The Pilgrim

The Quarterly Bulletin of the Christian Society for the Study of Hinduism

Editor: Rev. A.J. Appasamy, M. A, (Harvard) Ph.D. (Oxon.)

MANORAMA, PALAMCOTTAH

The Christian Society for the Study of Hinduism

President: Bishop BRENTON T. BADLEY, Delhi.

Vice-Presidents: Dr. A.J. APPASAMY, Palamcottah. Rev. G.H.C. ANGUS, Principal, Serampore College.

Secretary: Rev. H.H. PRESLER, Leonard Theological College, Jabalpur.

Convener, Benares Institute: Rev. R.C. DAS, Benares United City Mission, Ramkatora, Benares Cantonment.

Treasurer: Rev. S.R. HOLT, Benares United City Mission, Ramkatora, Benares Cantonment.

Committee: Mr. PAUL DAS, Rev. A.C. CHAKRAVARTHY, Rev. M. MOSES.

Invitation to Membership

The Christian Society for the Study of Hinduism has the following purposes:

1. To create and maintain adequate interest in the study of Hinduism by Christians.
2. To carry on this study in a sympathetic, constructive, and critical way for the purpose of effective evangelism.
3. To achieve the above objects in co-operation with church and mission bodies.

The activities of this society are:

1. To encourage the organisation of a permanent School of Hinduism.
2. To conduct in Benares (and if possible in a South Indian centre) an Institute of Hinduism stressing its popular aspects.
3. To discover scholars of Hinduism with teaching and literary abilities,
4. To foster the publication of papers and books bearing on Hinduism, its relation to Christianity, and work among Hindus.

Membership is open to individuals, institutions and societies who are in sympathy with the above objects. Individuals will pay a minimum annual subscription of Rs. 2/-, and institutions and societies a minimum annual subscription of Rs. 25/-. Every member will receive The Pilgrim regularly.

Membership fees and gifts may be sent to Rev. S, R. Holt, Benares United City Mission, Ramkatora, Benares, U.P.

Correspondence regarding the Society may be directed to Rev. Henry H. Presler, Leonard Theological College, Jabalpur, C. P.

Benares Institute of Hinduism

It is proposed to hold the next session of the Institute of Hinduism in Benares from September 27th to October 26th 1941. All enquiries should be addressed to. Rev. R.C. Das, M. A, Benares United City Mission, Ramkatora Benares Cantonment.

By the Editor

A word of explanation is necessary about this new bulletin. The Christian Society for the Study of Hinduism was formed in Benares in February 1940. The main work of the Society has been the running of a course of lectures on Hinduism in Benares during the month of January 1941. Elsewhere in this bulletin the purposes of the Society are explained, and a report is given of the work done during the Benares session.

The Benares session was a great success. Twenty-six students from different parts of India attended the course and profited by it. Many eminent Hindu scholars co-operated with us; they explained to us what their religion meant to them. The excursions into the City showed Hinduism as a living religion. The value of the work done was much appreciated by the students who came.

At the annual meeting of the Society it was felt that a further advance should be made and that a quarterly bulletin should be published. The object of the bulletin will be to get more people interested in the Society, to describe the work done by the Society from time to time and to give information of interest to those who work among Hindus. As space permits, articles on different phases of Hinduism will appear. Accounts will be published of Christian converts and of their Christian experience. If any new experiments are made in the matter of the Christian approach.to Hindus, these will be described. Brief reviews will also appear in the bulletin of important books bearing on Hinduism and on its relation to Christianity.

Friends who receive copies of the bulletin are requested to make the best possible use of them.

It is hoped that in course of time the membership of the Society will increase and that the bulletin will be enlarged both in its size and in its scope. In these difficult days we have to be content with modest beginnings.

Rural Reconstruction and Hindu Social Progress

By F.W. WHYTE

The United Provinces Government (at the original instruction of a Congress Government) is carrying out a widespread village uplift and rural reconstruction programme, and in the few years that the scheme has been under way transformations have resulted in many village centres. As a student attending the January 1941 session of the Institute of Hinduism in Benares, the writer was introduced to the scheme as it may be seen working in the vicinity of the city, and in this brief article gives a few impressions of what has been done and of its relation to the modern social trends in Hindu life. For fuller treatment and details the reader is referred to the series of articles on “Social Thought in Benares,” by Rev. H.H. Presler, which are appearing in “The Indian Witness.” The present article is based entirely on personal observations during a brief visit to one village and so has not the authority of Mr. Presler’s more thorough investigation.

Come for a walk through the model village of Chirai Gram, one of the few hundred “key” villages involved in this scheme in the Benares District. From the main road we must first pass one or two normal villages, which need no description for a reader in India - look at one in your own district. Then, suddenly, we come to a brickyard road, quite different, in its freedom from mud, pools and rubbish, from the ordinary village street. And we are told that it was built by the villagers themselves with Rs. 2000/- of their own money through their own Co-operative Society. That is the first new thing.

Then, under the guidance of the Secretary of the Panchayat, we walk through the village. At the entrance to the main street and on the walls of houses as we go, we find mottoes printed in Hindi. One points out the futility of idleness, another the wastefulness of intoxicating liquor, another suggests that there is a better use for money than to gamble with it - all of which recognises that there is a moral side to this reconstruction. There was a moneylender in this village ten years ago, a man with vision - so much so that he advanced large sums of money at the same rate of interest as the Cooperative Bank in order that the reconstruction of the village and its life might go forward, and now the village has no need of a moneylender. This is real transformation, something bigger than a brick roadway.

We stop to watch a weaver making on a loom an intricately-patterned Benares silk sari, and we hear that not only does the village now possess sixty such looms, but that each boy who works at one earns as much as a rupee a day. They have not yet found a way to keep the boy at school longer instead of putting him to work too early in life, but the widespread introduction of cottage industries to fill out the villager’s income is something to please not Gandhijii’s heart alone. Besides, a rupee a day is more likely to help the villager to respect himself and take an interest in a wider life than are the few annas which represent the normal income of an Indian peasant.

Round the corner is a neat little brick room, housing a bore-hole latrine, built by the headman. We are told that its example has not, yet induced a change of habits in most of the village, but it is a sign of change and a few more years will surely see its influence bearing fruit. There are other evidences of increased cleanliness too. What was once a swamp in the middle of the village has been filled in, and the space is enclosed on two sides by community feeding troughs for cattle, one of them made of brick. There are manure and rubbish pits to hold the refuse and transform it into fertiliser for the fields. The village is not spotless by any means, but it is a vast improvement on the average conglomeration of mud, smells and flies.

The village not only has its Co-operative Credit Society but also its Better Living Society, which promotes the Village Library and the School, encourages people to put windows in their houses and to become literate, and so on. A new school building is under construction. The Government has placed a trained midwife in the village (she is the only Christian there, by the way), and there is also a small dispensary. The midwife is training other women in the same work, and some villagers have been given first-aid training.

A walk beyond the line of houses gives evidence of new methods in village agriculture. Much of the grain under cultivation has been improved, and much has given way to more lucrative fruit orchards - lemons, guavas, pomelos and oranges. There is improved sugarcane and even some growing of roses to be used in the making of perfumes. The headman has installed a power pump to irrigate his fields. The system of marketing has been adjusted to the advantage of the producer by selling the produce on the spot and cutting out the middleman.

It is claimed that the average individual income of the villagers has increased five times over in the ten years during which the scheme has been in operation. That is impressive, and is borne out by the appearance of prosperity in the village. The only section which has not benefited by this increase in prosperity is the sweepers - the bricking of lanes has lightened their task a little, perhaps, but their wages have not improved. However, considering the short life of the experiment so far, we are impressed by its achievements and see no great obstacles in the road of its continued advance along the road of economic and social improvement.

But there are several questions that arise when we ponder the spiritual and moral life of the villager. Moreover, what is the connection of all this, if any, with Hinduism?

1. There has been no direct religious dynamic behind all this transformation in the village itself. The local temple is as lacking in social vision and concern as most other Hindu temples, and the orthodox religion apparently has no link with the economic, social and moral changes that are taking place. It is as yet too early to see what effect these changes may have upon that religion and its expression.

2. Does that mean that there has been no connection with Hinduism at all, as religion or as culture? It is interesting that the government organiser who is responsible for the reconstruction scheme in this area is not even a Hindu, but a Muslim. Rural reconstruction schemes have been grafted into Hindu social life by the impinging upon it of western science and modern world conditions, but such an impingement, however great, cannot of itself entirely explain the transformation that is taking place in many parts of the country. It is reasonable to trace the widespread interest, even enthusiasm, in rural reconstruction and village uplift work that has swept over India to the dynamic spirit of Mahatma Gandhi, and the Mahatma has his spiritual life embedded in Hinduism, albeit with much of Christian and other influence to inspire it. It has been largely through love of Hinduism that Gandhi has given the lead in this work.

3. Then more directly, we have it on the authority of a prominent Benares citizen that the scheme was given its initial impetus by students of the Benares Hindu University; who, by the inspiration for social and national service given to them at the university, went and lived in the village and began the reconstruction work. And the Benares University is not only up-to-date in its use of modern science and scientific methods, but it is also a conscious attempt to strengthen the Hindu religion and its hold upon Hindu young people.

4. This is not to say that Chirai Gram is shot through with religious fervour in the prosecution of its self-improvement schemes. In fact the lack of spiritual dynamic is noticeable in several ways. For one thing, most of the “push” in the scheme so far has come from the government department through its organiser, and all attempts to spread the gospel of reconstruction and its benefits to neighbouring villages are being made by that organiser. The villagers of Chirai Gram themselves have apparently no missionary spirit, at least as yet (perhaps the experiment is too young for us to expect this advance at this stage).

5. Despite the use of co-operatives, too, the appeal has been primarily to self-interest. One questions whether this is the way to lay a sound foundation for deep and lasting and life-changing reconstruction - rural reconstruction is incomplete without spiritual reconstruction, particularly perhaps for the Hindu villager whose religion (whether it be vital or merely formal) is so much bound up with his daily life. Even though Hindu social thought in these days has been and largely is inspired by men, like Gandhijii, of deeply spiritual nature, it is true to say that for the most part it is divorced from Hindu religion, particularly in its orthodox aspects. If that divorce continues, Hinduism will fall into a worse state than idolatry, namely, the hypocrisy of a nominal religion or the aridness of pure secularism. It must save itself or be saved from the example of western “civilisation” in this respect. The appeal to self-interest also makes us question the possibility of ever arousing a social sense of responsibility to one’s neighbour, the spirit of service and the eagerness to increase the area of reconstruction, to the lack of which we have referred above.

6. In the case of this particular, village the problem of reconstruction has been made easier by reason of the fact that the majority of the inhabitants are of the same caste. It has made co-operation easier and has also facilitated the introduction of new industries. It will be interesting, as the scheme progresses, to compare such a situation with others in which the caste problem is more complex. It will also be interesting to note the effect of the scheme, with the increased prosperity it brings to individuals and its community projects, on the caste system as such. Modern conditions throughout India are weakening orthodox caste traditions and organisation. It suggests that the
   “secular” and “materialistic” approach may have divine purpose working through it, and that even the “self-interest” motive may be used of God to prepare the way for Christ to come in with His message of wider life.

In a Chirai Gram lane there stands a beautifully carved old sugarcane mill, made of stone. It has been discarded in favour of more modern machinery, and now the sacred tulsi plant grows in it. The parabolically-minded may see in it a suggestion that there is the sacred life of God working in this and similar efforts being made by India to bring her peoples out of economic and social (yes, even spiritual) bondage to the freedom which is better soil for sons of God.

Fifty. Years’ Pilgrimage of a Convert

Recently the Christian Literature Society, Madras has published the second edition of Fifty Years Pilgrimage of a Convert (14 as) by Dewan Bahadur A.S. Appasamy, a well-known Christian lawyer in South India who died in 1926. We quote here the testimony to Christ, with which he concludes his interesting book.

’Recently I completed the seventy-sixth year of my life. While I am deeply grateful to God for having spared me for the threescore years and ten allowed by the Psalmist and the extra years that have been given to me by reason of strength, I am still more, thankful that I have been spared the labour and sorrow that accompany declining age, but have instead been blessed with new visions and fresh delights on a sort of hill-top, from which I can review the past and the world around me as a benevolent but disinterested spectator and catch glimpses of the worlds beyond. The retrospect is full of interest, if not also of comfort and pleasure. The prospect is even more pleasing.

During my first twenty-four years, I lived and grew up as a Hindu first in the narrow and cramping atmosphere of Kulasekarapatam, my native town; later on in the wider and more attractive environment of Palamcottah and Veeraragavapuram and finally amidst the stimulating and quickening influences of the city of Madras. Intellectually this period was one of growth and development, of information, insight and discipline. I learned many things from books and teachers, but still more from the rough and tumble of life through which I had carefully and laboriously to pick my way. Spiritually the period was one of searching, of groping and of yearning. With patience and devotion I passed through every religious experience and excitement available within the Hindu fold, studied the scriptures and sang the hymns of the Hindus with devotion and ecstasy. But my spiritual thirst was not then satisfied. I still experienced a feeling of dissatisfaction and discomfort, of emptiness and hunger.

In every life which is meant to be a life of achievement there must be a period of emancipation and liberty. During the years in which I lived and studied in Madras, and discussed with my friends and meditated seriously on the important issues of this life and the next, my eyes were gradually opened, the fear of demons and evil spirits in which I had been brought up disappeared, the superstitions and prejudices, the age-long restrictions devised by custom and the still more exacting limitations imposed by rules of caste fell away and ceased to exert their influence. If intellectually the period of my conversion was one of emancipation, morally and spiritually, it coincided with a rebirth resulting in a strange feeling of freshness and joy, and peace and confidence for the future. Instead of depending on myself and the surrounding forces me which had as much power for evil as for good, I learnt to depend upon a pure and holy God and to walk with confidence by reason of that dependence. The future had no terrors and the uncertainty of the life had no anxiety for me at that stage. I felt that the Lord who had begun a good work in me will continue it unto the end.

Then came thirty years of strenuous life which I venture to describe as the period of wandering in the wilderness, after obtaining liberty from the bondage of Egypt. Though obtaining daily substance from the manna of heaven and often favoured with delectable Elims and sublime Sinais of spiritual experience it was still a period of doubt and anxiety, of weariness and wandering, of worldly burdens and incessant exertions. The cares of family life, the numerous obligations and anxieties arising from property and the continuous overwork and worry connected with my profession, left but scanty leisure for spiritual progress or study. No doubt Providence has arranged that in the best years of one’s life we should procure for ourselves and for those depending on us the sustenance and the comforts that one will need in old age, and that others may require during years of youth, or sickness, or preparation for life. The Grahastha¹ stage of life is at least as valuable as the earlier or Brahmacharya² stage; but what most people fail to realise is that by themselves these two stages lead only halfway through existence and that they must still go through the forest or Vanaprastha³ stage of meditation and devotion and spiritual insight if they are to make the most of life. I consider it a special blessing and ground of thankfulness that I was allowed to enjoy new visions and new experiences of a kind that would have been impossible in the earlier periods. The deeper study of the Hindu and the Christian Scriptures, and the influences that have passed during this stage into my life were of a kind to stimulate and quicken it. The new lessons that I have learnt from the service that I have been permitted to do, and the fresh and ever-joyous experience of communion with the Divine have so invigorated and blessed my life, that I look back with gratitude to the past and with confidence to the future, and to the still more splendid vistas for which I have been prepared during the past years of searching and wandering and effort.

In conclusion, I am constrained to utter from the depths of my heart the words, Praise God, O my soul, and all that is within me praise Him. And, O my soul, praise God for all His loving kindness and goodness. Many and varied are the blessings for which. I have to lift my heart in praise and thanksgiving to God. For the many opportunities I have been given to preach the Gospel and to bear testimony to Hindus and Christians alike by tongue and pen to the power of Christ, for the entire and marvellous freedom from the difficulties and anxieties, whether caused by financial embarrassment, sickness or worldly trouble, which many of my own friends who became converts to Christianity had in the last days of their life, for the friendly and cordial relationships with Hindus and Christians alike, for the friendships I have had with learned, rich and influential men before whom I have been able not infrequently to place the claims of the Gospel, for the privilege I have had of entertaining in my house again and again several children of God-for all these and numerous other blessings, too many to be recounted here, I offer with a humble heart and grateful spirit my utmost thanks to God. May He enable the reader to proceed further beyond whatever may be his present stage of accomplishment, avoiding the snares and pitfalls into which I fell but guided, inspired and blessed by the same loving God whose abundant mercies have rested upon me, day by day, yea, hour by hour’.

The Christian Society for the Study of Hinduism Report for 1940 to 1941

By Rev. H.H. PRESLER, B.S., S.T.B,

We are grateful for your presence at this second annual meeting of the Christian Society for the Study of Hinduism. As members of several different denominations you will be able to say how the Society can contribute more effectually to the work of the Church of Christ in India.

This report is divided into two sections. The first deals with the progress of the Society, and the second with its main project, that is, with the Benares session for the study of Hinduism which is now drawing to a close.

Part 1

To commence, the Society suffered a heavy loss in the untimely death of its treasurer, Rev. J.N. Rawson of Serampore College. Besides being a person of charm and ability, he brought to this work a lively interest. For some years he had hoped for the establishment of a permanent School of Hinduism which would assist Christians in their understanding of and approach to the Hindu people. Last year you deputed him to represent the Society at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Christian Council. Before he could do this and before undertaking to lecture on Hinduism in the London School of Oriental Studies he was called to a higher service. Let us pause at this point in grateful and prayerful remembrance … The Society’s accounts were kindly taken over by the Principal of Serampore College, the Rev. G.H.C. Angus.

Our memberships at the last meeting were twelve, now there are thirty-seven. Most if not all of our members joined the Society because of a genuine interest in its tasks.

The Society has been extensively advertised in Christian journals in India and abroad. More and more people are coming to know of its existence, aims and projects. Inquiries have come from scattered places.

At least three mission bodies have gone on record as encouraging the Society and its aims. The Mission Council of the Evangelical National Missionary Society of Stockholm decided to send two of its younger missionaries to the present session. The Synod of the Methodists of the United Kingdom, meeting in Benares several days ago, invited the Secretary to give a statement and then passed the following resolution:

“This Synod welcomes the establishment of the Christian Society for the Study of Hinduism as a step towards the fitting of workers for the evangelisation of India. We urge all Superintendents of work to make themselves familiar with the purpose and work of the Society. We appoint the Rev. W. Machin to represent the District on the Committee of the Society.”

Two annual conferences of the Methodist Episcopal Church have indirectly encouraged the Society through committees; these committees have urged pastors and superintendents to come here. Again several Christian leaders in India have given their personal and financial support.

Finally, the Society has sponsored the present session with a success to be described in the next section of this report.

Against this record of progress stands one conspicuous failure. We have failed to contribute anything to those of our members who wish to study Hinduism but cannot come to Benares. This deficiency is partly offset by some magazine articles which a few members have contributed to the reading public, by a general quickening of interest in our subject, and by further discussions regarding a permanent school of Hinduism, which, we hope, will soon be organised by some other body.

Our small organisation has survived the shocks that come to living organisms during their first year of life, and this fact, humble though it may be, is some cause for satisfaction.

Part 2

The Benares session under discussion was scheduled for the period between Jan. 2 and Feb. 1, 1941. It has proven more satisfactory to confine the work within one month. Whereas the total enrolment last year was fifteen, this year twenty-six students have come. Of this number seven were Europeans, three were ladies, two students remained for the entire session, and five for most of it. One student intended to take the full course but was called home because of a death in the mission staff. The students came from Hyderabad, Central Provinces, Bombay Presidency, Bengal, Orissa and the United Provinces, and represented the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Evangelical National Missionary Society of Stockholm, the London Missionary Society, the Mar Thoma Church, and the American Presbyterian Church. Several outside visitors have attended lectures. The theological seminaries represented, were Serampore College, Bareilly Theological Seminary, and Leonard Theological College.

A special party will arrive on Feb. 1st to remain for three days. It will include twelve boys, three girls, and two mothers, all of whom represent missionary families. The programme will be adapted to the needs of the group.

The schedule of work has been as follows. Sundays, church attendance and rest; week days, excursions every morning except Wednesdays, and classes every afternoon except Saturdays. Tea and games have been provided in the afternoons. Three Saturday night socials have been enjoyed. Students have not become over-tired as was the case last year.

The morning excursions have been conducted by Mr. Das and Mr. Presler alternately. The following have been seen; the whole river front by boat; the Suraj Kund and temple; the Habban ceremony; the Nagkua or serpent pool and temple; Shri Bharat Dharma Mahamandal; Government Sanskrit College; Ayurvedic Medical College; the Goenka Sanskrit Maha Vidyalaya; Arya Samaj; Ramanuja Monastery; the activities of the Maha Bodhi Society at Sarnath; the Jain school and temples; sakta worship; the Kabirpanthis; the evening song services on the ghats; the shaman ashram for widows; Tulsi Das house; the Sikh Gurubagh; the Radha Soami Satsang; the Central Hindu School; Benares Hindu University; the Theosophical Society and Montesorri School; the Ramkrishna Mission; Bharat Sevashrama Sangh; the Shri Arya Mahila Mabavidyalaya; the various manifestations of popular Hinduism including the temples and shrines, bathing, and local festivals; the main ghats, namely; Asi, Harischandra, Dashashwamedh, Manikarnika, Kedar and Raj; the Temple to Mother India; the Nagari-Pracharini Sabha and Museum, besides other places of interest to a student of Hinduism. The party also travelled seven miles to see the model village of Chirai Gram, a project illustrating progressive Hindu social thought.

Special lectures by non-Christians may be listed as follows: “An Experience of Vedanta,” by Swami Shyamapanda Tirtha; “The Daily Life of the Buddha,” by Sister Vajira; “The Doctrine of Maya” and “The Idea of God in Hindu Philosophy” by Dr. B.L. Atreya “The Ramkrishna Mission,” by Dr. Ghosh; “Jainism,” by Prof. Sukhlalji; “An Outline of Theosophy.” by Mr. Guptaji, “The Arya Samaj,” by Pandit Misra, “Women in Ancient India,” by Prof. A.A. Altekar; “The Meaning of Dharma,” by Pandit Sri Krishna Joshi; a seminar on Vedic religion, conducted by Dr. M.D. Shastri.

Lectures by the Christian staff, included: “Popular Hinduism,” by Mr. R.C. Das; “An Outline of Hinduism,” by Mr. A. C Chakravarti; “Hindu Bhakti,” by Dr. A.J. Appasamy; “Social Thought in Benares,” by Mr. H. H. Presler. In addition to these, Prof. V.E. Dutt of Serampore College gave three lectures on “Advaita Vedanta.”

Certain hours have been devoted to discussions of topics selected by students. Testimonies to Christ’s saving power were given by Messrs. A.O. Chakravarty, R.C. Das, Yusafji. There have been no examinations or reading assignments. A respectable number of books on Hinduism have been accessible to the students.

A study of rural development in Benares District and its relation to Hinduism has been conducted by Messrs. Presler and Kbyalie. Some contemporary facts and relationships have been discovered, and when they are properly arranged, may be presented in written form. This effort has been made in the belief that the Society might undertake to make some annual contribution to current thought on particular aspects of Hinduism.

Several important Oriental libraries have been visited by the students who have been allowed to see valuable books and manuscripts.

Daily devotional services have been conducted or arranged by the Rev. S.R. Holt., Last Summer two members of our staff, Messrs, Das and Chakravarthy, were invited to lecture on Hinduism to the Landour Conference.

The Society is indebted to a number of people for the success of the session. Most of the local arrangements have been completed by Mr. R.C. Das who has devoted much time and energy to many details. Mr. Khyalie has managed the games and entertainment. Mr. S.K. Dey has conducted a few of the excursions. Mr. R.C. Das has carried a heavy burden in superintending the food and lodging for Indian students and guests. Mrs. Holt has invited the students to her home and cared for several guests, and will arrange lodgings for the girls and mothers who are to come in the Woodstock party mentioned above. The Benares United City Mission: Committee has allowed the use of its hostel and buildings, and co-operated in every way. The missionaries in charge of the local branch of the Zenana Bible Mission have accommodated two lady students. Local Christians have kindly inquired about the session and some have found time to attend it. Several friends have given generous financial support to the school. We thank all those people for their help and hope to implement our gratitude by serving this cause more faithfully. Those servants who have taken added responsibilities and who might not understand this method of expressing indebtedness, have been thanked in person.

Before closing, I would read a few excerpts from written testimonials supplied by our students. We asked them to criticise this project pro and con. The positive expressions may be listed first.

One writes to the staff: “Your sacrificial service in sharing with us your experiences and in imparting to us your knowledge of this great religion of our country, and your patience in walking through narrow alleys and streets is highly appreciated, Surely the spirit of Jesus is behind such services.”

Another writes: “The session’s one aim seems to be to train people to be Intelligent students of Hinduism for the purpose of making them better evangelists and Christian leaders. Though I have been twenty years in India I learned many new and helpful things about Hinduism in six days of study.”

Still another: “Though I am a student of religions the books have not benefited me as much as these ten days.”

Again: “… I therefore urge every governing body of missionary activities in India to make it possible for men and women to attend the sessions. This will give the missionaries especially a new and deeper insight into the main religion of India, and will enrich them in carrying the torch of Christ to India’s heart.”

Again: “The excursions to the bathing ghats on the Ganges, thronging with pilgrims … to the numerous temples and shrines … to the sectarian organisations and institutions, were helpful in bringing the living Hindu’s faith before our eyes in bold relief Staff lectures on the important aspects of the religion were characterised by sympathy, precision, and Christian bias. They were always given in such a way as to bring out their practical implications in the Christian’s approach to the Hindus. Nevertheless, there was no lack of diversity in points of view on the part of teachers and taught,”

Another: “I liked the arrangement for non-Christian speakers, I have found them very sincere.”

Naturally we have been encouraged by such kind remarks. The negative criticisms were even more helpful. We tried to inspire our guests with the idea that they are builders with us of a better future session.

Many were agreed that October or November would be more convenient for students and pastors. One said: “My suggestion is that a stronger fellowship between the students and teachers be developed, and to do this either common meals or common fellowship meetings should be planned and carried out.” Another said: “A much, bigger library, a greater attempt to make the students acquainted with the Hindu scriptures, a better place for debates on important topics in, speech and writing, more time for common prayer; are some of the necessary improvements which occurred to me.”

Nearly all felt that there should be closer correlation between the lectures and the excursions, although the local difficulties were clearly recognised. * “One notes deficiencies in our equipment and desires a local map /of Benares; made perhaps by the school, itself, a good blackboard; a museum, if possible; a syllabus of twenty or thirty pages to serve as a guide to the now student as he tried to arrange in groups, the scriptures incarnations, festivals gods, etc.”

A half dozen students asked for a brief course on the history of Hinduism. Others asked for a brief bibliography before coming, including such books as Singh’s Outline of Hinduism (Oxworth Book Service, Jabalpur), Macnicol’s Living Religions of India and Farquhar’s Modern Religious Movements in India (both from Y.M.C.A. Publishing House, Calcutta). One group insisted that its ten days stay was too short in which to acquire information and method.

Others felt that their particular needs were not being met and regretted that they could not stay on for other lectures. They recommended that the session be divided into weekly periods, one week to emphasise the needs of village evangelists, another, to help those dealing with Hindu students, another to orient new missionaries in India’s greatest faith, and another to concentrate on the philosophical aspects of Hinduism, and so on. Students who could not come for the entire course would then be able to choose the week when their problems are being discussed. Full-time students would benefit from the clarity of such a curriculum.

One of the better trained visitors thought that non-Christian speakers should be found who would confine themselves to telling their own religious experience, because the various theological seminaries are already supplying the informational courses.

Such changes as have been suggested seem to the present staff to merit close attention, and the counsel of the Society is earnestly sought by placing these problems before you.

Printed at the Hilal Press, Tirunelveli 9-1941.