THE BURMANS OF TAVOY by Rev. H. Morrow

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jul 2, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 34.

THE BURMANS OF TAVOY.

By Rev. H. Morrow

BY REV. H. MORROW.

As THERE is no one in Tavoy laboring particularly for the Burmese, you hear little or nothing from them. And yet there are here a few Burmese disciples whose lives testify to the truth of the gospel. There has never been a missionary to the Tavoy Burmans for any length of time at once. In absence of such the Karen missionary has always had charge of the work and done what he could.

Rev. E. O. Stevens, of Maulmein, has visited us several times the past few years, and such visits have greatly strengthened and helped the church. Last Sabbath morning he baptized two promising young men. The baptism took place at the little lake in the rear of our Karen Compound, the place where the first Karen convert was baptized sixty-five years ago, May 16, 1828. To this Mr. Stevens referred in his talk, and stated that there were now in Burma thirty thousand Karen Christians. I counted more than two hundred heathen Burmans present. All behaved with the utmost respect. We were glad of this, for it indicates that they have come to look upon Christianity as deserving of a hearing at least.

Mr. Stevens' methods of work are, so far as we know, quite unique, but effective. Most of the Burmese, of Tavoy, at least, are working people who get home to their houses about dark. They then have dinner, after which they like to meet in companies and talk and discuss, something after the fashion of men in a country store or post office at home. These little gatherings afford good opportunities for preaching the gospel. Many families, heathen and Christian alike, have invited Mr. Stevens to come to their houses in the evening and talk to their friends, and he very gladly accepts such invitations. Let me describe such a meeting, one I attended with him. It was at the house of one called fairly well to do for a Burman. Chairs were furnished for us, and mats for the natives, about twenty-five, men and women. Mr. Stevens stood up and gave a rather formal talk for a little time. Then he sat down on a mat with the Burmese, and was ready for questions. In the meantime tea and cake were passed

to us (cake from the baker's) and tea and bread to all others. Small pillows, cases perfectly white and clean, were passed to the natives to recline on. Chairs and a small table they thought good enough for us. I mention this as I never saw it before, but now find such are used by those who have nice things about them, like pillow shams, etc., at home.

Such questions were asked as, "Why did a Holy God allow sin in the world?" "Why does a loving God allow some to be lame, some blind, some very poor?" etc., and by the less intellectual portion, "Where did Cain get his wife?" At this meeting some spoke English, and I could talk to them, while Mr. Stevens talked to those who understood only Burmese. Of course we both told them that they knew the terrible fact that sin is in the world, and Christianity alone shows how we can be saved from its power here and its consequences hereafter.

Mr. Stevens stood among a little cluster of elderly women, and urged them to come to Christ, and they seemed to drink in his words. Having been born in Burma, he speaks the language "better than a Burman," as one told me. We stayed till after nine o'clock, and then left the native preachers and Christians to carry on the talk, which they did till midnight.

It may not be known by some that the Burmese are perfectly accessible. So far as I know, there is not a house in this town of fifteen thousand people where a missionary would not be welcome. More than that, they would feel they were greatly honored by having him come to their houses. I do not say they would accept his message, but they would give him a chair, if one was in the house, and if not, would run to borrow one, and he could talk as long as he wished. Of course a man can talk to the women as well as to others. The old objection of women, "Go talk to my husband, I am a woman and have no soul," is now seldom heard. Still every woman says her little prayer at night, that she may become a man in the next state of existence, and so have a chance of going to Nigban. And yet intellectual men are giving up the thought of ever getting to Nigban, or annihilation. Said one to me as we came up from the baptism, "The books say there is the same chance to get to Nigban as there is for one needle taken up thousands of miles into the air, to fall and touch the point of another needle placed with the eye in the ground and the point upwards." Of course that means impossible.

Let me say that in all this field there are one hundred and twenty thousand Burmans, and among them but eighteen believers. Will those who may read this poor letter join with us in prayer that some earnest man be sent to Tavoy to work for this multitude? The harvest is surely plenteous.—Helping Hand (Baptist).