Ten years in Burma

by Julius Smith

Mr. Schilling, at the suggestion of some of the Burmese who had been with us in the colony enterprise, organized a new movement to build a village near the place where we had formerly located, but not subject to floods, into which the Christians and their families would move, separating the Christian community and providing a school for their children. About one hundred and fifty people came to the village, and a simple church was built and a school begun. Quite a number of these people were with us in the original enterprise, and they and their friends had had some Christian instruction. Mr. Schilling preached earnestly to the village, and baptized about thirty people in a few months’ time. So we came to have a visible Christian community in the wake of our colony scheme, and that within two years of our first beginning. If, as we are accustomed to say, we failed in the colony, still but for the colony we would not have been in that region at all. If we had not founded the colony, we would not have had a village. We are encouraged this much, that though we failed in our unusual departure in this region for reasons stated, we had more to show at the end of the two years from the failure than the most successful enterprise on the conventional mission lines that I know of in Burma has had during an equal length of time at the beginning of their history. If we count the money invested, the same comparison holds good.

The village still exists, and though it has suffered many vicissitudes, due in part to the nature of pioneer mission work, and partly to lack of continuous missionary direction, yet we have contact with the entire community of that region, and within the last year and a half our missionary in charge has baptized a number of converts in the village and community.

Before a year from the time he took up his residence in Thongwa, Mr. Robertson’s health failed seriously, and he had to give up his labors and go to the hills of India. This was in 1896. At first we thought he would soon be with us again; but this was not to be. He has been kept in India by the exigencies of his health at first, and latterly by the exigencies of the work. The Thongwa circuit has been supplied as best we could do it to this day, and has never had continuous missionary residence or supervision such as is needed. It has had only such attention as could be given it by men whose hands were more than full elsewhere.

During 1896 two young men were sent out by individuals who wished to do a generous thing for missions through a representative. Mr. Krull arrived in April, and Mr. Swann came in October. Much was hoped from this arrangement. The young men were religious, and faithful in their efforts. A mistake had been made in both cases, in that neither man was educated sufficiently to enable him to master a foreign tongue, or to meet the responsibility of leadership. After a few months the supporter of Mr. Swann declined to pay the small salary he had agreed upon, and the young man had to retire from the field, as he was not sent out by the Mission Board. Mr. Krull continued as an auxiliary mission agent for nearly five years, for which he contracted, and his friend loyally supported him to the end. Then, he being convinced that he was not adapted to do the work of a missionary, returned and began secular work. However, he still has responsibilities as a local preacher.

These young men were not qualified for the work for which they were chosen. In this they were not to blame, as they could not have understood the needs of a mission field. They were not selected by a Mission Board. But the whole experience is added to like experience elsewhere in proof that the best way to aid missions is through regular channels, or through men whose judgment has been proven in responsible positions.

Mr. Schilling’s health was impaired during 1897, and early in 1898 he and his family returned to America. So within two years we lost two missionary families from our ranks, greatly to the distress of those that remained, and the detriment of the entire work. Our promising beginnings among the Burmese suffered most.

For a year we awaited re-enforcements. Early in 1899, Rev. Mr. Leonard and wife were sent to us from India. Mr. Leonard at once moved into the mission-house at Pegu. Without delay he began the study of the Burmese language, and as he had high linguistic ability, he acquired a working use of the language. Before the end of the year he was preaching without an interpreter, and was doing some necessary translation.

One of the first steps towards putting the Burmese work on a better foundation was the beginning of a school for the boys of our Burmese Christians. For years I had hoped to see this done. Pegu had been chosen for the residence of a missionary partly with this end in view, as it is accessible, is free from some of the evils of a great city like Rangoon, and simple habits of life can be maintained more easily. The last is most important. Expensive habits are so easily learned and so difficult to unlearn, that we can not be too careful about the training of the children of our Christian community.

This school was begun with about six boys, and soon grew to an attendance of twenty. Some of these paid full school fees. Their instruction was the best. They were given regular lessons in secular subjects and daily Bible instruction. Much of the latter was committed to memory. It would surprise some of our Sunday-schools and some of our Christian people to find how carefully the Bible is taught in mission schools. Mr. Leonard did most thorough work in this matter, and we hope in this school to prepare for future service promising boys. Those who know what it means to work with the only material available in the beginning of a mission can appreciate our solicitude for enough properly-trained workers. These preachers and teachers so much needed must come from our own schools.

Mr. Leonard has been very successful in getting access to the Burmese. He baptized more than one hundred converts from Buddhism during 1900. This shows how accessible the Burmese people are. If it were true that the Burmese have been exceptionally hard to reach hitherto, it is not so now. We have access to all classes of them, and we are positive of winning them to Christ and of founding our Church among them just as rapidly as we can be re-enforced to do this work. Mr. Leonard has twice the territory to look after that one missionary should have.