Woman and Her Saviour in Persia: By a Returned MissionaryLaurie, Thomas
History
Woman and Her Saviour in Persia: By a Returned Missionary
Laurie, Thomas
Church of the East -- Missions; Missions -- Iran; Women missionaries
Next came a class of twenty men, who had recently learned to read; for
which they had each received a copy of the New Testament. A class of
women then followed, numbering twenty-three, who had also been taught
to read by the boys and girls in the village schools. Mr. Stoddard
called for the teacher of each woman to step forward; and a copy of the
Old Testament was presented to every one of them, as they stood in a
row in front of their pupils. There was one woman who stood without a
teacher. Mr. Stoddard called for hers also, and some one whispered to
him that she had been taught by her husband. Mr. Stoddard thereupon led
him out, and, placing his hand on his head, said, before the whole
assembly, "All honor to the man who has taught his wife to read!" and
presented him also with a Bible.
One who was frequently present often wept to see Women giving a morsel
to their infants to quiet them, that they might devote the longer time
to their lessons; some of them so intent on the work of learning, that
their faces were bathed in perspiration. She used to fill her pocket
and reticule with cakes for the little ones, so that their mothers
might be more free from interruption. The exercises of that day gave a
great impulse to the cause of education in Geog Tapa. As many as
seventy adults were soon poring over their spelling books; and the next
summer one half of the adult women were either readers or engaged in
the same employment; though previous to the examination of the Seminary
in 1850, not one in thirty could read, or cared to learn.
Having given an account of these two interesting occasions, let us now
look in on another equally interesting, though of a different kind,
that took place in Oroomiah, three years later. During the interval,
Mr. Stoddard had entered into rest; and his bereaved widow, Dr. Perkins
and family, and Miss Fiske, were about to sit down together, perhaps
for the last time, with the Nestorian converts, at the table of the
Lord.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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