The Gospel and the Plow

THE GOSPEL AND THE PLOW OR THE OLD GOSPEL AND MODERN FARMING IN ANCIENT INDIA ‘m ) M . uu ACMILLAN CO , L M O F D LTD . TH E MAC ILLAN C . O CANA A, THE GOSPEL AND THE PLOW OLD GOSPEL AND MODERN FARMING IN ANCIENT INDIA B" A SAM HIGGINBOTTOM, M. 1mm 130th TH E MACMILLAN COMP AN Y 1 92 6 All rig ht: res erved P " R H T 1 9 2 1 CO I G . n e ed Set up a d el ctrotyp . TO THE ONE W ITHOUT W HOSE UNFAILING COUR AG E G OOD- MP F IN G OD A ND I N ME . TE ER. AITH . THIS BOO" COULD NEVER HAVE BEEN VVRIT TEN TO TH E H EL P- M AND P R IN : _ EET ARTNE TH E STRUG G LES REP RESENTED H EREIN M" W IFE 1 1 779 1 7 P RE FA CE Th is book is written at the request of the publishers who asked me to put into book form some lectures de i livered at Princeton Theolo gic al Sem nary . There is o th e more in the bo k than lectures . I feel that so lit tle has been accomplished in India Of all I set out to o f do , that this book is little more than a report prog i - ress . There s a growing interest in the non theologi cal aspects Of Foreign Missions and this production may serve some purpose in drawing attention to the need for other than the ordained missionary to help the backward peoples Of the far countries . Those who are intimately acquainted with my work in India may feel that I have ignored altogether or slurred over some Of the greatest difficulties to be faced in the es tablish m ent Of such an institution as is contemplated at Allahabad . is t It said tha I speak only Of the high spots , tell only es h milia Of the succ ses , write as though there were no u t ing failures to record . This is largely t rue . But any one familiar with the practical conduct Of affairs knows ifliculties that there are d and lions in the way, that there ff is friction and clash Of will , that there are sharp di er ences Of Opinion before any worthwhile program is car S s ried out. O much o has this been my experience that I have come to see that the only place on earth where men are gathered together without friction is the ceme PREFACE ter is o o l f y. It n t altog ether loss t be b ind to some O the “ ” insoluble problems . I have found that some Of these fi r esl with in nite patience , no bitterness Of spirit o of j us o r f l . y, led by His spi it , can be m ade most use u We are told that the mountains shall be a way, the seeming so t barriers shall be the paths to progress, hat I do not Of o new desp air seeing not nly a new heaven , but also a r earth , wherein dwelleth righteousness . The efore in hope and great expectancy I daily pray and work that m r n His Kingdom may co e h e e and ow. ’ ‘ S AM H IGGIN BOI TOM . Rad nor Road i o . Cleveland Heights , Oh 2 . 7 192 Dec , 0. CONTENTS P AG E INTRODUCTION TO MISSION WOR" IN INDIA ’ INDIA S POVERT" AN D ILLITE RAC" F CASTE, A LIMITING ACTOR MISSION INDUSTRIES H ow TH E FARM STARTE D TH E CATTL E PROBLEM OF INDIA TH E BRITIS H GOVERN MENT IN INDIA WOR" IN NATIVE STATE S ’ TH E MISSIONAR" s AVOCATION ’ " ESUS E " AMP LE FOR SUC H WOR" “ An e a d thine ears shall hear a word b hind thee s ying, This th u h an and is e way, walk ye in it, when ye t rn to t e right h d, ” n e h f a a 30 : 1 . whe y turn to t e le t. Is i h 2 “ e t e a a a t th e . as th e N i her ar your w ys my w ys, s i h Lord For are th e so my ways higher - 55 : 8 9 . th an your ways . Isaiah TH E G OSPE L AND TH E P LOW CH APTER I INTRODUCTION TO MISSION W OR" I N INDIA 1 903 was In the month Of February , , while I still an d undergra uate in Princeton University, I was invited r a by an Old school f iend, Mr . W . W . Fry , then Secret ry A . Of th e Trenton Y . M . C . , to spend Sunday with him n tation I accepted his i V i , and accompanied him to the ’ men s meeting on Sunday afternoon . When the meet ing was over he introduced me to a missionary from ' h llo i . e fo w n Indi a, the Rev . Henry Forman On t g morn on ing in the street car which I rode back to College , the only vacant seat was beside the missionary to whom I had been introduced the day before, and whom I had never expected to see again . As soon as I had taken ll an my seat he began to ask a m ner of questions . ” What year are you in college " ” i m . This s y last, I answered ” What next " A theological seminary . Then what "” fi The foreign mission eld, I hope . Where do you want to go " 3 4 THE GOSPE L AND THE PLOW i t Either to Ch na or o South America . ” What do you think of Indi a " ” Not much . Why not " Because the missionaries from India whom I have a o f c s an d heard , all spe k the intelle tual keenne s the -mi n o nimble nded ess Of the Indian . I do n t feel able to cope with that kin d . He then told me Of the mas s movement among the outcastes in which thousands Of the lowest classes of India were turning to Christ . He suggested that , if I o out were willing and anxious for work , I should g immediately after my course was fin ished at college to su work among these p oor illiterate folk . He also g gested that this would not be the kind Of work which would overtax my mentality . In View Of my age he thought that the Board might be willing to send me out . I could still take my theological course in India n and be ordain ed later o . Then he put to me the direct question . “ If the Presbyterian Board would send you imme diately upon graduation from college would you go out to India to do evangelistic work among the low " caste people I could , at the moment , think Of no a so good reason gainst such a proposal , , hesitatingly , e was repli d that , although there little hope Of the Board sending me out as an unordained m an for evangelistic work , yet I was ready to go . “ ” “ All right, he said . Before you attend any lec tures to -day write to Ro bert Speer an d tell him of our - . l b o ff conversation I will a so write . Good y, I get ” h ere . We had reached Lawrenceville which lies about w half ay between Trenton and Princeton . I had the INTRODUCTION TO MISSION W OR" 5 rest Of the journey in which to ride alone and think of what I had done . I prayed . When I reached my room, I wrote to Mr . Robert E . Speer . In April I was com n o r missio ed to go ut unordained, to car y on evangelistic o - work among the l w caste people Of North India . In New York City I was appointed to Etah , in the United and d a Provinces Of Agra Ou h , India . I was gr duated in June and started for India . 1 0 0 O . 19 3 r On N V , , I a rived in Calcutta . I went t five t a northwes , hundred and four een miles, to Allahab d , the nearest station at which the American Presbyterians were at work . After Spending a few happy days as the Mrs . c . a guest Of the late Dr and Arthur H Ewing, I a comp nied them to Ludhiana in the Punj ab , where the as Presbyterian synod w to meet . At the same time the Punjab and North India missions were to hold their annual meetings . Here I received a most cordial and sa hearty welcome from all the missionaries . I t in the meetings and saw h ow the business Of the mission was e conducted . I noticed how much troubl was caused by the refusal Of a certain miss ionary to accept the work which the missionary body assigned to him . I decided h ow that I would never be SO stubborn . I had little idea soon and h ow keenly my decision would be put to the a test . When the v cancies were considered , there were not nearly enough missionaries to gO round . When my own turn came they surprised me by saying “ W e have decided that you are to teach in the college ” “ ” out at Allahabad .

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