In drafting a Report, I sometimes find it difficult to differentiate between essentials and non-essentials. The latter are apt to eclipse the former as one sits down to write. To the reader, for whom the Report is intended, the fewer the non-essentials the better and I always try to compose my Reports from the point of view of the reader at the other end. The last six months have been extraordinarily difficult to report about. I hope that I may be excused if the following story strikes any of my readers as a non-essential.

"Well, you're the rummiest S.P.G. missionary I've ever met!" was recently addressed to me (accompanied by a warm appreciative handshake) by an elderly missionary of the Society of Friends. The circumstances were unusual, for I had just conducted a Sunday service in a dissenting chapel. During the preceding week I had been organist of a Convention (on the lines of the well-known Keswick Convention) with plenty of mission choruses and Moody and Sankey hymns. My appreciative friend had been one of the Convention speakers.

I begin my Report with this little story, not so much as a confession of my lapse from orthodox S.P.G. behaviour (as indeed it is) but to introduce the expressive word rummy - I regret to say that I am unable to find it in my copy of Chambers' Dictionary.

The word "rummy" seems to me to be such an apt adjective to use for certain matters which have happened during the last few months.

For example:

(a) A well-known hospital in the Diocese added to itself a fine new maternity block costing Rs.5000/- and a doctor's house costing Rs. 4600/-. Had this work been given to the Art Industrial School it would have meant excellent practice to the boys and a big help financially.

(b) A well-known S.P.G. Girls' School in the Diocese added to itself a fine new hostel costing Rs.6000/-. Had this work been given to the Art Industrial School it would have meant excellent practice to the boys and a big help financially.

(c) One of the old church towers in the Diocese needed repair. We did all the necessary repairs in July and August 1940. After repeatedly writing I am still waiting for a settlement.

(d) A church is being rebuilt in a neighbouring circle (parish). The plans were prepared by me and were duly submitted to the committee concerned and approved. The work was then put in hand. There is plenty of money and a fine church could have resulted had the plans been followed. In the hands of the local contractor (who is not following the plans) the church is promising to break all the canons of good design and will be an utter travesty when completed.

(e) Visitors to Kodalkanal this season had the pleasure of seeing an Art Industrial School stall at the Annual Industrial Mission Exhibition. It was the first time that the Art Industrial School had had a stall there for a great many years. The stall was further embellished with a set of architectural photographs (which are my property, and which had been taken from my bungalow and exhibited without my knowledge or permission). As long as I have been manager of the Art Industrial School I have never had an exhibition stall at Kodaikanal or anywhere else nor do I ever intend to have one unless orders fall off so badly as to justify advertising ourselves in this way. The work of the school is sufficiently well known in south India without having to resort to exhibiting at Kodaikanal.

(f) My extended local leave lasted 17 weeks, from the 23rd February to the 22nd June. Six weeks of it I spent in the Hills in the usual way. Of the remaining 11 weeks, I spent seven in Nazareth. Surely a “rummy” sort of leave!

I have now sold all my Tamil study books and have dispensed with the services of my munshi [native language teacher]. I have often heard it said that if one does not acquire the language during one's first tour one never will. I think that this is very often perfectly true.

I am very fond of young people and, with the handicap of not being able to speak to my boys to contend with, try to establish contacts as much as I can. The results are not quite what I want.

Only yesterday the following little incident happened:

Two small Art Industrial School boys came over to the bungalow to see me. One of them had a big scorpion dangling at the end of a piece of string. Before giving them the customary reward of two pice (½ d) we had a conversation.

This is what we said:

Me: “That is a fine big one, sonny, where did you find it?”

Boy: "Um?" (the Tamil equivalent of our English "Eh?”)

Me: "Where did you find it?”

Boy turning to his companion: "What did the master say ?” Second boy is unable to help in any way.

Me (slowly): "Where - did - you - find - it?”

Boys (as light dawns) excitedly: - - - - - - - - " (an altogether unintelligible sentence to me and I still do not know where they found the scorpion)

Me: "Well done, that's fine!”

Boys: "Um?"

Me: "I said, well done!" (Boys do not understand).

A pause.

Me: "All right, then, give it to the chickens.

Boys: "Um?"

Me (slowly): "Give - it - to - the - chickens."

(One boy just manages to grasp what I say). We make the appropriate noises and the chickens run up. In the meantime one of the small boys removes the scorpion's sting - a wild scramble and the black Australorp cock gets it - the boys go off highly delighted, each with a pice in his pocket and munching one of my nice English biscuits.

Perhaps my story is not without its interest as depicting a farmyard scene. It is really intended to be a picture of my Tamil after 5½ years in the country. The boys, as I say, went off delighted, I returned to what I was doing - and to my own thoughts!

Looking through my diaries the other day, I did a little bit of calculation. I discovered that during my first tour there have been 260 Sundays. I also found out that of these 260 Sundays no less than 53 have been complete blanks. By this I mean that on these "blank" Sundays I attended no place of worship whether as minister or as member of the congregation. Illness accounted for none of these absences from the House of God. Lack of Tamil did in every case. Much as I prefer to worship in church, I find it more helpful to read my English services than to attend Tamil services at which I am unable to receive or contribute anything by attending.

I do not feel that my extended local leave was of any more value to me than a normal Hill Leave. Deafness is no worse but does not answer to treatment. Dental trouble continues and one of my reasons for desiring an early return to England after the War, is to get this and my deafness attended to.

At the present time I am not too happy about the school but I do not intend now to develop this statement.

Blacksmithy numbers are down by five and so the school strength is now 115 as against 120 a year ago. Seven non-Christians were baptised by my friend Canon Selwyn (alas! not by me) this month at the Diocesan Boys' Camp at Cuttalam In the nearby mountains.

Art Industrial School Scholarships. Last May I wrote at some length to Miss Baugh about this matter and enclosed letters from my boys addressed to supporters at home. Up to the present I have had no intimation that my letter and its enclosures has been received at headquarters. I shall be glad to know that it has arrived.

Please excuse the paper on which I am typing. It was part of the big exercise book (now cut up) which I used for my Tamil studies.

Answering advertisements in the Madras "MAIL" has led to some positive results in recent months. Why have a fine big comfortable bungalow empty (except for myself) all the time? I have had the pleasure of entertaining three or four members of the Forces at different times since the beginning of this year. One of them wrote to me as follows:

"20.7.43 …it was my first leave in India and my first visit to a missionary in the Field. Perhaps too. it was an unusual kind of leave for a busy Army Officer to spend, but during my time with you I enjoyed the rest I needed. I found, after seeing your boys at work and play, that I had preconceived some peculiar views about Missions - I now feel benefitted by my rest and by seeing Christianity in action. I shall be happy to tell people at home someday, what a Mission really is like … so few know …”

It was a pleasure to me to entertain the Bishop of Madras and Mrs. Hollis at the beginning of August. I knew the then Mr. Hollis in 1936-38 when he was at Charlton Kings, Cheltenham and I was on the staff of St. James's, Gloucester. Mr. Hollis, when he was on the staff of the Nazareth Theological Seminary, lived in the small bungalow to the west of the Mission Bungalow (where I live).

Later in the same month I had three preaching engagements within five days. On Friday 13th August, I preached the anniversary festival sermon at Oyangudi Church. I find that the people here are remarkably friendly to me. This was the third time in succession that I had been asked to preach at the Oyangudi anniversary festival. S.P.G. readers at home will remember that I rebuilt this church in 1938/39.

On Sunday 15th August, I preached at Christ Church, Palamcottah. The occasion was the observance of Children's Day in the diocese. Since the collections throughout the day at Christ Church were given to the Deaf Schools (C.E.Z.M.S.), I made special reference to the work of these schools.

On Tuesday 17th August, I preached the festival sermon at the Harvest Ingathering at Nallur (C.M.S. and C.E.Z.M.S.). It was a wonderful experience, the first of the sort that I have ever had. A vast pandal (tent) had been erected in front of the parish church and under it were gathered no less than five thousand people - to say nothing of cocks and hens, ducks, cows, a buffalo and goats of assorted sizes. All through the service (and my address) these supernumerary members of the congregation gave voice according to their kind. I was able to appreciate what Noah must have had to put up with in the Ark!

I have come to love Nazareth and there is much that makes me very happy here - much alas! that is just the opposite. The beauty of the country appeals to me tremendously as do its venerable old buildings, the glory of sunset over Its mountains, the Indian sky, at night, the friendliness of the people and the personal interest (such as it is, at a distance and through interpretation) I am able to take in my schoolboys and in my staff and their families.

Overshadowing everything else is my utter lack of Tamil which is an insuperable handicap to me. The question of my return to Nazareth after leave in England will have to be considered sooner or later. I do not want to adopt the uncompromising attitude "I shall refuse to return to Nazareth after home-leave." I might well consider a further tour (or tours) under S.P.G. where the learning of a native language is less of a 'sine qua non' than it is in this diocese. My attitude in effect, is this - "I earnestly hope that the S.P.G. at home and/or the diocesan authorities out here will begin to look out for a suitable successor to me for the Art Industrial School. If they are unable to do so, rather than let down the school … … I hope however that they will be successful."

Early this month, by arrangement with the Christian Literature Society (Madras) and with the splendid help of Nazareth people, I was instrumental in organising a Book Fair here. Members of the headquarters staff came and it was altogether a most interesting and successful venture. Nearly R$350/- worth of books were sold, mostly to elementary school children from surrounding villages and to pupils of the many Nazareth schools. I enclose a bill which I had printed for the occasion.

Building work is now almost completely at a standstill. My Basel Mission Church at Motebennur, Bombay Presidency, is the only work of any size which is now going forward. I am building a small seaside chalet for the Girl Guides at Kulasekharapattanam and am extending one of the Nazareth elementary schools. I am also in touch with the Roman Catholic Mission at Adoni, Bellary District. This Mission is asking me to advise on several post-War projects in its area.

The following letter is not without interest, I think. It was addressed by a Hindu of high caste to his son (in the A.I.S.) who is an extremely nice boy and quite ready for Baptism.

Translated, it reads:

"27.7.43. My very dear son Muthupandian, By God's grace we are well. Your postcard conveyed to us the message that you also are well. You tell me that you are to be baptised in September and that the school wants to know if I have any objection to your Baptism. Your mother and I wholeheartedly give our consent to your Baptism. If you or your manager desire our presence on the occasion of your Baptism, write so to me and I will be there. … I am sending you an old Bible this week. … I am, Your father, Velliah Thevar.”

I enclose it with a full translation (by my headmaster).

Nazareth, Tinnevelly, S. India.

25th September 1943