Morning journal and courier., 1883-12-17
First M. E. Church.

The Methodist Missions in Indfa-Inter-
 eslfnE Address by Rev. E, A. Parker, D
 ID.
 At the First M E. church yesterday morn ing Rev. E. A. Parker, D. D., addressed the congregation on missionary work in India. Dr. Parker has been in India twenty five years and his address was most instructive and interesting. He confined his remarks chiefly to the methods and results of the missions of the Methodist Episcopal church observing that these might be regarded as an illustration of the missions of all the evan gelical churches.
 India said Dr. Parker, is as large as the United States east of the Mississippi river and contains a population of 254 ,O00,0 of people. The field selected by Dr. Butler, with the advice of Dr. Duff for the missions of the Methodist Episcopal church was in the northwest of India in the old province of Oudh and two other proVinees-a field containing 10000, 900 of people-where, with the exception of two or three places, the gospel had never been preached. The field was occupied by placing one missionary in the center of 8 government district con- taining about a million of people, thus giv- ing one missionary to about one million of souls, and placing workers about fifty miles apart.
 In commer cling the work of the mission all of the preaching had to bs done in the open air, in tho markets, in villages, at re Iieious fairs, and later by means of magic lantern pictures, illustrating the life and teachings of Jesus, and lectures to the more educated. Schools were also opened for boys who were anxious to learn English, as an English education insured good salary under the English government At first girls schools were impossible, as all were preju- diced against them. As, however, the young men became educated 8 demand for educated women was created. Through the educated young men the door was opened 10 educate the girls and women.
 This work thus commenced has gone for ward for about twenty-fiv years, and now success is noted in the following points:
 In the preachers raised upon the ground. One man can do little in the midst of 8 mil lion and if this is Gods plan he will raise up new power among the people to aid in the work. These men have been raised up. Al most in the beginning of the work a young Mohammedan priest heard in the marke t the call, ''Come unto me and I will give you rest. He said 10 himself, have been seek ing this rest of the soul and found it not. He followed the missionary home and was soon converted. He became very success full preacher and is to day presiding elder in the North India conference over district in which there are 16 appointments, 15O villages where native Christians live and very en- couragipg native church, all of which has been very greatly developed by this man. Another very interesting man raised up for work on the ground was Hindoo priest or devotee. These men are seen everywhere in India wandering from place to place almost naked with their bodies besmeared with clay and ashes looking very degraded and un- l clean, although they are considered very pure and sacred by their followers. nva a1ek oko | the lmissionary asked if anyone had ever come from the "great dark other side" te tell ! us of these things, or if anyone had ever 1 come back from the dead. The man was 80 impressed by the replies received that he fol lowed the missionary home and was soon | converted, soon became regular apostle to his old disciples, and through his labors preachers were raised up, little churches es- tabl1shed and schools opened. His conver- sion was the beginning of a work among g very large class of people who are to-day everywhere throughout our field iaquiring concerning Christ. Beside these preachers who have come from among the people wa have preachers that have come up through our schools. So that we have about one hundred and twenty men devoted to preach 1 ing the gospel and Q goodly number more devoted to teaching. Beside this we have a | noble company of 175 educated native Chris tian women who are devotiug themselves to
 
 up of this army of more than 300 Christian workers in less than twenty-five years seems to us to form a foundation for future success | The school work has also gradually gone forward until we have some 10. 700 pupils 1 boys and girls, in schools in our own mission. | The number of pupils in all mission schools in India is about 25O, 900. These schools aud government schools have raised up ''young India" very different from the old Reform
 CTS have arisen all over the land, some form. ing churches outside of Hindnism as near tc
 Christianity as they can come, anc
 others are trying to work reform
 inside of Hinduism, laying aside idolatry an6 all the later b books and following only tht | Vedas.
 In our field ve also have many Sunday
 schools, containing in all 15 1900 pupils, anC I in our churches we have Christian com 1 munity of more than 5000 souls. With ovel
 300 workers whom God has raised on thu 1 ground, oger 10, TOO school children, over 15 1 300 Sunday school scholars and over 6,O0( native Christians raised up in twenty fiv' | years, where we began with nothing excep
 the opposition of the people, we consider VI
 have foundation laid for much greater sue l cecs durinO fha naxE 0uartar Of a nanfurv