The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-08-24 00:00:00

THE PRIMATE ON HEATHENISM.

The Archbishop of Canterbury spoke at a meeting
held in Carlisle on Monday afternoon in aid of the
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign
Pat ts. He said there were many reasons why we
should not relax our efforts in our Missionary exertions.
One of theee arose from the peculiar circumstances in
which the world found itself at the present day. It
was no longer necessary to send men to distant lands in
order that they might see specimens of the heathen.
"Take," paid his Grace, "a return ticket to London
in the middle of the season. Go either to Her Majesty's
L6vee, or the Lord Mayor's Banquet, or walk
even through the streets, and what do you see? A caval-
cade of some six carriages bearing the Burmese Am-
bassadors, absolutely heathen, who had come to do
their homage to the greatness of England in the
centre of England. Go to the Temple, where the
familiar sight of our barristers with their peculiar
costume used formerly to be the only thing we saw,
and we find some 60 Hindoos members of the Temple
or Lincoln's Inn still remaining Ilindoos and
heothens in the centre of civilization. Go, again,
to the East end of London, to what is called the
Or,eutal Home, where every specimen of the hea-
then of the East is gathered together in consequence
of out merchandise with the East ; or follow Mr.
Dickens into the Chinaman's shop and see there men
smoking opium as if they were in the centre of Chins;
orjoyaealsezillere, i
see ttltmaeet a w
man aahoza requiresore
le troop of
a to go to
the extremities of the earth to be convinced of the
claims which the heathen have upon us; that in our
metropolis we are brought so near heathenism of the
worst claws that, =lea we take some steps forth,

converting the heathen, the heathen will be convert-
ing as. For this is not merely an, imaginary idea. I
am almost afraid to say it, but I canailtlelp Wink-
ing that this great proximity of the Nast to our-
selves has, somehow or other, affected the philo-
sophy on which the young men feed In our great
seminaries of learning; that men of learning have
more toleration for that denial than they had in the
olden times; that systems which have existed for
centuries in the extreme landsof heatheeinn_ are finding
some sort of echo nal among the, literature land
philosophy of this Christian country. Therefore, we
are bound now, far more than ever we were before, to
exert ourselves in this great work which this and the
sister society have undertaken many years."

The above hue evoked the —following lett,ere, which
appeared in The Tinto of Wednesday :
r,—ln these g aye of ineincerity ILIA hypocrisy, when people
are paid for declaring opinions sad pwspagating beliefs they
themselves do not believe in, it is not a novel thing to see
the High retest of the Established Church wilting forth
from a public platform at Carlisle his opinions reamdlop the
evil consequencel attendant on the stay of the heathens in
London "—opinions remarkable alike for their inaccuracy
and want of Christian charity.
Let me, with all deference, Remind hha (inioe Wit the
object of the "heathen Burmese Envoys " is not to do
homage only, but to put on a more permanent footing the
political and commercial relations subsisting between the
two countries.
- • •

Passing by this statement, I come to one which vitally
concerns the 'heathens in Londo," Knowing that accu-
racy ha figures is essential for the right undersianding of a
subjEct, I correct his Grace'. assertion by stating that the
number of these heathen students at the Temple and other
Inns is nearer 20 than 60.
Such of the English statesmen and officials Who watch the
transition tie Indian mind is paining through, and the rapid
strides, intellectual and moral, which are the products of •
liberal education, will bear me out in saying that the re-
ligious belief if by religious bele( is meant 5 system which
'Tinniest- s doctrines of future life, charity, Etc.) of the so-
called heathens is as enlightened as that profeesed (hut not
implicitly followed) by the class whose views are echoed by
the Archbishop These heathens have toleration for their
' fundamental creed. That no religion can be considered en-
lightened which is not tolerant Is a truth taught by history.
We infer from certain expressions which escaped his Chace
that toleration has no roe sgnized place in Christian religion.
. - -

In conclusion, I beg leave to inform his Grace that it is as
unlikely a thing for the heathens in London" to embrace
the belief he inculcates as it is for Mr. Stuart Mill or Pro-
fesaor Tyndall to believe in the commonly-received forma of
Protestantlsin —I remain, Sir, your obedient servant,
A 11.1)ESHEER B. KAPADIA, 65, Lad oroke-road,
Aug. 20.

Sir,-1 have read with intense pain the speech, which you
publish this morning, of the Archbishop of Cantabnry at
Carlisle. The pain which I felt arose from seeing that the
head of the Church should have ventured to make the unjust
attack which he han actually made m its heathens.

To educated heathens who are sojourning in this country
at present It is a matter of merriment to see the different
sects of Christians here keeping on an incessant warfare
with each other. Each sect is never tired of pronouncing
the mild curse of damnation upon the rest. We, being
foreigners and unbelievers in Christianity, cannot meddle
with these Inland campaigns. But now the monotony ak
tendant upon this state of things is relieved by the efforts
of Archbishop l'ait. He has taken it into his head to attack
heathens in general, and us hindoos in particular. The at-
tack, it is perhaps necessary to add, is pdrfectly gratuitous,
without the slightest provocation on our part. The cool
self-sufficiency with which he begins it, his self-satisfy inn
notion of the identity of Christianity and civilisation, his
contempt, very profound and very clearly expressed, for
the heathen system of religion, his strong condemnation
of toleration, and, to crown a:I, his want of accuracy even
in very simple matters (an, for instance, when he says that
there are do Wisdom, at Lincoln's Inn and the Temple,
when so many are not to be met with throughout the
United Kingdom' ; all these are very remarkable. ro those
who are his zealous followers this exposition is admirable.

On the other hand, it will do immense good to his Grace to
learn that most of no heathens from Ina, have an unmitigated
hatred for those who, having it in their power to ascertain
the truth, do not study accuracy, who do not care to read the
works of heathen writers on religion and philosophy, and
yet abuse them and those who follow them simply because
they are heathen, who have not yet learnt the simple lesson
of speaking without disrespect about the religions opinions of
visitors to their country and, lastly, who call as heathen
"of the worst class" for adopting the views of celebrities like
Mr. Mill, Mr. Spencer, Mr. Darwin, Professor Huxley, dm

In conclusion, let me assure those persons who, like the
Archbishop, are disposeti to proselytize us, that we cannot
too highly compliment ourselves for what we are, especially
when we consider the Christian light which the Archbishop
Is enjoying.—l remain, Sir, yours very truly, S. B. TIIMET:R.