The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-12-01
GREATNESS OF CONFLICT
BETWEEN HEATH ENISM AND
CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA.

New Haven Ministers Meeting by Rev.
II. M. Lawson, a Missionary of the
American Board.
The following paper was read at the
Minister meeting at Center church
chapel on Monday morning. November
Goth. by Rev. H. NJ. Lawson, mission
airy OF the American Board in Ahmed
magyar, western India. Mr.. Lawson
is at present on furlough on account of
the health of his wife, and is living at
90 Park street, in this city, The paper
was. eagerly listened to by the ministers
present and an animated discussion
followed:
The Conflict Between Christianity and
Hinduism in India.
The greatness of the conflict which is
going on between heathenism and
Christianity in India is little realized
here in America It is as it was at the
beginning of our civil war, when the
people Of the north had only the faint
lay before them, Think Of President
Lincoln calling for only seventy-tive
thousand men for three months, just as
though the great rebellion were to be
put down by that insignificant force in
80 short time, when we know that 1t
required more than million men and
that the struggle lasted through four
long and bloody years. During those
dark days, as have heard the older
ones say, there was kind of atmos-
phere of gloom hanging over the land.
as the people waited with intense inter-
est to hear the latest news from the
scene Of conflict A sililar struggle for
the kingdom Of God Is being carried on
in India; but it is sad fact that but
very few of the members of that king
dom in America have walked up to rea-
lie the greatness and the difficulty of
the task which they have undertaken.
In our late war the defeat at Bull Run
was an eye-opener to the northerners;
its first effect was stunning, but af-
forwards it made the loyal people of
the north bend with new energy to
their great task. So I believe that
statement of the difficulties and de-
fleets in the missionary ENTERPRISE in
India will tend to make true Christians
take up the work with greater vigor
than ever. A few may be discouraged
and say, "We'd better give up" but
lust as in the war time the feeling in
the hearts of true citizens was, 'The
Union must and shall be preserved" so
among Christs followers it will be.
India must and shall be won to
Christ
I spoke of the difficulties and de-
feats in the missionary work of india
Missionaries have perhaps been accus-
toned to dwell more on the bright and
encouraging side; but believe that the
whole situation should be thoroughly
understood by the people at home. The
present Protestant missionary move
ment has been going on in India now
for about century. But, to use our
civil war again as an illustration, just
as it's first two years were mainly a
time of preparation by defeat for the
real struggle which was to follow. so
the past century in India has been a
period of preparation for the decisive
conflict which lies before us. The
not yet been fought. This is evident
when we study the results. The last
census gave the number Of native Pro-
testant Christians (the result of mis-
sionary effort) as $4,000. a number
which seems large in itself but which
really means that there is only one
native Protestant Christian to about
five hundred people. Many of these
are only nominal Christians and the
great body of them are from the low
est classes, bringing with them their
servility and weaknesses and depend
ence on those above them. They do
not make good leaders in any under
taking, although they work faithfully
under the direction Of the missionary
These converts are very poor and can
do almost nothing towards self-sup-
port My own mission is wont to
pride itself ON the progress it has made
towards self-support and points with
satisfaction to a considerable number
of self-sustaining churches. This con-
graduation is diminished however by
the fact that nearly all the money for
the support Of the pastors of these
churches is taken as tithes from the
salaries of the native agents when they
are paid at the end of the month by the
missionary. Then again many Of these
Christians are weak and have great
faults and unless carefully looked after
by the missionary, they will drift back
into Hinduism. This is the case in
many of the remote villages. There the
Christians do not give up caste, but
mingle with their heather relatives as
before The children of these Chris
fians are usually taken by the mission
airy and put into school in the central
stations. After getting an education
they do not care to go back to their lit
tie villages, so it comes to pass that
often Christianity dies out in these lit
tie places, Just as it dies out In the
mountain towns of New England where
no Christian work is done. Then 1t is
rather discouraging to go to a town
such as one which 1 have in mind in
my district and which Is typical of
hundreds Of others, where there are
perhaps a thousand people of respecta-
BILE caste living within the town walls
and not one Christian among them, but
we have to go outside to the mserab BILE