History of the missions of the American board of commissioners for foreign missions to the oriental churches, Volume II.Anderson, Rufus
Religion
History of the missions of the American board of commissioners for foreign missions to the oriental churches, Volume II.
Anderson, Rufus
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions; Missions -- Eastern churches
Dr. Dwight was much interested in this city. Its population was
thirty thousand, and one third were Armenians; the rest were Koords
and Turks, and there were hundreds of villages within the district.
The place was proverbial for salubrity, and he saw enough to
convince him that the leaven of the Gospel was working powerfully
among the people. Moosh, an out-station of Bitlis, was occupied by
the native pastor Simon. The truth had taken some hold there, but
the people were more degraded than at Bitlis.
Erzroom had several changes of missionaries in the six years
previous to 1862. Being near to Russia, it suffered greatly during
the Crimean war. The church was disbanded, but was reorganized by
Mr. Trowbridge. Mr. Pollard removed thither from Arabkir, and was
received with unexpected favor. The government now granted an
eligible cemetery; and the Armenian Bishop, having had the benefit
of a two years' residence in the United States, was friendly towards
the American missionary.
The removal of Mr. Pollard left Mr. Richardson alone at Arabkir. His
report for 1862, shows that there was much to encourage him. Turkish
women came to the female prayer-meetings; and the opening of
Protestant schools had led the Armenians to establish schools for
their own children, in some of which a large proportion of the
pupils were girls, though but a few years had passed since it was
considered a shame for females to learn to read. Eleven young men
from seven different cities and villages in this district, were
connected with the Harpoot Seminary, giving the prospect of an
improved class of helpers. Yet most of the former helpers had proved
themselves sincere and pious; and after having done what they could
to bring forward younger men of higher attainments, they were
themselves humbly and gracefully returning to their former trades
and callings, and laboring for the advancement of the good cause as
Sabbath-school teachers and private Christians.
At the close of 1862, Dr. Wood, the Corresponding Secretary of the
Board at New York, in consideration of his former experience and his
familiarity with the Armenian language, was requested by the
Prudential Committee to reside at Constantinople for a year or more,
laboring in connection with the mission to Western Turkey. This was
necessary in consequence of the sickness of several missionaries,
and the special demand, at that time, for labor at that important
post. He returned in the summer of 1864, after having rendered
important service to the mission.
The clerical accessions to the mission, in 1862 and 1863, were
Messrs. John Francis Smith, Moses P. Parmelee, and Giles F.
Montgomery, with their wives; and their respective assignments were
to the Western, Central, and Eastern missions. In addition to these,
Miss Arabella L. Babcock went to Harpoot, Miss Ann Eliza Fritcher to
Marsovan, and Miss Mary E. Reynolds to the Bulgarian Mission.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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