Among the Karens, Burma
By Mary Gibbs
WHILE my news is not of actual advancement in the line that I should like to report, yet the preparatory work has to be done, and often proves a tedious trial, when we want to get to the actual field work. It is with a thankful heart that I announce that the second year's examination in Sgau Karen holds no terrors for me, as my certificate reads that I passed with credit, my grade being ninety-one. Of course the real test is in being able to communicate with the people, and opportunities for conversation have been very rare; but the last four days it seems to me I have talked nearly as much Karen as English, and I am happily surprised at the ease with which I both understand and am able to make myself understood. Nearly every night I talk Karen in my dreams. Not long ago we took a journey thirty miles from the railway, and went with bullock-carts. The beasts were so slow that it took us two days and until two o'clock the second night to reach our destination. The roads were excellent. What must it have been in Judson's time, when the roads were only the jungle trails? The rainy season is just beginning, so it will be impracticable to do any work in the jungles until November. Brother and Sister Hamilton have the same language teacher that I had, and are studying for the first year's examination. Although Karen is considered much easier than Burmese, it is not easy to acquire. My part in the actual work of proclaiming the gospel has been small, but I am hoping for a new era since I shall not now have to spend so much time in study.