• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

F'routi"spit:ce. ROBERT CLARK OF THE PANJAB Pioneer and ;klissionary Statesman BY HENRY MARTYN CLARK, M.D. (Eorn.) " Ou wlw never tierned kz"s back but mal'cked breast /orwal'd, Never doubted clouds would break, Never dreamed, tkougk rz"g-ltt were worsted, wrong- would triumph, Held we /all to rise, are ba.fllcd to fight better, Sleep to wake." BROWNING. LONDON: ANDREW MELROSE 16 PILGRIM STREET, E.C. 1907 I DEDICATE THESE MEMOIRS TO MY MOTHER SISTERS AND BROTHERS V PREFACE -+- THE period covered by the long life of the Rev. Robert Clark in India was prolific in men great in camp and council, and amongst them he takes a place as a maker of history in the Panjab. I have made no attempt in these pages to compass all his manifold activities. I have rather sought to show how he dealt with first principles and their practical application, and have moulded the personal narrative to set forth the pioneer and the statesman. Several chapters of a descriptive and historical nature have been included, to indicate the conditions under which Mr. Clark did his life work. These need not detain readers familiar with Indian affairs. Many faithful and brilliant men and women, within as well as without the Missionary ranks, were fellow­ labourers with Mr. Clark. If I have not mentioned them, it is only because of the limitations imposed by the character of the present monograph. I am well aware that in many respects I am not qualified for my present task, and it was only with extreme reluctance, and after long hesitation, that I responded to a call that I could not ignore. .AB I vii viii PREFACE lay down my pen, no one can be more conscious than I am of the many imperfections in this record of the main aspect of Robert Clark's life. To explain apparent inconsistencies in the spelling of Indian names, I should perhaps state that I have followed no hard and fast rule. In quoted passages, I have retained the spelling as I found it. Elsewhere in the book, I have indifferently followed the scientific or the customary form. Both are in vogue in India. Cashmere is as common as Kashmir, Cabul as Kabul. In many instances the use of the Hunterian form would be simple pedantry. Thus Lakhnau or Lahor are rarely, if ever, used for Lucknow and Lahore. Few would recognise Cawnpore in Kahnpur or the Deccan in Dakhin. It only 1·emains to make acknowledgment to the friends who have assisted me with material and advice. To the authorities of the Church Missionary Society I am deeply indebted for permission to make the fullest use of official documents and published records. All these have been of the greatest help, and have been extensively drawn upon. To the Rev. George Tonge, Secretary of the Chur<lh of England Zenana Missionary Society, and to Mr. Porter, librarian, Church Mission House, I am greatly obliged for keen interest and valuable aid. To the Rev. Horace William Snape, present incumbent of Harmston, and to Mrs. Snape, my special thanks are due for generous hospitality and the readiest of help in making local inquiries. I must also gratefully acknowledge much useful PREFACE IX criticism and other aid from my old friend, Mr. C. K. Moore, during the progress of the book. My obligations to Mr. Cuthbert Lennox are not easy to acknowledge. He inspired the work, his constant encouragement and unfailing active interest have fostered it, and followed it to a conclusion. Much els~ has there been of help at his hands which, though not specified here, will always be gratefully remembered. H. MARTYN CLARK, M.D. EDINBURGH, January 1907. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE PREFA~~ VU I, ANCESTRY AND BOYHOOD l II, YEARS OF PREPARATION 8 III. CALLED TO BE A MISSIONARY . 17 IV. THE STORY OF THE PANJAB 29 V. THE PANJAB: ITS PEOPLES AND RELIGIONS 40 VI. FOUNDING THE PANJAB MISSION 51 VII. EARLY CONVERTS 66 VIII. A NEW FIELD : AFGHANISTAN • 79 IX. AT PESHAWAR AND AMRITSAR • 92 X. PIONEER WORK IN CASHMERE AND THIBET 103 XI. APOSTLE TO THE AFGHANS 115 XII. THE AFGHAN MISSION • 141 XIII. TRIALS, LOSSES, AND GAINS-CASHMERE 157 XIV. EARLY DAYS IN CASHMERE 172 XY. THE CASHMERE MISSION 190 XVI. THE CASHMERE MISSION-continued 215 XVII. DEVELOPMENT OF THE PANJAB MISSION 236 XVIII. FOUNDING A NATIVE CHURCH • 249 XJX. FACING SOCIAL PROBLEMS 259 XX. EDUCATING THE CONVERT 278 XXI. VICTORY IN CASHMERE 288 XXII. MEDICAL MISSIO:SS AND BIBLE COMMENTARIES 294 XXIII. NATIVE CHURCH COUNCIL AND ALEXANDRA SCHOOL • 305 XXIV, MISSION SECRETARIAT • 317 XXV. MISSION SECRETARIAT-continued 338 XXVI. RETROSPECT AND REST 349 INDEX 361 xi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ---+-- REV. ROBERT CLARK Frontispiece REV. DAUD SINGH to face page 102 MRS. CLARK 142 " SYUD SHAH KHAN 154 " REV. PANDIT NARAIY DASS KHARAK SINGH 288 REV. MAULVIE IHADUDDIN LAHIZ, D.D. 334 " :iii ROBERT CLARK OF THE PANJAB CHAPTER I. ANCESTRY AND BOYHOOD. IN the year 1821 the Reverend Henry Clark, M.A., the father of the subject of this memoir, was preferred to the benefice of the village of Harms ton, in the hundreds of Kesteven and the county of Lincoln. His armorial bearings show that he was of gentle birth, of a good South Country stock, his immediate progenitors having migrated northwards f:t;om Devonshire. Hamlet Clark, his grandfather, had settled in Leicester. The Poll Book of that city shows that he was of St. Nicholas Street, in the parish of St. Nicholas, and was living in 1768. He married Elizabeth Smith, of the parish of St. Andrews, Holborn, in 1735, and they had a family of three sons and seven daughters. The second son, Henry, by his marriage with Martha Johnson, on 4th April 1783, became the father of the future vicar of Harmston in 1791, and of a daughter, Martha. Shortly after his settlement in Harmston, on 30th May 1828, the Rev. Henry Clark married Mary, daughter of Robert Blackwall. The ancient family of Blackwall of Blackwall, in the I z ROBERT CLARK OF THE PANJAB Peak, was well known in the reign of Henry III. Sir Thomas Blackwall, the head of the family in the days of the Civil War, was a zealous Royalist. He spared neither blood nor treasure in the Royal cause, and so impoverished himself that he died in reduced circumstances after the Restoration, unrequited by Charles II. In 1634 the family pedigree is signed as head by Gervaise Blackwall, " Citizen Skinner" of London. The Rev. Anthony Blackwall, M.A., born in 167 4, attained distinction as a critic, lecturer, and educationalist. He was rector of Clapham from 1726 to 1729. Another member of the family entered the Church, in the person of William, born 1675, third son of Robert Blackwall. At the date of his death, in 1731, he was rector of "Blower," the modern Blore, famous in the Wars of the Roses. His only son, Thomas, followed in his father's steps, and became rector of Mayginton. By his marriage with Sarah Miller he had a daughter and two sons, one son being Robert Black­ wall, the father of Mary, who became the wife of the Rev. Henry Clark, as already stated. Residence in Harmston must be conducive to longevity, for there are yet those living who remember the far-off days when the nineteenth century was young, and can give us the charm of personal touch with Mr. and Mrs. Henry Clark. In the pages immediately following, the writer is able to draw largely upon the authentic recollections of these ancient parishioners. The new rector was a man of gifts, refinement, and sterling common sense. Strong in purpose and of transparent sincerity, he was full of the kindness and tact that spring from a sympathetic heart, and the ANCESTRY AND BOYHOOD 3 welfare of his people commanded his labours by day and his thoughts by night. He is described as a splendid preacher, evangelical in his teaching, and a faithful pastor. Given these qualifications, it is small wonder that he speedily won the reverence and affection of his people, and became a veritable father to them. Indeed, the aged still speak of his prayers and exhortations, and remember the celebrations of the Lord's Supper on Wednesday nights, initiated for the benefit of labourers, shepherds, and neat-herds who were unable to attend on Sundays. Mrs. Clark proved herself a fit helpmeet, alike in work and home. She was a woman of rare powers, sweet and gentle, abounding in labours and ministra­ tions, and practical withal in everything she did : she even kept a medicine chest for the benefit of the poor -we are speaking of days long gone by. By word or look or by something less tangible, she helped and brightened wherever she went. An aged woman well remembers Mrs. Clark's farewell visit to her dying mother, who had served her faithfully many years. "Good-bye," Mrs. Clark said to her old servant, -" good-bye. I can tell you nothing more than you know, and you will soon know more than I do." As must ever be the case where religion is vital, the energies of the pastor and people speedily overflowed the bounds of their parish. The cause of Christ in the world lay near to their hearts: Harmston subscribed very liberally to the Bible Society, as well as to Missions abroad, and the interest shown was systematic and general. In this connection, we get a glimpse into Mrs. Clark's character from an anecdote related by an old parishioner.

Load more

  379

Copy Link