Original, Ummunitations.
MISSIONARY LIFE IN INDIA.-ITS BRIGHT
Rev. David Herron, of the Foreign Mission
of the Old School and Reformed Presbyterian
Churches, had an interview with the students of
the Reformed Presbyterian Seminary, to bring
before their attention the claims of the heathen
world upon their prayerful consideration, and to
remove, as far as practicable, the dismal and
wrong notions usually entertained of the nature
of missionary life in India.
He called attention to the overcrowded ranks
of the ministry in all the closely-settled parts
of the country. In towns of 6,000 people, where
three churches would accommodate all the peo
ple who could go to church, there are often a
dozen and upwards, to accommodate the much
smaller number that actually did attend public
worship, West Philadelphia, had become known
as " the ministers' dry dock," and in cities fur
ther west were clergymen in abundance, cramped
in little offices up three flights of stairs, working
at anything they could get to do, and, perhaps,
waiting for some dead man's shoes. During a
vacancy of eight months in a little church in
New Jersey (which gives $l,OOO and no parson
age), there were eighty applications from candi
dates for the pastorate. On our western frontier,
indeed, there was a wide opening fur many pas
tors, but who was " stepping westward" to oc
cupy them ?
In India, on the other. hand, in the field next
his own, now occupied by a solitary missionary,
there were 5,000 cities and towns, some of them
with over 100,000 inhabitants. The whole popula
tion of the United States would not be percept
ibly missed if taken a.way from the 150,000,000
of that benighted land.
As to the preparation for the missionary's
work, nothing in addition to the usual college
and seminary course was needed, that could be
obtained in this country, and the missionary
might enter upon his duties at once, as the mis
sion schools at each station use English as the
sub-channel of imparting information, while
each school was taught the use of one or more
native languages,mostly the Urdu (or "Hindu").
He, himself, began laboring in the school the
day after he reached his station, and the profi
ciency of his class of native boys may be judged
of from the fact that, within two days after
that, he had a long discussion with one of ,the
pupils, as to whether " as" was ever used as a
relative pronoun.
The language most used in preaching and con
versation was the Urdit, which might be called
the " Lingua Franca" of India. It is a com
pound in, about equal proportions of Hindi, Per
sian and Arabic, which took its name from the
bazar in Delhi, when the need of some mode
of communication between the natives and their
Mahommedan (Persian and Arabian) conquerors,
was first felt and met. It is now being enriched
by additions from the English, and will become
in time, one of the most copious and flexible
languages in the world. Its grammar is purely
Hindi, and embodies many peculiarities derived
from the state of society—as, for instance, the
use of the causative mood and a double-causa
tive, which avoids much circumlocution in a
country where the simplest offices of life are dis
charged by upper and subordinate servants.
An acquaintance with Hebrew would be of
great use in learning the Arabic words which
it contains, while its connection with 'the San-
sent (the sacred tongue of the Brahmins),
brought it into some relation to Greek and
Latin. Three years were needed to obtain a
complete mastery of the Urdti, but he found
himself talking it before he was half an hour in
India, or indeed, before he had left the ship, in
hiring a body-servant or bearer, whom no one
can do without in India. Urdit must be learnt,
however, not more from books than from expe
rience. The ear must be educated to its gut
tural sounds, and freedom from sensitiveness in
regard to blunders would be a great help in its
acquisition; not indeed tKat the natives would
. laugh to your face at such mistakes, for a more
polite people does not exist upon the face of the
earth than they are. The student has to leave
his books and to go down with the experienced
missionary to the bazar, that his ear may be edu
cated, and that he may learn to have his wits
abOut hiin in discussion with men of the keenest
and sharpest intellect, such as these natives are.
In the meantime his whole intercourse with the
natives and ,his friends have been insensibly
training hinarto think and speak in Urdii, as well
as to read and write in it. In some villages he
will find that the Urdti is an unknown tongue
among thcise who still sPeak'the old Hindostane,
and he will, therefore, need to know this last
tongue also.
Missionaiy life in India had most agreeably
disappointed him' in every expectation he had
formed of it. His only notion of it was living
upon rice, in , a miserable hut among black fel.
lows, in a hot climate. On the contrary the
missionary lives in the English quarter on. terms
`of intimacy with members of the first English
fimilies who had come out' to India to make their
fortunes as, the employees of the government.
These received the largest salaries in the world,
lived in a style that combined Eastern magnifi
cence with Western refinement, and after a time
retired on liberal pensions. Every house had its
piano and its carriage, and the " cool street "..of
the quarter was crowded every evening by the
" turn outs" of the residents. Among these the
missionary moved on terms of cordial friendship
in the rank accorded by English society to " pro
fessional" men. No party was given withoutan
invitation for them,—though it was recognized
that they did not feel it consistent with duty to
move much in such very gay society. The lib
erality shown by these residents towards the
support of the missionary schools, had been won
derful. The sympathy experienced from them
by Mr. H. personally, during the sorrowful days
in which the partner of his toils had been taken
away, was even such as could not have been sur
passed, had his loss occurred in the midst of his
friends at home.
The express regulations of the Board require
that a comfortable home be provided for the mis
sionary, as they wisely conclude that it is better
economy to make the outlay needed for that
purpose, than to pay the doctor's bill, and the cost
of a return on the sick list, which a, bad home
might render necesiary. As for "living upon
rice" even when the limits prescribed by a care
for health are' observed, the missionary has a
more varied and pleasing 'lnge of articles of
diet, especially of fruits, than' he would have at
home. Privatioris the missionary Must undergo
in separation' from friends and native land, but
they do not come in the form of physical dis-.
comforts of this kind.
The climate of India has been much maligned
by English residents (missionaries as well as offi
cials) who live, in defiance ofeVery law of health
upon the diet of their own` cold, damp :island::
. . .
roast beef and porter ;—such men are never
drunk, but their systems and livers are contin-,
wally under the influence of malt liquor; and,
they suffer what they deserve. There are three,
seasons in the year—cold, rainy and warm. ' The .
first is, of course, not' a winter, as the trees" and ,
plants never leave off flowering and bearing - fruit.
During this cold season the missionaries go into
tents, a luxury which, in itself \ and in the con-'
veniences with Which it is surrounded, cannot be
conceived of"'in a country . like our own, where
tent life Would bd a hardship. During' the sec
and, or rainy season vegetation springs iip in the:
rankest growth, and, as much of 'this decays; the
renewed strength of the sun at its close'breeda
malaria, and that prodUces the" jungle'fever"
t. i
which is India's worst plague. By proper 'pre-,
caution, hoie;mr, this could be ayoided, arid Mr'
H. himself' had never strifered Penn• it, and g onlyr
witnessea'Aree Cases' of it at his Own' station.,
_
At every Station, too, the inittgronary : conld . Ob
tain the best of surgical advice and . attendance
gratis, as there is always a military and often a
civil surgeon practicing there. Mr. H. ' never
paid a fee for medical service (except three ru
pees to 'a native doctor, while his way up the
country) during several years residence in India,
The daily routine of a missionary's life in India
begins before six o'clock, A. M., when his body ,
servant brings the " little breakfast " to his bed
room as a preservative from malaria. (In India
every one rises early to get through with busi
ness before' the beat of the day) Boys' school
begins at Six o'clock with reading the ScriPtures
and prayer. This school is largely attended by
native children, who are wide awake to the
chanee, of learning what will fit them for govern
ment employment. Where 'a government school
is open at the same station, it works to the dis
advantage of the mission school for a time, 1a' . .4
the latter usually breaks it down in the - end,'
the natives have an inexplieable preference fli
missionary instruction, although the government
excludes the Bible and religion /- from 'their
schools in compliment to the native's: Liberal
grants in aid (equal to the entire` amount'expen
ded by the managers of the Scheele) are made by
the authorities, on condition thai l tlie sehools shall
always be open to the government inspector's,
and that the institution shall give bond' ftir its
continuance for' at least three years. Besides
this a fee is charged each pupil unless he is too
poor to pay, and these fees are being, giluinally
raised, as the people realize more fully the valne
of educatien, with a -view to making the schools
finally self-supporting. Through these schools
the missionary is able to reach the native women,
now shut up in the zenanas, and seeing Only the
faces of their brcithers, husbands, `fathers and
sons. ' Seclusion by no means diminishes" the
natural curiosity of -these daughters of Mother
Eve, and_ the young student is asked, "What
did, the Sahib (Missionary) teach yon ? • What
does he look like ? What are yott learning ?'?
These schoeli, however, are 'rapidly breaking
down the native prejudice against women learn
ing or appearing in public, and the generation
rising will put their shoulder to'the wheel in ad
vancing the
.movement already begun for the ed
ucation of women in Indi'a. ' `
The schools over, the missionaiies have family
'worship and breakfast at' the' mission home at
andunited f "i• with
ten, thenami ywo sthe
native Phristians iiithe chapel. ' '
Noon is devoted to letter writing, 'by means of
which the common business of the whole mis
sion is carrried on. • If 'any•inissiondiT has any
suggestion to offer he sends it to the'president of
the mission, who digests the plan into a circular,
and sends it round among the brethren for their
votes in writing, and should their votes not , be
very nearly unanimous, the circular is sent on
its rounds a second time, with these opinions and
PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, JULY 29, 1869.
reasons attached to it. In this way every member
of the mission obtains a fair and full hearing from
every other. More vexed questions are considered
in the periodical Mission Conference, at one of
which he had met Mr. Ferguson, of the now
famous Chamba Mission, then a chaplain with an
expectation of becoming a missionary, but not a
man of apparently marked ability.
In the afternoon the schools for girls meet, and
at 4 the mission family meet for dinner.
After dinner they start for the scene of their
more distinctly missionary labors,—in this case a
piece of ground fronting on the street which leads
down to the Ganges, on which a few chairs and
benches have been disposed for the purpose.
Rapidly and repeatedly opening and closing his
outstretched hand he points to some native on
the strpet, who with Rindoo politeness approaches
in compliance with the signal, and is asked to
take a seat. As one of the highest honors which
an Englishman can'confer on a native, visitor is
to ask him to sit on a chair, this request is never
yefused, though if his business is too urgent to
allow him to remain, he, rises, and with a.gesture
of respect, asks "the Sahib" to excuse him. If
not he remains seated and inquires what is the
Sahib's pleasure in regaid to him. (A. little skill
enables one to tell, before ; calling, exactly who
can stay and who cannot.) A question or two as
,to the native's.businessiprovokes a conversation,
and leads to discussion and even debate. Is he
a pilgrim on his say down to the sacred river?—
he if he really believes that the . waters
of Grungil. will purify : the heart. Is he come from
some distant village. to attend the governmental
law courts ?—he is told. of " the great excise "
where. every man, shall " appear, before the judg
ment-seat of Christ to , give „an account of the
deeds done in the ,body." The Missionary learns.
himselfhow closely every event of life is associ
ated; by, analogy, with the great truths of the,
kingdom. Question leads to
_question, they pass
from,subjeat to subject, one:truth after another
.is pressed home , to ineet,a. pagan error, while the
,erowd gathers around them filling every seat and•
often every place within papshot. Often,—es
pecially,,if a Brahman's ova. Moolah's reputation
is at stake—the controversy grows hot and ex
cited, and, a dozen ,are!,ready to break in with
,11ord r if.,the naiisipnary ,does not, hold them
hack, t • Sharp wits p.ticl,open eyes are needed, for
the war is with intellects of the-keenest edge i ,and
the,spift, change of topic ~calls for agility. and
4xterity of mind :! : If the-firat 'disputant grows
tired, , there , are, ,plenty more .eager , to take, his
place, from whom the Sahib chooses.. one, At
tempts to drewg fait; 51,scussiop and ,by, crying out
(mere filtesiano) 2 , " great .is _Gil ne n r! e ad o p i
meet with, success, as, native• politeness forbids'
such foul play. Many stop but for a minute and
then pass on, butthey too, like the rest, , will
as-they pass round the hookah, among the elders
of the village about the evening fire, "I heard the
Sahib to•day," and weigh and discuss the one
truth they heard, as men do in a country where
speech still holds the place usurped among us by
the .newspaper.- .way the missionary
reaches many, (perhaps all in his-wide field) who
never come within the sound of his voice and so
disseminates the truth of the kingdom which is
as the "little leaven" that, " leaveneth the whole
lump." The result of such work cannot be fairly
estimated from the number of open , converts, nor
until some event shall' test how far ' Christian
principle has actually pervaded the community.
d The native converts,do not become Anglicized
as they are Christianised, though there is a man
ifest tendency,among them:, to adopt
,Europeen
usages and fashions. The •missionaries neither
give this encouragement, nor interfere to . pre
vent it. . , .
IMPRESSIONS OF EUROPE.—No. I.
THE SEA. '
,
Take yqur bath room and
:put in it three' or
four coffins` of the largest size. Place mattresses
in those coffins, not too' soft," and prcvide bed
linen some What damp. , Lodge three or four per
sons in the bath room, who had never met before.
Cover the floor with, trunks, carpet bags, hat
boxes, and one or two small. stools. Open a reg
ister and adinii, ateedors from the kitchen, the
cellar and the laundry.. 10 o'cluck,',P. M.
shut the door,close the 'window tight, and set . the
whole thing in' rnaotion, filim side to' side, and
from head to fopt. 'Then having .adi:ministered
'small 'arises of ipecac at brief intervals, With the
.
desirell effect yourselfbeing one of the inmates
—you haire,sciine fairit, but quite iriadequate
anne,eption of Condition' landsmnir 'for the
first few days aftrir leavinc'•ihe 'shore. Generrd
wretchedness, diigust, and
• amazement, that you
could ever have been such a fool as to go to sea, will
be your most convincing experience. As soon as
.2 e .11 t, •
you "are ableto get up from your coffin', you make
• .
a dash for the,deck.. As you pass the saloon door
you look in, and obierVn with indignation that
some ,people can it at table and eat and drink.
'Won't you ,step in, ( sir', and have'something
You glare on your questioner, the amiable stew
ard, and totter on without a word of reply.' Once
on deok whai shall you (lo ? Although you left
warm weather a 'clat:Y or ttio Since, at •itonie, you
'
seem to have gone back 'suddenly to winter again,
'rind the only`tolerahly coMfortable place on deck
is at the leeward - of - the smoke stack; and there
you be.come black from -tire smoke and dust of
,the furnace: If itnhould rain, gas it is apt to do
every day, your case is pitiful. Who can hold
an umbrella against such a storm? When it does
not rain, you walk up and down the deck jostling
your companions in misery, who are pursuing the
same dreary, monotonous employment. When
you get tired of walking you sit down on the
flange of the smoke pipe, and try to read. You
can hardly fix your attention upon any thing.
You feel in your pocket for your Testament and
find it not; it has dropped out in your unsteady
efforts to dress. You try to repeat mentally some
familiar passages of Scripture, but you cannot
consecutively. You can manage the Lord's .
prayer; it is like the alphabet, once learned never'
forgotten ; but try to repeat to yourself the para
ble of the Prodigal Son, or the 23d Psalm, or the
53d of Isaiah, or the Beatitudes, and see what
success you will have. At length you seize upOn
a novel, and this requiring next to no fixedness
of thought, you while away a dreary hour. Bat
night draws on. What shall you do? The thought
of your state room (why; oh why, so 'called 0 and
of last night's experience there, is horrible. And
yet you cannot remain all. night upon deck. You
must go below. So, after waiting and waiting,
and putting off the evil hour as long as possible,
you summon all your energies for a plunge, and
down you go again into the depths of the vessel.
If the way is clear it does not require much
time to disrobe. If you succeed in getting off
hat, coat and boots, you say, or think, " excuse
haste," and dive or climb, as the case may be,
into your long and narrow house. , You
. are not
likely to sleep soon, and if "fond' metrioiy i .briligs
not the light of other days around you, it is more
than probable that you will be refreshed with
such scraps as this, for instance:
"Oh many a dream was in the ship
An hour before her death ;
And sights of . horne, with sighs,
Disturbed the sleeper's long-drawn breath.
* :x- * * * * *
Ile wakes at the vessel's sudden roll,
And the rush of paters is in his soul, &c., &c."
SlCe,p after that, if you can.
But as the days pass on you recoveifrorn-your
misery-, or you become accustomed tolt,—the
adaptability:Of human nature to surrounding oil , '
ciunstances' is truly wonderful,—and you' thank
God and take courage. You begin to look Acme
you hopefully. You are half way across the ocean;
and if you don't," collide" (horrid Americanism)
with another vessel in the fog, and'are not struck
-with lightnink, the probability is, that , infOur or five
days yOu sight;" Ireland. Now• then, who
are our fellow-passengers ? Well, here are the
Rev. Doctors G— and 0--=, of the Baptist,
Church, the-former from WashingtOn City, the
latter froth St. Louis, both excellent men. Then
here is Rev. - Df."111118, - Ilishop; - or----Lord--Biehoi
of British Columbia. Then we have Senators
C—, of Michigan, and o—, of Florida, and
two newly made brides, and as many bridegrooms,
of course; then Judge F—," of Chicago, and
Dr. B—, of Flushing, and three or four law
yers, from as many different parts of the country.
A Jew broker from Wall • St., the usual assort-,
ment of children, Canadians, Cubans, &c.
In all one hundred and twelve, and an equal
number in the steerage. Then the officers, sea
men, engineers, servants, &c., made up a total of
nearly three hundred and fifty souls. There were
`many most agreeable and excellent people among
the passengers, and after the first few days out
there was a general inclination to contribute to
each other's comfort and happiness. Sometimes
in the evening we would gather round.the smoke
stack (that was the • most popular locality) and
sing familiar hymns. One evening the Lord
Bishop lined one .or two hyinns and started the
tune himself, the rest joining, with him. 'Some
times we leaned over the railing and listaned to
the steerage' passengers, some of whom,Were good
singers, and had their music books with them.
They were generally of the better class, opera
tives in New England manufactories, going home
to visit their friend's, perhaps to take back some
with them to America.
One evening—n Wednesday—the Bishop was
invited to deliver an address in the cabin, on
British America—the charader"and'' conditien
of the people there, and the nature of his 'own
work,'etc. He coMplied, and for a half-hour or
so, he talked of the country generally and the
Indians among whom he is laboring to plant the
, Gospel. He seemed to be greatly,encouraged—
mentioned the number of children whom he had
baptized (our Baptist brethren could hardly be
expected to enjoy that part' of his speech), the
number of adults brought into the ChUrch, and
the general . condition of his .mission; and added
that the Nita Government had been more for
tunate iults dealings With'the -Indians than the
United States - had r -for they, the British, had
never had a war With the Indians. After some
very kind references to the United States Govi
ernment, which were heartily , • applauded, he
closed; and the usual vote of 'thanks was moved
in a neat speech, by Mi. a Philadelphi
lawyer. " •
'Oar ship 'belonued to t Inmanhe' Line, and,
, P
Of course, was thoroughly 'English. When 'San
' day came, thb first, the'Ca - Ptain, although he was
aware that there were several clergyinen 'on
board, insisted on 'readingthe Episcopal• Church
service 'himself. When asked if he , would allow
preaching; he said he had no objection to ,the
preaching;.but he must . fead the:Service hiniself
--it was a rule •lie never deviated from.. But th(l
'BishopraS-unwilling to preach unless.he could
conduct the whole service, so the first Sabbath
passed without preaching. When the
Sabbath came, there was a hope that one or the
other of the parties might make a concession,
that a compromise might be effected; but, n,
discipline and dignity could neither be adjust
nor compromised ; and so the Bishop kei . .t hi
room and the Captain, in full uniform, after the
tolling of the bell, marched into the saloon,
seated himself before an improvised pulpit of
cushions on the dining-table, surrounded by his
principal officers. In marched also all the sea
men not on duty, and a few of the steerage pas
sengers, and the Captain, in a very sonorous
voice and strong English accent, read the full
morning service of the Church of England.
But, in •the afternoon, with the Captain's con
sent, the steerage passengers were invited to a
service op. the forecastle' deck. A pulpit was
prepared by spreading-the • Union Jack over the
end of a barrel, and a cushion upon that. Many
of the cabin passengers came forward, bringing
theii deck chairs, and seats Were arranged on coils
of rope -and•whatever could answer the purpose,
the audience seated in- picturesque groups as
they could best accommodate themselves. It
was an impressive scene. The hour was six
o'clock: The sea was perfectly smooth, not a
sail in sight—the wind just, enough to fill the
sails which were all set—the sun rapidly gliding
to his oceanhed—the Bishop, a large, fine-look
ing man, without robes, and bare-headed, the
wind blowing his iron-greyiair about his fore
head, standing before his audience and beginnin g
the service with those - sentences so well known
and so appropriate—the gentle and regular im
am of the 'great ship, rising and sinking with
the swell of the ocean, all these made a picture
not easily forgotier;. • The service was brief; no
chanting—two hymns sung from cards distrib•
uted--part of the Sermon on the Mount read for
'the lesson, and' the sermon very plain, extem
poraneous and brief, not more than fifteen min
utes long. There was no reference to the
.surroundingcnirCuaistances, to the great ocean
on , whose-miffity breast we had been borne
-more than a week; to the blue heavens above us,
which for almait all that time had been obscured
'by fogs f'nor-io the.hope which we all cherished
of seeing laridsqa the morrow. If the Pastor of
Clinton street' - church had stood there,• how
different would have been the discourse ; -yet it
-was -very , good, -and it was not the preacher's
fink if it did not , do good: ,
We found the Bishop very affable and intelli
gent. Finding that I was very much interested
'in the works' of Archbishop Trench, of Dubin,
and Dean Alford; of Canterbury, he kindly
offered me letters of introduction to them. Re
knew them both intimately, and had been at Col
leae with them.
The nest morning, we "sighted," as they
say, the coast of Ireland—glad sight to all, of us,
and running along within a few miles of the
land, we were met by a boat off the mouth of
Queenstown, which took off, the Irish mails and
such of the passengers as chose to land. We
were among thein, so bidding farewell to the
pleasant acquaintances we had formed on the
good i ship, we savr her bear away on her course
towards Liverpool with something like regret.
I close, as, the divines say, with two or three
reflections. '
1. Do not fail to take plenty of warm clothing
with, you to sea. Ina steamer it is always cold,
at least in the North Atlantic. It is well also
`to have an India rubber suit. It will rain, and
an uMbrella is a nuisance. If you are a lady, be
sure to'have a thick woolen hood. If a gent:e•
man', whatever else you may forget or neglect.
don't fail to, take a woolen cap. / was not ad
vised on this point and. had no cap.. Everybody
else had. Many kind friends had suggested a
variety of conveniences for'travelin&, but none
, traveling ,
had said : " get a cap." My head-covering was a
high-crowned, pearl-colored hat. Before I left the
ship the color was indistinguisbabli, but the
identity, the individuality, were more and more
striking, quite Horace-Greeleyish,
2. Take plenty of fruit—apples, figs, oranges.
etc.—yon will need them. ,
3. Determine to make the most and the best
of everything about yon=the ship and its ap
pointments and your fellow-passengers-4nd cul
tivate patience.
4. Don't believe anybody's theory of, or
remedy for, sea-sickness. Keep your berth as lung
as you can, and then getup, and stay up as bin,'
as you can.
5. Don't wonder that 'sailors as a rule are not
religious Men. You will see 'plenty of reason ,
why his almost strange that any are pious.
Presbyterian Board has for two years
Sustained•a pioneer inission in the Laos country ,
north of Siam: Some Baptist missionaries limo
Burmah explored among the Laos last year, and
were surprised to find the Presbyterians before
them at Uhieng mai. The king has during the
past year given the missionaries a suitable 1/0t
of gromid,i and shown himself more favorable
than formerly. The people listen favorably to
the gospel, and cases which promise hope for the
future are reported.
—lt is
,reported that ninety-five new church
edifices are to be built in the Island of Madilvas
car the present , season. At some stations these
buildings are to acconimodate - from eight hue
-dred to a thousand , persons, and it is expected
that they will be filled :witli t worshippers as soon
as bui t.
B. B. C