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CHAPTER V.
American Mission at Marsovan—The "Gilt-edged Mission"—The old
compound — English nurses and hospital garden — An American
walled village—"The Parting Tree"—Busy days—The "Business
Manager" — Students of Anatolia College — Many nationalities —
Ascendancy of Russian students—Armenian students—Revolutionaries
and the College — Greek students : their ancient Greek
characteristics.
There are, however, other matters of interest at
Marsovan than those strictly native to the country,
and by singular contrast they originate from the New-
World. For more than a hundred years American
missionary societies have been busy in Asia Minor.
They began in a small way ; but have now a large
vigorous body of missionaries in their service, and
their missions are scattered over the country from
the Persian border to Constantinople. The greatest
mission of them all is at Marsovan.
The popular conception of a mission may be of a few
missionaries and many mild native converts in white
native huts of bamboo or wattle ; a large hut of the
sort as school, a still larger one as church. As for
the individual missionary, he is often pictured as an
earnest, amiable, white-bearded man in tropical garments.
He generally rides a horse, carries Bible
and umbrella, and gathers natives about him in
the shelter of convenient palm-trees. If this, or anything
like it, is the general idea of an American
mission in Asia Minor, and more particularly of the
Marsovan Mission, and the methods of its staff,
D