Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1893-05-05
ONE OE MlDDLEBURV'S SONS
HONORED IN A FAX COUNTRY.
BoMpAY. India, Feb. 26, ls03.

fragrance of flowers. We enter the
handsome chapel in which we are to
preach our first sermon in this land.
The church has been decorated with
palm branches and a profusion OF tropi-
cal plants. Our eye, wandering with
admiration over the artistic arrange
ments, which cost nothing here but n
little loving forethought, is arrested by
a word the very sight of which in this
place is so unexpected as to send thrill
of pleasure to our heart and bring to
mind flood of precious memories. The
word "Middlebury" How comes it
here? What has that quiet town in the
old Green Mountain State ever given to
this great city of the Orient that it should
be held in grateful, lasting remembrance;
that "Middlebury" should be craven on
the walls of its temples? Let us read
this tablet and we shall see:
Sacred to the memory of the Rev.
George Bowen. Born at Middlebury
Vermont, U. S. A., April 30, 1916. Died
in Bombay. Feb. ., 1888. An eminent
StTNdDl Vi OOu, WIN ny lllS
life ard by his preaching and teaching,
was a true missionary TO all classes in
! this city during continuous period of
more than forty years, and by his
valuable writings was strengthened of
the faith of many in this and in other
lands. In 1872 he was associated with
Rev. William Taylor In the revival of
the word Of God which resulted in the
establishment of the Methodist EpiscO-
pal church in Bombay and western In
dia and having Joined its ministry, he
devoted the last years of his life to the
care of the churches he had helped to
found.
All, Middlebury gave to this city
son, a noble man, anSheroic soul, lover
of God and humanity. For over forty
years he walked these streets, bringing
in his very presence better life to these
people; on street corners, in halls and
chawls, wherever men would gather to
hear, he lifted up his voice to declare
the message of salvation to a lost world.
She gave, as heaven gave, a son-the
most costly and most precious gift that
can be given. His ashes enrich the soil
of this land which he learned, to love.
His name is held in highest esteem by
Hindoo, Parsee, Mahommedan, jew and
Christian. Whatever they may think
of his teachings, they loved him. "The
white saint, the natives called him,
and they tell with bated breath how he
came into their humblest dwellings, sat
m h.A nj of
Christ and the heavenly Fathers love.
So truly catholic had been his life that
when he died all the denominations
claimed him; Episcopal, Presbyterian,
Baptist, Congregationalist and Metho-
dist alike sincerely mourned him and
participated in his funeral services.
What of this. man before he came to
India? What was the promise of his
youth? What were his tastes? What
did he forsake for Christ? He was the
son of a wealthy merchant CHS father
having removed to New York city, and
enjoyed great privileges of study and
travel both at home and abroad. He
was most widely read in polite literature,
history and philosophy. In his early
life he was skeptical, but was made a
believ1 n in God by reading Fichte's work,
translated into French, ia Destination
de rHomme", and was led to the accep-
lance of Christianity by careful study
of Paley's "Natural Theology" and
evidences of Christianity" He read
and spoke freely in French and Italian.
He was lover of art and an accomplish
ed musician and composer. Before his
conversion he aspired to literature and
had already written several plays and
romances. He left, at Gods call, a
pleasant home, fond parents, two sisters
and brother, as well as all the dreams
of fame and the prospects of fortune
which colored his young life. He found
hardship,s privation, toll, discourage
ment, death in strange land. He gain
ed sustaining grace for every trial, an
of Christ which enabled him to say with
all humility, George Bowen is dead,
and Christ lives in me-" TO him it was
fulfilled literally, Everyone that hath
forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters,
or father, or mother, or wife or children,
or landsifOr my names sake, shall re-
ceiye an hundred fold and shall inherit
everlasting llfe".
The spirit of his life is manifest in
these words, which he penned in his
journal in 1913 soon after he reached
this city; 81 want to have Christ walk
ing about the streets of Bombay as he
did about those of Jerusalem, and living
among this people as he did among the
Jews. They were his family, his home.
1t will be a blessed day when l
feel at home in these streets and can
linger in them without any desire save
to continue preaching the word"
A year later he gave up his mission
airy support from home, adopted to a