New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-12-23
FOREIGN MISSION WORK.
DEFENDED BY TIE PRESBYTERIAN BOARD.

To me Fd,for OF Thc Tribune.
Sir: noticed in your issue OF December
= letter from the author of 3" Two ! ears III 'lle
Jungle" with respect to the success OF ChiiS'-
ian missions in India. ] am sure that the TIA
ditonal policy of fair play which governs HE
TRIBUNE will allow me a brief response.
The ,uthor of this letter evidently aims at
fair presentation of the case, and yet 1t soon
becomes apparent that he is radically OUT "
sympathv with the whole Wort. OF Christian MS
sions. He says. 81 must declare NY o''''
that foreign missions are III ADVISED so long Us
the slums Of our large cities remain 'S INC. ai'
to-day" With respect to the natives ol in""'
he tells Ms that "The character OF the lhdilh
native and the state of his society render II
inst as impossible for him to give up his cas-"
and the religion Of his fathers as 1t Wouo %
for Christians to become cannibhS' Onh '
ians worthy Of such Il Saviour as ours itio n"''
of very different stuff from that WHO" io' '"'
fine native Of good caste and as for those WI"
ara Ga low rs TO have no caste to lose, sillli We
srcE TO clGthc. asses with immortality
think if will be conceded that such all estimate
of humanity as this strikes at the root h"t Only
of missionary work, but OF all phlaH'"l'P'
and impressive civilization. With lcSalu 10
his cybo,tltiou TO care iTst for " the Sums I'll
oar own cities" he seems TO forget the la''
that thr Christian work which is done III New
yn,k ar Chicago is carried forward not by
those who share his notion Of the boo'lcSS
task Of clothing the Z" asses OF manK''o WIN
,,ormtality. bit ly the very men who are also
.'n',nrt;nq missionary work III India and Chiia'
,,,i,, who have come to look upon All p'"l''0
~ ,yl.tcycr color, or cOnd ton, or cllhc, dS ono
glcat brotherhood III Chust' u.. "u,u
Your correspondent suggests that thc n'i-
lions expended upon The moral ana l' ~, ,o'
,I,x,l ion of India should be devoted to the IT,
lief of the physical condition OF the peopl'i
Iis words are these: " Bodies first, SAI' w"
souIs next Stop hcad-huntnE. WIDOW pulI
mg. infamtcidc. human sacuiccs "l All Nn" I
,,'I Wholesale slaughter 10y Wild beasts ana
sr,ucnts then spread the Gospel III p'aCE"
where il is most needed l'clc, again. nC
should remember that in the "NtI'hroM W
widow burning. iniantcldc. human H'''''"','
the imp iSonmcnt of women IN ZchanHS' ,!,.'
more has been accomplished ~ Ih' ui',,,,J
churches i'm thi, country mud Europe thiouEu
their missionary agencies than by any o'h'l
class of Influences whatever, aud that ~ lii's
of famine. thc tens of thousands oi doil;'lS 'Ii'
have been RENTED and Distributed aln"IS NV
Starving of Iudia Turkey, Persia, ana 'hlH''
have come not from those who snccr at ms,
summary ciio,t bit from thOs" Wlo,o ilo' j."
Gifts have been transmitted through tneH hlH
Sjnnary organizations. Indeed, IN ms p""N,
PAGE lSO while speaking OF me HoNctnnt;m
relief funds furnished IL the Madras iAinl'
of 1867, be conc,dcs that ito the mission
aries fell fine important and aidUouS TASK 90
Distributing the funds hey pave p'tll III
trusted with this duty again ana a%'uh III 'l
the countries above n'h'd, ana u, N.'ii'
instance they have fallen victims To the If,u-
l,ncc VIII ch generally attends Il famine. W IN
.t,angc Inconsistency, thc author condemns tnc
accents and supporters oi American missions III
lin, Madras Presidency for DONG :" ii''lr '"'
the sufferers at that time. As he was III IhIl'
o,',y a yrur and ,pcnt most of his time " III thr
uluuir il is not strange that lac 0h"uu o' X
uo,.iut of ILc fact that the American bapllol
missionaries among the lcIGua gave "'h"''
their whole thought and Labor Tor ah"u' n N'H
Q8;6-ls1O To W"NdmS Tor INC Hn',rr ~,
pcoplc. that they went 80 far a. To take con
tract from the Government t"i the c\'"N"'"'
of four miles Of u canal which was hc,hG "p'u'"
from Madras to Calcutta. that with then native
helpers they organized working i"ic' "l SOM
IL ~ .,uds of natives, securing proper p"l''
ouiLo,i.y. forming wholesale schemes for sup
nlyiuo and regulating the cumiul- Sailai ana IN,
.i,,ytncit q! wages. Hud ptoNrliug hospLh
and Ill. ucu-liic~ for the SICK ana hllid'k~ I"'
tLr fauiil:c, of the lahurcr-. When this scheme
i,rd been successfully carried out. saving there
IL, the lives oi thousands 81 The l""pc, th'H
s,pt to Christian friends in u.lhnd and Amer
,ra for seed with which Ia plant wide aic"a 81
land to provide the people with haiic't' Ioi 'i'
NnW. doubtless. mt this same time there were
many otl,rr foreigners i'm India hc-'dc- the ms
,ionnrio- men who probably held The sinn' cHl-
mate of missions ~ the author hut dd lb'N OF
any other class of men take mp lhr WON "' ~
ii,f on 80 large scale and IN 80 thorough ana
Efficient n manner ~ the missionaries whom he
mako. the -urcill objects of h's criticism
Eut tLc ciicf point in the authors letter I"
which call attention is that winch iG'a,'H !"
tho current opinion Of foreign residents ~
l. IL, II il Uufip tIlig. stated
differing to u review Of his book that iic
India officials - class have no iaith III tn'
work of thc missionaries go far ~ SWr1"lnt NE
Go-ucl among the natives T. Cnu'cllhu Hu,'N
no one is better qualified {" Judge results MAN
lac Who resides on The spot. observes and stud
irs native character IN all phases, 1nd "l'hcS,'N
the work Of the missionary ANA lis lrsuliS'
The Angln-Ind'an official il, 10y virtue Oh thr
requirements OF his position, Il man ol lib'i'i
education, trained Judgment, and habits ol
observation and reflection
A 10 the qualification Of the officials n
udgcs in ihiS matter, ! agree fully WIN your
-poudcnt, but IL he quite sure tha' ne naS
Acquainted himself with the sentiments "i W,
better class Of lh,tsc officially connected with
the India Government Allow me to cute n
few authorities on this subject Some tw"
years since Sir Richard Tempe visited thl'
city. He had been in India moi rsS Than TWEEN
ty-fvc years, and ia his successive promotions
from one position to another In tho India CIvl
Service hc had held Office IN nearly every E'"N-
incD. having been Governor both OF ne Bonn
bay and llc Bengal PrcsdrncirS. me III
Ncw-Yorl three years ago hc consented to PIE
SEM his views before a special meeting of the
PRESBYTERIAN Board of Foreign Missions, II
was held November .. 1&S3 the Rev: w: NJ.
Paxton, u. d.. presiding. lie spoke ion forty
INMATES. tlayrrSing the whole subject Of the
relation Of Christian missions TO India.
send you herewith a full copy OF his address
published after his own revision. Upon the
subject Of actual success, he sad:
TOb'c ctors are fond of saying, What after
all is the actual success OF missions. Have
lhcy done ANYTHING in India The answer To
thiS must come from well verified figures and
facts have not my figures and papers Wit,
rive Won mn array Of facts of which all Christ
cndom would be proud They read like the
Stats les of some great governmental under
taking but they really constitute the result OF