The American Missionary — Volume 35, No. 3, March 1881 — John Shaqi
The American Missionary — Volume 35, No. 3, March 1881Various
Religion
The American Missionary — Volume 35, No. 3, March 1881
Various
Congregational churches -- Missions -- Periodicals; Home missions -- Periodicals
I was asked to visit one day in a neat brick cottage which I
should have passed many times with no suspicion of need within. On
entering, the first thing that attracted my attention was that the
walls and ceiling were entirely unfinished; the walls were the bare
bricks, and overhead were the flooring beams, and, where the walls
and ceiling met, were wide open spaces for the wind to sift up from
under the eaves. The inmates were a colored woman, unfitted for
work by age and rheumatism, and her daughter; the daughter was her
widowed mother’s only dependence, yet the poor girl was lying sick
with pneumonia, and had been two weeks without medical treatment.
They had no money, but pride kept them reticent of their affairs.
To provide medicines, and later, little delicacies; to visit the
sick girl every day and sometimes twice a day was my care for three
weeks. She is now well again, and they are independent.
I have made, up to December 31, one hundred and twenty-five calls,
and have succeeded in relieving some suffering with gifts of fuel
and food, although the little accomplished in that direction is as
one drop in the sea.
From barrels of clothing received from the North I have sold and
given a great many garments; have oftener sold, because it seems
always wiser, although the prices may be ridiculously small. This
money helps me to purchase medicine for the many sick persons.
Let me add here, that with homeopathic remedies I have had most
flattering success, always preparing the medicines myself, and
carefully renewing them until the patients, without exception so
far, are cured.
In addition to my visits, I have tried to reach the women by means
of cabin prayer-meetings, and to help the girls and young women
by the medium of sewing-schools. I have two schools in successful
operation in different parts of the city. One numbers twenty
pupils, the other nearly forty. We begin with prayer and short
Scripture reading, and then with great eagerness the girls set
about their sewing, or lesson in cutting, as the case may be. When
a garment is finished, each girl purchases her own work for a dime
or fifteen cents.
While they sew I read to them, if occasion permits, and sometimes
they sing. They have begged to meet twice a week—a fact which
proves their enthusiasm. My kind friends in Boston and Providence
have done much toward supplying me with print, gingham and cotton
cloth for my sewing-schools.
In Sunday-school work I have succeeded in drawing some strangers
into my own class at Howard Chapel, and in forming some other
classes for volunteer teachers from Jubilee Hall.
* * * * *
TEXAS.
“The African Congregational Church” of Paris.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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