The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-03-16
TIE FUTURE OF INDIA
Predicted by Bishop Thoburn in o
Talk Last Night.
WORK OF The METHODIST CHURCH
Bearing Good 1'ruit--Tho Successful
System Adoptcd..A good Native
Preacher to be Had for Hundred
Dollars..1Iow tho People Livc.-In.
dian Girls Getting Independent.

dian Girls Getting Independent.
Bishop Thoburn's plain, matter Of
fact, unadorncd recital OF tho history Of
tho Methodist Church in India, and his
representation OF what tho future Of
that country would DO, was interesting
in tho extreme. That tho bishop Is
thoroughly in earnest, and that he fully
believes that a great Christian future
stands before tho land OF tho Jugrer-
naut, no nearer can remain in doubt.
lilo had a good audience at tho Fourth
Street Methodist Church last night; n
very attentive audience, and ono COM
posed not only OF the members Of his
own church, but OF most of tho other
Protestant denominations.
The theme Of the talk was tho future
OF India" and in dilating on that sub
lect the bishop gave q brief resume OF
the work tho church had formerly car
ricd through in India.
When tho bishop told his hearers,
that tho establishment oil complete
mission in India was equivalent to es-
tablishing one in all the different coun-
tries OF Europe, and then crossing over
to the African coast and starting a few
in that land oil darkness, his American
audience had very vivid idea OF tho
magnitude OF tho undertaking. The
last census taken in India showed that
there were two hundred and eight mill
ions OF people within its borders, and
the lecturer proved that his state.
mcnt was not hypcrbolical. Among
these two hundred and eight million
thirteen distinct languages are spoken,
differing among each other rs tho
tongues OF Europe vary. One hundred
million speak the Hindoostaneo Ian
guagc, forty million the Bengal, and
from nine to fifteen millions OF voices
address each other in each OF.
TIE REMAINING ELEVEN TONGUES.
In his preliminary remarks Bishop
Thoburn had warned his hearers, that
he did not think ho could always manage
to hold himself down to his theme; he
did make depression or two, but what
! he said was worth listening to, and vel!
worthy OF being pondercd over. 1t is
his opinion tina. the American people
is destined to be the great missionary
people Of tho world; just as the English
can teach Americans, some things, and
the Germans the English, SO the Amer
leans will show the world how to con-
vert to Christianity. In arriving at his
theme, tho Bishop spoke OF the material
future before India
",rhc world will not forever be a
jumbo OF hund. ed diiferen. nationali-
ties" said the bishoo. "Tho time is
coming, 1 think, when there will be
several great nationalities. Besides the
United States OF North America, there
will be tho United States OF South
America; the empire OF Great Britain
will make way for 4 republic OF several
countries, the inhabitants OF which now
speak dficren! languages; the empire
OF Russia will be one OF the great powers;
there will DO the empire or the United
States OF Africa; and India, at some
time, will become ono OF the great
powers OF the earth. She should be
prepared for that destiny, SO that she
may worthily take her place among the
nations OF tho globe.
when Twas in the patent Office at
Washington saw over six thousand
models OF inventions. India is now in
the same condition she was in at the
time OF Solomon. Sho invents nothing.
I will give you something to think OF,
young men. Do you know that no ma.
ton on tho globe that has rejected
Christ
HAS AN INVENTIVE GENUS?
It's fact Tho Chinese may have
invented at some time in their history,
: but they have ceased invention. Japan
doesn't invent; neither does Arabia. In
India they use the same pillow that was
in use 4 thousand years ago. and they
will continue to uso it and continu, to
be a non-lnyentivo people until tho
light OF Christianity has permeated
their country. What prospects arc
there OF the inhabitants of India be-
coming Christians? Twill tell you. I
st has been shown that the religion
OF Christ was introduced into India
hundreds oil years ago, it is supposed,
by the HISTORIANS, whether as mission
aries or refugees ia not known. The
Portuguese, in sailing around the Cape
: of Good Hope, tried to mako it prevail
by the sword; the result was a failure.
It is the general belief that Xavier, the
Roman Catholic missionary, succeeded.
This is q mistake. Danish missionaries
tried to Introduce Christianity, but the
chief attempt in modern times was when
DR.. Carey, OF England, left on 4 mission
over n hundred years ago The work
was slow, and at the end OF the century
Christianity had not yet taken root.
Fifty years ago converts were counted
by thousands and tens oil thousands.
Our own church was tardy; missionary
died two years ago who went to India
two years before was born, and vet
was The first Methodist missionary who
went TO India.
s In the old days it was the plan to
put q mission in each province. That
plan will' never do to-day. In those
days tho people never stirred. There
were no railroads, no public convey
ances. have seen mon who had
never been
TWELVE MILES FROM HOME
eve have now ono OF tho largest
Methodist congregations in the world
at Calcutta, where people from all parts
OF the country arc gathered. We worked
on these people, and that's why we arc
to-day teaching Christianity in thirteen
languages. When went back to India,
four yearsago, | SAVE great many now
faces among tho congregations, these
men having been converted by the
native pastor teachers. Eighteen hun
bred people had been converted while 1