing labor and the money expended upon it than this work of caring for the bodies and souls of God’s lepers.