The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-28
MISSIONARY FROM INDIA
He Tells of the Work That Has Been
Done Among the Ma
tiyeS

The Rev. DR.. Unangst, who for thirty
seven years consecutiyely has worked as a
missionary of the Lutheran Church in
India, conducted the service in the First
English Lutheran Church last evening,
and instead of a sermon gave the congre
cation most instructive and interesting
talk on the people of India, their customs
and their religion.
The Rev. DR.. Unangst, who is of German
descent, went to India in 1858, and after
working continuously in behalf of Chris
tianity has been granted furlough for
year, which may be extended one year
if he so desires. He decided to visit the
United States and came to this country
via China. He will remain here for some
time and may deliver some addresses on
missionary work in the country from
which he came, but he is not commissioned
to enlist any one in the work.
In the course of his talk last evening the
reverend gentleman gave brief history
of the people of India in ancient time and
their religion and then spoke OF them
from the time of the primary efforts of the
missionaries to instruct them in Chris
tianity.
The particular field in which he worked
was in the vicinity of the Bay of Bengal.
The missionaries must first make them
selves masters of the language of the peo-
pie. For some time past commission
has been engaged in translating the Bible
into the Telugu language, and the natives
seem to be very anxious that the work be
completed in order that they may learn
the truths contained therein. The mis-
sionaries celebrated their jubilee year
in 1893, and received subscriptions to the
amount of $4,000 rupees, which money
was expended in erecting dormitory for
ri hn
the control of the missionaries.
There are AIS villages in which the mis-
sionaries work, and they are forced to &C
commodate themselves to the natives on
account of caste. The high class will not
associate with the low, and a service has
to be conducted in two different places. The
lower class is composed of coolies, who
work for cents day.
During the time the mission has been
established 10000 natives have been con-
verified to Christianity. The speaker told
of the customs of the BrahGins, and speak
ing OF marriage IN the high class. said that
girls are married when years OF age, and
several years after a second marriage takes
place. when there are festivities for five
days. On the fifth day the husband is for
the first time allowed to speak to his wife.
Just before this is permitted, the lips of
the bride and groom are rubbed with
honey by the mother of the bride, who
says: "May your lives be always as sweet
as this honey" Among the low class,
man who wants to marry announces his
intention, then all the girls in the village
hide themselves in a tent made of leaves
The lover pokes bamboo stick through
the leaves, and if one of the girls takes
hold of it, he pulls her out of the tent, and
then they march to the mothers hut and
the two are declared married.
Ii an individual dies in hut, the corpse
is not taken out through the door, but a
hole is cut in the side, the corpse showed
through it, and then death is driven out
and the hole closed again.
The speaker said that good progress is
being made in reformation in regard to
child-widows and widows generally. He
closed by giving an account of the good
work the women OF the mission are doing.
That women believe in organization is