The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-12-21

missionary who overhead the coaversa-
tion between the fakir and myself my
amazement at some of the doctrines
the falzir announced. The missionary
said: The fakirs are very aecommO-
dating, and supposing you to be
friend of Christianity he announced the
theory of one God. and that of rewards
and punishments.
There are. however, alleviations for
Benares. l attended worship in one of
the Christian missions. The sermon,
though delivered in Hindoostanee. Of
which l could not understand 4 word.
thrilled me with its earnestness and
tenderness of tone. especially when
the missionary told me at the
close of the service that he recently
baptized a man who was converted
through reading one of my sermons
among the hills of India. The songs
of the two Christian assemblages / vis-
tied in this city, although the tunes
were new. and the sentiments not
translated, were uplifting and inspir-
ing to the last degree. There was also
a school of 600 native girls, an institu-
tion established by rajah of generos-
ity and wealth, a graduate of Madras
university. But more than all, the
missionaries are busy, some of them
preaching on the CHATS, some of them
in churches. in chapels and bazaars.
| The London Missionary society has
here its college for young men, and its
schools for children. and its houses of
worship for all. The Church Mission
| ~ I,e. oil
filed with learners. The evangclizing
work of the Wesleyans and the BaptiSts
are felt in all parts of Benares. In its
mightiest stronghold HindoOisn is be-
ing assaulted.
And now as to the industrious ma
| lignment of missionaries: 1t has been
said by some travellers after their re-
turn to America or England that the
missionaries are living a life full of in
dOlence and luxury. That is false
hood that l would say is as high
as heaven If it did not go down
in the opposite direction. When
| strangers come into these tropical
climates, the missionaries do their best
/ to entertain them. making sacrifices
for that purpose. In the city of Ben
ares missionary told me that a gen.
tleman coming from England into one
of the mission stations of India, the
missionaries banded together to enter
tain him. Among other things, they
had ham boiled, prepared and beauti-
fully decorated, and the same ham was
passed around from house to house
as this stranger appeared. and in
other respects a'conspiracy of kindness
was effected. The visitor went home
| to England and wrote and spoke of the
luxury in which the missionaries of
India were living. Americans and
Englishmen come to these tropical re-
gions and find missionary living un-
der palms and with different styles of
fruits on his table. and forget that
palms are here as cheap as hickory or
pine in America, and rich fruits are
cheap as plain apples. They find here
missionaries sleeping under punkas,
these fans swung day and night by
coolies, and forget that cents day is
good wages here. and the man finds him
self. Four cents day for a coachman;
n missionary can afford to ride. There
have been missionaries who have come
to these hot climates resolving to live
as the natives live, and one or two
years have finished their work.
their chief use on missionary ground
being that of furnishing for u
large funeral the chief object of inter-
est. So far from living in idleness, no
men on earth work so hard as the mis-
sionaries now in the foreign field.
Against fearful odds.and with 100000
r,f fo II
Hindoos. Mohammedans and other
false religions, these missionaries are
irving to take India for God. Let the
good people of America and England
and Scotland. and of all Christendom,
add 99$< per cent. to their appreciation
of the fidelity and consecra atiOn of for
eign missionaries. Far away from
home, in an exhausting climate,
and compelled to send their chill
dren to England, Scotland. America, 50
as to escape the corrupt conversation
and behavior of the natives, these men
and women of God toll on until they
drop into their graves. But they will
get their chief appreciation when their
work is over and the day is won, as it
will be won. No place in Heaven will
be too good for them. Some of the
ministers at home who live on salaries
of 81. loo or 5000 year, preaching the
gospel of Him who had not where to
lay His head. will enter Heaven and be
welcomed. and while looking for
place to sit down, they will be told:
-'Yonder in that lower line of thrones
you will take your places. Not on the
thrones nearest the King: they are re-
served for the missionaries
Meanwhile let all Christendom be
thrilled with gladness. About $4,000
converts in India every year under the
Met hodiSt missions, and about $4,000
converts under the Baptist missions,
and about $4,000 converts under all
missions every year. But more than
that, Christianity is undermining
heathenism and not a city, or
town, or neighborhood of India
but directly or indirectly feels the
in fiuence, and the day speeds
on when Hindooism will go down with
a crash. There are whole villages
which have given up their gods and
where not an idol IS left. The serfdom
of womanhood in many places is being
unloosened, and the iron grip of caste
is being relaxed. Human sacrifices
have ceased, and the last spark of the
funeral pyre on which the widow must
leap has been eXtinguished, and
the juggernaut. stopped now stands
as a curiosity for travellers TO
look at. All India will be taken for
q Z - \ H..