90 "TEACHING READING WITHOUT BOOKS." He remarked to his sable charge that | own conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity he was seeking the glory of his Divine Master, and the welfare of his fellow-men. he had been calculating that in the course of twelve months all might be able to read; and as soon as they could do this, he promised that each who could read should have a copy. The negroes asked how this was to be done. The Rector replied, that if each of those who could read would undertake to teach five others who could not, he felt confident that in about a year's time all might be able to read the sacred volume. That evening thirty of the negroes came forward to offer their services as gratuitous teachers of their countrymen. 66 Some months afterwards, the same clergyman, meeting one of these men leaving his home at a late hour in the evening, asked him where he was going? The man replied to such a place, naming a village at some distance. Why, that place is seven miles off," said the Rector; "what are you going there for at this time of the evening?" The negro, with a smile replied, "Massa knows! massa knows! me go to teach me five;—but me has thirty there." Thus was this benevolent man going to take this long walk at so late an hour, with the sole object in view of instructing his countrymen; having no prospect of reward, except that resulting from the testimony of his At the period of which we speak, the negroes were much at a loss for school-books; spelling-books could not be obtained in sufficient quantities either for love or money. Their ingenuity invented a substitute. They contrived to teach reading without books. Do you ask how? They assembled their scholars in the graveyards, and by means of the inscriptions on the tombstones they taught them their letters, and eventually to spell and read; thus proving the truth of the old proverb, "where there is a will, there is a way." Perhaps some of our readers are anxious to do what they can for their ignorant neighbours, but they know not how to set about it. Let them then learn a lesson from the poor negroes of Jamaica. "Go and teach the ignorant.” Some around you very probably cannot read, and deeply regret their inability. Could you not teach one, two, or more? Others are "perishing for lack of knowledge." Could you not instruct some aged and infirm person, whose ready ear could always be obtained? Very little learning is necessary for such instruction. If you have only the common rudiments of knowledge, and A VISIT TO A KAREN HEATHEN VILLAGE. 91 a heart influenced by the Saviour'sly your labour shall not be in vain. love, leading you to love your neigh- He who notices the cup of cold water bour as yourself, you will be an given to a disciple in the name of efficient teacher. Go, then, and Christ, will notice, and approve your endeavour to teach a neighbour what feeble efforts.-Juv. Instructor. you know of Divine things. Assured A VISIT TO A KAREN HEATHEN VILLAGE. “WHILE I was paying some Burman | village, but they came back telling “This native, said he, was the head man of his village, and that he would give us a hearty welcome, if we came. On the following morning the cart and oxen were brought, and, after making a seat of our mattresses, I started with Mrs Vinton. The road, if road it could be called, passed through broad rice-fields, sown amid the remains of beautiful forests of teak, and after a jolting of five miles we saw before us a number of dwellings. "Some of the men went before us, and looked for the main street of the us they had found no street. We drove on in a zig-zag way, sometimes before a house, sometimes behind it, and found ourselves in the centre of the hamlet. The women and girls threw down their rice-pounders, and the men gazed at us as though they had never seen a white face before. The houses were hovels, raised ten or twelve feet from the ground, on long poles; before them were notched posts by which to ascend. Underneath, revelled in all the bliss of mud, groups of fattened pigs and quacking ducks; and under the same shadow sat also the daughters and wives of the Karens, weaving cotton in their looms, which material they procure in exchange for rice at the Burman towns. They are large ricegrowers. Tied to some of the posts, by a long rope, were one or two buffaloes. The noise of our coming had met the ears of those who lived at the further end of the hamlet. The women flocked around us, desir 92 A VISIT TO A KAREN HEATHEN VILLAGE. ous to see our feet and arms, that they might be sure that our white faces were not painted. Soon a man came to meet us; he led us to alight before a ricketty house, where he said, 'an old woman would take care of us.' "We climbed up the notched posts, and, looking about us, found a portion of the house where we ventured to make a seat with our mattress. The house contained but one room, which served the family for every purpose, and also afforded roosting places for the fowls and ducks. Soon the Karen man came, and we asked for our friend, Mr Thah Loo, who had invited us to this village. He looked at us, and then said with great astonishment,' Why, don't you know me? I am Thah Loo.' He was dressed in a coarse, filthy cotton garment; and being without a turban on his head, and his eyes quite bloodshot, we had not recognized him. We had before noticed that he staggered about the room, but had attributed it only to the ricketty floor; now the fumes of strong drink, which they call'death-water,' and his rude laugh, told the sad tale too plainly. He admitted that he had been drinking; and, throwing himself down at our feet, he told us, with a silly laugh, that he was one of our disciples, and that he had converted half of the people to our faith since he saw us at the Burman town. "Soon many of Thah Loo's friends came in, and finding our words to these half-drunken men would be like pearls cast before swine, we turned our attention to others. An old woman approached, and when we found she was the mother of Thah Loo, who had pleased us so much when we first met him in a sober state, and also that she could talk and understand Burmese better than the Karen females usually do, we talked and read to her. Our reading was interrupted by a Karen song in one corner of the house. We had tried to turn our backs upon the scene, until the old woman herself interrupted us by pointing to her son, who was standing upon his head, and pretending to preach to some of his boisterous companions. As "We tried to sympathize with the mother, but she could not understand our sympathy, and seemed highly delighted at her clever son.' the house did not belong to Thah Loo, we requested him to leave it; he consented, and joined the company outside, who were chasing a pig round and round the building. They beat it with clubs, and its squeals ended in its being killed, by thrusting sharp sticks down its throat. An old man in the village was ill, and fancying A VISIT TO A KAREN HEATHEN VILLAGE. that he was possessed by evil spirits, they were now trying to propitiate their favour by the offering of this pig. The Karens believe in evil spirits, and say that their bodies are governed by many spirits, which are constantly wandering about the invisible regions. A sorcerer, or WEE, as they call him, had been called, who pretended to know the thoughts and wishes of these spirits. He marked a circle with chalk on the ground, and then made mysterious movements with a solemn air, his eyes rolling wildly, and his body trembling with agitation and excitement. After many forms and incantations, he uttered some unintelligible sounds, and then told the friends that one of the sick man's wandering spirits had met the spirit of a deceased friend; that this spirit had begged for food, and therefore they must offer a pig. Every relative, far and near, had been summoned, and they were expected to come or pay a fine. A large jar of toddy was brought, and while the pig was being cooked, Thah Loo and many others passed their time in drinking, and singing impromptu songs, which are the pride and delight of these musical people. I saw some women drink from the jar, and the face of Thah Loo's old mother among them. The whole place seemed given up to Satan. We 93 made one more effort to get the confidence of some boys who came about us. They knew a few of the Burman letters, and having a Karen hymn-book with us, we tried to teach them the Karen letters. "We asked for some water, but they had none in the house, and said they had no wells or tanks near; some Karen girls then took pity upon us, and placing their jars upon their heads, went to fetch water. After half-an-hour, for the distance was great, we were gladdened by their return. We were very thirsty, and we thought we could have drunk almost anything; but the water was so muddy and filthy that we turned from it. One of the little boys then took off his turban and strained the water through it; after which, they brought it in again to us in the shell of a cocoa-nut which they had borrowed from a neighbour, for the house in which we sat possessed no dish. One little boy assured us that the water was not very dirty, and held up his head-dress as a proof. told him that this was no proof, for his head-dress was so filthynothing could colour it. We inquired about the tank, and they told us it was the custom of the people to go there with their jars, that they first bathed in the tank, and then filled their jars with the water. We |