"
The East is notorious for profanity, and among the Nestorians women
were as profane as men. The pupils in the Seminary at first used to
swear, and use the vilest language on the slightest provocation.
Poor, blind Martha, on her death bed, in her own father's house, was
constantly cursed and reviled. She was obliged sometimes to cover
her head with the quilt, and stop her ears, to secure an opportunity
to pray for her profane and abusive brother; and though, in such
circumstances, she died before her prayers were answered, yet they
were heard, for he afterwards learned to serve his sister's God. "Do
you think people will believe me," said a pupil to her teacher, who
was reproving her for profanity, "if I do not repeat the name of God
very often?"
Lying was almost as common as profanity, and stealing quite as
prevalent as either. It was a frequent remark, "We all lie here; do
you think we could succeed in business without it?"
In the early days of the Seminary, nothing was safe except under
lock and key. Sometimes there seemed to be a dawn of improvement,
and next, all the buttons would be missing from the week's washing,
and the teacher was pretty sure to find that her own pupils were the
thieves.
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