THIS will be the last time we shall be able to lay before you the case of the poor lepers of India, and now also of Japan, so earnestly taken up by Mr. and Mrs. Bailey, 17, Greenhill Place, Edinburgh. We have been enabled by your kindness to send annually various sums of money on behalf of these poor sufferers; and now we ask you to kindly forward your contributions to Mrs. Bailey direct.
The sufferings of these terribly afflicted people cannot be expressed; but the joy which so many of them have in Christ the Savior is deep indeed.
Thus from CALCUTTA we have the story of Bella David:—
Mr. Bailey visited Bella David on several occasions, and always delighted her heart by speaking with her in her own beloved Hindustani. He last saw her in January, 1896, when he found her in a dreadful condition physically. He says of that visit: " Bella is now in a fearful condition—blind, her voice quite gone (she speaks only in a husky whisper), and her throat very much affected —at times she almost suffocates.... When I was pointing out some texts to Bella, she said to me, 'You gave me a text when you were last here [five years ago], which I remember quite well.' I said, 'What was it? ‘She replied, ' As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.'”
Mr. Stark, of the C.M.S., in writing of her death, says: " Both my wife and I had seen her the day before. As usual in the cold season she was suffering from bronchitis, and was scarcely able to speak; her voice was a mere hiss. She could not lie down, but was propped up with pillows. Her dear and faithful friend, Mrs. Nelson (herself a leper), attended her most devotedly. They sent for us at dawn, and we went at once, but her spirit had left for the presence of the Lord.
All the women, and several of the men, followed her remains to the cemetery. We buried her in the Mission burial-ground. She was much loved. Her bright and patient life, in the midst of excessive bodily pain, was evidence of her faith and joy in the Lord.”
Again, from the AMBALA Home, the gracious testimony of Bahadur reaches us:—
Bahadur was one of the little flock of Christian lepers whom Mr. Bailey had under his care at Ambala.
“In Bahadur we have all lost an affectionate friend, a zealous helper, and the brightest ornament of the little church here. It will be very hard, if not impossible, to find anyone to fill the place which he occupied. He was trusted and beloved by all classes alike, and it was a grand testimony to him that both Hindus and Moslems used frequently to call on him to arbitrate in matters of dispute which arose amongst themselves. His funeral was attended by not a few non-Christians, and it was very touching to see them offer marks of respect to the deceased, while it was most encouraging to hear one after another bear testimony to his godly life.
“Only four days before his death, he, with a dozen or so of his fellow Christians, was helping me as usual in my weekly efforts to influence the non-Christian inmates of the asylum, and I shall not soon forget the faithful testimony which he then bore to the saving power of Jesus. His soul seemed to burn within him with a holy jealousy for his Lord and Master.”
Once an English traveler, in addressing the Christian lepers, said that it was probably a mystery to them why they were afflicted above other men; he counseled them not to lose heart, but to trust in the all-merciful and wise Father, and to believe that in the light of God's presence they would know the "why and wherefore" of His dealings with them now. To this Bahadur replied that for himself the mystery was already solved by the "joy of the Lord" which filled his soul. "Before I became a leper," said he, "I was utterly godless; but my affliction drove me to an asylum where I heard of Christ, and by grace I was led to accept Him, and He has given me something infinitely more precious than mere bodily health and strength." It was he, too, who, in reply to an inquiry if the sufferers were looking for the return of Jesus, said, "Yes, and He may come today.”
Our readers will like to hear a word or two respecting the PURULIA Home, to which their gifts were first of all sent. It prospers and bears fruit:—
“On last Sunday I saw that our chapel is too small. It is 25 feet broad and 52 feet long, but it was filled from one end to the other. I believe if you had been present you would really have enjoyed the service, seeing the lepers listening to the Gospel; no eyes were going hither or thither. I had the subject of the prodigal son, a story mostly unknown to them: they bowed down their faces as if they would say, ‘I am the one.'”
“A number of the new corners, when they see what there is going on in the asylum, at first refuse to heat the Gospel, and refuse to come to church. By and bye they come nearer, and sit outside; then they do a step further, and come close to the door; next they sit at the door; then they do the last step, and enter in and begin to listen to the Gospel.”
The work in Japan is just opening up. From TOKIO we hear as follows:—
Miss Youngman, in one of her bright, interesting letters, speaks of the enlargement of the buildings. "The frame is up, and the building will be ready in about three weeks. No sooner did we begin to enlarge than applications began to come in from all quarters. All the cases are so sad and so worthy that we cannot find it in our hearts to say no, yet we are now spending more than we are receiving.... We cannot look for much increase in our Japanese contributions, so what are we going to do if you do not send us more money?
“If we enter these new applicants we shall need £200 a year instead of £100. Will not the Lord give it to us now that He has sent these poor afflicted ones to us? Four of them are already Christians.”
We earnestly hope that all who have hitherto contributed to these leper homes through the pages of FAITHFUL WORDS will henceforth do so direct. To the children of the Sunday-schools, both in America, Canada, and England—whose gifts it has ever been so great a pleasure for us to transmit to Mrs. Bailey—we give our affectionate greetings and farewell. May each of you know for himself and herself that Jesus has indeed given you perfect healing from the leprosy of sin and perfect fitness for His holy presence!