Chapter 5:
Educational work

In 1904 Shedd opened a school for Moslem boys – other missionaries helped him as well. The opening of the school was a great event. There had never been anything like it in Urumia (Urmia). Student numbers rapidly increased. The boys ranged in age from 6 to 18 and they came from all classes of society. A considerable number came from the highest ranks while a larger number from families of lower rank. The son of a nobleman, the merchant, the dervish, the day laborer and sometimes even a young sayid could be seen sitting side by side. The school was known as the American School and it was responsible for bringing Moslems, Christians and Jews closer together. Teachers were both Christian and Mostlem

The babel of languages was the most difficult problem. French, English, Russian, Arabic, Syriac, Turkish and Armenian were taught. The school stayed open for a number of years – until about 1917. Some of its graduates went to Switzerland, Paris and the United States to continue their education. Shedd said, “The attitude of our school to religion has been a matter of common discussion… Our school does not caste off the culture of the East but completes and inspires it with new spirit.”

Fridays were Shedd’s free day and he spent that day with native workers. Once he reports that he spent two and one half hours talking with two Suffi teachers. “One of them is a man of considerable reputation in Tabriz and Teheran….The discussion was a good one…In the evening I went to a literary club of Armenians that I have been able to organize.”  Shedd talks about having conversation at tea-houses …”we had a Socratic diagloue with a mullah…neither party was trying to put the other down…There was an audience of 15 to 20 men from the village sitting around the room. Our talk was on religion and very pleasant….Then I had two or three talks with mullahs that interested me. One of them told me of a definition of God that is quite good. They say that Mohammed was once asked by a scoffer, “What is God?” He replied that when a man is helpless, as a shipwrecked man on a plank, and calls for help, God is what man calls on. That is, Men instinctively expect in need from a higher power.”

Shedd also said he had conversations with many Hajiis who had just gotten back from Mecca. “They had little to say about the city but were very interested in the sights they had seen along the way, especially Alexandria and Cairo.”

Shedd also had conversations with Dervishes. “I stayed with them for about an hour and they sang to me in horror of Ali, one song in Turkish and one in Persian. The dervishes are of different orders; they differ in their beliefs. I would like to get to know them better.” In general Shedd said, “We must take time from the frind to get to close quarters with people and by loving controversy and fellowship found out their beliefs and their stuggles.” He said, “It seems to me that a distinction should be made between the attitude toward the individual Moslem and toward Islam.” He practiced Oriental ideas of courtesy in the forms of address and in the matter of referring to the Prophet and to the Koran.

The American school added to his esteem and helped him in his work with the Moslems; he gained confidence in the Mohammedan community so that when Urumia was overwhelmed during WWI, he was able to command influence for civilization.

Updated 4/1/06