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CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY ARCHIVE

Section IV: Africa Missions

Part 14: Egypt Mission, 1889-1934

Part 15: Egypt Mission, 1889-1949

Introduction to Part 14: Egypt Mission, 1889-1934

Part 14 begins coverage of the papers for the Egypt mission covering the years 1889-1934 and consists of Letter Books for 1889-1934 and Original Papers for 1890-1922.

The Letter Books for 1889-1934 contain copies of outgoing correspondence from headquarters in London to missionaries. They have an index arranged alphabetically by missionary giving dates and the relevant page in the volume. A wide range of topics are covered including: the need for more recruits; lists of books purchased for the Cairo CMS Library; circulars re missionaries’ private reading and Bible Study; copies of correspondence with the Board of Foreign Missions of the United Presbyterian Church of North America; letters to the missionary D M Thornton re the policy of the mission towards Moslems and the relationship with Coptic Christians; instructions to missionaries; rules for the women’s conference; circular letter to missionaries engaged in educational work; an appeal for a mission to the Pagan tribes in Southern Sudan; circulars re the probation and relative status of missionaries and the recall of missionaries from Palestine and retrenchment; a memorandum re language schools in missions, a report on the policy of the mission and of the Egypt policy sub-committee concerning work in the Northern Sudan.

The Original Papers contain all the incoming papers sent to the Headquarters from the missionaries and the mission secretary. They mainly consist of letters, journals, memoranda, reports, pamphlets and newspaper cuttings. They cover a wide range of topics: letters from missionaries re schools, hospitals, visits to Cairo; grants for Biblewomen work, missionary salaries, illness of missionaries, desire for new missionaries to be sent out; letters re legal matters concerning the CMS school in Cairo; notice of a CMS conference in Cairo; details on plans to do missionary work among the Arabs of the Sinaitic Peninsula; letter from Westminster asking the Secretary in the mission to set up a medical mission at Suakin because of the famine in the Sudan; extracts from an article in “The Muhattan” re the state of the famine, prices and punishments meted out for wrong doings in Sudan; reports on the state of the mission, the work of Biblewomen in Cairo; balance sheets of expenditure for the mission; photos of orphaned children; extracts from General Haig’s letters describing his visit to Suakin in the Sudan to see the starving children, dated November 1890: About 7.15am I set off for the Zereba. When I get there the first thing is to examine the children and see how all are – then to pick out the worst cases, some 50 or 60 poor little wasted skeletons and give them the milk I bring with me. This is a long business, as it is so difficult to keep off the other poor little things who all crowd to get a little. It is touching to see the little wan faces and imploring looks…. Then I have to see to the sick and to the dressing of the ulcers….One man died today– old, emaciated, with an immense ulcer. The women wrapped him in his cloth– wailed over him for 10 minutes and then he was taken away….

There are letters from Rev F A Klein re grants needed, the need to strengthen the mission and the appointment of new teachers; a pamphlet “ A Plea for Egypt” by Dr F J Harpur detailing the need for more missionaries, reports re Biblewomen and native assistants; extracts from a medical missionary’s journal of a visit to Beni Suef; discussions on whether to make Cairo the headquarters of the medical mission; a report by the missionary Jessie Bywater on the cost of living in Cairo;  a description of a sea journey to the Egypt mission by the new missionary, Dr Frank Laird; a report of the medical mission with a statement of accounts; calls for more itinerary work to be done; a vivid description of a visit to people in their own homes by the missionary, Miss Jenny Ellis : ….a visit to a native house in Cairo is rather a lengthy proceeding….Accompanied by one of the teachers … we set out and threaded our way through crowded and exceedingly narrow streets, very dirty and dusty with high houses on each side: after walking some way we dived into a large open door-way which led into a small kind of inside yard, rather dark and indescribably dirty. We groped our way into a narrow passage and up some very breakneck stairs to the top of one of these very high houses, at each landing there are spaces apparently full of rubbish and dirt of every description, but arriving at the top we were shown by the little girls into a small room tolerably comfortable and clean where a man was seated crosslegged on the floor sewing divan cushions, very hard and stiff things….After a long time the lady of the house came in and greeted us with many expressions of politeness, then followed the inevitable little cups of Turkish coffee which I have to take in every house…. There are internal discussions on the appointment of a new headmaster for the school and complaints by the men that the lady missionaries have too much influence in the mission:….This evil must be remedied and the female element put back into its former proper position….

Included also are: descriptions of the work of the American missionaries; resignations of missionaries due to ill health; minutes of the Finance Committee; report of an itineration to the Fellaheen women by the missionary Eliza Bywater; discussions re the opening of a Boys’ School in Cairo and the new medical mission library; language examination questions; regulations for new missionaries; newspaper cuttings; Finance Committee minutes and many letters from the missionaries Fred A Adeney, Rev Klein and Dr F J Harpur; estimates for new residences and hospitals; documents in Arabic; estimates for the Cairo female medical mission; money spent on school teachers in 1897 giving a list of the teachers; a letter re workers needed for the Girls’ School in Cairo; letter from Dr Harpur re the abandonment of wounded enemy in Omdurman and his desire to help them; news of the Sudan mission.

There is an interesting account of the tribes living in the Upper Nile valley; an appeal for money for a new dispensary; extracts from Annual Letters; ideas on how the mission could be improved sent to the Secretary in London by Rev Douglas Thornton; a paper on the state of the Coptic Church; letters discussing what presents should be given to the African chiefs; plans and drawings for a new mission house;  newspaper cuttings from the Egyptian Gazette; a newspaper cutting from “The Times” re the opening up of the Sudan to European enterprise; plans for the CMS Boys’ School in Cairo; an account of a journey up the Nile by Rev Harpur; minutes of the Egypt missionary conference and the women’s conference; a detailed report on all aspects of life in the mission by Rev Fred F Adeney; a memo of a meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury; an estimate of school teachers’ salaries; a chart of schools visited with descriptions of the creed of the children and whether they were lower or middle class; report of an interview between Rev D Thornton with the Secretary in London.

In the 1903 papers there is an announcement of the death of Rev F Adeney, the secretary of the mission, from pleurisy at the age of 38 (he had been secretary for ten years) - Rev R MacInnes to take over as Secretary and a report on  the mission detailing changes in staff, accommodation, schools, medicine, evangelical work.

There are letters from the new secretary, Rev R MacInnes; a 1904 report on CMS in the Soudan with information on Khartoum, Omdurman, Native Agents, Schools, Medical Work and Industrial Work;...After the battle of Omdurman, five years ago, Khartoum was found to be a city of ruins; scarcely any buildings were left standing...South of the Palace that is inland from the river, the town has been laid out with fine broad streets which converge….The houses or shops of the best quality are those nearest to the river, while the poorer native houses, mud-built, are those farthest away from it…..Omdurman is now little more than the shell of what it was in the days of its “prosperity” under the dervishes. Slatin says that at one time it contained 400,000 inhabitants and as you ride through acres and acres of ruined and destroyed houses now tenantless, you do not for a moment doubt it. There are now 57,000 people there and this number is increasing, as the markets seem to be established there, at least for some time to come….As a city it is chiefly remarkable for the amount of mud that has been used in building it…. There is also a newsletter of the Girls’ School at Bab-El-Luk in Cairo; newsletter of the mission; plans for building the Gordon Memorial Mission at Khartoum; report of an interview between the secretary of the mission and the Rev J Kelly Giffen of the American Presbyterian Mission on the Sobat; pleas for funds for the hospital in Old Cairo; newspaper cuttings from “The Egyptian Gazette”; report by Dr Harpur on medical work in the villages with much detail on the customs and life of the local people: ….the wheat and the barley are constantly left uncut until long after they appear to be ripe as there is no rain to injure the crop. I said once to a “fellah” “that corn is nearly ripe” and to my surprise he replied “it wants another month yet”. Most of the reaping is done at night when there is dew and the stalks are moist. By day they are too dry and hard….As a rule the crop is brought on camels into the threshing floor directly after being cut….At another feast, after soup had been brought and several joints of lamb, finally a whole roasted sheep was carried in on a large tray. Fortunately a good number of men from the village had joined the party and all seemed to enjoy themselves. Our host sat quietly looking on with an expression on his face which seemed to say “ I have done my best; I hope they are pleased”…. Also included are issues of “Cairene and Fellaheen” - the story of the year’s work of the CMS in Egypt, giving details on evangelical work, schools, work in the villages and among the women, medical work, finances and lists of subscriptions to the Egypt fund.

Also included are: an extract of a paper read at Oxford by Rev Douglas H Thornton on “The Educational Problem in Egypt”; copies of “Sudan Church Notes”; women’s conference minutes covering education, medical work, itineration, native agents; report of an interview in London between Lord Cromer and Rev MacInnes; report on Girls’ Training School in Cairo; an account of Rev D M Thornton’s death aged 34 with a brief history of his life and work, reprinted from “The Orient and Occident”; minutes of the meeting of the Khartoum Station committee giving details on finances, schools, medical work; Annual Letters of missionaries including Rev MacInnes, Helen Adeney ( describing her work among the village women), A J Toops, Janet Lewis, Lilian Jackson, Zoe Tristram and L Crowther. Edmund Lloyd in his letter for 1912 describes the atmosphere at the great feast in Omdurman in November:…. It is the eve of the great feast.

I have just come from a stroll round . At 7 o’clock in the evening on all ordinary occasions every shop is shut…. Tonight, the whole market was humming like a hive. A good deal of the hum was made by dozens of English sewing machines which were all working against time, turning out new white shirts and baggy Mahommedan pantaloons...to be worn tomorrow….Besides new clothes and a new pair of bright red shoes the faithful must appear tomorrow with a shaven head….The whole of that part of the market is a delightful Arabian Nights-like  place: very narrow passages crowded with people: the shops all open fronted and often the whole passage covered in above making for shade and coolness and an atmosphere laden with a thousand and one smells of spices and essences. One end of the hairdressers row is extremely smart with European mirrors and a boy to fan you….Nowhere else did the absence of women strike me so much. Fancy drapers shops with only men in them!….The women I saw were selling beautifully worked pantaloon strings…,the little white caps men wear under their turbans…,flat pancakes of native bread and dates. There seems to be no limit to the demand for groceries, chiefly sugar, salt and all manner of flavouring agents from chillies to mint….

Also included are: a newspaper cutting in memory of the first native convert to die– Philibbus Abdullah; extract from Bishop Ingham’s journal describing his travels in Egypt; proposal to take over the American mission station at Menouf; a press cutting on the Egyptian nationalist;  a report of the Special Committee on Women’s Work in the Egypt mission; report of the death of Dr B M Pain from meningitis contracted from a patient and a brief account of his work and life; a report of the Cairo Study Centre for Arabic, Islam and Mahommedan Evangelisation; report by Rev MacInnes of an interview with Lord Kitchener when he visited the hospital in Old Cairo; report on the situation in the schools by Miss A H McNeile, head of the school in Khartoum;  an “Account of the troubles in Egypt and their Causes” written by J McIntyre: Ever since the declaration of the Armistice last November there has been a strong agitation going on all over Egypt in favour of what is called “Istiqla:1” ie Independence. This was partly due to the soreness at the Turkish and German defeat and also partly a legitimate uprising of national feeling based on President Wilson utterances. By January everyone was talking about “Independence” and large subscription lists were opened...and monster petitions prepared for signature, to be sent to the Peace Conference. At last the Govt had to take notice of the wild talk of raising an Egyptian army and after warning had proved ineffectual, the five chief leaders were quietly arrested and deported on Sat Mar 8th…..On Monday the 10th a riot broke out in Cairo, trams were wrecked and a crowd of students and Azharis with a growing mob of roughs paraded the English quarter, smashing windows etc and waving big sticks and flags. ….Then the English troops were called out and soon restored order but a good deal of damage had been done and an uneasy feeling created that the Govt could not cope with the situation….By Friday the real storm burst. All the main railway stations were attacked and important railway junctions wrecked; a lot of rioting took place in Cairo and in other big towns, including Menouf….

There are also minutes of the Egypt sub-committee and the women’s conference; notes on the estimated expenditure of the Girls’ school; history of the Girls’ school at Atbara; letter re proposed treaty between Egypt and Great Britain and the need for religious toleration; report on the Cairo conference on Church Reunion attended by the Coptic Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox Churches and the Presbyterian and Anglican Churches.

 

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