The Sun.
London, England, 1870-03-21 00:00:00

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LONDON, MONDAY, MARCH 21, 1870.

ANOTHER addition has been made recently t.
those limited liability volumes which have of late
years signalised ecclesiastical literature. As usual,
the essays are of various merit and interest. Some
of them are really valuable contributions to thought
and knowledge; others are merely repetitions of
statements, which however important, have become
trite commonplaces. In the volume to which we
refer—" The Church and the Aga"—a volume of
similar title to, but very different theology from " The
Church and the World," there is ono article of great
value. It contains information on a topic little
understood in this country, and it is contributed by a
gentleman particularly well qualified to enlighten us.
The subject of the article is Indian Missions, and the
writer of it is Sir Bartle Frere, formerly Governor of
Bombay. it is generally assumed, no less by Church-
men than by Dissenters, that the mission
work of the Church in India has utterly
failed. It is also assumed, if less generally.
yet very commonly, that the evangelisation of India,
whether by the Church or by any religious denomi-
nation, has come to a standstill. Would-be philoso-
phers have explained the failure by a thedry about
the unfitness of the Oriental mind to receive a
Western religion. This theory would be more
plausible were it not for the fact that Chris-
tianity, if we remember rightly, did not have
its rise on the Rhine, the Seine, or the
Thames, but on the Jordan and the Sea of Galilee.
The inappropriateness of the hypothesis is not the
only defect in the reasoning of these philosophers.
Their thesis has the additional defect of being false in
its facts. It is not a fact that Christianity
has failed to make any way in India.
The reverse of that statement is the fact. Doubt-

less all has not been done that might have been done.
Doubtless, when we remember how long we have
held India, there is some cause for shame in thinking
how little influence we have had upon the religious
creed of the people. Yet still much has been done.
It is something, for instance; to have put an end to
widow burning and infanticide. It is some-

thing to have established throughout India
Courts of Justice, which are known to be
just, and superior to all corrupt influences. It is
something to have broken through the iron bands of

caste. It may be said that these are social rather
than religious changes, and are due less to the teach-
ing of the clergy than to the legislation of statesmen.
Be it so; yet there•is nothing here to contradict the
statement we have made as to the progress
of Christianity in India. In fact, the case•woula
be parallel to that of the conversion of the Roman
Empire. That conversion did not begin with the
Emperor or the Prefects ; it began rather with the
slaves and the outcasts, who found in a religion that
affirmed the equality of all men in the sight of their

Creator, something to console them in the social
degradation to which they were exposed. If
the work of evangelisation had been most
successful among the lowest castes in India hitherto,
that is strictly in accord with what took place fifteen
or sixteen hundred years ago.
But, as Christianity was not eventually confined

to the servile class in the Roman em-
pire, so is it not even now confined
to that class in our Indian Empire. Sir Bartle
Frere has described in most graphic language, the
great social-religious revolution which is pervading
all classes in India. Undoubtedly this change has not
been brought about absolutely by the missionaries,
nor solely by religious agencies of any sort.

The law courts, the telegraphs, the railways,

have powerfully contributed to tho result. But reli-
gious teaching has bad its share of influence. The

late Governor of Bombay refers to, among other
things, the profound impression which was produced

when the Queen, in her proclamation of 1853, in
which she assumed the Government of India in place
of the Company, announced that while firmly attacLed
to her own religion, she would respect the
religion of all her subjects. This announcement

fully accorded with the views of the

Brahmin portion of the population, and disposed them

favourably towards a creed whose professors were at

the same time not asnamea to avow it, ana yet were
tolerant of other creeds. The Rajah Ramahoun Ray
has endeavoured to establish an eclectic religion,
which shall combine the best features of the Brah-
min and the Christian creeds; but though in many
respects most admirable, it does not seem to make
much progress. The people require something more
positive than this rarified religion. So far as it is
accepted at all, it is so by a few intellectual men
found chiefly in Calcutta and its neighbourhood,

CERTAIN proceedings during the last few weeks in
what sportsmen call " the market " furnish an admi-
rable argument in favour of one of Sir Joseph
Hawley's proposals for turf reform. The well-
known turfite, Mr. Merry, M.P., owns three
horses which are to take part in the great
three-year-old events of the year; and two, Sunshine
and Sunlight, figure very prominently in the betting
both for the Two Thousand Guineas and the Derby
Sunshine is in most demand for the latter event,
whilst Sunlight has decidedly the advantage in public
!avour for the former. Judging by past performances,
ounlight can claim no right whatever to rank witi'
his stable companion. Sunshine's achievements last
year were amongst the most brilliant on record,
of the numerous races in which she took
part she won all but one ; and
that contest was defeated only by a head, aftei
sustaining a slight accident. Sunlight's two-year•
old feats were of no remarkable character. He has
since developed into a fine horse, but the pros•
tige of success is all on the side of Sunshine
Nevertheless, the presumedly inferior animal
is quoted at the shorter price for the earlier of the
two races, simply because he is believed to be the most
likely runner. It is thought that Mr. Merry will
not find it advantageous to work last year's
heroine too hard. She will be reserved for the
Derby and other events, whilst Sunlight is to be
brought out for the Two Thousand. Thus the
public which loves to bet is staking thou-
sands of pounds on each candidate, though
only one can win, and it is likely that only one will
start. Surely this is carrying the absurdity of gamb-
ling to madness. Betting is foolish at best ; but it
becomes sheer swindling when money is
heaped upon two horses, one of whom will
be totally overthrown, not by the superiority of
some competitor, but by his owner choosing another
animal to start. At the present moment it is
currently believed that Sunshine, who far surpassed
all other competitors last year, will not
come to the post for the Two Thousand Guineas,
notwithstanding the vast sums invested on her
chance for that race. The remedy which Sir J.
Hawley proposes for this discreditable state of
things is simple enough. Let no bet be
paid unless the horse actually starts. Mr.
Merry is justified in doing what he thinks best for
his own interest ; yet there ought at the same time
to be this much protection for the ignorant, mad public.
Horse-racing must always rank as one of the most
objectionable forms of gambling, improve it as we
may; but it is mere cheating to decide the transfer
of money by the question whether a horse takes
part in a certain race or not.