Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-09-02 00:00:00

MISSIONS IN INDIA.

Few questions are for the moment more full of interest
and importance than the infletence, for good or ill, of the
various Christian missions in India. Are the missionaries
really earnest, self-denying men ? Are they judicious, sen-
sible men ? Are they influential men? And then comes
theequastion—ls it owing to, or in spite of, their efforts at
Chriatianisieg India; that the present revolt has taken place?
When the news of this terrible oetbreak first reached us,
the impression was general that the indiscreet zeal of the
missionaries was the real cause of all the danger. They
had insulted the religion of the natives, and a religions war
was the consequence of their folly. But, so soon as our
information grew fuller, we learnt that exactly in propor•
time to the respect paid to their religion by the Europeans
seeing to have been the violence of the natives. It is not
the Bombay and Madres armies, where various castes are
mingled, but it is the high-caste Bengal army, which
breaks its allegiance, and perpetrates these fearful massacres.
And then we learn auothor strange fact. The greasing of
the cartridges, which was supposed to have been the
spark which lit up the rebellion, was a thing which might of-
fend the Hindoos, but which the Muss alrnen could have cared
nothing about; and yet, it is now evident tbat the whole
affair is not Hindoo, but Mahometan, and that the more
gentle race are but urged on by the fiery decendants of the
Prophet. This fact is, we cmceive, certain, from the, very
circumstance of Delhi, instead of Benares, being the head.
quarters of the rebels—from the apathy, and even loyalty,
of the native Rsj shs—and from the testimony contained in
private letters of the different treatment of European fugi-
tives io the Hindoo or the Mahometan villages. We 1,
then, if the religious question be not the direct cause of all
these troubles, are the missionaries entirely free from
blame ? We cannot so esermerate them. It certainly ap-
pears to us that they have done very little, but that little
is rather injurious than otherwise. Enervated by the
climate, and infected by the sslfi hams of those around
him, Vie Christian missionary sits down in some count!),
station, and doss just as little as ha can possible manage
to do. lie attends a school or two, he preaches occasionally ;
but he shirks his work whenever he is able, and draws
largely upon his imeginatioe. when he has tai concoct
his annual report fur a credulous English Public. Of
course there are exceptions, here and there, conspicuous
among which are the Roman Catholic missionaries in the
East.; but the helplessness and inertness of the majority
is a well-known matter-of-feet, to which all travellers bear
testimony, and which wes stiikiagly illustrated by a ease
which occured but a short time since. In a principal mission-
ary post, where some five or six Christian ministers aid au
English regiment were stati ,ned, the missionaries, whose
sole work it was to visit by tarns some neighbouring
schools on the Sunday moraine, ac uslly refused to real
the Church Service to their fellow-countrymen, on the
plea that it was not their business to minister to their
religion. But perhaps even helplessness and inertness are
better than the positive mischief which a zealous mission-
ary inflicts on a most sacred cause. Instead of teaching
the native that God is good, and loves goodness in every
form, and under every variety of creed, the missionary
would substitute one mode of expression, one outward
observance, for another. Ile starts on the assumption
that eserything not nominally Christian is devilish. and
therefore seeks to overthrow instead of to build, to
threaten instead of to reason. He pulls up tares and
wheat together, and destroys them Innh. He sneers at
idolatory, and substitutes incomprehensible dogmas or
senseless book-worship ; and when he has assiduously
made an honest believer into a dishonest sceptic, he looks
complacently on his work, and, like the Roman of old
"he calls the desolation peace." Thus tee population at
large regards the christion faith, not as a good life, but as
a rival creed. Meanwhile the Christianity of Christ—the
Christianity that softens the stony heart, that civilises the
brutal nature—this is all but unknown to the natives of
Hindostan. Had the missionaries in India done their duty
there might be fewer nominal Christians, but we should
not hear, as now, of murder, of rapine,, and of lust,
working their own wild way in every village throughout
the country. The influence of Christianity would hare
pervaded with subtile force the hearts of thousands, who
are now the blo idiest and most abandoned murderers.
Hereafter, indeed, we may hope that Christian missionaries
will awaken to the full meaning of the Christian mission,
and that the evangelisatien of India will be finally brought
about by the uplifting of Hindooisna into Christianity
through the devout, loving, holy lives of the teachers of
Christainity. Now, hoverer. we turn for help rather to
the Government than to the Missionary Colleges. The
Government has power, and when ones India is pacified,
it must rule it in a way it has never done as yet. It
must feel that its mission is not to Christianise, bat to
civilise, the country, and it mast determine on the
firmest measures. Abuses against public decency must be
no longer tolerated. Scenes which are abiminable in
England must no longer be endurable in India. Religion
must not be used as a cloak to licentiousness or
murder,, nor must vice and crime be allowed to
walk abroad, under a mistaken cry of toleration. To
such a purificetien of Indian life an 1 society the noblest
Hindoos would willingly accede. There can be no more
real sympathy between the earnest Vedantists and the
wretche 1 immoral crew, who profane the temples, than
there was between Plato in the schools of Atheas and the
noisy hand of Bacchanals, who roared their drunken seines
railed some dingy altar. But beyond the protection of
public decency nothing must be attempted. The rites of
the temples must be reformed, but the temples must re-
main. The Suttee is properly abolished, but no meddling
should be allowed in the Hiram superstition against the
marrying of widows. Juggernaut way exist, if human
victims are no more permitted; and while disgraceful
processions are prevented, no interference with caste
roust be allowed. The result of such measures would be
that, in a few years, India would be se far advanced in
outward morality, that a Christian faith would fall into
prepared ground, where it might spring up and bear much
fruit. As it is, the force of early training is strengthened,
not only by the example of neighbours, but by the allure.
ments of sense and the pleasures of license; and until
we can make the Hindoos purer and inure hum cue, we
shall seek in vain to make them real Christane, however
much some few may nominally join us. How far the
present missionaries can aid in this work of civilising
India we cannot say. If they will preach a life rather than
a creed, they may do much, If they insist on formulas
and rites, they will do, as they are doing, extremely
little. Above all, they must learn that all men are Goo's
children, and that any religion must contain within it
germs of good, which GOD'S Spirit can quicken into an
immortal life.—lnquirer.

MISS JULIA PASTRANA

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RECRUITING IN NOTrINCIFIA3I.—The streets of this town
have assumed a very martial appearance. At every ginner
of the street we meet the reirutting sergeant with flying
colours in his forage cap or helmet. Duriug the war in the
Crimea, the town was literally drained of its "smart"
young men, who from tine to time were draughted off to
the various military depots; but since then, they who were
rejected some oo account of their being a little deficient in
length, or from being a mouth or two too young, having
groan up, and increased in years, and are now "free, able,
and willing," to serve " her Majesty, her heirs and suc-
cessors, against al enemies." Numbers of them have taken
the opportunity of enlisting, and the instances have been
few of the smart being psi I. We may, however, mention
a case :—At the Borough Police-court, a young man nunel
John James Goddard, a miner by trade, whise parents re-
side at Ilkes,ont came Mere the Mayor, J. Bradley, Esq.,
accompanied by his father, a lace ni,ke,, his son having
enlisted in the 4th Dragoon Guards. The parent was not
willing for the son to leave the paternal regions, and with
money in hand, desired to release him from his engagement
by paying smart. The clerk to the bench asked him
whether he wished his father to do so, to which he replied
in the negative. The money was tenlered, but the clerk
said he could not take it, as the lad wanted to be a soldier.
His father : Why, be told me he had enough of soldierit,'.
Son : Why I didn't. The recruit was asked whether he
had made np his mind to allow his father to pay smart, to
which, he replied in a broad and Ituniounue manner, which
&kited an outburst of laughter. No I aint made up mi
moiled (mind) not to be a sojer. I main to be one sum
toim (time). I dunes want mi father to pay (pay) smart,
but he can do it if he likes, bat I dunna wish him. I aint
a going to say 1 dunna want to be a.sojer." At length he
allowed the old man to pay the smart, which amounted to
245. though we dare not venture to, say the young fellow
will not enlist again, Such is the martial spiciti—Not-
ein2lianS Aetiew,

STATISTICS OF CRIME IN IRELAND-
-1842 TO 1856.

The state of crime in Ireland, for- the period extend-
ing from the beginning of 1842 to the end of 1856, WaS
analysed, so far as to show the classes of crime most
prevalent during their course, a course made up partly of
years of prosperity, but chiefly of years of adversity ; and
a more complete analysis was made of the state of crime
for the year 1851, showing the effect of age, sex, locality, I
education, general occupation, intemperance, and low-
class house accommodation upon the amount of crime
during that year. The following are some of the general
conclusions derived from the facts established in the
paper :-1. That the best measure of crime at present
available is the computation of persons committed or held
to bail for trial at the assizes and quarter sessions. 2. That
when a person is thus committed or held to bail, the
probabilities in favour of his being convicted, are about
56 to 44. 3. That no inquiry into criminal statistics can
• be of service, unless the proportion of crime to population
is taken into account. 4. That although it is impossible
to state the exact population of Ireland for each year,
from 1841 to 1856, that still approximations not very wide
of the truth may be made, and that in table A are given
about as accurate approximations to the real population,
in the different years referred to, as could well be arrived
at. 5. That want and privation are fruitful multipliers of all
classes of crime, and that tosuch a parentage we may safely
look first, when we find a general and marked increase in
the crime of a country. 6.. That although during the
years of distress, the tendency to every class of crime
was greatly increased, it was chiefly offences against
property, committed without violence, which swelled the
criminal calendar of Irelan 1. 7. That in the year 1858
the tendency to crime in Ireland was certainly not greater,•
and perhaps less than the tendency to crime in England
and Wales. 8. That the criminal returns for Ireland are
susceptible of very considerable improvements, which if
made, would greatly add to their value for practical
purposes. 9. That among males the maximum tendency.
to crime for Ireland generally, and for each province
separately, except Connaught, is, at the period of life 2I
and above 16, and for Connaught at the stage 30 and above
21 ; and among females for Ireland generally, and for each
province separately, at the period 30 and above 21 ; and
that in both cases the minimum tendency is at the period
12 and under. 10. That the tendency to crime generally
among males is only ab ,ut 2.5 times the like tendency
among females; but that were the petty offences against
property committed without violence to be dropped, the
tendency to all other classes of crimes among males would
be between 4::and; 5 times the like tendency among
females. 11. That the tendency to the class of
crime termed " Offences against the person" attains-
its minimum among both sexes at the period of
life 30 and above 21 ; that the tendency to the classeS
" Offences against property committed with and without
violence" reaches its maximum among females of the
same period, but among males at the earlier stage 21 and
above 16. That the tendency to the class " Malicious-
offences against property" is at its maximum among both
classes at the stage 21 and above 16 ; and that the
tendency to the classes "Forgery and offences against
the currency" ,and " Offences other than those before
enumerated" is at its maximum also among both classes
at the period 30 and above 21. 12. That among both sexes .
the tendency to each seperate class of crime is at its
minimum at the period of life 12 and under. 13. That
popular education singly, but especially when combined
with occupation, tends powerfully towards the diminution
ot crime. • 14. That the good effects of education and
occupation upon crime are very seriously marred by the
abuse of intoxicating drinks. 15. That low-class house
accommodation tends towards the increase of crime. 16.
That popular education, as a means of diminishing a.
tendency to crime, although most useful in so far as both
sexes are concerned, has yet much greater effect among
females than among males ; and that is emphatically the
case in regard to four classes of crime —" Offences against
the person," " Offences against property, committed
without violence," " M slicious offences against
property," and " General offences," Class No. 6.
17. That ignorance among the masses operates injuriously
among the educated and half-educated classes ; and that,
therefore, to educate the ignorant will tend not only to
lessen crime among them, but also among the better
classes thus influenced. 18. That were intoxicating
drinks less freely used, education, as a means of reducing
crime, would become most powerful. 19. That the ave.
rage tendency to the class of crime, " Offences against
property committed without violence." is rather more
than one-half the average tendency to crime generally.
20, That, as without doubt, a large proportion of the
serious crimes are committed by those who in early life ,
may be said to have served an apprenticeship to theft
and that as this (No. 3) class of offences, at the period of
life 16 and above 12 among males amounts to three-fourths
of the whole male crime, and among females to five sixths
of the whole female crime, it follows that, by getting re-
duced at this period of life, such offences, the more serious
crimes at later stages of life will also necessarily be di-
minished. 21. That increasing efforts should be made to
educate all classes of the youth of both sexes ; and that
instructors ought not to rest satisfied with merely
teaching to read and write; but that in all our schools
industrious habits should be constantly taught; cleat:ilk!
ness and morality daily enforced, and the danger of in_
dulging to excess in the use of intoxicating drinks fre-
quently pointed out.—From a paper by Mr. J. M. Wilson,
read at. the British Association.

TIIE EAPERORS NAPOLEON AND ALEXANDER:.

VIENNA. Aua. 27.

• Almost every German paper contains an account
of the approaching visit of the Emperor Alexander
to Germany, but none of them have given correct
information as to his intended movements. On the..
15th of September his Mejesty will arrive at Berlin,.
where he will only remain one day. On the 17th he
will join the Empress at Darmstadt, in which city
she has been staying with her relatives since the
2301 inst. It is not known to me where the Emperor
Napoleon and the Emperor Alexander will meet,
but it is a positive fact that they have agreed to do,
so during the month of September.- As it is very
possible that those persons who are inclined to•
suspect the sincerity of the French monarch may
" smell treason," it may be as well to state that it,
was the Emperor Alexander, and not the Emperor
Napoleon, who proposed that a meeting should
take place. The good-natured Czar is probably
desirous of making the amende 719norabl8 for the
public and gratuitous insult which his deceased
father offered to the parvenu who rules over the
French by the grace of the people.