,,clara ,a4 ,,swain1 ,m4,d4    ,first   
,medical ,missionary to the ,women of   
the ,orient    by    ,,mrs4 ,,robert    
,,hoskins    #aiab                ,the  
frail little mother of a frail little   
daughter did not live  long enough to   
see the fullest answer to her prayer    
that her  youngest born might grow up to
 be a good and useful woman1 for  she   
passed away before her daughter began   
her medical career1 but  the prayer was 
not forgotten by ,him who ever hears the
 cry of  those who call upon ,him in    
faith4    ,clara was the youngest of the
 ten children of ,john and ,clarissa    
,seavey ,swain4 ,she was born in        
,elmira1 ,n4,y41 but when she was two   
years old her parents returned to their 
old home in ,castile and  here she spent
 her early life4        ,,early ,,life  
,she was not a strong child1 and being  
the youngest of a large  family         
naturally received much attention1 which
 in after years she  concluded was not  
good for her4 ,she once described       

herself as a  puny little thing who     
wanted everything she saw and thought   
she  ought to have it4 ,i had a will of 
my own1 she said1 and my  mother found  
it necessary to be very firm with me at 
times4 ,once ,i  was very rude to her   
when she did not give me what ,i wanted1
 and ,i  shall never forget how grieved 
she was1 how lovingly she explained  to 
me the necessity for controlling myself 
if ,i would be loved by  those around   
me4 ,she was six years old when this    
naughtiness  occurred4 ,i promised my   
mother then1 she said1 that ,i would be 
a good girl1 and that ,i would ask ,god 
not to let me be naughty  again4    ,she
 and her sister ,hattie1 not quite two  
years her elder1 loved  out of doors a  
great deal4 ,they were very fond of     
flowers and  animals1 and1 hand in hand1
 would wander up and down the street to 
stop and admire the flowers in the      
neighboring gardens1 always  mindful of 
their mother's injunction never to take 
a flower  without permission4 ,happy    

indeed were they when they could bring  
home a handful of wild flowers to their 
mother4 ,god's flowers  they called     
them1 because they did not grow in      
anyone's garden4    ,clara's love for   
animals led her to pat every dog she    
met1 and  more than once she caught a   
stray cat and took it home to pet it4   
,a story is told that seeing a lame     
chicken she wrapped it in her  apron and
 took it home and bandaged its leg      
neatly1 tending it  with such devotion  
that she soon had the happiness of      
seeing it  able to run about to seek its
 own food4 ,the cousin who told this    
story laughingly said1 ,she probably    
used splints1 but of this ,i  am not    
sure4    ,mrs4 ,swain's sister          
,elizabeth lived a mile out of the      
village1  while the home of the ,swain  
family was within the boundary line1    
and as the little red school-house was  
between them the children  of both      
families attended this school4    ,clara
 was very fond of her ,aunt ,post and   

often went home with her  cousins1      
staying with them days at a time4 ,one  
of these cousins1  now eighty-eight     
years of age1 writes3 ,when ,clara was  
seven years  of age she was a very      
pleasant child1 always eager to help    
someone4 ,she lived with us1 off and on1
 until she was twelve years  old1 when  
we moved to ,michigan4 ,she was as much 
at home with us as  in her own home and 
we were sorry to part with her4         
,,conversion      ,when ,clara was eight
 years old her sister ,ann1 six years   
her  senior1 joined the ,methodist      
,church1 and this made a great          
impression on her youthful mind4 ,the   
consistent life of this  sister and the 
sweet and simple religious life of her  
mother gave  her many thoughtful hours1 
and she asked one day1 ,why am ,i not a 
,christian8 ,i want to be good1 too4    
,just before she was ten years  old1    
under the influence of a powerful       
sermon1 she felt that she  must give    
herself to the ,lord to be his child    

forever4 ,there were  hours of darkness 
when she felt that she was too great a  
sinner to  be forgiven1 but light came  
at last and she was happy in the        
consciousness that she was an accepted  
child of ,god4    ,from her father's    
family she inherited a fund of ,irish   
humor1  while her mother1 of good old   
,new ,england blood1 inclined to        
quietness of spirit with earnestness of 
purpose2 and this blending  of fun and  
sobriety caused the young ,christian    
much perturbation  of spirit4           
,conscientious in the extreme1 she had  
many an hour of  self-questioning when  
she feared that1 in the exuberance of   
youthful merriment1 she had cast a      
shadow on her ,christian  profession and
 caused sorrow to the heart of her      
loving ,master4  ,then it was that the  
wise and tender mother helped her to see
 that  it was the duty of a ,christian1 
though only a child1 to be  cheerful and
 joyous1 and that it was possible to    
please ,god in her  play hours as well  

as in attendance at church or ,sunday   
school or  prayer meeting1--just to be  
the happy child that he meant her to    
be1 and to ask his help to keep her good
 and true4    ,her school books did not 
satisfy her mind1 and one who knew her  
at that time says she frequently visited
 the neighbors and  borrowed books1 some
 of which she read over and over again4 
,her love for children led her1 when she
 was about twelve years  old1 to accept 
the proposal of the wife of the village 
merchant  that she assist her in the    
care of her baby1 and the money thus    
earned was used to help her with her    
studies4    ,in #ahdh1 ,clara's sister  
,ann went to ,michigan to teach1 making 
her  home with the ,aunt ,post who had  
been so dear to the children of  the    
,swain family4 ,after two years of      
teaching she was married from  her      
aunt's home to a worthy man who still   
survives her4 ,before  ,ann's marriage  
,clara had gone to visit this aunt and  
was persuaded  to stay1 and eventually  

she took a small school near the farm   
and  taught for a year4 ,while she was  
teaching1 wrote one of her  cousins1 my 
mother broke her ankle and ,clara cared 
for her almost  a year4 ,she was a grand
 nurse1 even at that age1 and was a     
great  comfort to us all2 she was so    
bright and cheerful that we were        
unwilling to have her leave us4    ,her 
talent for nursing was called into      
requisition soon after her  return to   
,castile when the children of the       
,presbyterian minister1  the ,rev4 ,mr4 
,hurlburt1 became ill with typhoid fever
 and she was  called to assist in caring
 for them4 ,it was an anxious time for  
the nurse as well as the parents1 as one
 child after another fell  ill4 ,two of 
the children died1 and later the father 
succumbed to  the fatal illness4 ,the   
faithful nurse remained with the        
distracted  widow and the remaining     
children can cared for them tenderly as 
long as they needed her services4 ,in an
 old and well-worn ,bible is  this      

inscription in her handwriting3 ,this is
 the first ,bible ,i  ever owned4 ,it   
was presented to me by ,rev4 and ,mrs4  
,hurlburt4    ,the sumer of #ahee found 
,miss ,swain1 then twenty-one years of  
age1  teaching a few private pupils in  
the village4 ,one of her scholars  of   
that summer recently spoke of her loving
 interest in her pupils  and her care   
for their welfare4 ,the following year  
she went to  live with some cousins in  
,pike and attend the school there4      
,mr4 ,swain had a sister living in      
,canandaigua1 who1 knowing of  ,clara's 
strong desire for self-improvement1     
invited her to come  there for a year of
 study in the seminary1 an invitation   
which she  gladly accepted2 and after a 
year of close study she obtained a      
position as teacher in the primary      
department of one of the public         
schools4 ,clara was determined to get an
 education and make use of  it if she   
could1 wrote one of her cousins4        
,,teaching ,,in ,,canandaigua      ,in  

the spring of #ahei began an            
acquaintance with one who was ever      
after one of ,miss ,swain's dearest     
friends4 ,miss ,martha ,mc,farland  of  
,albany accepted the position of teacher
 in the intermediate  department of the 
school in which ,miss ,swain was        
teaching and they  at once became       
friends4 ,as ,miss ,swain's aunt was    
soon to leave  ,canandaigua1 the two    
friends secured a pleasant              
boarding-place1  and for three years    
they walked to school together in the   
morning  and home again in the          
afternoon4 ,bothe were nature-lovers and
 many  a delightful hour they spent on  
their holidays and ,saturday  afternoons
 and whenever they could find leisure   
for one of their  picnic outings4 ,they 
were both members of the ,methodist     
,church and  were constant in their     
attendance at the ,sunday services and  
at  ,sunday school as well as at the    
midweek prayer and class-meetings1  and 
were ever ready to help in all forms of 

church work4    ,through her years of   
teaching ,miss ,swain showed the same   
conscientious spirit that was evidenced 
in her child and school  life4 ,have ,i 
done all ,i ought8 ,have ,i been as     
helpful to my  pupils as ,i might be8   
she often asked herself4 ,for a time she
  taught a class in ,sunday school1 and 
her boys were impressed by  her         
consistent life4 ,later1 one of them    
said1 ,we noticed that you  always went 
to prayer meeting so we thought we would
 go and see  what was in it4 ,this class
 was a joy to her and her pleasure was  
great when one and another gave himself 
to the ,lord for service4    ,miss      
,swain was ready in season and out of   
season1 said one of  her friends4 ,one  
,sunday evening when a company of us    
were  together having a sing1 she turned
 to a young man near her and  bluntly   
asked1 ',why are you not a ,christian8' 
,taken by surprise1  the young man had  
no answer ready and they both went on   
singing4  ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,hibbard was  

pastor of the ,methodist ,church in     
,canandaigua and ,miss ,swain and her   
friend very much enjoyed an  occasional 
visit to the parsonage1 where they were 
always warmly  welcomed4                
,,training ,,in ,,the ,,sanitarium      
,notwithstanding her love for children1 
,miss ,swain did not find  teaching     
altogether a delight4 ,the inattention  
of the children and  the daily routine  
made her feel irritable1 she said1 but  
she kept  steadily on1 hoping in time to
 carry out a purpose which she had  in  
mind of some day becoming a doctor4     
,when an opportunity offered  for her to
 take a position in the ,castile        
,sanitarium under ,dr4  ,cordelia ,a4   
,greene1 she gladly gave up teaching and
 entered upon a  course of training     
which1 though sometimes irksome1 proved 
more  congenial than her former         
occupation4    ,all the way along1 her  
strong will had availed to overcome     
obstacles1 and here1 during many weary  
hours1 she comforted  herself with the  

thought that she was nearing the goal of
 her  ambition4 ,she could not have had 
a more satisfactory opportunity  for the
 training that she needed2 for though   
,dr4 ,greene exacted  thoroughness in   
every line of work1 she was so          
sympathetic and so  ready to give a word
 of commendation and encouragement1 that
 her  pupil could not do otherwise than 
accede to all the requirements  of her  
position4 ,it was not long before doctor
 and pupil became  fast friends and the 
congenial companionship was a life-long 
pleasure to both4 ,i owe much to ,dr4   
,cordelia1 she said many  times in after
 life4        ,,at ,,the ,,medical      
,,college      ,after three years of    
study and practice in the ,sanitarium   
she  applied for admission to the       
,woman's ,medical ,college in           
,philadelphia1 from which she was       
graduated in the spring of #ahfi4  ,she 
often spoke of the pleasure she had in  
lingering in the park  after class      
hours1 on her way to her boarding-place1

 and of  the occasional free and        
intimate talks with certain of her      
instructors4    ,she enjoyed the        
,sabbath services and had many          
opportunities of  hearing some of the   
celebrated preachers of the day4 ,the   
,rev4 ,dana  ,boardman seems to have    
been a favorite with her and she took   
notes  of several of his sermons4       
,bishop ,simpson's ,christmas sermon    
7#ahfh7 on ,luke #b3ac1 #ad1 filled my  
heart with peace and good-will  to 7all7
 men1 she notes4 ,a sermon by ,dr4      
,willett in ,november1  #ahfh1 on ,what 
do ye more than others8--,matt4 #e3dg1  
and one by  ,dr4 ,mc,gowan on ,mark     
#aj3ba1 ,one thing thou lackest1 led to 
much  heart-searching4 ,a short time    
before leaving ,philadelphia she  heard 
,phillips ,brooks preach from ,malachi  
#d3b4 ,a wonderful  sermon1 she termed  
it1 and she greatly enjoyed a talk by   
him on  tithing1 which she determined to
 act upon4    ,we have no special record
 of ,dr4 ,swain's years of study in the 

,woman's ,medical ,college1 but we may  
be sure that she improved  every        
opportunity to perfect herself in her   
chosen calling4 ,her  instructors were  
her warm friends and she corresponded   
with some  of them after she went to    
,india4 ,dean ,bodley1 in one of her    
letters1 gave the names of nine young   
women in the college who  were preparing
 for medical missionary work1 and ,dr4  
,swain made a  note of them1 saying that
 she must write to them before their    
graduation4 ,two of these ladies went to
 ,india as medical  missionaries4       
,,call ,,to ,,service ,,in ,,india      
,the story of ,dr4 ,swain's call to go  
to ,india has been told many  times4    
,mrs4 ,d4,w4 ,thomas1 who1 with her     
husband1 had charge of the  girls'      
orphanage of the ,methodist ,mission1   
had long felt the need  of efficient    
medical aid for the women and children  
of ,india and  had been doing what she  
could to alleviate the sufferings of    
those  with whom she came in contact4   

,she had even thought that she would    
herself study medicine when she should  
go to ,america for change  and rest4 ,in
 the meantime she was instructing a     
class of the older  girls in the        
orphanage in physiology and hygiene1    
both in ,english  and the vernacular1   
with the hope that some time they might 
have  regular medical training4 ,she    
talked with native gentlemen and  with  
,english officials of the great need for
 intelligent medical  treatment for the 
women and children of the country1      
especially  for those who live in       
seclusion1 and of her hope that a lady  
medical missionary might be sent to     
,india4 ,a native gentleman so          
thoroughly approved of the idea that he 
offered to defray all the  expenses of a
 medical school or class if a lady      
physician could be  sent from ,america  
to take charge of it4    ,mrs4 ,thomas's
 letter of appeal to ,mrs4 ,j4,t4       
,gracey1 a former  missionary1 for her  
assistance in the matter1 led ,mrs4     

,gracey to  inquire at the ,philadelphia
 ,woman's ,medical ,college if a        
suitable  person could be found among   
the graduates1 who would accept a call  
from the ,woman's ,union ,missionary    
,society of ,america to go as a  medical
 missionary to ,india4 ,miss ,clara ,a4 
,swain1 ,m4,d41 was named  as one fitted
 by both professional acquirements and  
,christian  character for such a        
position4 ,it required much thought and 
prayer  on ,dr4 ,swain's part before she
 could signify her acceptance of the    
call1 and during the three months of    
delay in giving her answer  the ,woman's
 ,foreign ,missionary ,society of the   
,methodist ,episcopal  ,church1 of which
 she was a member1 was organized4       
,naturally she  preferred to go under   
the auspices of her own denomination1   
and  the ,union ,missionary ,society    
gracefully and generously accepted  her 
decision4    ,confident that she was    
obeying the call of ,god1 she set about 
her  preparations for the long journey  

before her in a cheerful spirit1        
answering the demurs of her friends     
with1 ,it is ,god's call4 ,i  must go4  
,she was greatly cheered when she found 
that ,miss  ,isabella ,thoburn1 whose   
brother 7now ,bishop ,thoburn7 had been 
some  years in ,india1 was to be her    
traveling companion4 ,they sailed  from 
,new ,york ,november #c1 #ahfi1 and     
arrived in ,bareilly ,january  #bj1     
#ahgj1 during the annual conference of  
the ,methodist ,mission4                
,,appointment ,,to ,,bareilly      ,the 
two ladies1 whose previous slight       
acquaintance had ripened  into warmest  
friendship during their weeks of        
journeying together1  had hoped that    
they might be associated together in    
mission work1  but it was not so to be4 
,miss ,thoburn was appointed to         
educational  work in ,lucknow1 and ,dr4 
,swain found that she was to remain in  
,bareilly4 ,this appointment gave her   
the opportunity to begin her  medical   
work at once1 for there were not only   

the girls'  orphanage1 for which ,mrs4  
,thomas had so long desired efficient   
medical help1 but scores of ,christian  
women who could not go to  the city     
hospital4 ,in addition to these1 there  
was the class of  fourteen intelligent  
,christian girls that had for two years 
been  receiving excellent preparatory   
training from ,mrs4 ,thomas1 who had    
fully believed that her prayer for a    
lady doctor would be answered  and that 
these girls would yet have the          
opportunity for the study  of medicine4 
,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,thomas were well        
acquainted with several  of the wealthy 
and influential natives of the city1 and
 ,mrs4  ,thomas welcomed the opportunity
 to introduce her doctor friend to      
these homes4    ,there was no lack of   
patients for the new doctor2 for in     
addition  to her work in the orphanage  
and her medical class1 calls to  native 
homes in the city became more and more  
frequent4 ,at the end  of the first six 
weeks after her arrival in ,bareilly1   

,dr4 ,swain's  note book recorded one   
hundred and eight patients4 ,her report 
to  the conference1 after a year of such
 service as she had never  dreamed of1  
gave the number of patients prescribed  
for at the  mission house as twelve     
hundred and twenty-five1 and of visits  
to  patients in their homes1 two hundred
 and fifty4    ,the young women of the  
medical class were gaining practice and 
experience by caring for the sick in the
 orphanage and the  ,christian village1 
and sometimes accompanying ,dr4 ,swain  
to visit  her city patients1 and they   
were also becoming proficient in        
compounding and dispensing medicines4   
,this class1 begun ,march #a1  #ahgj1   
was graduated ,april #aj1 #ahgc1 having 
passed an excellent  examination before 
two civil surgeons and an ,american     
physician1  from whom they received     
certificates entitling them to practice 
in  all ordinary diseases4        ,,the 
,,nawab',s ,,gift      ,the need for a  
dispensary and hospital became daily    

more  imperative1 and it was opportunely
 met in the munificent gift of  the     
,nawab of ,rampore1 who owned an estate 
adjoining the mission  premises in      
,bareilly4 ,the ,hon4 ,mr4 ,drummond1   
the commissioner of  the ,northwest     
,provinces1 was interested in mission   
work1  especially in the effort to help 
the women of the city and  neighboring  
villages through medical aid1 and he    
agreed with the  missionaries that the  
,nawab's estate was just what was needed
 to  carry out their plans4 ,he         
therefore arranged that ,mr4 ,thomas    
should go to ,rampore and in a personal 
interview represent to the  ,nawab his  
desire to procure a portion of his      
estate in ,bareilly  which adjoined the 
mission property1 for the purpose of    
establishing a hospital for women4      
,accordingly1 on receiving an intimation
 that the ,nawab would  receive them1 on
 ,october #h1 #ahga1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4     
,thomas and ,dr4  ,swain set out for    
this momentous interview4 ,an           

interesting  description of this visit  
is given in ,mrs4 ,gracey's book1       
,woman's  ,medical ,work in ,foreign    
,lands1 and in ,dr4 ,swain's book1 ,a   
,glimpse of ,india4 ,mr4 ,thomas's      
carefully prepared ,hindustani  speech  
was not finished before the ,nawab      
replied graciously1 ,take  it6 ,it is   
yours6 ,i give it to you with great     
pleasure for such a  purpose4    ,mrs4  
,thomas naively wrote3 ,we were so      
amazed at the readiness and             
graciousness of the gift that we nearly 
forgot to make our salaams  and express 
our thanks and gratitude4 ,the ,nawab   
replied that there  were two great      
merits in this gift--one for himself and
 one for  ,mr4 ,thomas1 for taking so   
great interest in the charitable work4  
,mr4 ,thomas then asked permission to   
found the first hospital for  women in  
,india in ,his ,highness's name1 to     
which he replied1 ',as  you think       
proper1 so do4' ,so ,his ,highness      
,mahomed ,kallub ,ali ,khan1  ,bahadur1 

,nawab of ,rampore1 has the honor of    
making the first  generous contribution 
toward founding the first woman's       
hospital  in ,india4 ,his ,highness     
again expressed the satisfaction he felt
  in bestowing this gift1 and said he   
would send his general to  ,bareilly on 
,monday to make out the papers and put  
us in formal  possession of the         
property4    ,before the party left the 
,nawab's dominions1 the ladies were     
asked  to see a sick woman in the       
,tahsildar's house1 and they found her  
very ill indeed4 ,dr4 ,swain prescribed 
for her and for several  others who     
asked for medicines2 then they returned 
to the ,rest  ,house to get their       
breakfast and talk over the interview1  
and to  thank ,god for his great bounty 
to the mission work4    ,mrs4 ,thomas   
wrote3 ,we were bewildered and          
overwhelmed to think  that the          
possessions which we had longed and     
prayed for these many  years were ours4 
,the gift came to us so freely and in   

such a way  that we could take no credit
 to ourselves for having obtained it4   
,like all ,god's free gifts it was given
 before asked for2 no  persuasions or   
arguments of ours would have made any   
difference4  ,god saw our need and      
supplied it4    ,the estate consisted of
 forty acres of land1 a fine old kothi  
or  mansion1 and an extensive garden4   
,the house needed repairs which  were   
soon completed and ,dr4 ,swain and ,miss
 ,sparkes1 who had been  appointed to   
take charge of the orphanage1 moved into
 their new  home ,january #a1 #ahgb4 ,a 
part of the house was used for a        
dispensary until other arrangements     
could be made1 and then  followed busy  
and often weary days1 borne with        
patience1 however1  for the work was for
 the ,master4    ,the much-needed and   
well-planned dispensary building was    
completed  in ,may1 #ahgc1 and the      
hospital buildings connected with it    
received the first indoor patients      
,january #a1 #ahgd4 ,from that time  on 

there was no lack of occupants for the  
rooms4 ,in the published  collection of 
her letters1 entitled ,a ,glimpse of    
,india1 ,dr4  ,swain gives a graphic    
picture of the buildings1 their         
occupants  and their mode of life4      
,visits to homes in the city were       
continued1 and ,dr4 ,swain and her      
assistants were fully occupied every    
day4 ,three of the graduates  of the    
medical class were employed by ,dr4     
,swain as ,bible women and  gave much   
assistance in the religious work        
connected with the  hospital4           
,,first ,,furlough      ,the anxiety and
 the responsibility of the rapidly      
increasing work  brought weariness of   
mind and body1 and in ,march1 #ahgf1    
,dr4 ,swain  returned to ,america for a 
much needed rest4 ,this was extended to 
the autumn of #ahgi when1 on ,september 
#be1 she again sailed for  ,india1      
arriving in ,bombay ,november #f4 ,at   
the conference held in  ,cawnpore in    
,january1 #ahhj1 ,dr4 ,swain received   

her appointment to  ,bareilly and with  
gladness of heart took up her old work4 
,,physician ,,to ,,the ,,rani ,,of      
,,khetri      ,in ,march1 #ahhe1 ,dr4   
,swain received a call to a native state
 to  attend the wife of the ,rajah1 and 
after two weeks of successful  treatment
 she was formally requested to remain as
 physician to the  ,rani and the ladies 
of the palace4 ,after much thought and  
prayer  it seemed to her that it was the
 ,lord's will that she should  remain   
and do what she could for him in this   
place where there  were no ,christian   
influences2 so she consented to the     
proposal on  condition that she and her 
companion be allowed to carry on the    
work as ,christians should4 ,to this the
 ,rajah agreed1 and ,dr4 ,swain  signed 
a contract to remain two years4    ,in  
the ,blue ,book1 or ,administration     
,report1 of the ,khetri ,state1  #ahhf1 
the ,rajah wrote3 ,i cannot look back   
with greater pleasure  or satisfaction  
on anything ,i have done than on the    

facilities  introduced by me for        
rendering medical aid to the female     
portion  of my subjects4 ,it is a patent
 fact that the ,indian woman1  secluded 
as she is within the four walls of the  
zenana1 cannot  fully benefit by any    
system of medicine2 and it was not till 
the  generous efforts of ,lady ,dufferin
 were turned in this direction  that the
 wives and daughters of the richest and 
most enlightened  ,indians enjoyed a    
better position than the lowest and     
meanest of  their fellows4 ,it therefore
 gives me genuine pleasure to bring     
prominently to your notice the existence
 of a regular institution  in this      
benighted portion of ,india1 for the    
treatment of females  of all classes4 ,i
 have employed a very competent         
,european lady  doctor1 ,miss ,swain1   
,m4,d41 to attend on ,her ,highness1 the
 ,rani  ,sahiba1 and1 feeling it my duty
 to place her advice and assistance     
within the reach of all my subjects1    
have established a regular  dispensary  

for women4 ,it was opened ,june #a1     
#ahhe1 at the expense  of the state1 and
 a room in the palace building          
appropriated to it  until a more        
convenient and suitable one could be    
provided4 ,an  allowance of ,rs4 #ajj   
per mensem is fixed for medicines1 and  
is  found for the present to be         
sufficient4 ,the average daily          
attendance at the dispensary is five4   
,under ,section #ab1 ,schools1 this     
report is given3--,i am glad to  say    
that the people of my state are         
beginning to evince greater  interest in
 the education of their children than   
they have done  before4 ,the greatest   
desire of ,her ,highness1 the ,rani     
,sahiba1 was  that ,i should make       
suitable provision for the education of 
girls4  ,i1 accordingly1 engaged a      
competent ,european lady1 ,miss ,p4,e4  
,pannell1 as mistress1 and the ,khetri  
,girls' ,school was opened by  ,her     
,highness in ,april1 #ahhe1 in the teeth
 of opposition from the  orthodox       

portion of the community4 ,as was       
expected1 at first every  effort to     
teach these girls was frowned upon and  
considered absurd  by their relatives   
and friends4 ,this feeling1 however1    
gradually  gave place to trust and      
confidence1 and the school is now       
showing  some return for all the time   
and patience spent upon it4 ,the  number
 of pupils on the roll is twenty1 of    
which three have gone  to their susval  
7husband's home7 and three attend only  
occasionally4 ,the average attendance of
 fourteen girls has1  however1 been     
regular4 ,great pains has been taken to 
teach  truthfulness1 honesty and love   
for one another4 ,instruction is  also  
given in needlework of various kinds1   
and other things1 the  knowledge of     
which is necessary for good             
housekeeping4 ,the  improvement made by 
some of the girls in this direction may 
at  once be noticed by a change in the  
manner of doing nicely the  little      
things which go to make up their lives4 

,the school owes its  existence to the  
care of ,her ,highness1 who is much     
interested in  it4    ,in addition to   
her school1 ,miss ,pannell was engaged  
to teach the  ,rani and some of the     
court ladies4 ,dr4 ,swain and ,miss     
,pannell were  the only ,christians in  
the state1 but their little ,sunday     
service  conducted for their servants   
gained attention1 and others asked to   
be allowed to attend1 some becoming so  
much interested that they  procured     
,bibles and ,testaments that they might 
read the wonderful  words themselves4 ,a
 supply of tracts and portions of       
,scripture  was always on hand1 to      
distribute whenever and wherever the    
ladies  felt they would be appreciated4 
,,second ,,furlough      ,the serious   
illness of one of ,dr4 ,swain's sisters 
decided her to  return to ,america1 and 
she left ,khetri in ,march1 #ahhh1      
having  spent nearly three years in seed
 sowing as she called it4 ,her  own     
health1 too1 demanded a change1 and in  

company with a most  congenial          
missionary friend she turned her face   
toward the  homeland4 ,she returned to  
,india in company with the same         
congenial  friend1 in time to attend the
 ,north ,india ,conference before going 
to her ,khetri home1 ,miss ,pannell     
again accompanying her4        ,,return 
,,to ,,khetri      ,the isolation of    
their life in ,khetri had been at times 
a great  trial to both ,dr4 ,swain and  
,miss ,pannell1 but they felt that they 
were where ,god wanted them to be and   
bore their privations  bravely4         
,however1 at this time ,dr4 ,swain      
wrote3 ,after eighteen  months of the   
religious life of ,america and the many 
precious  privileges enjoyed there1 it  
seems harder to settle down to the  life
 here4 ,i miss the church services much 
more than ,i did when ,i  was here      
before4 ,at another time she wrote3 ,i  
have sometimes  felt tempted to give up 
my work here1 but then the thought comes
  to me that ,i can do more by remaining

 here1 and paying the salary  of a      
native preacher to do what ,i should    
never be able to do4    ,a second       
princess had been born during ,dr4      
,swain's absence from  ,khetri4 ,this   
occasioned close attendance at the      
palace1 as the  baby was delicate1 and  
,dr4 ,swain had an opportunity for      
,bible  study with the ,rani who enjoyed
 nothing more than an hour of daily     
study of the ,scriptures4 ,the older    
princess1 too1 was ready with a  new    
,bible verse every day1 and a ,sunday   
service was held in the  ,rani's        
apartments1 at which the women of the   
court and their  attendants were        
present4 ,the ,sunday ,bible class at   
the home was  not neglected2 it         
increased in interest and numbers1 some 
of the  more intelligent of the ,rajah's
 staff occasionally joining the  company
 and listening with interest to the     
hymns and the reading  of the           
,scriptures4    ,the birth of the prince
 and heir in ,january1 #ahic1 was a time

 of  great rejoicing and much ceremony4 
,offerings were made to the  deities day
 after day1 the poor were fed and       
presents given to the  ,brahmans4 ,the  
,rani acknowledged her thankfulness to  
,god by a  donation1 in the name of her 
little son1 to ,christian work1 asking  
that the money be used to support an    
orphan in the mission to  which ,dr4    
,swain belonged4        ,,trip ,,through
 ,,europe ,,and ,,the ,,holy ,,land     
,dr4 ,swain's engagement with the       
,khetri state expired in ,october1      
#ahie1 and in ,march1 #ahif1 she left   
,india1 as she supposed1  forever4      
,mother ,ninde and her traveling        
companion1 ,miss ,baucus1  from ,japan1 
were among the missionary party of      
eleven1 some of  whom were anticipating 
a trip to the ,holy ,land4 ,in company  
with  ,miss ,baucus1 ,dr4 ,swain visited
 ,jerusalem1 where they were joined  by 
,miss ,dickinson of ,utica1 ,n4,y41 and 
the three traveled together  from ,april
 #a1 #ahif to ,july #d1 when they sailed

 for ,america4 ,they  had visited the   
places of interest in and around        
,jerusalem1  ,bethany1 ,bethlehem1 on to
 ,beirut1 ,damascus1 ,baalbek1          
,nazareth1  ,tiberias and the ,sea of   
,galilee1 a tour much enjoyed by them   
all4    ,at ,jerusalem they met a       
company of ,americans1 and arranged to  
accompany them to ,constantinople4 ,on  
the way they stopped at ,smyrna  and    
made a hurried trip to ,ephesus1        
arriving in ,constantinople ,may  #bj4  
,there they remained six days and then  
sailed for ,athens4 ,on  ,june #b they  
began their ,european tour1 sailing on  
an ,italian  steamer to ,brindisi1 where
 they parted with their ,american       
friends4 ,the three then visited        
,venice1 ,munich1 ,dresden1 ,cologne    
and ,paris1 reaching ,london ,june #bg1 
and remaining there till ,july  #d1 when
 they sailed for ,new ,york4    ,no more
 sea for me6 was ,dr4 ,swain's reply    
when asked if she were  not tired of    
travel4 ,i took many rest days while the

 others were  sight-seeing1 and now ,i  
hope to have a good long rest here at   
the  ,castile ,sanitarium4        ,,to  
,,india ,,for ,,the ,,jubilee      ,but 
to the great surprise of many of her    
friends1 and  notwithstanding the       
remonstrances of some who feared she    
would not  live to return to ,america1  
she determined to go to ,india to attend
  the ,jubilee of the ,methodist        
,mission1 founded by the ,rev4 ,william 
,butler in #ahef4 ,in company with some 
missionaries under  appointment to      
,india she sailed from ,new ,york1      
,november #f1 #aijf1  just thirty-seven 
years from the time that she started out
 on her  untried career4 ,she spent     
eighteen months among old friends and   
old scenes in ,india1 rejoicing in the  
great advance in numbers1  intelligence 
and spirituality of the native          
,christians1 and had  the great pleasure
 of meeting again the young prince of   
,khetri and  his sisters--now           
orphans--and of hearing from them of    

their  mother's last days and of her    
continued love for the ,bible1 to  which
 she had given so much attention while  
,dr4 ,swain was with  her4        ,,at  
,,home ,,in ,,castile      ,once more   
she turned toward the home land1        
arriving in ,castile1  ,n4,y41 in       
,april1 #aijh1 where she was joined by  
the friend of her  early missionary days
 in ,india4    ,dr4 ,cordelia ,greene1  
who established the ,sanitarium1 was    
succeeded  by her niece1 ,dr4 ,mary ,t4 
,greene1 who arranged that the two      
friends should occupy rooms in her      
lovely cottage1 ,brookside1  opposite   
the ,sanitarium grounds1 where for      
nearly three years they  enjoyed the    
comforts of a home and of congenial     
society4 ,though  living outside the    
institution they took their meals with  
the  ,sanitarium family and took part in
 the daily morning prayer  service in   
the helpers' sitting-room and the       
after-supper service  for patients and  
guests in the large parlors1 enjoying to

 the  full the spiritual atmosphere of  
the place4    ,there were quiet hours of
 delightful study in the ,book which    
each  had made the guide of her life2   
social afternoons with friends  from    
different parts of the country and from 
over the seas who  were taking a        
rest-time in the lovely village2 and    
pleasant  evenings before the cheerful  
grate fire in ,dr4 ,swain's room4 ,these
  were made more heartsome one autumn   
because of the presence of a            
much-esteemed missionary friend1 ,miss  
,knowles1 from ,india1 and of  ,miss    
,mc,farland1 ,dr4 ,swain's dear friend  
of ,canandaigua days1 who  had come to  
spend a little time with the one whose  
companionship  had always been a        
pleasure1 and whose correspondence      
during her  absence from ,america had   
been a delight4        ,a ,,glimpse ,,of
 ,,india      ,relatives and friends of 
,dr4 ,swain had carefully preserved many
 of  her letters2 and ,dr4 ,greene1 who 
had long desired that these  letters    

should be published1 conceived that the 
favorable time had  come and urged the  
immediate preparation of the work4 ,the 
letters  were read1 extracts made1      
compiled and edited2 and in the summer  
of #aiji ,a ,glimpse of ,india was given
 to the public4 ,this  furnished a most 
interesting record of the busy life of  
the first  medical missionary to the    
women of the orient4 ,as long as ,dr4   
,swain was able1 she attended the       
,sunday morning service and the         
,thursday evening prayer meeting1 as    
well as the meetings of the  missionary 
and the ,ladies' ,aid societies of the  
church4 ,when she  was no longer equal  
to the walk to church1 she and her      
friend had  regular ,sunday morning     
service in their room with hymns1       
,scripture  reading1 prayer and a       
sermon1 and were often present in spirit
 at  the midweek prayer meeting1 though 
their prayers and praises were  uttered 
in their room4        ,,the ,,last      
,,year ,,of ,,her ,,life      ,the last 

year of ,dr4 ,swain's life was spent in 
much weakness at  times1 occasioned by  
an attack of grippe which would not be  
overcome1 but it was not until the first
 week in ,december that she  felt that  
she could not hope to get stronger4     
,when confined to her  bed she kept her 
,testament and ,psalms near her1 and    
though seldom  able to read more than a 
verse she enjoyed the daily morning     
,bible  reading and prayer with her     
friend4    ,loving attendance and the   
best medical care were given her but    
nought availed1 and early ,christmas    
morning1 while sleeping1 she  passed    
from earth to her ,father's home above4 
,she was laid to  rest in the beautiful 
cemetery at ,castile1 ,december #bh1    
#aiaj4    ,the prayer of the frail      
little mother of a frail little daughter
  was fully answered in this good and   
useful life4