Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-10-04
UNPROGRESSiYg INDIA.
ITS PEOPLE CANNOT BE BROUGHT TO
CHRISTIANITY.
Mrs. DIR. Stirling Considers 1t hopeless
Task-An Instructive and In
terestipg Lecture.


There was large attendance at Calvary
Church last evening to hear Mrs. DR.. Stir
ling's lecture on the people of India.
Mrs. Stirling resided in India sixteen
years, during which time her husband was
connected with the British Indian medical
service. She is lady of culture, and her
lecture was interesting as we'll as instruc-
tive throughout.
She began by describing the topography
of India, and told of its comparatively iso.
lated position. 1t owed its estranged con.
dition, she said, to its geographical loca-
ton. The high mountains on the north
effectually shut it off from the rest of the
world, so far as communication by land
was concerned. There were passes in the
mountains through which travellers might
pass, but they rarely availed themselves Of
them, invariably seeking access by way of
the ocean.
The population of India is very dense
an average of about 100000 900 people in.
habiting the $50, 900 900 square miles-tbis
including the vast plains and wastes which
are uninhabited. She went back many
wears to tell of the condition of the abo-
rhymes and said that in many respects,
they had advanced but little. When the
aliens came into the country, they brought
their inventions and civilization with
them. But the aliens held aloof from the
natives. and held them in great contempt
They told the latter that they were de.
cendants of monkeys and their gods were
monkey gods.
THEIR sUPERsTITIoNs.
The natives have superstjtions regarding
nearly everything that is merely natural
phenomena. They believe in all sorts
of ghosts, devils and gods, and have
great fear of anything in the line of modern
invention. For instance, the speaker told
of the dread they have for surveyors. The
son of prominent Bombay clergyman
was once on surveying trip through the
Himalayas and camped near little village
one night. The natives learned of his pres
ence and great excitement prevailed. FL
nally deputation was sent out to inform
him that he must move away. They
were afraid of the instrument he
carried, through which he peeped at
people, and gave them bad land. Mrs.
Stirling related other amusing in.
stances of this kind. She told the
story of the origin of the Ganges river. as
related by the natives. Ganges in the In
dian language means beautiful" and the
river is supposed to be the beautiful daugh-
ter of one of the gods, who was a great
mountain. Another god fell in love with
her. and took her away, causing her father
to become very lonesome. He pleaded for
her to come back to see him, and her hus-
band consented. She being of risky dis
position, jumped from the clouds upon her
fathers head, and made him angry. He
wrapped his hair about her in such a man.
ner that she could not get away, and she
remained there in the shape of a lump OF
snow. Finally the father relented, and
cutting hole in his side allowed her to
flow out in the shape of water.
AFRAID OF BANKS.
The Indian never puts his money in a
bank-he thinks a bank is one of those
new-fangled arrangements that are dan
gerous. He uses onethird of his money in
his business, another third is invested in
jewelry for his wives and the remaining
third is buried.
The speaker described the crude and
tedious methods of agriculture employed by
the natives and their adherence for new
tangled inventions. They cut all their
grain with sickles and have to employ
cleaners. The grain is ground in ancient
stone wheel grinders. They never erect
barns or store houses, but store all their
grain in cement wells.
Mrs Stirling went on at length to tell OF
the difficulties of teaching the native In
dian anything; of his tendency toward
untruthfulness, and other qualities and
traits that made the life OF the striving
missionary burdensome.
Upon the conclusion of the lecture vari-
Gus of the auditors asked Mrs. Stirling
questions on different subjects, one OF
which was call for her candid opinion as
to the wisdom of maintaining missions in
India The lady said she was sorry the
question had been asked nevertheless, she
would reply. Her candid opinion, she
said, was that 1.-THE Indian can never be
brought to Christianity as we teach it.
She said that the efforts of the mission
aries there had been honest and
powerful but unsuccessful. She re.
lated instances that had come under
her observations. where native Indians had
been taken to England and given educa.
ton at Oxford, and in all the branches Of
theology and philosophy. but as soon as
they set foot on their native soil they re.
verted to the worship of their idols, and
were beyond redemption. The lady wa;
sorry to have been compelled to give hel
opinion in this matter, because. she said, il
striving to accomplish what she considered
impossible, and who might differ in opin
ion with her.