Morning journal and courier., 1894-05-23
MISSIONARIES IN INDIA.

Ano IoiloWlng correspondence betWeou l
Rev. Robert A. Hume of this CITY, one of
The well known missionaries of the Amer
lean board and teacher at Ahmednugger,
western India, and the Hindu monk vive-
attracted so much attention, will prove of |
interest to the hundreds In this city who |
are personally acquainted with Mr.. Hume,
and who are warmly interested In the sue
cess of the work which Mr.. Hume 40 ably
represents. Mr.. Hume was born In India,
and his family were missionaries before
him. He has had, therefore, exceptional
opportunities for familiarizing himself
with the conditions under which mission
airy labor is performed in India, and the
results of such labor:
AUBURNDA1E, Mass, March 81, 1894
Swami Vtvekananda,
My Fellow Countrymen from India:
A Dstroit Free Press of March 10, 1894,
has just been sent to me, giving long re-
port of your address in the Detroit opera
house on March IL. As one who was born
in India and has spent most Of his life
there, who has travelled there extensively,
and known leaders of Indian thought in
all parts, and seen hundreds of missiona-
ries in their work, I am surprised at many
things which you are reported as having
said. Therefore I write you this letter,
and first send it privately, with the hope
that in reply you will wish decidedly to
modify the Impressions made by that re-
port. But, as that has bsen printed, I
desire afterward to have this letter prInt-
ed, and, If you wish, to have your answer
also printed.
Much a. should like to speak of many
THU GO in your reported address, 1t seems
better to touch only few points.
l. The first surprising thing is that, as
reported, you have not one good thing to
say about the present missionaries in In
dia. We wish We were better; we make
some mistakes and wish to know and avoid
them. But we are earnestly trying to do
our best. You say few words Of respect
But about present missionaries-men and
| women-you say many severe things and
not one good thing, .. g., you are reported
to have said: "The missionary knows
nothing about the people; he cannot speak
| the language; "most of the missionaries
are incompetent; "a man absolutely ig-
| norant of the people and their traditions
tries to get into sympathy with them';;
sthe way of converting is absolutely alb
| surd"; ''missionary doctors do no good,
because they are not in touch with the
way of converting, although they may have
nice aociable times among themselves" and
other things of like import.
Now, do you really think that is fair
description of the missionary body in In.
dia? The majority of missionaries in Indis
are college graduates and are picked mer
and women. You ought to know that
some of them are scholars and authors Of
wide repute. would ask your hearers II
your Characterization fully describes the
missionaries who have gone from theil
colleges, churches and communities. II
they do not personally know any missiona
sries, let them ask those who do. Then
would ask you, what body Of foreigner,
understands and sympsthizes with indiana
better than or as well as missionaries
What body Of foreigners speaks the ver
naculars as well?
| Also over against your words let nj
| quote the following from the most ipfu
| entail Indian newspaper in Southern India
published in Madras by Hindus for Hind,
readers, as its name, The Hindu, indicates
"Thoee that have no prejudice sgains
them (missionaries) and know them init
/ mately will share the came opinion tina
DR.. Penteoost expresses of them. The,
/ are not as a class very brilliant men, bu
| possess average ability, and few of then
are really magnificent men. But 1t ia no
| so much their intellectual, as their mora
| qualities that challenge admiration. Thsi
simple lives, their sympathy with tn
poor, their elf.sacrifce, all force admira
ton from their critics."
L 2. The second surprising thing Is that
| as reported, you have not one good thin
/ to say about our Christian fellow country
men. You are reported to have said
/ "Thoee who are converted are the few VIII
| make a sort of a living by hanging aroun'
| the missionaries. The converts who ar
/ not kept in service cease to be converts.
| 1.-The Hindu is cute; he takes the bait, bu
| he avoids the hook" etc.
L Of course just go far as men profess t
be what they really are not, and are vena
/ in their professions, they are contemplate
| But when you make such sweeping charge
/ about our Indian fellow countryman d
, you not see that Ii L. the Hindus that 20,
, are really holding up to contempt Flo
you affirm that they are Hindus, not Chris
, | tisns, for they take the bait, but avoi,
the hook" The majority of Indian Chris
tisns were originally from the lowe
classes. Christianity elevates them. Blu
l missionaries are on guard about the me
tives of all; and it is wrong to affirm tina
the great majority of Christians from evel
the lower classes are not sincere In thei
| profe ssions. At any rste, whatever instn
certify or venslity there may be in some. 1
is manifestly due not to their Christianit
but to their Hinduism. And you know
that Christian converts from the uppe
castes-who are more more numerous thai
you know-ha~e to suffer greatly whel
they make public profession of Christian
ity. Christians like K. N. Banerjee, LII
ID, K. O. Banerjse, N. A., J. g. Shome
N. A., Imam uddin, NJ. D. Nilkant Shss
tri Gore, R. Q. Bose, M. A., Bahia Pad
mani, 8. Sathinsdhan, NJ. A LII. D., an,
other Christian leaders are among the bes
| educated and most honored men in India
Christians are sometimes sent by thei
Hindu countrymen as their representative
| to the Indian national congress.
The government census of 1891 put th
total of Christians In India at 2, 1859, 781
Subtracting from these any reasonable fig
ure for foreigners, much over a million
and half remains for Indian Christians
| Protestant and Romanist. The census O
Protestant missions in 1890 put the mum
Der of baptized Protestant Christians a
$50 $751;.
In 1890 Protestant missions reported tn
employment of 1858 Indian Christian
agents of all grades, male and female. Ad,
few thousands for those employed as SCI
wants, and for thoee who recsive aid Il
schools and in other ways, and yet alto
gether they would be small per cent. o
the total body. Contrary to your affirma
ton, which Is incapable of proof, If tn
great majority who have no employmsn
or aid do not give up their Christianity
why should we suspect that the best Chris
tians-for, of course, it is the best who ar
employed, as they ought to be-would Civ
up their Christianity, If they were not EN-
ployed?
Also here is a quotation from q recen
report of the government director of pub
lie instruction of the Madras presidency
who is neutral toward all religions, in re
gard to the standing of Christians In tina
part of India. (However, the Christian
community there is more numerous ant
on the average more advanced than in mos
other parts Of India, although to larg
degree they were originally from the Low
classes II have frequently drawn atten
ton to the educational progress of the ma
tive Christian community. There can b.
no question, If this community pursue
with steadiness the present policy of III
teachers, that with the immense advan
tages 1t possesses in the way of education
al Institutions, In the course of q genera
| ton 1t will have secured q preponderatinf
position In all the great professions ani
probably, too, in the industrial enterprise
of the country"
third oatonfeh}po &tfnor xuh1cb vor