_July 4th, 1903._[1]--[2]
Whatever the future may have in store for us, I pray that we may always
remain confident and gay and full of faith.
I have said so often to others, "do not despair, do not curse your
cross, weary one. Through suffering comes power." Now it is my fate to
apply what I have been preaching.
But I will not think any more of strife or suffering, of care and of
anxiety. It makes my head so tired, and my heart so sick. I will smell
the perfume of flowers and bathe in the sunshine; they are always here
to comfort us.
* * * * *
Moeske, we have begun our work. We thank your husband for his advice to
begin at once, just as we were. We had not dared to hope that it would
begin so easily.
We started with one pupil, quickly the number jumped to five, and
tomorrow morning eight will come to the kaboepaten, and soon there will
be ten. We are so pleased when we look at our little children. They are
such a fresh unspoiled little band; they always come exquisitely neat,
and they get along so amiably together. They learned to trust us
quickly; while they pay all due respect to form, they are still as free
and unrestrained before us as though there were no such thing as rank or
difference of degree.
The day before yesterday the djaksa of Karimoen Djawa[3] brought a
daughter to me. Picture it Moeske, they send their daughters away from
home, and let them eat with us here in a strange place.
Yesterday, a young mother came to me in great distress; she said that
she lived too far away, if it were not so, she would be so glad to come
and study with us herself. As that cannot be, she wants to provide for
her little daughter, the education which she has not had the opportunity
to gain. Her child is not yet a year old; as soon as she is six years
old, her mother will send her to us, wherever we may be.
The children come here four days in the week, from eight to half past
twelve. They study, writing, reading, handiwork and cooking. We teachers
do not give lessons in art unless the pupils show a special aptitude for
it.
Our school must not have the air of a school, or we that of
school-mistresses. It must be like a great household of which we are the
mothers. We will try and teach them love as we understand it, by word
and deed.
In our own youth, we were guided by that simple precept which is
universally understood: "Do not unto others what you do not wish done
unto yourself."
Mevrouw Van Kol has told us much of your Jesus, and of the apostles
Peter and Paul.
Of whatever belief or race a man may be, a great soul is a great soul--a
noble character, a noble character. I have read "Quo Vadis," and I have
been thrilled with admiration for the martyrs to their faith, who amid
the bitterest suffering, still looked faithfully and trustingly toward
the Highest and proclaimed His praise in beautiful song. I have suffered
with them and I have rejoiced with them.
Do you know "We Two," by Edna Lyall? That is a very fine book. It treats
of atheism and Christianity, of true Christianity and of its frightful
perversion, of which, alas, there is so much in the world. The atheist,
Luke Raeburn, is a great figure, and Erica Raeburn too is a noble
character, who from a zealous atheist becomes a sincere and believing
Christian. They were a father and daughter who loved each other
devotedly, and depended each upon the other.
We read too the "Soul of a People." That is about Buddhism and is also a
beautiful book. We are anxious now to read something about Judaism (do
you not say that?). Perhaps Zangwill's book "Dreams of the Ghetto" will
be what we seek.
[1] To Mevrouw Abendanon.
[2] Written with a pencil after an illness.
[3] A group of islands off the coast of Japara.