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FROM INDIA—THE HINDUS.
There are various races of people
in India, differing among themselves
in minor particulars and in language,
and yet in many respects they resem
ble each other so closely as to force
the conviction that they are from one
parent stock. Hindu is a distinction
of religion rather than of race, and
the large majority of the people of
India are of this religion; perhaps
two hundred millions of the two
hundred and eighty-five millions of
people. Centuries ago the Mahome
tans overrun and conquered the
greater part of the country, and that
religion, next to Hinduism, is now
most prevalent in the land, but the
great masses of the people still cling
to the older religion.
Buhdism, which was a reformation
of Hinduism, swept over the country
centuries ago, but it seems to have
passed on to the East and found its
permanent home in Burmah and
China. The very enteresting cave
temples hewn from the solid rock,
are relics of the traces of Buhdism
in China. Not far from Bombay is
a marvelous temple of this descrip
tion called the caves of Elephonti,
whii'h w» viwl <l. But rmil wa;s,
invasions, the overturning of em
pires and the conquering sword of
the British, Hinduism has lived and
is alike impervious to the civiliza
tion of Europe, the rule of England,
and the influences of Christianity.
Os all forms of heathenism it is the
most difficult for the missionaries to
deal with. There are different sects
of this religion and while they are
intolerant of each other, they do not
yield to the inroads of others and
hold many things in common. You
can distinguish a Hindu wherever
you see him, by his dress and peculiar
customs.
Every trade or profession consti
tutes a distinct caste, and no one can
leave his caste or violate any of its
rules without suffering disgrace and
ruin. The merchant class may not
w ear the dress or associate in any
way with the carpenter class or the
farmer class, or either of these with
the Sudras or laborers. It is not
even permitted for one class to eat
food handled or cooked by those of
another class and there are no inter
marriages between these classes.
Should an individual, for any viola
tion of caste rules, be outcasted from
his own class, no other class will re
ceive him and he is practically de
nied all intercourse with his fellows»
and his life becomes a burden to him.
This caste feeling is perhaps the
greatest obstacle which Christianity
has to encounter and no one who
has anything of social life to lose
can afford to violate his caste rules
by even attending a Christian service,
for he is at once outcasted and the
members of his own family, even,
dare not associate with him. One
can form no conception of the un
relenting tyranny of these cast rules
without a somewhat intimate ac
quaintance with Hindu life. Men
have been known to starve to death
rather than partake of food prepared
by one not of his own caste.
At the head of all the castes,
stands the Brahmins, because, as
they say, they proceeded from the
mouth or breath of Brahma. They
constitute the priestly class and are
the repositories of learning, both
secular and religious. They do not
work but claim that as all things be
long to Brahma, as his direct repre
sentatives, they have a right to what
they need and so live by the labors
of others.
The pure Hindus do not eat ani
mal food as they do not believe it is
right to take life of any kind. To
fljristian 3ni'cr.
such extremes is this Regard for life
carried by some that they wear a thin
gauze over their mouth and nose lest
unwittingly they should inhale some
minute insect and thus be guilty of
destroying life. Missionaries must
refrain from shooting birds and game
as they would lose in influence with
the Hindus if they were guilty of
the supposed wickedness of destroy
ing life. Some of the regulations
imposed by Hinduism would be an
improvement on our own civilization,
but some of their customs are so re
volting that they have been sup
pressed by the laws imposed by the
British government.
For instance, children of one, two
and three years old, and engaged by
their parents to be married to each
other, and in some instances these
engagements or espousals take place
even before the children are born,
and it was customary to consummate
the marriage sometimes as early as
eight or ten years of age, but the
British government has made it a
penal offence to give a.daughter in
marriage before the age of twelve,
and while many complain bitterly at
this interference on the part of the
government they are forced to obey
the law much to the advantage of
the country.
Formerly the widow of one dying
was burned on the funeral pyre with
her dead husband and this is forbid
den now by British law, but she had
almost as well be dead, as she is
never permitted to go in company
again but secludes herself for the
rest of her life as the servant of the
family, and this penalty is imposed
on the girl espoused to a boy who
dies, even though they have not been
actually married, so that sometimes
there are widows of five or six years
of age, doomed to perpetual banish
ment from all society.
The Hindus, as a rule, are a quiet,
inoffensive people, a few of them
wealthy and a few well educated, but
the great masses are very poor and
vety 'gnorant, *u and.
ambition. If they had half the
courage and enterprise of our North
American Indians, Great Brittain
would never be able to rule two
hundred millions with seventy-five
thousand soldiers and forty or fifty
thousand civilians. They seem to be
an effete race with their glory and
enterprise in the past.
The Nisam of Hyderbad, a native
prince, has an income of about two
and a half millions of dollars a
month and yet he wastes it on two
or three hundred women, and dissi
pation and trinkets. Not long since
he agreed to give about three millions
of dollars for a diamond and actually
paid a million and a half on it and
then backed out of the trade and is
trying to recover the amount in a
suit before the British courts.
The Gaikwar of Baroda, another
native prince, with an income of six
millions of dollars a year, makes a
wiser use of his money as he has a
European education and more en.
lightened views than many of his as
sociates. I became right well ac
quainted with the commander of his
artillery and cavalry, going with
him to the camp where the Arabs
brought down their horses for sale
and he bought them for the cavalry
of his prince, and I found him quite
an intelligent and enlightened gentle
man, who gave me much information
concerning India. He told me that
his prince intended visiting America
to learn something of our civilization.
One of the best read and most in
telligent men I have ever met any.
where is a Brahmin with whom I
have just spent four or five hours in
an interview on this country. He is
a civil officer under the British
government and an A. M. of Cam
bridge, England, but is anxious to
see the people of India have a larger
voice in the government of the
country. He told me that since he
had laid aside the dress and custonig
of the Brahmins, not even his own
brother would eat at the same table
with him nor his own mother em
brace him. He no longer believed
in Hinduism, but in common with
nearly all the educated class who re
nounce Hinduism, he is an Agnostic
or free thinker.
What the future of India is to be,
rests in great obscurity. The past to
them is one of wonderful memories.
The Tajh Mahal in Agra, is per
haps the most expensive and elegant
building in the world—a monument
of what India could do iu the past,
ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. MAY 5, 1892.
but so far as greatness is concerned,
it is all in the past and the future is
not hopeful.
I have lingered a month in this
sun-kissed clime, amid its strange
people, wondrous scenery, magnifi
cent vegetation, and historic memo
ries reaching back to the days of
Alexander the Great, hundreds of
years before the Christian Era, and I
have been greatly interested and
profited by the visit. To-morrow is
New Years Day and I shall begin
1892 with a voyage still further South,
though the weather here is too warm
to-day for comfort. We have packed
our trunks and are bound for Ceylon,
Malay Peninsula and China.
0. C. Pope.
Bombay, Dec. 31st, 1891.
'•CHRISTIANITY IS NOT A CREED ;
BUT A LIFE.”
In a late number of the N. Y. Ex
aminer appeared an able article, in
which the writer aimed to show that
ministers should be careful when ad
vocating new truth, not to assail, or
disparage the old oues. The caution
is Certainly needed, and the views of
the writer were well stated. Among
the illustrations, which he used to
enforce his words of caution, was the
sentence which stands at the head of
this paper. His admonitions, con
cerning the use which should be
made of it, were judicious and time
ly. But he seemed to me to accept
the statement as true, and not to be
thrown hastily aside.”
The smartness and brevity of the
expression give to it an epigrammat
ic force which makes it attractive.
Such expressions often win their
way to the heart without due con
sideration ; and, then, they become
dangerous weapons in the hands of
the sophist. The sentence before us
, y ■ -r< - -
HENRY H. TUCKER, I). D., I),
It is fitting as the Convention meets in Atlanta, that the members re
member the striking face of our beloved Tucker, whose portrait we give
above.
is a case inpoint. Let us loojr at
it.
“Christianity is not a creed; but a
life.”
The sentence is concise and grace
ful ; it has the form of a proverbs,
and the force of an epigram; and the
electric thought of immortality, that
flashes from the second clause, seems
to invert the whole with a halo of
divine beauty. And so it has come
to pass, that thousands have adopted
it as if it were an oracle from Heav
en. It is time, then, that we exam
ine its claims to this high distinc
tion.
The sentence contains two clauses.
The first is:
“CHRISTIANITY IS NOT A CREED.”
If this clause be taken literally, it
expresses a downright falsehood.
Remember, the work “creed” is the
English abbreviation of the Latin
“credendum,” plural, “credenda,”
denoting a thing, or things to be be
lieved. And every Latin scholar
knows that the form of these terms
expresses an obligation or necessity
that the things referred to must be
believed, i. e., that we are bound to
believe them. This is exactl they
case with the things which Chris
tianity reveals, —we are required,
and are therefore under obligations
to believe them. Hence Christiani
ty is in the highest sense a creed;
and, therefore, if the clause be taken
literally, it is false.
But it may be claimed that these
words should not be taken literally;
—that those, who use them, do not
me'an, that Christianity is in no sense
or degree, a creed; but that the life,
which it reveals, is of such transcen
dent importance, that, in comparison
with it, the doctrines sink into insig
nificance. Well, even with this ex-
planation, the sentence is false. It
is not true, that the doctrines which
make up the creed of Christianity,
are less important than the life which
it inculcates. I joyfully admit that
Christianity is a life, —a glorious, an
eternal life; but, let it never be for
gotten that it is all this, only because
it is a creed, —something to be be
lieved. If there is, in the New Tes
tament, one thought more often re
peated and more strongly emphasized
than all others, it is, that the sinners
way to God, and to a holy life, is
through faith in “Him whom God
hath sent.” But to believe in Him
means to believe the doctrines which
He taught. Take away from the
Gospel its “credenda,”—the things
which are to be believed, —and it
would be to us, no better than a
dried nfummy from the catacombs
of Egypt. It is a life because it
makes known to us the only living
and true God, and Jesus Christ
whom he hath sent, whom to know
is eternal life. It is a life, because it
reveals to us the great scheme of re
demption, whereby the guilty and
the lost may be saved by simple
faith in the precious blood of the
Son of God which cleanseth us from
all sin. And it is also a life, because
it teaches us, with unerring wisdom,
how we should live in this present
world, in order to secure our highest
well-being here, and in the world to
come.
From all this, it clearly follows :
That he who Jflippantly says, that,
Christianity is not a creed, but a life,
is really giving utterance to a state
ment that is, not only not true, but
dangerous and hurtful. It virtually
teaches us, that it does not matter
what a man believes, provided his
conduct is right There are a mul-
titude of people, who reject Christi
anity, not on account of the life which
it requires them to live; but on ac
count of the doctrines, which it re
quires theni to believe. They admit
the purity of its moral teachings, and
would no doubt, be glad if all mon
would regulate their conduct accord
ing to them; but its stern revelations
of the coming judgment of retribu
tion, and of the endless punishment
of unbelievers, are some of the things
which they are not willing to re
ceive. Such people are delighted to
take refuge in the idea that Christi
anity is not a creed, but only a life,
—that it makes no difference what
one believes if his life is right. They
fail to see the absurdity which viti
ates the principle upon which they
rely.
The absurdity is clearly seen, as
soon as we attempt to apply the
principle to the affairs of this life,
How many thousands of business
men have wrecked their fortunes,
not because they were dishonest, or
idle and inattentive; but simply be
cause they misjudged the facts upon
which they made their investments ?
To explain the case briefly:—They
believed a lie, and no amount of rec
titude in their business conduct could
save them from financial ruin. In a
word, nine tenths of all the unhap
piness which afflicts mankind, when
traced to its ultimate cause, will be
found to have its origin in some
false belief. If so, it surely is a mat
ter of great importance, to our
worldly interest, what we be
lieve.
It cannot be a matter of less im
portance in regard to the things
which await us in the world to come.
Our first parents lost the garden of
Eden because they believed a lie.
The antediluvians perished in the
flood because they would not believe
the preaching of Noah. The Nine
vites, on the other hand, were spared,
because they did believe the preach
ing of Jonah., Our Saviour says to
the Jews: “If ye believe not that I
am He, —the Messiah, —ye shall die
in your sins.” And Paul tells of some
who who “were given up to believe
a lie that they might be damned.”
Hence we conclude that it is a mat
ter of great importance what a man
believes, not only for his well being
in the life which now, is but also in
the life beyond the grave. There
fore our preachers should give the
people the doctrines, as well as the
life which Christianity teaches.
S. G. Hillyer.
73, Wheat St., Atlanta Ga.
LETTER FROM DIAZ.
Havana, Cuba, 23 April, 1892.
Dear Dr. Tichenok : When you
was here you asked me “if I had ob
served any reaction in congrega
tion ? ” I told you no, everything go
very nicely. We have, as the sai
lor say “fair wind,” but now let me
tell you we have a great “reaction”
and if it continues, the big place we
have here will be small in a couple
of years. ■ We have 8,000 seats in
the church, and for the last three
months, at every meeting, we have
an average of a thousand in it. When
I deliver lectures with the magic
lantern, I have sometimes more than
2,000 people. The church looks very
pretty. We have electric lights in
it, and, above all, “the fight of the
world is shining here.” I hold, week
before last, a series of sermons every
night of the week, and I had an at
tendance from a thousand to one
thousand and five hundred—twenty
five were converted and two hundred
manifested sympathy for the cause.
Mr. Paine and his wife have been
here. They left here for Atlanta
week before last. I hope to see them
there.
I'ue jciiodl is too large, >ve Can t
hold as we wish, and all the work is
on the same way. We need more
laborers, more teachers, more mis
sionaries and more money to carry
on this work. Who will come and
help us ? I want, for the school, an
American teacher, that will be able
to teach and manage the boarders—
and I need a couple of ministers that
understand the missionarie work and
the Spanish language, for the impor
tant towns here. The Lord has open
this door, and think it wise to go in
as quick as pocible.
On the 6 of May, of 1886, this
work was adopted by the S. B. Con
vention, in Montgomery, Ala., and
day before the convention adjourned
you told me this words, “Diaz, we
will not take this work from your
hand, but we don’t want you come
like a child and lay down in our
arms; try to be a man—any time the
Lord open any door for you in Cuba,
go right in.” Well, now is the time,
the Lord has opened many doors be
fore us, and we want to go in. How
could we do it ? Let us think about
it, and pray for it, and the good
shepherd will direct us.
Yours in Christ Jesus,
Diaz.
J. G. GIBSON.
Eastman.—Contact awakens in
terest and sympathy. How little we
know of each other! It takes a big
heart to hold Georgia, but it is said
that Dr. Gibson has put it all in his
heart and left no corners sticking
out. When he is down here he talks
of the work in middle and north
Georgia, and so interests us in all
sections. His letter in the last In
dex has the right ring and will stir
many hearts. He is at once the
most active and efficient missionary
in Georgia to-day. I heard a Meth
odist preacher call him “a master
with a broadaxe,” and he said truly,
for he is “a master” wherever he
works. And how he works! Some
months ago I heard him preach an
hour and thirty minutes on “Justifi
cation by faith,” and he swept every
thing before him like a cyclone or
avalanche. Tired ? Preach too
long? Pooh ! A lady with tearful,
joyful face said, “I could have listen
ed four hours.” I don’t think he
thought of Gibson while he was
preaching, for he put all his power
into his work. In the afternoon,
noticing his fatigued look, I said,
“Brother Gibson, we love to hear
you preach, but we want you to take
care of yourself for we have great
use for you.” He answered, “Broth
er Scarboro, don’t talk to me about
taking care of myself,” and then his
voice fell, husky with pentup emo
tion as he added, “I saw Jesus to
day,” He is one of the foremost
thinkers in the land, clear, logical
and convincing. He knows the
plan of salvation and can tell it. He
understands the philosophy as well
as the theology of missions and can
tell that, too. The brethren down
this way want his masterly article on
missions, published in the Index of
March 10., I believe, put in tract
form for gratuitous distribution. We
need his pen in the work and cannot
very well afford to do without it.
SOUTH GEORGIA BAPTISTS.
South Georgia Baptists are busy
planning and holding meetings, Insti
tutes, Centennials, etc., and we ex
pect grand results. lam just home
from a week’s meeting at Waycross,
three days in an Institute and three
in a Centennial. The attendance
was not as large as was desired and
expected, but the meeting was suc
cessful. It is a very busy season
and few of the pastors who are com
pelled to farm for a support could
or did afford to leave their farms.
The Centennial was very well at
tended especially locally, and those
who came expressed themselves as
highly pleased, being both instructed
and edified. Some of the speakers
could not attend but most of them
were there and rendered very valua
ble service. Bro. Murray of Valdos
ta, is one of the ablest preachers in
the denomination. Quiet, conserva
tive, unpretentious but a man of
deep convictions and great earnest
ness in the Master’s cause. It was a
real pleasure to know him better.
His speeches were rich in thought
and made the brethren draw their
pencils to preserve the gems he
scattered among them. Bro. E.
Pendleton Jones of Savannah, deliv
ered the address on “Cuba, Diaz and
/H'jue,Providence” in th** >vom of
his father. Dr. J. William Jones, and
some of the brethren wondered
whether the Dr. had not better guard
his laurels by keeping the “boys” at
home. Brother Golden never did
better work in his life. His address
es on Carey was par excellence and
called forth many expressions of ap
preciation. Many of us felt that so
excellent an address should be pub
lished, and let all have the benefit of
the rich and rare thoughts it contains.
Brother Boykin came all the way
from Decatur to help in the meeting
and he fairly eclipsed himself. He
always does good work but at Way
cro'Ss he won his way to every heart
and made scores of friends among
the old and young. Brother Jessup
was there and that is equivalent to
saying that he did his part and did
it well too, as he always does. He
always moves the people when he
speaks and that is more than some of
us do. Some argue with peoples’
heads but Jessup goes for their
hearts and generally finds them.
Brother Pruitt with his noble wife,
was there and gave most interesting
and instructive accounts of China
and their work there as well as made
stirring appeals to the people to do
more for missions at home and abroad.
Bro. Pruitt is a very quiet, humble
man and depends upon the power of
truth to move the people rather than
upon that vague thing called oratory
or eloquence, and yet he was elo
quent, for he was thoroughly in earn
est in everything he said.
Sister Pruitt’s talks to the ladies
were highly appreciated and will do
much to encourage the women in
their laudable efforts to help in the
good cause of missions. Brother
Stanley, the beloved pastor at Ho
merville and Waresboro, is one of
the rising preachers of South Geor
gia. His speeches in the meeting
were short and brimfull of truths
that struck with force all who heard
hint. And Grace was there, we
mean Brother Grace, the pastor at
Blackshear. His heart is full of the
love of Christ and souls and it did us
good to hear him speak so earnestly
in the Master’s name. If anybody
asks you where Grace is and what
he is doing tell them he is in wire
grass Georgia hard at work. Breth
ren Black and Bennett also added
much to the meeting by their pres
ence and help and we regretted that
appointments compelled them to
leave so early.
WAYCROSS.
Now let us tell you something
Brother Minister,
Working Layman,
Zealous Sister,
We are striving to make
The Index
the best of its kind. Help us by securing a
new subscriber.
VOL. 69.-NO, 18.
about Waycross and the Baptista
there.
1. The church is comparatively
young and weak numerically and
financially. About 150 members
and most of the males are laboring
men working for salaries barely suf
ficient to support their families. But
they have done and are doing noble
work. Waycross has about 3,500
inhabitants and its phenomenal
growth continues. It has block after
block of large, fine brick buildings,
hotels, stores, lodges, newspapers,
opfera house, bank, electric lights, etc.,
with Methodist, Presbyterian, Epis
copal and Baptist churches, Y. M. C«
A., and other orders. It is a great
railroad center having five lines,
four of them being great trunk lines
and doing a heavy business. Its per
manence and steady growth are thus
assured.
2. I was told that the Methodist
people will soon begin the erection
of a $15,000 building. The Presby
terians have a nice house as well as
the Episcopalians. Our people are
worshipping in an old house, in an
out of the way place, hard-by the
railroad track where the preacher
has sometimes to stop till the locomo
tive’s clang and screech have ceased
to proceed. Besides this the build
ing is too small. The pastor inform
ed me that it was a very common
thing for people to be turned away
for want of room to seat them, al
though the aisles were filled with
chairs, at the regular Sabbath ser
vices.
3. They have laid the foundation
of a large and substantial building in
a central locality, and have raised
some SSOO toward building and now
have the frame and exterior work
under contract. They need at least
three thousand dollars to get the
building in condition to use. I know
no church more deserving of the
help and sympathy of the denomina
tion than the ’Vaycrmja church.
Brother Scruggs, thb-pasb-r has en
cl bared himself to the people of Way*
cross and done a work that is sur
prising in view of the difficulties he
has had to surmount. With his
people he works and waits patiently,
never murmuring nor even appeal
ing to the denomination for help, al
though he could do so with as much
right as other churches no more de
serving that have received very lib
eral help. Brethren, sisters, would
it not be a nice thing to surprise
Brother Scruggs and his faithful flock
by sending them a contribution that
will cheer their hearts. Let us
not wait for them to ask for it, that
would spoil the pleasure df giving.
This is written without the knowl
edge of the church or pastor. Let
us help them now, and the time will
soon come when they will help oth
ers. J. A. Scarboro.
Cordele.—The Baptists of South
Georgia are now united and with one
accord will push the building of the
Freddie Shipp Baptist Female Col
lege at this place. The charter when
obtained had incorporated w’ithin it
that the college should always be
under the control of the Baptists of
Georgia. This secures it to the de
nomination for all time to come.
The building will be a handsome
structure when finished, and will
cost twenty thousand dollars. A
large force of hands are now em
ployed on it and work will be rapid
ly pushed forward to completion.
The site of this college near the
home of Georgia’s war Governor,
Joe Brown who lived here in the
dark days of 1864. The corner
stone of the college will be laid with
imposing ceremonies and it will be a
great day for Georgia Baptists when
this college is opened up to the pub
lic.
The denomination seem to take
great pride in the up-building of this
institute and the Rev. J. A. Scar
boro who is traveling from church to
church in behalf of the same has met
with great encouragement every
where he has gone and liberal dona-.
tions will no doubt be made to it
through him. No better location
could have been made for the col
ege than at Cordele which is high,
exceedingly healthy and the city has
a fine system of waterworks and sani
tary sewerage. This noble institute
will be an honor and blessing to Revs.
P. A. Jessup, R. G. Lewis, J. F. Eden
and a score of others who have
been foremost in pressing its claims
and in giving to South Georgia an
institute that will continue to bless
its founders for all time to come.
This institute will stand as a living
monument to the enterprise sagacity
and religious zeal of the Baptists ol
South Georgia.
Mrs. J. E. D. Shipp.