Signs of the Times for 1915
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0:41 Will 1. I lilt WC flie OD 4a1 " lag- 1 111 L.11041 111111. 11.11•11•10110101i11.11411.141•1111,011.1111111111(1.311.1.1,11111.1.41 WEEKLY, $1.75 A YEAR SINGLE COPY, 5 CENTS VOLUME 42 JULY 13, 1915 NUMBER 27 PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA 0:4.11111119111011111111111.1111111111111111111P11110.11iiiilli1M11111111U111111111111[1111111.1,IIIIIMI.. nil TM, TRAVEL CONVENIENCES IN INDIA Stands Fourth in Railway Mileage — Freedom from Fatalities and Accidents — The Imperturbable Missionary By ARTHUR G. DANIELLS NE of the questions that deeply interests and sometimes how much clearer one's vision becomes, and how much more seriously concerns a traveler whose time in a new real and tangible everything seems, when one is on the ground. 0 country is limited, is the mode of conveyance he may This visit had a number of surprises for me. I was aware find. Knowing that India, including Ceylon and Burma, is a that the South India Mission embraced the Madras Presidency country of long distances, and knowing that I must needs go to and the island of Ceylon ; but it was not until I traveled over all its extreme parts, I felt some degree of anxiety before tak- the territory, getting hurried glimpses of the country, the ing my first railway journey in that empire. I found, however, cities, the villages, and the people in their varied conditions, that my concern was unnecessary. From the railway guide, that I obtained anything approaching a true conception of this I learned that there were very few places I had to visit in mission. Its western boundary is washed by the Arabian Sea India that could not be reached by rail, and my first train for a distance of about 500 miles, while the eastern shore ride assured me of good stretches 1,200 miles accommodation and effi- along the Bay of Ben- cient management in gal — farther by 200 the railway service. miles than from New York City to Chicago. INDIA STANDS FOURTH And in this territory Although railway there are over 50,000,- building in India did 000 people — equal to not begin until 1860, more than half the en- there are at the present tire population of the time about 35,000 miles United States. of railway in operation. The system is so WHERE THE PIONEERS planned that all the BEGAN principal seaports, and It was in this mis- the largest cities in all sion field that Ziegen- parts of the country, balg, Pliitschau, a n d can readily be reached Schwartz, t h e first by rail. India holds the Protestant missio v- fourth place in the aries to all India, car- world in railway mile- A NATIVE PLOWMAN IN INDIA ried forward their won- age. Three hundred An American residing in India sent for a modern American plow, and gave it to one derful work. The two thirty million persons of these men to use. Shortly afterward, the American went out to find his modern former located near the plow hanging on the fence. The native gave as his excuse for returning to his prim- are reported to have itive implement, that the American product kept him so far away from his bullocks coast, in the district of traveled on these lines he could not twist their tails. Trichinopoli, in 1706. during 1913. With all Schwartz located in the this traffic, only seven persons lost their lives in accidents. city of Trichinopoli, in 1750. These men were missionaries of This gives a basis for the claim that railway traveling is the the apostle Paul's stamp. Great success attended their efforts; safest in India of any country in the world. and to-day, after nearly two centuries of missionary endeavor Beginning at the extreme southern points of both Ceylon in India, more than one half of all the Protestant Christians and India, I traveled to the Himalaya Mountains on the north, in this entire land are to be found in the Madras Presidency, and nearly to the Afghan border in the west. This made where these pioneers did their work. it possible for me to visit all our mission stations in India The program that had been arranged for us included a visit and Burma in the course of three short months. Professor .to our Nazareth mission station, in the extreme southern part Salisbury, president of the Indian Union field, had planned of the field. An all night's ride from Trichinopoli brought us the tour so well that in only a few places were we obliged to to Tinnevelli. Here we changed from the railway train to travel over any part of the road a second time. bullock carts, called bandies in this region. A bandy is a two- Our first visit was to the South India Mission, under the wheeled cart, with a cover of some sort stretched over a frame- superintendence of Pastor J. S. James. Through the reports work, to protect the passengers from the sun. The box of the that had been placed before our Mission Board, I had felt fairly cart is about six feet long, four feet wide, and six inches deep. well acquainted with this mission ; but once more I learned The cover, at its highest point, is about three feet above the 418 The Signs of the Times for July 13, 1915 Three "spirit" trees and temple of devil worshipers of South India. Typical group of Tamil people of the poorer class living in one house 'Worship of this class is one of the most pitiful of superstitions. in the village of Nazareth, South India. bottom of the box. As there are no seats in bungalow, the school, and the dormitory. twenty miles doing this work. They are the bandy, the most comfortable way to ride The bungalow is a brick structure well making a good impression in all that region, is lying full length in the cart box. Rugs planned and substantially built. It provides and men are bringing their boys from all were spread on some straw in the bandies, a good home for those in charge of the mis- directions to place them in the school. When pillows were provided, the bullocks were at- sion. It cost a little less than $2,000. The I was there, two men came from villages tached, and we crawled in for a twenty-four school building cost only $400, and the dor- miles away in opposite directions, to see mile ride. There were six in our company. mitory for boarding students but $83. Both about getting their boys into the school. There was also the formidable stack of lug- the school and the dormitory are too small gage a company of that number usually for the work now carried on at this mission. SACRIFICING TO HELP carries in India. Four bandies were re- At the time of our visit, there were 118 stu- During the week of prayer, some of these (-mired for the journey. We started at nine dents attending the school — 87 boys and 31 Christian boys gave a part of the rice al- in the morning, and reached our mission at girls. The regular schoolrooms were full, lowed for their daily food, in order to make six in the evening. and one class was held on the veranda of the offerings to foreign missions. They denied school building, another in the dormitory, themselves the food they really needed for WELCOMED WITH THE BAND and a third on the veranda of the bungalow. their growth and work. When two or three miles from the mission I was greatly pleased with the work done None of these boys use tobacco in any station, we were met by some of the teachers at this station. For two or three years, al- form, and they have abandoned everything and students and a number of the members most the entire work has been carried on by that savors of heathenism. The girls who of the church. They had come with a native our Tamil ,brethren, no European being on have become Christians have shown the same band to welcome us and escort us to the the place. Brother E. D. Thomas is in zeal. They have done what is probably the station. After cordial greetings, the band charge, and is assisted by seven teachers, five hardest thing for a girl in India to do — led the way, being followed by teachers, stu- of whom are our own baptized members. taken off all their jewelry,— bracelets, finger dents, and our caravan of bandies. The Brother Thomas and his assistants have all rings, neck rings, anklets, toe rings, and all. music and the unusual procession attracted embraced the message since Brother James The ears of some were so disfigured by the large numbers of villagers, many of whom began work in Nazareth seven years ago. heavy rings hanging in them from infancy, kept joining us, and our number became As nearly as I could judge, these teachers that it was necessary to perform surgical ite imposing by the time we reached the are doing excellent work. The students are operations to restore them to something ap- st,:tion. From the veranda of the bungalow, Hindus, Roman Catholics, Anglicans and proaching their natural condition. All this w.; gave a brief address, expressing our ap- other Protestants, while some have no re- they have done for their Lord and Master. preciation of the enthusiastic reception given ligion. Yet with this medley, we found a They are good girls, who will make good us.