MAKING MERIT IN BURMA by Mrs. Hascall

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · May 20, 1897

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 23, No. 20.

MAKING MERIT IN BURMA

By Mrs. Hascall

BY MRS. HASCALL.

I WAS led by a friend to the house of an aged disciple, and, climbing the notched pole, we found Mah Yu seated on a smoky plank, with not even a mat to relieve the roughness. As she was nearly blind, she could not distinguish our faces, but her face revealed to us the light that was in her soul, and she commenced at once to tell her story:—

"I wanted peace in my heart; my soul was not satisfied. I worked hard and earned money, carried gifts to the priests, and made offerings to the idols, but there was no peace. I traveled miles on foot, that I might worship at the large pagodas. I bought idols, I gave feasts, I did everything I could think of, but I had no peace. At last I said, 'If I can but dig a well that will always give water to the passers-by, surely that will bring me merit, and I shall have peace.'"

"So with these hands"—and she showed them to us, crippled, shapeless, useless hands—"with these I dug yonder well. It was the work of months, but I did it alone. When it was too deep for me to get down, I climbed by my notched stick, nor did I stop digging till water came to my feet—yes, to my knees—and I stayed till I knew I had dug deep enough so that my well should never be dry. Then I stopped, but there was no more peace than before. I saw the weary traveler, the procession of priests on their morning begging tours, my neighbors, my children, the old and the young, my people, and the foreigner, all come to drink at my well. They pronounced the water good, but still my heart was not satisfied. People praised me and said, 'You have gained great merit by this deed,' but it did not comfort me.

"Then at last came the Jesus Christ teacher; he told me how to find peace. By faith I saw the Son of God in his love; I gave my heart to him, and now I have great peace, and I am going to him, erelong."

"But, auntie," we said, "do you not want to live and tell others what you have found?"

"No," she said; "you see how helpless I am, poor too. My own children, eight in number, and all rich, tho they live near by, do not come or even speak to me since I was baptized. They will not feed me, and I am cared for by the Christians, who daily bring me food and water. I have all I need, but"—and then she sang, 'My heavenly home is bright and fair,'

and, 'My faith looks up to thee,' sung not as we sing, for there was no music in those weird sounds, and you would not have recognized the sweet hymns we sing; but it was to her sweeter far than anything she had ever heard in the Buddhist religion, and her face, lighting up so beautifully as she sang line after line, showed that she understood and believed every word.

We left her there, and as we walked slowly away, we thanked our Master for the command, "Go ye into all the world."—Women of Burma.