The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-03-15
BISHOP TnonUnN's 1ECrURE.
nc will Talk on .'Thc Future of India"
t,....,,,Ia 20

.
hero this Evening,
Bishop JAM. Thoburn, Of Calcutta,
India, will.arriye in,he city this after.
noon, and this evening will lecture ri
the Fourth street NJ. L, church on "The
Future Of India" There is no more at.
tractive speaker in the American pulpit
than Disl,opTlioburn. lie was at Pitts
burgb yesterday. Last evenings ChrOil-
tcie- Telegraph has tho following:
|. Bishop Thoburn, Of tho NJ. u. church,
whose bishopric Is IN India, held nj in
formal reception In the study OF the
slnithiicld NJ. L. church this morning.
Bishop Thoburn went,to India from
this conference so years ago, and has
many friends He WIS healthy and In
on easy frame Of mind, The bishop will
leave hero for Wheeling tomorrow after
noon. The object Of the bishops visit
to tho United States is to raise enough
money to enable him TO continue his
work IN India. This he calculates will
take about $4,000, Of which ho has
raised about 5000, with $1,000 more
promised. Tho object Of this fund is to
equip native Indian preachers. These
can be obtained for about $50 per year,
and THO work they do among their own
people has been marvellous. The bishop
has readyprepared over 1000 native
preachers, This morning when asked
10 tell something OF his work he said:
stay and hear my talk. l could not
give you q better talk" His address
was to the NJ. L. Ministers Association,
but there were many others present.
The bishop said:
"The last time / attended 4 meeting
OF tho NJ. L. ministoi8of this district
was thirty-three years ago. Nearly
every great city in India now has an=M.,
y. Church. We have gained afoothold.
That means we have to preach tho gos-
pei there in thirteen languages. That
means great deal OF work. We have
about 3?5, 100000 people within the Dor.
ders where VIC are now established.
We have three great conferences in In
dla. 1t would take all Europe and part
OF Africa to make as large field as we
hope to occupy. The great present
movement really began before got to
India, but the giving this section q
homo bishop was the great start in
the wonderful work now going on. l
believe we should havea resident bishop
III Central America, in Africa, in Europe
and in China and Japan, and believe
here in the United States each bishop
should be given his bailiwick and made
responsible for the work.
"Thc first year ] was in India rs
bishop q great work, begun before I
arrived, was done. You will understand
how difficult our work is when tell
you there are over 900 castles in India,
each avoiding and disliking the other,
and each avoiding the doing OF anything
the others did. There about so, 100000
Of the low caste. We found there was
nothing among these low castcs+to pre-
vent them from accepting the teachings
We offered them.
We began TO educate the natives
and made preachers of them. The first
year VIC had madc 1900 converts, or
over 600 per month. When you can
show Christians the heathens ara
throwing away their idols they will
help with money. In December, 1891,
VIC received 500 converts every week,
and during the year there were 10000
converts. That many since the first of
the year had thrown away their idols
and become converts in the NJ. L.
church. This great revival is still 60
ing on, and in the past twelve months
we have baptized more people in India
than any other church. One OF the
greatest changes We are working in In
dia is that Of breaking down caste and
all nonsensical prejudices. We are lift
Ing up the lower caste and making
equals OF all who accept the religion we
offer. By this we are helping them not
only morally but socially"
Tho bishop gave many interesting in
cidents OF his work in India, the objec-
tons he had 10 fight, and ior an hour
his hearers listened to most interest
ing talk on India.
Continuing the bishop said Zone OF
tho hardest things to teach them is to
observe the Sabbath day rs We have
here. The people are so mixed up with
all kinds OF people fol. whom they work
that 1t is well nigh impossible to insist
on this. All our meetings aro held out
doors, and / want to say two-thirds OF
the people OF the world will be con-
vertcd in the open air. we have more
Sunday school children in India than
all the other missions in that country.
In the North India conference 1000
children we're added to the Sunday
schools.
SIN some OF the schools we have no
hooks, pens. slates or pencils, and the
teacher sprinkles white sand on the
ground and makes letters and figures in
the sand. For the purpose OF securing
books and the necessary things for our
schools We need money. l have ap-
pointed over 900 men native preach
ers, and 500 women, and VIC need more.
We need money. | do not ask for
money, but will not refuse it. With
$1,000 year can educate, cothe,
dress aud keep forty children. In India
man can keep his wife and family on
So5 per year. Why, tramp in this
country would be considered swell in
India. He would be great man there.
For $50 q year We can get 4 good man,
and iorf 500. first class man. for 4
native preacher. / want to educate
1000 children this year. , want to send
out 200 native preachers this year, and
want TO put 100 young men into some
theological seminary. | can do this for
$4,000. liany OF you want 10 help me
I shall be thankful"
An Important Difference.
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