The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1871-06-06 00:00:00

Local anb District gars.

STAFFORD CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

The annual meeting of the important branch of the
Chinch Missionary Society, established. and m ,
aintained '
at Stafford by the devot on Mrr. Reginald Smith, was
held on Wednesday evening, when there was • large
gathering, while the interesting character of the
• Idres,es made the meeting one of the most gratifying
ever held there. Amongst those ptesent were—the
Rees. Reginald Smith, Henry Menlo, H. Jones, C. W.
Bingham, J. Evans, Arthur Mottle, E. Headigad,
Handley Moule, W. Urquhart. Klambrowski, A Bull,
N. Honois_Oeputation), P. Sylvester, C. J. Bird, and
T. NMITO, Mr. R. Williams and Mtn Williams, sir.
sad Mrs. R. Williams, Mrs. Colonel Bingham and the
Nll/01 WriOt, Mrs. Reginald Smith and Misses Alia.,
Eva, and Bhinche Smith, Miss Pearoe, Mr. and Mrs.
PTS•OSi. Miss de Views, Mrs. Reginald Thornton and
Klee Thomas, Mrs, Tudor, Mrs. and Miss Andrews,
Ma A. Bull, Mr. and the Mimeo Goode. the Misses
Kindeirsley and Messrs. Kindersley, Mr. Nation, Mn.
Coodusrazo, Mrs. and Miss Cooper, Mrs. Bryant, Wm
Robert Smith, the Misses Flower, Miss Marriott, Mist
B. Campbell, he, At the entrance to the churchyard
there was an arch of flowers and greenery, and over
og penis a suitable text, very nic ly done by Mrs.
Gillt The interior was adorned with texts inciting to
missionary enterprise and elegant wreaths the handi-
work of Mrs. Pole. Mrs. Richards, and the clerk's
deinghter, while a handsome display of vases and
boatels of flowers was contributed by the villagers and
school children.

Prayers were read by the Rev. Hoary Mods.
The Barron, in opening the proceedines, observed
that last year the korona of the moiety was the largest
It had ever ressived, being £165.000. Of that amount
the Mefferd branch had contributed £75 10'. Gd.,
being the proceeds of the enamel meeting. They bad
met together to show their interest in mission work,
which they must regard as the least common•plses
thing in the world. He enlarged on the solem•iity
aad Important* of mindons, on the devotion of the
atiselonaries (especially naming the Rev. George Moule),
and implored their prayers to God that he would
Increase the number of faithful men' ready to speed
end to be 'sant in spreading abroad the knowledge of
the Saviour.
The Bev, Auourrors Brix, of Carol Abbas, then
addressed the meeting. During the pest winter I
travailed in Egypt, Syria. sad Asia Minor generally,
and he detailed what he sawed the work of the Church
Missionary Society emceed the llabomedens and the
"fallen churches of Cbristendom''—the Greeks, the
demonises, the Nestorlans, ha With regard to the
tatter • useful but unobtrusive work is serried on, be
establishing churches OD the Protestant spill:realise
model; and, amongst the Mahomedana the only peac-
h/male mesas of retreading the truth is adopted, viz,
the opening of book shops, where Bibles and Tests.
isants, and large texts are displayed, end these have
nom behind where inquirers can learn the Scriptures.
The Rev. Num Holum, missionary front South
India, folowed, and made • ctpital speech, Ho had
been for the past ten year@ in Tinnevelly, and be con-
trasted the work of the minietry at home and abroad
by saying the former was like keeping in order a garden,
while the letter was cultivating the wilderness, lie
spoke of his journey from Madras to Ti fly. He
travelled in • "band," • rude cart on two. wheels
drawn by oxen, which by the vigorous exertions of the
drivers tickling their sides and screwing their tails
whieh, we are afraid is not alone a heathen practice—
would go about two miles an hour. For his wife he
hired • pahrequin—e kind of box 5 feet high end 7 feet
long carried on men's shoulders. They were generally
merry-hearted fellows and went along at • rapid pane,
dolling "Oh I oh!" a; A lady friend who was rather
heavy was one day enfant • journey in that manner,
and knowing their language, wee more amused than
nattered to hoer them sing "Oh I oh I isn't she teeny!
rent fat Pie ha He gave some description of the
country, and said that being very near the equator it
was all the year round like "simmering over • Blow
fire." The waives did not wear much drees—a cloth
round the loins and another round the bead sufficing
them. Berne are dark others much fairer. The latter
had different marks in their foreheads and faces denot-
ing the gods to whom they are devoted. Tire blacks
would fall down on their faces in the road, or put
their hands before their mouth. least their breath
should pollute the air, es the hirer men of the
Brahmin caste passed. These latter admired the skill
of Europeans in building bridaes,making steam "devils"
as they called locomotives, and flashing mtmtges by
telegraph, but, say they, at the end you are but dogs,
while we shall be absorbed into the Great First Caen.
A Brahmin thinks a great deal of scow, and often
when about to die has the animal brought to his bed-
side, takes its tail in him hands, and ao passes
away. Coate runs through all [classes of the
people, and the slave thinks as much of the
the little observances of his caste as the Brahmin. The
blatirstnith'a son mud t keep to the forge, the carpenter's
son must be "a chip off the old block,' the shoemaker's
son must stick to his last and to the led. When
frivolling in the bandy one of the drivers had the
fever, and he offered • rupee for coup of water for him,
but bemuse he was of a different caste from the man
he asked it was indignantly refused. A boy,
writing at school, would suddenly throw down
hie pen, rush out and dash into the newest river,
because a scholar of • lower caste had touched him.
Well, it would be asked, bad the Christian rionverts
given up caste? To some extent they bad, but net
entirely. Of course In church the lowest and the
highest set down together, and all drank out of the
same cup—which to the heathen is an abomination—
holt* right] - but there he thought be mast stop. As
to their marriages caste was retained. In one cue in
In which persons of a different caste married—bin
llsh sacsallistacel—it turned out most unhappily;
ebout hell-a-dozen calls he had known the
results had invariably been unfortunate. [Of course ]
But probably the railways would do more to break
down caste than Christianity. When a train arrived
at the platform, the Euglish guard, not appreciating
their scruples, would hurry them altogether into the
carriages, and communication was imperative. Amongst
the Madan there was a recognised class of profes-
atonal thieves, to whom everybody was obliged to pay
a stipulated sum monthly not to rob them. On account
of their chorenes they had to pay this black-mail. lie
spoke of the falsenesi of the Hindoos, and adopting
Lord Maesulay's description of the Bengalee, said what
its sting is to the bee, what horns are to the buff .10,
what beauty is to women, so is deceit to the Hind°
He described the social degradation of the women.
Their husbands treated them as they would household
pets, and they had, when he could afford it, rings on
thole fingers, on their toes, and in their noses too.
High caste men would net allow their wives outside
their houses. But the sonana work bad spread to •
great extent in Madras, under the patronage of Lady
Napier, and by it he anticipated much good would be
done among the higher classes; It was considered •
dreat for • .wooran to rhe fnble to read and write,
and he told how his plea to the head of the village for
permission to establish a girl's school was met with the
contemptuous remark "I suppose you'll want to teach
the win to reed and write next." As to the religion
of the Eiltidoos he said some worshipped lasects,others
the sun, moon and stars, some everything, for they said
God was in all things, others nothing, for, said they,
after God created the world he retired into oblivion,
and lets the world wag as it will, But another class
worshipped the devil. Entering a village, where this
hoerible worship was about to be carried on, they
would observe all the proper-shoes for a feast. When
midnight came, at the beating of • drum, men,
women, and children would ensemble in an enclosure
where the orgies were to be carried on. Looking into
the that there erected when the eroceedinp were
advanced, be observed • little image, the face painted,
sad a garland about the head, and before it prostrate •
man covered with pig's blood, and disgustingly intoxi-
cated. He had sold himself to be the mouthpiece of
the devil, and was single' his praises. " On, come
quickly, across ?the sea of honey," chanted the man,
"some arose the sea of milk and visit our dark lend."
Bo he premeds, and at length shouts out "He is
sooting over the next field—yes, here he is I" upon
which all the oompany rise and with yells gather round
the men sad salaam to him as the devil I Mothers with
Ma infants implore him to touch them that they may
be healed, old men and women beg of him to know
whether they have another year to live, and intereedo
with him to prolong their days, farmers ask for their
sickly stook to be made well, and in which field they
shell sow this or that corn, and all norm to
have Implicit confident* in the men representing
the devil. Referring to the summer attained he said
the old civil servants of India Imagined it Impossible to
'maven the Hindoes, and tried to make the feels
square with their preconceived notions. Other people
walealated the number of converts, with the money
spent by the society, and than said each convert coati
so much pee head. If they would put it per son), he
should not object to their working out the problem in
that way. But they bed converts over whom they had
reseal to thank God. In Tinnevelly there were some-
thing like 60,000 converts—people who aforetime
In such degrading devil-worship as he had
• Tinnevelly was divided into twenty mis-
sionary districts, fourteen of which were worked by the
Church Missionary Society, and six by the Society for
the Propagetan of the Gospel. Then, it might be
Mif you have 60.000 converts, why do you ask us
erit* for the support of the mission* there
That was a fats question, but he maintained that they
*id gill moot liberally. In his own district, which was
ell of the youngest, where there were some 3,000 con'
verbs, they gave at the nide of Bd. per head. He had
about twenty spiritual sgsnta, and before he loft five
of them were inalnteln.d entirely by the ple. At
Pahneeetta three years ago they supieZlho whole
of their spiritual agents. This was • greet deal for
limo, teethe Riede° was of all men the most penurious.
He ear deeertbed how these subscriptions were
selled.uir meeting was held like this, and he would
bake •mersonadum book and gall out the names of
sosslirsPtion, one after another, asking one hoe
Molls I. would OM One might say three rupees, an
Mae next • few IDYLL Then tea OD would
disimee his mesas, point him to the good crops he had
had, or aaft that yam all be amid afford on amount of
Milan of °MIM, and so elelt sontributor's subscription
ma &divided by the eisomment ot the courregatioe
a ass jefilleed le, PAY what they said he -ht then
niv Tatou memos he was made to do it He said to
lbs people this should all be, lee esses7 man give what
ha would; but WY slid he ought to gas so ash and
musts Then they hid an offertory war. 11:
service,
One would throw down before the nadirs' desk a r!,
111211..im..einother • bundle of gotten, • third a e-,3
and so forth, until by the sad of the serviee
eherab you'd reeemble • gresegrosees they.. The
whole was pilled in • eernar of the char* aad the
amid emit mouth wee sold by anction. Them radiftt.
lag hells wens uraninite& and that means molly
am deeds altogeehee be Mug In many cures
the magas graver% gave man Christians in Bug.
fiend. Ble scald point to wy In Lelia who gave ones
*wen& of their Weems ; and theysubmitesel to diselp.
See whisk hese weald be smosidered intolerable. When
Forksidse he fregesatly weal Into houses where it
apes all they had • Bibie, but it lay on • dusty shelf,
was mover sad they novae prayed to God, yet
were smiled Illlmas, hat it only meant really that
they wee, not Malliatedans or Buddhists. All their
10,000 llama lied some right to he ailed Chrilliana
if a men did set_ reglektrty attend dumb his name was
stressid alf the Mall He mentioned the conversion
sad heptison of • Brahmin youth, on rid& there was
an appeal to the law, and when the young maa ex-
peened his resolve to be a Chrhtiaa tas property he ,
amid hall had was sosassated. kis Widlleed mollies