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SUKHIA-POKHRI,
INDIA.

Scconb Rc.port
FROM

MR. AND

MRS.

INNES WRIGHT,
FOR YEARS

t-):l-r

't\\ ~S

\'1.6\

VIEW OF SCKHIA-POKHRI (TAKEX EARLY OXE :lIORXIKG).

Showing -'I ission House, top, right-hand corner (-1-),

1899 1901.

THE

N EFAUL JV\ISSION
+++

DEAR FRIENDS,

is fully three years since our last Report was sent out, and that some real
progress has been made in the work we feel called to-that is, to reach with
the Gospel the Nepaulis living in Nepaul-seems proved by the fact that this,
our Second Report, is being written over the border, in Nepaul itself, where
we have, with the cordial consent of the local officials, been camping for over a fortnight.
Slowly but surely we have been winning our way into the confidence of the Nepaulis, and
now there are several places across the frontier where we can camp for a longer or shorter
time-can freely preach the Gospel, sell Scriptures, and do Medical work, no man
forbidding us. Ours is pioneer work, and from the first we expected that it would fall to
us to sow rather than to reap; but we do thank God for giving us so soon so much
favour with the people, and for allowing us in so many places to be the first to preach

Christ to those sitting in darkness, and to be witnesses to His grace and power to save
from sin. We have, of course, had difficulties at times, and it has only been by "prayers
and pains," by patience and tact, that the present attitude of officials and people towards
us has been attained.
It is impossible in a short report to give details of all we are doing, but we would
like to tell you a little-,first, about our Evangelistic work, and then about the Colportage
and Medical Mission.
Every morning in the week, except Friday, a short Gospel
Meeting is held in our Dispensary before medical help is
given. Our house lies within thirty yards of the main road from Nepaul to Darjeeling,
and day by day we literally fulfil the command to "go out into the highways
and compel them to come in." Sometimes those who come are very" jungly," never
having seen a white face before, and it is not always easy to persuade them that we want
to give them something, not take some of their few pice from them. Once inside the
Dispensary, however, they sit quietly, and listen very wen. The Dispensary has been
altered since we last wrote, and we can now crowd sixty people into it; but not seldom a
larger number come, and then some have to stand outside and listen through the door or

Evangelistic Work.

window, there being no room inside. Weare preparing stone and tim ber for a new Hall
and Dispensary, and perhaps some friend or friends who read this will feel led to send us
the 60 still required to complete the huilding, which is very much needed.
On Friday, our Bazaar day, when 1200 people or more come to Sukhia-Pokhri, the
meeting is held in front of the Mission House, and 100 to 200 people stand, in biting cold
in winter, or pouring rain in summer, listening for an hour while we sing and preach the
Gospel. Often on Thursday evenings we go along to the Coolie Rest House, and hold
a short meeting, standing among a crowd of Nepaulis who are cooking their evening rice
upon small fires on the earthen floor. The place is a good one for reaching strangers,
but at times the wood smoke makes speaking somewhat difficult! At the close of one
of these meetings a N epauli coolie once asked, "Sahib, is the religion of Jesus Christ for
poor men?" He wao; very poor himself, and was no doubt thinking of the many rupees
he had seen given by rich men in order to get" pujah "performed by the Hindu or
Buddist priests. It gave us a grand chance to tell him that the Lord Jesus saves all who
come to Him, rich or poor, without money and without price.
During the dry season we go on tour as much as possible, walking from place to
place, preaching and giving medical help by day, and at night holding Gospel Lantern
Meetings with Scripture slides, and sleeping in a tent. In this way we reach Eustis and

6
Bazaars not visited by any other missionaries. Sometimes we climb 3000 or 4000 feet
a day, up the great ridges of the Himalayas, and camp at night beside a few huts at an
elevation of over 10,000 feet above the sea; and again we are down in the Nepaul Terai
at the foot of the mountains, with its dusty paths and deadly fever, preaching at some
large Bazaar, and reaching hundreds of people at one meeting. It will give some idea of
the" ups and downs" we have to face when I mention that one year, when we walked
between us a little over 700 miles, we had to climb fully 100,000 feet. At first we could
only stay a few hours across the frontier, but during the winter of 1900-01 we spent quite
a month camping in different places in Nepaul, and hope this year to do even better.
As opportunity offers we hold Lantern Meetings on some of the tea gardens we pass
when on tour, nearly all the coolies who work on them being Nepaulis.
In the course of the last three years we have held about 1000 meetings, attended by
over 43,000 people, or including children nearly half as many more; and, as very many
come and go at the open-air meetings, perhaps 100,000 in all have heard at least a little
of Christ and His salvation. This may seem a large number, but at this rate it will take
over ninety years to preach once to the 3,000,000 people in Nepaul; and while Christians
are enjoying themselves at horne, these souls, many of whom could be reached, are dying
daily in the dark. May we ask, are you doing all you can to help them?

We believe the Gospel to be "the power of God unto salvation,"

whether heard or read, and so do our utmost to spread the Scriptures in as many of the vernaculars spoken in the district as we can. 'Ve keep a stock
of Gospels in the following eight languages :-Nepauli, Hindi, Tibetan, Lepcha, Bengali,
Urdu, Chinese, and English, and sell, or at times give them away, wherever we go. At
the close of our daily meeting they are offered for sale. We go round the Sukhia and
other Bazaars with them, and often, at the end of a lantern meeting on a hillside near
some out-ofthe-way village, the people press around us to buy for a farthing or halfpenny
some of the "wonderful words o.f life" of which they have just heard a little. The
~ational Bible Society of Scotland kindly makes us an allowance of 10 a year to help
to spread the Scriptures on the British side of the border, which is used towards the
support of a native helper.
In the summer of 1899 we got our friend, Mr. David Macdonald of Ghoom-who
speaks five or six languages fluently, and has helped us in different ways-to translate
into Nepauli a tract, written by the late Mrs. Pennefather of Mildmay, called "The
Beautiful Home," which tells in simple words the Gospel story. 'Ve published 3000
copies, and it has been widely spread both here and in Nepaul. Some time ago a Modi
shopkeeper in Elam, the nearest town across the border, being struck by the way people

Colportage.

bought Gospels on a Bazaar day he spent in Sukhia, carne to us and said, ., Can I get
SOlne of these books to sell in my shop at Elam?" hoping probably to make a little
money by their sale. 'Ve gladly let him have a supply at half price, and, though we have
not seen him since, have no doubt that heathen man has helped to scatter the Word of
God far into Nepaul. Mrs. Grimke, of London, was good enough to get up in Nepauli,
for our use, a number of her well-known Scripture Cards, and of these a good many
thousands have been given away by other workers in Darjeeiing, as well as by ourselves.
During 1899, 1900, and 1901, we sold over 2400 portions of the Scriptures, many of
which, and of the cards, have gone from ten to thirty .days' journey into the interior, and
we can and do pray that they may be made the Word of Life to many souls whom as yet
no Christian voice can reach.

Medical Mission.

It has been our privilege year by year to minister medical help

to an ever-increasing number of the sick and suffering-the

surgical and medical part falling to my wife, while the writer looks after the Dispensary
details. God has greatly blessed the means used, and it is in large measure owing to the
medical help, freely given, that we have been able to enter Nepaul, and there preach the
Gospel of Christ. People who as yet care nothing for salvation from sin will come a long

10
journey to get an offensive sore dressed, or a bad cut healed, and having come they hear
of the power of the Great Physician, and of His desire to save freely all who will give
themselves to Him.
Either at our Dispensary or when on tour 6700 cases were treated in 1899, the
number rising in 1900 to 8054, while last year the large number of 12,060 received
surgical or medical aid. \Ve do not desire to undertake serious surgical cases, for we
have no hospital in which to give proper after-treatment; but my wife is sometimes left
no choice but to operate. In one case she was obliged to amputate at the elbow the arm
of a Nepauli lad, twelve years old, who had fallen from a tree a fortnight before, and
sustained a severe compound fracture. His parents had called in some Nepaulese
"Jhankris," or sorcerers, who did" pujah" for the boy till his arm mortified, and as they
would not take him into Darjeeling his arm was taken off in our Dispensary, and he made
a very good recovery. She has also been the means of saving the lives of not a few
Nepauli and Bhutia women at childbirth, besides performing a number of minor operations, and extracting dozens of teeth. The medical help is much appreciated, people
often coming several days' journey to obtain it, and we sometimes get recommendations
from unexpected quarters. For instance, a N epaulese " Jhankri," whose business it is to
cure the sick by incantations, for which he gets well paid (kill or cure !), was hear

GHOUl'

\ld,N IN FRONT OF THE MISSION

HoesE.

12

strongly advising some Nepaulese coolies to ask for medicine. "Go to the Memsahib,"
he said; "she gives very good medicine. My little girl was very sick; I got some for
her, and three doses cured. Go at once." Which they did.
As explained in our last Report, we ask no help for our personal wants;
but for the cost of the Medical work and Evangelistic tours we depend
on gifts (sent in answer to prayer by any who desire to give the Gospel to Nepaul), and
on the proceeds of small sales of work, held by several friends at home. Donations may
be sent at home to Messrs. Morgan & Scott, 1 ~ Paternoster Building~, London, E.c.,
who will acknowledge them in The Christian, in which paper, and also in Bright Words,
accounts of the work at times appear. Friends in the Colonies or in India should send
by money order to Ghoom P.O, Darjeeling, India, there being no money order office at
Sukhia-Pokhri P.O. The accounts annexed cover three years, and show that all the
ordinary needs of the :vlission have been fully met, while Rs. 1000 (about 66) have been
laid aside towards the cost of the new Hall and Dispensary it is intended to build when
sufficient funds have been received. The balance on hand is required to finance the
sales of work, as we buy Indian goods here, and have to lie out of the money for nine or
ten months while the goods are being sent home and sold.

Accounts.

GI'(lUI' (JF i\EI'Al"l.lS"

14

Sales of Work. If any ladies would like to help us by holding a Drawing-room Sale,
they might write to Mrs. John Colville, Cleland House, Cleland,
Scotland, who will gladly send a small or larger parcel of Indian embroideries and silver
articles; the proceeds, with any unsold goods, to be returned to her after the sale. It
would be a very real help if a few friends in new localities would undertake this service;
and if they held one sale, we think, from the experience of others who have done so, they
would want to hold another!

show :-(1) A view of Sukhia-Pokhri Bazaar, taken early one

(3) A group
taken in front of the Mission House after one of our Bazaar :Meetings; it will give some
idea of what the people we live among look like. (4) A group of N epaulis, taken in
Nepaul. The old man in the centre was very good to us, and begged to have his photo
taken. "I am old," he said, "and will soon die; then how will my young children
remember what their father was like? Do make my picture." So we "made it," and he
was greatly delighted when he got a copy.

The IIIus t rat Ions mornmg.

.
(2) The same, taken on Bazaar day.

15
In closing, we wish to thank very warmly all who in the past

Thanks for Help. have helped us in any way. To all who in England, Scotland,

America, and India have sent gifts for the work we tender thanks. To the Scripture Gift
Mission, London, for a free grant of Gospels, and to Mrs. Grimke for a large number of
Scripture cards; to those who have sent us magazines and papers from home or elsewhere; to a number of Tea Planters for kind hospitality received when we were on tour,
and for the illustrated papers forwarded for the use of the men at the Soldiers' Horne,
Darjeeling; to Messrs. Burroughs, Welcome & Co., London, and to Messrs. Smith,
Stanistreet & Co., Darjeeling, for letting us have tabloid and other drugs at reduced
prices; to friends in and near Darjeeling who have sent medicine botlles and other
articles for use in our Dispensary; to :\liss S. F. Gardner, Calcutta, for the loan of her
Kodak to take photos while on tour; to several Scotch and American ~1.issionaries in
different parts of India for buying goods for the sales of work, and to a number of ladies
in Scotland and England for the substantial help received through sales held in their
homes; above all, to Mrs. John Colville and to Mrs. Marr for their unwearied kindness
in giving time and care, year after year, to all the details connected with the sales. May
the Lord reward you all 1

16
We know some of you have been praying for us, and we ask you
with all our hearts to continue to do so. Pray, if it be best, that we
may be kept in good health. }ly wife has often been laid aside with
ague, and the writer was off work for two months with typhoid fever. Ask for blessing
on God's Word spoken day by day, and that some who are convinced of the truth may
have courage to come out on the Lord's side. Pray that the door into Nepaul may be
opened more widely, and that we may be able to reach those living further off; and
finally pray that we ourselves may daily be kept near to the Lord, may be filled with His
Spirit, and so enabled to do work-unseen it may be, but real-that will bring glory to
our Master, and that will stand in that day when" the fire shall try every man's work of
what sort it is."
'Ve are, dear Friends,

Requests for
Prayer.

Yours in His service,

J.
NEPAUL MISSION HOUSE,
SUKHIA-POKHRI P.O., DARJEELING,
INDIA.

VI.

AND

R. R. INNES WRIGHT.

17

THE NEPAUL MISSION.

CASH STATEMENT FRail! 1ST ]A:,\l:ARY, lRnll, TO :HST DECEMBER, HlOl.

HOME ACCOUNT.
To Balance from 31st December, 1898,
" Donations received direct-No.1, Glasgow, 10/-; No. :2, Glasgow, 101-.
Do.
per Tile Clzristia1Z,
Do.
per BrigM Words,
Allowance from National Bible Society of Scotland on Scriptures sold (:2 years),
Nett Proceeds from Sales of Work (:{ years),

By Medicines and Instruments,

Lantern Slides, Screen, and Fittings,
Printing Report, Cost of Cartoons, Books, Postages,
" Remittances to India-see" Indian Account," ...
Balance in Bank and with Messrs. Morgan & Scott,

6;i :2
1 0

:~

76 S

!)

10

()

~o

20!) I.i

:2

:~H2

()

i>7
10

.i

!I

:1 II'
270 0
40 Li
:{H2

Ii

0
:l
~

THE NEPAUL MISSION.

CASH STATEMENT FROM 1ST JANUARY, 1899, TO 31sT

DECE~[JlER,

1901.

INDIAN ACCOUNT.
To Balance from 31st December, 1898,
Proceeds of Remittances for 270-see " Home Account,"
" Donations, I899-No. I, Dysart,
" 2, Darjeeling,
3, Calcutta,
4, Sukhia,
Do.

Rs.59

7 4

124

1 0

216

6 11

10 0

500

----

0 0
0 0
51 11 0
10 0 0

Rs.lO
;)

I90I-No. I, Darjeeling,
" 2, Nagri, ...
3, Dunfermline, ...
" 4, Darjeeling,
5, Ghoom,

Rs.5

Small Donations -Sukhia-Pokhri,

Gospels, Books, Tracts sold,

4021

50 0 0

I900-No. 1, Calcutta,
2, Sukhia,
" 3, Dysart,
4, Calcutta,
5, Darjeeling,
" 6, Secunderabacl,
" 7, Philadelphia, ...
8, Turzum,
9,Impur,
II

Do.

... Rs.500 13

10

20 0 0
94 11 II
0

10 0

10

74

2
8

I
0

,j

---l:~

20 0 0

122 10
60 7

1
6

76 II

:~

Rs.5122

9 10

19
INDIAN ACCOUNT-(Continued).
By Dock Dues, Duty, Carriage, Cartage,
Medicines and Food for Patients,
Dispensary Furniture, Wire Fence round Land granted by Covernment,
Rent of Dispensary, Native Helpers, Sweeper,
Tent, Camping Requisites, Coolies on Tours, ...
" Gospels, Book~, Tracts, Photos, Postages,
" Mission Buildings Fund-Amount Transferred,
Balance in Bank, ...

GHOO:\t,

26tll Feilruary, H102. -Examined anJ found correct

D. MAcDo:>:ALD, Supt. G07Jernment Vaccination Depot, GllOo1lt.

Maclure. l\lac(lullalcl &. Co., laa!'og-ow.

Rs.l:{~

2 0

1007

4-

::?Oi

Li
-1
0
I

11!!H
(iSH
lB4
1000

:~

1
II
(j

itm

l:~

()
(i

Rs.;)I~:2

~)

10

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