Letter From India
By courtesy of the recipient we are permitted to use the following letter:
No. 53 and 54, Dharamtala, Calcutta,
Wednesday, October 27, 1884
Dear Prest. Thatcher:
I feel desirous of writing you a few items concerning myself and hope the same may prove interesting. I am well and happy and so are my brethren and companions, Brothers Willes and McCune; and we have enjoyed the spirit of our mission to a great extent although we have not met with the success we hoped for. While upon our way hither I can say we have met nothing but disappointment in that direction, but nevertheless we are still working and looking for a change for the better. We have distributed several hundred tracts and pamphlets and also had, through the blessing of God, opportunities for ventilating some of the principles of the holy gospel through some of the daily and weekly papers; but as far as Calcutta is concerned, we have not baptized anyone. Prest. Willes went to Rangoon on the first of October and has done considerable preaching and writing for the public and we feel thankful to say has been privileged to baptize sister Cooper and her son and has recently sent me word that I am to go and live wit hteh latter at Maulmain which is about a thousand miles south of this city. It is hard to part with those we love.
Oct. 28. We received a very nice, encouraging letter from Brother Willes who is evidently doing a good work in Rangoon. From what he writes it seems to be a very good field of labor. His welcome letter has revived our hopes of success and we again begin to feel that before long we shall see some of the fruits of our labors. We are now entering the dry or “cold season” as it is called here, and the evenings are mornings are becoming quite pleasant and we do not now suffer so much from the heat in the day time. It will be more agreeable still until the latter part of January, ’85, and more especially to me as Maulmain is upon the sea coast. But if I shall be enabled to do a good work there it will please me more than I can tell. We think that the people of India, more particularly the native population are not ready for the gospel and here, in Calcutta, no one seems to be quiet ready; and it seems that the Lord wishes to have the people of this city wait until some of the “elect” were brought into the fold from the other cities of India. I now think as I write, it is for a wise purpose in Him. I believe there are some who will eventually join the church here in Calcutta but their time has not yet come. I am to start to Rangoon on Thursday morning, but will have to go on board tomorrow evening as the steamer will start early the next morning.
Yours in the hands of the Lord,
Milson R. Pratt
[Journal History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Dec. 28, 1884, 5-6]
[Utah Journal, Jan. 3, 1885]
[transcribed and proofread by David Grow, Apr. 2006]
-End-