First: I hope your existence is safe and you have no bodily ailment. Second: If you wish to inquire my health, I thank God, I and my mother and my sister are very well, and we are thanking to our Lord and Saviour in return for His gifts. My words will not be finished if I want to count the gifts of our God. It is only sufficient to write that He gave His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and saved us from death.
If you wish to acquire of circumstances of gentlemen and ladies, the missionaries, thank be God, all they are safe and busy to cause to reach the good news to the multitudes.
Their families and ladies are safe. Our school and the teacher, Baroon Wahan, and the scholars are safe; every day is Baroon Wahan busy to teach them. They learn the means of holy books.
I, ownself also, every day in the mornings am busy to give lessons in Turkish to my dear Sir Mr. Whipple, agent of the American Bible Society. Other times I am in telegraph office. There I write the subjects; there I am busy till night and night we finish. These days I give lessons in English to the son of chief of telegraph, and both the son of Aga Mirza Abdul Ali, the doctor. I am sorry I have no dictionary from Persian to English. When I want to translate a book from Turkish to English it is not possible. I remain unable and become unequal. If I have this dictionary I hope I will spread English abroad. You are my benefactor; you are my kind and merciful friend.
If you have not any more Dictionary and you have one only and it is necessary for yourself also, you cannot send (it) for me. You promise to me that you write to Constantinople or America. They send for me. You calculate it present, given at Festival time to me. I hope you desperate not me, but you will help me.... I am expecting for answer. I hope you will send me that book and you will make me glad and happy. If you have order, write me. I will execute and perform it. I will obey to all your commands. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen! And God may increase your love for Jesus, His beloved Son. Amen! If you find and see some mistake shut your eyes from my faults. Excuse me, sir. It is the first letter I wrote in English.
Mirza Ali,
The teacher of Mr. Whipple.
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THE QUER STOREY.
WEN the Pansy Socity begun, thar was a boy, whos name musent be given. His mother tride to purswade him to plege his-self aganst useing sigars. He had became a grate smoker. The supertenent of the sundy schol of wich this boy was a nenber tride two. But he dident want a bage or too have his apetite controled. He became verry bad, folowing anny and evry boddy abowt too git a sigar. This brout him into the salloons, whar he lernt two drink lagger bier and sware and tel storys.
If all the sigars, wich he has smoked sence that was lain end too end, thay wood reech neerly one fifth of a mile!