Among the Last Letters Written by Elder J. C. Little to His Wife
[Elder J. C. Little died suddenly while touring East Bengal, India, in a boat, visiting among the believers. His wife is now in the home land, but these letters will be of interest to all.—Ed.] CHARKULLI, July 30, 1910. This letter was begun last night, while the people gathered for meeting. The meeting did not begin till nine o’clock, and closed about twelve or later. It was very interesting. About half of those present were Hindus. Brethren Podar and Sircar both gave good talks. Brother Watson began with a talk on Daniel 2, and then threw the meeting open for Hindus and Christians to express themselves. It revealed quite an interest on the part of the Hindus, who did not seem at all prejudiced. We had three meetings yesterday. CHARKULLI, July 31, 1910. We have had a good time to-day. A family of Hindus invited us to come and see them. After we came, they made a dinner for us, and asked many questions about the Bible and our faith. They are certainly very favorable to our work. The pastor of the Church of England here, a Bengali man, believes the truth, and brought a man from his congregation to see us this evening. A woman invited us to her home. We went, and found her husband, also several other people, with this minister, waiting for us. After opening the church prayer-book where it quotes the fourth commandment, and the people are expected to respond, “O Lord, incline our hearts to keep this commandment,” they asked many questions about how to keep the Sabbath. A great many things might happen in this old world, and we know nothing about it for days, as we get no news of the outside world. To-morrow we are going to Dighulia, where Brethren Gyan and Halder live. We stopped all day with our people in Dighulia, and celebrated the ordinances with them Tuesday morning, and then came on straight to Dhamshar, where we arrived this morning. Here is where they put up the little building for a school and meeting-place with the money we gave them out of that sixty rupees. You remember we gave them thirty-five rupees. They have up a nice little building and it is serving their purpose well. I am going to write Miss Camp when we get to Barisal about how the money has been used thus far,—thirty-five rupees for this house; five rupees for that poor sick brother (he is now dead); and now they are needing a little boat to take around to gather up the children for the school, and that will take another five rupees. Then there will be fifteen rupees left of what Brother Gyan got from us to be used as seems best in the work. I think that sixty rupees is doing well in the work. Twenty-five rupees of it helped Brother Gyan over a hard place, and now is coming back to be used again where there seems to be a need. I will tell her what each part has been used for, and it will encourage her to know that the money she sent has been well used, and maybe she will feel like sending more. We had planned to meet with the brethren here, celebrate the ordinances, and dedicate the little building they have erected; but Brother Simon Halder did not get word of our coming, and is away at Barisal, so we are going on there to-day. We shall get there some time to-night, and will stay there to-morrow, and then return here Friday, so as to dedicate the house and celebrate the ordinances on the Sabbath.