Scenes in Southern India

Front matter

PRINCETON, N.J. '

d. 1907.

Scenes in Southern India

Chapter I. We Begin Our Missionary Journey

January 15, 1882.

The dawn was spreading softly over earth and sky yesterday morning when, after a more substantial chota hajri or preliminary breakfast than usual, we stood in the veranda equipped for the start.

Our starting-point was Bombay, where we had been staying some weeks with our kind friends, Mr. and Mrs. Miller. . . .

We had to leave early to catch the morning train for Poona and the Deccan. The morningr is always the best part of our Indian day, and I am almost sure that it is also the most beautiful. As I stood watching the sweet silver dawn steal gently up and dispel the darkness and mystery of night, I thought it was not so wonderful that the impressionable, dreamy old poets of ancient India lO SCENES IN SOUTHERN INDIA.

should have made her one of their divinities. The Dawn is one of the earliest Hindoo goddesses. She is called Ushas, and is described with poetic grace as "a mother come to awake her sleeping children." The contemplation of nature in her sublime and exquisite aspects no doubt led to her adoration among those old Rishis, for they were ignorant of him who is the God and Framer of nature and did not hear her voice aright. Surely nothing ever declared his glory with more eloquent speech than this pure, blue, beauteous, coldweather dawn ! It is so peaceful, yet so gladsome, so fresh, and so suggestive of hope.

As I gazed on the lovely scene from the veranda I thought our dear old Bombay had never looked more beautiful. The chief feature in the scene was the great, calm, peaceful sea, of the deepest indigo blue, beginning now to sparkle in the rays of the rising sun, stretching to the far horizon and rippling up on the rocks at our feet with musical murmur. An immense fleet of fishing craft with white sails gleamed in the distance; there were also one or two large ships with sails .set to catch the morning breeze; while nearer the shore, here and there, a tall-masted pattiinar or cargo-boat glided past, helped on by the oar. Flocks of silver-winged gulls rode on the blue wavelets hunting for their breakfast, and down

WE BEGIN OUR MISSIONARY JOURNEY. II

among the rocks one or two tall-necked cranes stalked majestically, similarly engaged.

Along the margin white-robed Parsis, in their high, picturesque head-gear of dark calico, stood facing the sea, muttering prayers, gentlemen and ladies galloped along the good wide road, while babies and ayahs and dogs and servants and ponies passed in grand retinue, all bound for the early walk. Every one who is wise tries to extract what vigor is to be had from the fresh air of morning in India. As we drove away from the hospitable door I am not sure that I was so elated as I ought to have been to think that a long-cherished dream was about to be realized and we were indeed oflF to see the mission fields of South India.

We were tired, for we had had an exciting week. This was due to the visit of the famous Boston lecturer, Mr. Joseph Cook, and his charming wife. . . . The wonderfully able lectures, the crowds, the growing interest of Mr. Cook's utterances, the dinners, the meetings, and the universal entertaining, were all so thoroughly enjoyed that our energies were naturally used up.

This most stirring visit was indeed an immense success. I never saw our native friends gather in more enthusiastic crowds than they did to every lecture, whatever the hour. Is it not a fact worth noting and something to be thankful

SCENES IN SUOTIIERN INDIA.

for that a man like Mr. Cook can come out to India and find at once, over the length and breadth of it, audiences of English-speaking, educated native gentlemen ready to hear and understand and appreciate all he has to say to them? I hope such visits from men of mark, both European and American, may henceforth be of more frequent occurrence.

One of the social gatherings held in honor of our distinguished guests was to myself the most interesting by far. This was an entertainment given by the Native Christian Union of Bombay. It took place in the large upper hall of the Free Church Institution, which, when all had assembled, presented quite a striking spectacle. The place was prettily decorated. Round the room sat rows of native Christians of all degrees — fathers, mothers, and children, while numerous groups occupied the centre. Many nationalities were represented, Hindoos, Parsis, Europeans, Americans, East Indians, etc. ; and every mission, I think, in Bombay contributed its quota of guests, both European and native. Many friends too had come from Poona and other out-stations to be present, and altogether the assemblage was large and most interesting. The costumes were of course very varied, and the whole scene was full of color and animation and picturesqueness. It

WE BEGIN OUR MISSIONARY JOURNEY. I3

was also full of sujrs^estiveness. One's heart could not but thrill with thankfulness and joy at such a sight. These men and women are the fruit of missionary effort, part of the great ingathering from the Gentile world, the vision of which filled our Lord himself with holy joy when he said, "I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."

I had the good fortune to sit beside an American stranger, a lady whose face was beaming with benevolence. "What a sight!" she exclaimed. "Can all these indeed be Christians? I would have come all the way from America if only to witness this scene and to meet these people. How is it," she added, " that people say missions have had no success ?' '

How indeed ? All one can say is that it is as if a man went forth at noonday, bandaged his eyes, and then declared that there was no sun shining in the heavens. I brought some of our nice native Christian girls to introduce to her, some of the workers in the schools and zenanas, and also some of the daughters of the bright Christian homes which now happily are multiplying in the land. They looked very neat and dainty in their pretty native dress, the sari^ in diflerent hues. I was much plea.sed afterwards when the lady remarked not only on their intelligence, but the modesty and general propriety of demeanor they evinced, which indeed is characteristic of Hindoo ladies.

Among women of the higher castes in India there is a wonderful amount of natural refinement, with a certain attractive gentleness and quiet self-restraint of manner. You feel this in visiting among them. I have gone into the most squalid and unpromising zenana and yet found at once that I was among ladies. The poor things may be only half clad, very sad and crushed looking, all their surroundings (which often are little more than bare dirty walls) may be utterly sordid and mean, and yet they will receive you with all the quiet courtesy of gentlefolks. Of course I know how easily all this can be marred and how spoiled one of these women is if she becomes bold or too suddenly adopts the free manners of the West. The peril lies in a too rapid transition from the restraints which Eastern customs enjoin and a premature introduction into general society, which is public life to one who has lived her life previously in the seclusion of a Hindoo home. Freedom must come, but let it come gradually — let it come last ! First let the soul be set free ! "The soul must be educated," as one of themselves truly says. When this takes place, when our Eastern sisters have received the truth, and

WE BEGIN OUR MISSIONARY JOURNEY. I5

the truth has made them free, then they will be free indeed; and to their own pleasant heritage of womanly decorum will be added the ornament of "a meek and quiet spirit, which in the sight of God is of great price. ' '

After tea Mr. Cook gave us an address, which as usual was most stirring. In speaking of the difficulties with which missionaries have to contend he made use of a happy illustration. He compared the work to the building of a lighthouse. He said there is so much important and preliminary labor to be done first below the surface of the water — blasting of rocks, building of foundations, much buffeting with the waves — and all to be bravely endured and overcome. But when all this is accomplished the majestic tower begins to rise. The worst is over, the difficulties are mastered, the grand purpose is achieved — the light appears! And, thank God, it will go on and shine for evermore.

All the strangers remarked on the beautiful exhibition of Christian union which the native churches of India generally present. This is true. In these days of division the brotherly love and mutual trust and common purpose often found existing among the Christians all over India cheer one's heart unspeakably. Long may this condition of things last !

Our beautiful Western Ghats were as beautiful as ever as we ascended yesterday and the railway line as striking as usual. Our train zigzagged its seemingly perilous path, first up the gentle green slopes, then, as it got higher, round precipitous crags, skirting deep gorges and stupendous precipices, pursuing its way slowly and steadily from ridge to ridge through the sinuosities of the chain, until at length we got to the top of the great mountain wall and the huge panting engine drew up in the pretty station of Khandala. We had left the Konkan, with its wavy palm-trees and rich tropical vegetation and cultivated lands and moist, warm air, lying far below on the margin by the sea, and had mounted to the brown plains and fresher air of the Deccan plateau.

Late in the evening we reached our goal for this day, the dear old mission-house at Poona, where the warmest of welcomes always awaits us.

POONA. SHOLAPORE.

Chapter II

POONA. SHOLAPORE.

January 24.

We had another exciting day, for the Cooks joined us in Poona and were also the guests of Mr. and Mrs. Beaumont in the mission-house. . .

In the evening we all went in company to the Hira-bag to hear Mr. Cook's lecture. This is a large hall standing by itself in some pretty grounds on the outskirts of the native city, beside a beautiful tank filled with water, on which some water-lilies float, and just under the temple-crowned, picturesque little sacred hill of Parbutty. The hall was densely packed with all manner of people come to hear the celebrated lecturer, and crowds stood about every door and window.

Now, as always in Poona, the striking part of the audience was the number of fine-looking, fine-featured Hindoo gentlemen, the elite oi native society, who filled the benches — remarkable-looking men in white garb, strictly national, with huge red or white turbans, wonderfully fair in complexion, with the keen, intellectual countenance of the Maratha Brahman.

i8

SCENES IN SOUTHERN INDIA.

These are Hindoos of the Hindoos — not half- Europeanized, like the Bengali Baboos — though they are as thoroughly educated, and many of them first-rate speakers themselves. They are intensely national, and naturally so. Poona was the capital of the Maratha empire, and the Peshwas — the rulers — being themselves Brahmans, they were great patrons of their caste. The present inhabitants naturally look back with a wistful eye to the glories — real or imaginary — of the old days of Maratha supremacy; and whatever old national beliefs and customs they can possibly retain they do retain. Politics seem to occupy their attention more than religion, and sometimes they no doubt practise the rites of Hindooism without believing in their efficacy. They are sometimes extremely severe in their criticism on the measures of Government, though most of them are far too high-minded and honorable to be consciously unjust.

Such an intelligent people are sure to advance. Education, missionary influence, and other forces have done their work. Destruction of the old faith has come, but the reconstruction has yet to come. What is needed is a touch from the lifegiving Spirit of the living God, that the train which has been so diligently laid by all the influences, at work may be fired by divine power. Then rOONA. SHOLAPORE.

we should see this fine, interesting people, with so many noble qualities, flocking to the feet of Christ. The pity is that Christianity comes to them as the religion of the conqueror. This circumstance, of course, increases the difficulty of the missionaries' task. But more faith and prayer and earnest work, more pleading with Him whose cause it is, would bring down that quickening power without which nothing that man can do will avail.

As I sat watching the thoughtful faces, and the effect of Mr. Cook's stirring words upon them, I could not help praying that some of those sharp arrows from above, so effectual in the Spirit's hand, would come direct to some of these men — such as was shot into the mind of Luther when he exclaimed, "The just shall live by faith!" Thus would they become the best apostles and teachers of their countrymen, and the salvation of God would come to this people.

We had to leave before the meeting closed; we rushed to our train, secured a good second-class carriage to ourselves, spread our quilts on the hard benches, slept as well as we could under the circumstances, and before daybreak, shivering in the cold of the Deccan morning, we arrived at Sholapore. A special pleasure has awaited us here in being the guests of our dear

SCENES IN- SOUTHERN INDIA.

old friends the Johnstones, Mr. Johnstone being; now assistant judge of this station.

There is a flourishing branch mission of the American Board in Sholapore, and Rev. Mr. Gates and his wife are at the head of it. She has come of a missionar\- family, her father being our old friend the Rev. Mr. Hazen of Ahmednagar. I have had her on my knee when a baby. There are several of these mi5sionar\- families who have done noble serv ice in the foreign fleld ; and many dark places of the earth would be still darker but for the energ}* and practical wisdom which the Americans bring to bear on all that they do. British people, to whom India has been especially entrusted, ought to be grateful to their American friends for their zealous and successful work among the heathen.

One of the most interesting parts of Mr. Gates' mission is the medical department It is conducted by a native practitioner, who seems to manage it admirably. We visited him and his wife this morning, and saw their own neat little dwelling as well as the dispensar\-, both under one roof, and literally smothered by a lovely mass of creeping convolvulus. The patients pay for their medicines; and it is remarkable that though there are three dispensaries in the city where medicines are free, yet the numbers who come to

POONA. SHOLAPORE.

the mission increase day by day. Let us hope that the medicine for their souls which they also receive may be part of the attraction ! Mr. Gates thinks it is so, lor many of the patients in their sorrow and suffering seem to hear the divine Word gladly.

Among those who came to-day was a native Christian from a village called Watwad, a place about seventy-five miles northeast of Sholapore, in the Xizam's dominions. It seems that this village is the centre of an indigenous and most hopeful little mission; and the stor>' of the entrance of light into that dark region is so interesting that I think I must relate it.

Nearly seventeen years ago a gosavi^ or religious mendicant, named Mhasoba, was sent to prison by the well-known Meadows Taylor for cattle-stealing. While in prison he happily learned to read. He had a friend, another gosavi, who, after Mhasoba's release, came to him, telling him he had heard of some new, strange doctrines taught by white missionaries and he wanted to find out what these doctrines were. "You now can read," he said; "you can help me to find out what it all means."

The two men consulted together, and decided they would go and .seek for the missionaries, who, they heard, were to be found at Sliolapore. After a weary trudge of many days, to Sholapore they came.

The missionary who was laboring then at this station was Mr. Hazen, Mrs. Gates' father, who lias now returned to America. He received the wayfarers most kindly, hearing their request, so similar to that of the Greeks to Philip, "We would see Jesus." He instructed them, gave them tracts and books, one of which was called "The True Way," and pointed them to Him who is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life." They carried the books back to their village, where Mhasoba read them aloud to his fellowinquirers and the rest of the people. After much thought and study and earnest prayer, seeking the Lord with sincere hearts, if "haply they might feel after him and find him," they did find him, as every real seeker does, and made up their minds that they would enter on this new way and become Christians. But they did not quite know how, and it was years before they had an opportunity of being baptized.

At length, in the cold season of 1874, the Rev, Mr. Park, lately of the American Mission, Bombay, was itinerating in the district. Mhasoba heard of his arrival and came twenty miles to see the missionary and ask to be baptized. He had had no human instructor, only the little books.

blessed by the teaching of the Holy Ghost; but I\Ir. Park found him prepared. Like the Ethiopian of old, he believed with all his heart. He had manifestly received the baptism of the Spirit, so Mr. Park administered the ordinance to him and his wife, and to two other men whom he had instructed.

After this the missionaries visited the village occasionally, about once a year or so; but Mhasoba and the other converts have carried on the work themselves. He taught his daughter to read, and she now regularly teaches the other women to read and sew and sing. The work has spread to other villages, and now there are sixty adults baptized. These people receive no regular pecuniary help from the parent mission in Sholapore. They work at their calling, whatever that may be, and give regularly — of their great poverty often — that Christ's cause may spread among their people. At the same time every convert seems to be an evangelist. Even the women, Mr. Gates says, go many miles to other villages, often carrv'ing their infants in their arms, to tell other women the joyful news; and gladly are they welcomed everywhere. The people beg these Christians to come and teach them and lead them also into the "true way." They have a schoolroom and a little church, which, strange to say, the

SCENES IN SOUTHERN INDIA.

heathen people in the village helped them to build. They got but very small contributions towards the buildings from the mission funds.

These Christians are chiefly Mangs, a low caste; but physically they are fine men, and are often of manly, independent character.

After we had seen what our friends had to show us in the mission we went on to visit the fine old temple of Sideshwar, which occupies one side of a handsome large tank. We also saw the fort, which covers an immense area. The walls and ramparts are in excellent preservation, and there is a wide moat all round with some water in it and some lovely water-lilies. A legend says that when this fort was being built the walls repeatedly tumbled down. This misfortune was, of course, attributed, not to any fault in the work, but to the malignity of a certain deity. So, in order to propitiate the angry god and to cure this unsatisfactory state of matters, it was resolved to oflTer a human sacrifice. Accordingly a woman and a boy were buried alive in the foundations, after which the walls fell down no more. We were told that the Brahman familv, who had the honor of contributing the victims for the sacrifice actually now receive a pension in consideration of this act of devotion and patriotism !

Dr. Mitchell preached twice on Sunday, the morning service being chiefly for the officials connected with the railway and their families, on each of whom he afterwards called, meeting with the most cordial reception. Our country-people here are often thankful for the visit of a minister. In the railway community alone in Sholapore there are 58 men and women who are Protestants, a few being East-Indian, but most are English. In the evening the whole station gathered into the pretty little station church, and again we had a most refreshing service.

Dr. Mitchell has now proceeded along the line to hold services for other people who occupy isolated positions in out-of-the-way stations and are often too much neglected as far as the ordinances of religion are concerned. It has been arranged that I shall rejoin him at Raichore, en route to Madras.

After a visit of unceasing enjoyment, having seen everything there is to see and met everybody there is to meet in this most social abode, I prepared, with our excellent factotum Joseph, to depart.

At two in the morning of the 26th I turned our friends' dwelling upside down by having to start, there being no train suitable at a less inconvenient hour; and my kindest of hosts insisted on escorting me. His influence with the powers of the railway procured me a carriage free, at least of hiiinan company. I took possession, and knew little more until the dawn looked in at the windows and woke me up to the noise and monotony and dust and fatigue and all the general discomfort of a long Indian railway journey. But presently, at our next halt, my prince of domestics appeared in his noiseless way at the door with a cup of tea in his hand, whence procured I cannot tell, for Joseph is not a man of speech; "deeds, not words," being his motto. After this I could look more at the bright side of things, especially as by this time dawn had turned to day; the sun shone joyously over the wide -spread plain and was not yet too fiery for comfort.

The country in this part of the Deccan is not pretty. Now and then we passed towns with great gateways and the remains of fortifications, which in the old troublous times of incessant turmoil and war were needful for their protection. There were occasional villages also surrounded by old mud-walls to protect them from dacoits and marauders and other unwelcome visitors, now peacefully crumbling to ruin. On the outskirts of the towns there were generally a few trees to be seen; but, beyond these, our route was mostly over vast plains, brown, bare, burned up, and perfect solitudes, as far as human habitation went,

POONA. SHOLAPORE.

liaving little and very imperfect cultivation. The stations, however, always prettily decorated with shrubs and flowers, were full of life and most amusino^, and we had plenty of time to enjoy the sii^hts they presented. Though this was the mail-train we stopped very often and halted very long; manifestly time did not count for much.

At the station for Hyderabad I noticed some unusually fine men, with grand, flowing beards, much latent fire in their handsome faces, and swords at their sides. They accompanied a Mussulman grandee, who was seated on a remarkably beautiful black horse, with scarlet saddle-cloth and trappings of gold and silver, whose gorgeous appearance altogether suggested Akbar or Hyder Ali. One or two elephants, with glittering howdahs, stood in the background tossing their fine trunks about, and these helped the illusion.

The poor women squat about the platforms, very helpless-looking, but in wonderfully picturesque groups, clothed in their Turkey-red cloths and surrounded by their little naked, brown children and quantities o{ giciries, the inevitable bundle without which no Hindoo can travel. One young creature, with dark, Madrassee face and her jet-black hair drawn to one side of her head in a huge knot, stalked past with a bottle poised on her head, at the same time carrying an infailt in her arms and showing the utmost freedom and grace of movement. How gracefully these women contrive to wear the sari^ the long, scarf-like garment which is the usual dress of Hindoo women. It is wound round the person, with the end carried over the head, after the modest fashion of most Eastern women. This garment maybe colored or white. Generally the higher classes wear it of some color, while servants and ayahs wear it white; but all with gay bordering round and very elaborate ends. The prevailing color in this region, I observe, is red in a variety of shades.

One certainly has excellent opportunities at the stations, as you pass along, of observing the marvellous variety there is in this extraordinary country of race, form, feature, color, costume, head-gear, and everything. People congregate, from the most respectable of native gentry down to the wretched fakir smeared with paint and ashes and the grinning little gypsy boys and girls, who turn somersaults and hold up their dirty little palms to the carriage windows for a pice. The interest is never-ending.

Early in the afternoon we crossed the broad bed of the Krishna River. In the rains this is a magnificent, sea -like stream, but now it was simply a wide expanse of sand, with a few

POOXA. SHOLAPORE.

small, shallow streamlets flowing dully here and there.

Soon after this we got to Raichore, where I spied my husband waiting on the platform. He had had one or two hearty meetings, and altogether enjoyed the little ministry in these "regions beyond. ' '

The heat is much greater here than in the regions from which we have come and has not tended to cure my husband's fever, so it is with some anxiety we face the long night-journey before us. AVe changed into the carriages of the Madras Railway and got into a tiny box of a second-class compartment, with very narrow and ver\- hard benches; but we had it to ourselves. There was water in it and every convenience, and it gave me occupation to battle with the thick, white, stifling dust and keep ourselves tolerably clean.

I had noticed early in my journey that in a compartment for women next to mine a native lady was travelling alone, and often when we stopped I got out and spoke to her, sometimes going in to keep her company between two stations. She was extremely nice and intelligent and talked Hindostani. Her husband, she told me, was in anotlier compartment, hers being the zenana of the train. At Raichore he introduced himself to Dr. Mitchell and politely asked him to thank me for my attention to his wife. We found she was the daughter of Sir T. Madhavarao, of Baroda, and he a Brahman occupying a high official position in the native court of Travancore. We became great friends, and he proved to be a very clever, highly-educated man, speaking English with a purity of accent I have rarely heard from any but an Englishman. They had been at Baroda for the grand doings when the new Gaekwar was installed, and were now returning to Trevandrum. They begged us to come and see them when we ourselves should reach that place. In spite of the dreadful heat and fatigue and dust we managed to get a little sleep, and about six next morning we swept into the station at Madras.

MADRAS.

Chapter III. Madras

February r.

Any one who has undergone a hot, dusty journey of twenty-six hours on hard benches in India will comprehend how pleasant it was to feel that we had arrived, and I shall not easily forget our feeling of gratitude to Him who had so graciously "preserved our going out and our coming in," now, as in so many wanderings by sea and land. It was indeed a welcome sight as we got out of our dusty little den to spy our friend Mr. Rae, of the Free Church Mission, waiting for us, he and his wife having most hospitably claimed us as their guests. We were soon driven to the Mission Boarding-school, which is their home at present, Mrs. Rac having lately undertaken the superintendence of it.

It is quite in accordance with the tradition of this good old school that a missionary lady should be at its head. Many of our best missionaries have occupied the post, whose names deserve to be held in grateful and lasting remembrance as having borne the heat and burden of the troublous day which saw female education started in Madras;

and now it is delightful to find Mrs. Rae taking up the work heart and soul. She and hers have just removed from their pleasant, roomy house, with its grounds and garden, to the circumscribed quarters which the upper floor of this school offers. I need not add that our hostess is the author of "Morag" and some other delightful books.

She stood on the steps as we drove up to the door, ready to welcome us, with her children at her side — fair little creatures, with curly hair and dainty, airy attire, which looked cool in the heat of the too brilliant morning. They looked wonderingly at the strangers, but had none of the shyness most English children have. We were soon installed in our comfortable quarters, and, after a good bath and some tea, were ready for anything. The two bairnies, who soon made up their minds to be friendly, brought us out, each with a hand, to receive our first visitors. These were the two native clergymen, Mr. Rajahgopal and Mr. Bauboo, well-known names. Principal ]\Iiller and Mr. Cooper, of the Christian College, speedily followed. We all breakfasted together, and erelong we had been welcomed by all the missionaries of our own church and many others besides.