The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-04-21

NilFeh OUT. AT intervals some Hindu
woman who has done bad, and has
been expelled from her home, Joins the
Mohammedan ranks and takes her place
IN the bazaar as public courtesan
Islam is dying out The most promis-
ing lads, who would have studied Arabic
under the old regime, and have become
proPagators of their ancestral faith. now
study Eng lish and Hindustani, as the
most certain way of securing a livel
hood A thorough knowlege of English
so as to read, write, and speak it cor
rectly--is now necessary to any Young
man who hopes to obtain good appoint2
ment under government. After 1880 all
lawyers who are admitted to practice in
the courts are required to bring certif-
cate OF having passed the Calcutta Uni
Verslty examination in English All
village school-teachers now have to pass
an examination in history, mathematics.
grammar and geography, similar to the
courts OF the American grammar school
The result is that every year scores of
young men graduate from these schools
who are ignorant of their own religion.
but who have seen so many apparent dis
crepancies between true science and the
teachings of their religious leaders that
they are left in a maze.
In the same way Hinduism is being
deprived of all vitality. ANY false svs7
tenn of belief viii thrive where there is
Ignorance or when subjected to persecu-
ton; but in India the mists of ignorance
are fast disappearing and no one is per-
secuted for his belief Scores of pronis-
ing. young Hindus, who under the old
Mohammedan rule of intolerance would
become rigid idolaters, now, under the
tolerant rule Of Christian England, see
the folly of idol worship and the beauty
OF Christianity Every year the stream
OF intelligent men gains volume; every
year we find scattered in the villages
fresh faces, who accept the great princi-
pies of our faith Gradually the older
defenders Of idolatry are passing away.
and very few capable men come forward
to take their places. In olden times
benares was filled with the choice young
men, gathered from every portion of the
land. Now those lads study English
with the hope of getting some form of
government employment. The men who
after twelve years hard study in Sanscrit
becomes fitted to earn three hundred
rupees yearly will by spending an equal
Of time and strength in the study
OF English become fitted to earn twelve
hundred rupees yearly in government
service. 30 the people very soon see that
the study of Sanscrit and Arabic will
BRING far less income than the study
81 English and, consequently these two
languages, which are reckoned essential
for the propagation of Hinduism and
Islam, are fading away. There are bet
ter qualified students of the Sanscrit and
Hinduism among the English ard Ger
mans than can be found among the Hin
dus. People in India are compelled to
study with reference to a paying en-
but many students in America
study philology and comparative theol-
ogy for their own intellectual gratifca-
ton. Fifty years hence Yale College
will know more of the .Vedas than the
Benares Pundits do.
In this district of eight hundred thou
sand people there is but one man who is
well read in the Vedas, and he believes
that the Vedas were made by sinful men,
for personal ends.
The Sandwich Islands are often cited
as wonderful examples Of the converting
power of Christianity; but give us the
same proportion of working forces, and
India would yield to Christ in fifty ears.
In the Sandwich Islands there was one mis-
slonary to every thirty thousand people.
Give us similarly large army of CON
quest, and the walls of this hoary super.
stition will speedily fall. During the
past three years one hundred and ffty
thousand converts have been added to
the Christian fold, which is equal to one
half Of the population of the Sandwich
Islands.
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