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influence of American Baptist Mission; resignation of Sema dobashis |
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18th to 21st. Halted Mokokchung, inspected the office, or rather part of it, and the station. The water supply is bad. Even at this time of year the tanks are not full, and one tank has been pulled down but not rebuilt for want of funds. Another shed for the 'hat' is badly wanted, but I do not know where the money is to come from even for the water supply. |
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Christianity of the American Baptist Mission variety is spreading rapidly in the Sema country. The latest manifestation apparently is a theory that a sick man will not recover unless he confess his sins - very ultramontane for Baptists; one poor old man who flatly denied that he had any sins to confess was given up as incorrigible and his friends refused to bring him to hospital; he would have died anyhow, but I suppose it must now be put down to the absence of any sins to confess, and converts with foresight will collect a good assortment to keep their consciences black against the bed of sickness. In another case a man confessed to having committed adultery, and quite unnecessarily named the man - a Sema dobashi. Rather awkward, but in the end her husband got fined for slander. I don't know how it was worked, probably she refused to take oath - Anyhow a satisfactory conclusion. |
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The Sema dobashis, being dissatisfied with an order of the S.D.O.'s resigned 'en bloc' - a piece of bluff, of course, which they will not get away with. Their places can be filled three times over with men every bit as good as they are tomorrow, but I told Sub-Divisional Office to keep them open till the end of the month anyway, to allow a chance to recant, and then to start replacing them, one at a time only, from the top. |
