Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-29
Christian Endeavor Hour
Conducted by Grace Livingston Hill-Lutz.

For Sunday, December 80, 1906.
Topic: Carey and Missions in India Isaiah
lv:2 Uhe text Of Carey's famous sermon).
@ Enlarge the place of thy tent. and let
them stretch forth the curtains OF thine
| habitations; spare not, lengthen thy cords,
and strengthen thy stakes;
g. For thou shalt break forth on the
right hand and on the left; and thy seed
| shall inherit the Gentiles and make the
| desolate cities to be inhabited.
The Lesson.
In the little village of Paulersbury, not
far from Whittlebury forest, in Northamp-
ton county. England in 1851, was born
| William Carey. His father was weaver,
but afterward became village schoolmaster
| and parish clerk. The school house ana
| the masters house stood end to end. Inc
school forms were logs sawed down the
| middle, the fiat side smoothed and turned
up, set upon primitive legs Money was
scarce, and there no luxury amid his
surroundings. A simple cottage life, full
| of work and play, was his. Being the
| schoolmaster's son. he naturally had many
| advantages, and he had ever keen desire
| for knowledge, fine memory and much
| perseverance. He also fond of the
| world of nature. He cultivated a good
| sized garden almost alone, and every par
| rem place would soon blossom with some
| plant or shrub. He loved to climb the
| highest trees, and often succeeded where
| others failed. Once, climbing for a birds
nest. he fell, half stunned, but as soon as
! he was able to get up he went up the tree
again, this time successfully. In after
years he once told nephew If after my
/ removal any one should think 1t worth
| while to write my life l will give you
criterion how you may judge of its correct
| ness. If he give me credit for being
plodder he will do me justice. Anything
hoy will he
l can persevere in any definite pursuit. To
this l owe everything.
| His sister Mary used to be his companion
in his childish rambes, and she tells how
he never went anywhere without carefully
observing nature in every form birds, in
| sects plants, etc, and even after he grew
| to be an old man this love of nature stayed
by him, and he was called 1.-The cheerful
old man..
When he was fourteen years of age he
was apprenticed to a shoemaker, and he
used to tell how his master kept pair OF
shoes on view that was made by Carey as
model of what shoes should be. But all
through his work his thirst for knowledge
did not abate. A copy of a commentary of
the New Testament came into his hands,
| it's pages sprinked with Greek words.
| These seemed to fascinate him, and,
through the village weaver, who had re-
ceived a classical education, he mastered
them.
But although brought up strictly
| churchman and in due time confirmed,
| one would expect from future missionary.
| 1t said his religion went no further
| than the attendance at church. He asso-
| ciated with low and debasing companions,
| and used profane language, and was in
| great danger of being dragged down to
the depths of baseness. But about his
eighteenth year a young dissenter in the
same employment with himself crossed his
path and through conversation and read
| ing together Carey was led to feel a sense
of his own snfulness. and after slow
struggle and reaching after the light he
came at last to depend upon Jesus as his
Savior. little later he became a Bap-
fist
When he was twenty years old he mar
ried his employers sster-in-law, Dorothy
Plackett and soon after his employer died
he succeeded him in the business. He had
a neat little house and garden in the vii
lage, but his marriage seems scarcely to
have been a happy one His wife had
little education and less nerve. She seems
not to have understood the great mind
of her husband. nor to have sympathized
| much with him in his work. Added to
this she had a predispostion to mental
trouble. Then trouble came to him. de-
| preston in business obliged him to sell
all OF his stock and soon after his first
born child. a little girl died suddenly after
brief illness and he himself fell i'll of a
bad fever. which left him so enfeebled that
for long time it was with greatest
! difficulty that he provided his household
with daily bread. Meantime there had been
a growing feeling among the little church
he had joined for regular pastor and as
Carey had been active among them, often
| speaking acceptably, he finally or
dained to the ministry. and after time
called to the church in Moulton, where
| he able also to become village school
master. This calling, however, was scarce
. | " successful inasmuch he says of him
self. when l kept school the boys kept
me-" His income at that time was about
ten pounds per annum from the church
| five pounds from a fund in London and
, | seven shillings and siXpence a week from
his school, in all less than thirtysix
pounds
II was necessary, therefore, for him still
! to work his trade of shoe making, and
, ! once a fortnight the little man with far
: away look on his face might be seen trudg-
ing to Northampton with wallet full OF
shoes for delivery to a government contrac-
tor and returning home with a burden OF
leather for next fortnights work" His
life was enough to have crushed the spirit
= out of any ordinary man, but he went
f cheerfuly on, borrowing a book occasion
: ally and keeping up with his studies, al
ways reading a passage of Scripture In the
original Greek or Hebrew as well as Latir
before preaching therefrom, or reading in
daily devotions. Whatever came in his way
he learned In this way he acquired the
knowledge of the Dutch language through
an old Dutch book containing sermon
which he desired to translate.
1t was while he was teaching his class
geography from leather globe made by
his own hands that the thought Of the
not Jesus Christ occurred to him. He ha(
! been reading Cooks Voyages Around the
World" and he Immediately set to work t
n study up the subject. With the map o
e ! the world before him he studied all thu
books he could procure. He ascertainet
! the extent of the various countries, the
p | population, government social and religious
condition. 1t appalled, him. More thar
400. 600 coo were lying in the blacklist nigh
: of Paganism. The message of Christ cam
| to him with great force: Go ye into al
the world and preach the gospel to ever.
:, | creature" Once the Savior's will wa
e clear to him. says his biographer, The fel
q the burden laid upon himself personally t.
= do what he could for the salvation of tn
c heather, and he endeavored, with al
n earnestness, to impart his convictions to hi
l. brethren in the ministry
re He was only twenty-five when the mis-
II sionary idea took hold of him, not gifted
had never been within the walls of TIL
humblest college, had no influence, his in
/ come $40 per year, earned by the hardes
IS toll. He said to his friend Fuller: IF
n be the duty of all men, where the gospe
= comes, to believe unto salvation, then
'e is the duty of those who are intrusted wit
| the gospel to endeavor to make it know
among all nations for the obedience o