Day Missions LibraIJ ti~~~~~~ . ~ The ~port ., . ~ }affna ~ ~ ~. ~ ~eylon ~ ~~"\\( 1908 f f \C\ 0 't ".".". , cIlm.e1'ica.1J. Ceylon Mission Press ~ Tel[{palai, Kankesanturai. ~. 1909 fC·~~~~~l)) Day.lons library Ninety-third c:Annual 'l(eport of the Ceylon Mission of the cAmerican 'Board 1908 tp,.epa,ed ~ 8'lbs. G. G. Bt'O~n tl'tl'~ Tellippalai American Ceylon Mission Press 1909 Contents The fMissionaties 2 The Stations and Cliu1'Cnes Vaddakoddai Station 4 Manepay Station 8 Teltippalai Station 14- Udaplddi Station 19 Medical Work Green Memorial Hospital 23 McLeod Hospital for Women 3.nd Children 27 Mission Press 31 Educational Work Jaffna College 32 erhe Training School 34 UdrllJil Girls' C}3oaraing School 35 Uclaplddi Girls' Boarding School 38 Enelish Schools 40 Vernaatlar Schools 40 Va.rious OrganUlations The Council 43 Natf.r:oe Ef:()angelical Society 43 The Foreign Missionary Society 45 Women's Foreign Missionary Society 45 Y. M. C. A. 46 Christian Enaeaf:()our Local Union 48 Colporlage and Biblewomen Superintendent's Report 49 c:Biblet:QJDmen's Conference 59 The Bihl~omtn 52 In Memoriam 55 Statistical Tables 57 In trodudory The work of the American Ceylon Mission is entirely contained within the country districts of the peninsula of J affna and the adjacent islands. All mission work done on the main island of Cey­ lon and in the town of J affna (pqp. 45,659) is in the care of missionaries from England. English mis- 6ions also occupy n. minor part of the country dis­ tricts of J affna. The American Mission, founded in 1816, has now twenty churches with a membel'ship of 2,025. De­ fining "adherents" as baptized adults and children not members of the church, probatIoners and sincere enquirers, the number of adherents is 1,128. V\T e have a strong medical work with two hospitals and three dispensaries, 130 schools of all grades, 10,931 pupils in the schools, 341 teachers, and received in 1908 from Government Grants-in-aid to the amount of Rs. 39,654.75. The reports for 1906 and 1907 were not published. Owing to the great pressure of work and the few­ ness of the workers, the task of editing and pub­ lishing the report could not be laid upon any of the workers already overburdened. The two years were a time of strenuous labor and in some respects of special trial, but on the whole, of much blessing and marked progress. 'The Missionary Staff Rev. Giles Gorton Brown, B. A., B. D., returned from furlough the first of June and entered upon his new wo~k as Principal of Jaffna College, together with the missionary charge of Vaddukoddai station. Mrs. Clara P. Brown, M. A.., returned the last of Sep­ tern ber and took up teaching in the college and personal charge of the boarding department. Dr. Isabel H.Curr, L. R. C. P & s. Ed., has charge of McLeod Hospital and Dispensary for women and children at Inuvil. Rev. J. H. Dickson, B. A., B. sc., Treasurer of the Mission for the past two years, in addition to Tellip­ palai station, the l\{ission Press and the Training and Industrial schools, had charge also of' the station work of U dupiddi, up to August, 1908, and of Chl-l va­ kachcheri to the' end of the year. Mrs. Frances H. Dickson had charge of the U du­ piddi Girls' Boarding School for two months, May and June, afterwards taught ill the English school at Tellippalai, and always had charge of the Bible women of that station. Mr. Louis B. Fritts, M. A., completed his third year of teaching in J affna College. He has been Superin­ tendent of Colportage of the British and Foreign Bi­ ble Society for the American Ceylon Mission. Mrs. Mary G. Fritts taught Bible classes. Miss Julia Green is Associate Principal of Udu­ vil Girls' Boarding School, with special charge of the English department. Mr. W. E. Hitchcock, M. A., for many years a pro­ fessor in J affna College, and for the past four years Acting Principal, at the request of the Mission was a ppoin ted a regular _missionary of the American Board. In the great scarcity of workers he was temporarily transferred to Udupiddi in August. 3 Mrs. Hattie A. Hitchcock since the middle of the year has had charge of the Udupiddi Girls' Boarding School, and the Biblewomen of both Udupiddi and Chavakachcheri. Miss Susan R. Howland, Chairman of the Mission, is Principal of the Uduvil Girls' Boarding School, and has charge of the Biblewomen of U duvil and Alaveddi. Miss Helen I. Root, B. A., is on furlough at her home in Bort Byron, New York. Rev. Thos. B. Scott, M. D., Secretary of the Mission, has charge of Green Memorial Hospital and Dispen­ sal'y and of Manepay station. Mrs. Mary E. M. Scott, M. D., assists in the Medical work and has charge of the Biblewomen of the station. Miss Zillah Scott-Patten, Nursing Superintendent, assists Dr. Curr in McLeod Hospital, and has charge of the Training Class for Nurses. Mr. Harry C. York, Ph. D., and Mrs. York arrivpd from America in August and entered upon the work of teaching in J affna College. The Stations and Churches VadduR.oddai Station Missionary in charge~ January to July, Mr. W. E. Hitchcock; July to December, Rev. Giles G. Brown. Missionaries resident in Vaddukoddai~ Mr. W. E. and 1\lrs. Hitchcock, the first half of the year, Rev. Giles G. and Mrs. Brown the latter part of the year; MI'. Louis B. and 1\11'8. Fritts, teaching in Jaffna College; Dr. H. C. and 1\1rs. York, after August, teaching in .J affna College. Stafistics:- The village of Vaddukoddai is seven miles northwest from the town of Jaffna. This mis­ sion station includes fonr large islands west of J affna peninsula, on two of which there are churches. The whole station includes six churches with a total member­ ship of 393, of whom five were added by profession this year. There are 34 vernacular schools with 2,670 pupils, two English High Schools with 272 boys, and J affna College with 96 students. The total number of teach­ en:; is 101. The grant from Government was Rs. 12,378.50, tuition fees collected Rs. 4,915.74, Mission grant Rs. 219.50. There are five Biblewomen em­ ployed. The total income of the churches for the year was Es. 4,410.RO, from foreign sources Rs. 224, from native sources Rs. 4,186.80. The pastors' salaries amounted to Rs. 2,954.50. Benevolences, for home missions Rs. 157.72, foreign missions Rs. 28.34, church repairs and other objects Rs. 1,243.72. Mr .. Br(Y{1)n~ s Report:-The difficulty of malJ.aging a large station like this and at the same time carrying on the work of Principal of J affna College need not be dwelt upon. The combination of duties simply makts it impossible to give to the station work the attention which it needs. Yet under the ·leadership of the pastors in charge, the work of the various churches has gone along in a quiet and yet an ag­ gressive way which is truly encouraging. These men are developing superior power III the art of leadership, and on the part of the people there is a growing sense of responsibility and a desire to put into life the highest and best ideals. In our monthly meeting with pastors and catechists we are using recent books of such auth­ ors as Olarke, Jefferson and King for study, a definite portion being prepared during the month by one of the pastors and a resume of the reading given in Ta mil to the rest at the meeting. Interesting alid profitable discussions follow, stimulating to us all. Vaddukoddai Church, Pastor Rev. W m. Joseph, Pastor emeTitu8 Rev. Benj. H. Rice, membership 119. In this church a feeling of harmony and cordiality prevails, and in some r~spects the year's report is encouraging. Two Junior Endeavor ,Societies are kept up, one in the village among Ohristian child­ ren and another about a mile away among the child­ ren of a Si vite village. Two Ohristian mothers are the leaders and they take a hearty interest in the matter. The Sunday School is largely made up of the boys of J affna Oollege and there is a tendency to neglect the children of the village because the school is fairly full without them. The Senior C. E. Society is composed of 14 members, and constitutes the women's prayer meeting. They hold consecra­ tion meetings, missionary meetings and sewing meet­ ings from time to time. 'fhe Helping Hand Society is made up of the poor illiterate women of the village who meet every . Saturday morning for an hour to study the Bible under Rev. B. H. Rice, the retired pastor. About forty of these learn by heart a few Bible verses each weok. An inquirers' class of young men has been 6 held Sunday morning after service led by the pastor. The school work of the station has been interrupted by a violent outbreak of opposition from the Hindus on account of caste prejudice. They started an oppo­ sition school and nearly broke up the mission girls' day school. But the tide has turned and our school is now recovering. Araly Church, Preacher :Mr. J. VathacuttJ, mem­ bership 76. This church has closed its second year of separate existence, and at present seems to justify the act of the Oouncil in 1907 ghring it separate organ­ ization, although it is only a mile from Vaddukod­ dai church.