HINDUISM AND CHRISTIANITY 



ORISSA: 

CONTAINING 

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION 

OF THE 

COUNTRY. RELIGION, MANNERS AND CUSTOMS, OF 
THE HINDUS, 



AN ACCOUNT OF THE OPERATIONS OF THE AMERICAN FREEWILL 
BAPTIST MISSION IN NORTHERN ORISSA. 



Illustrated by a Map and thirty-three Engravings. 
BY 0. R. BACHELER, M. D. 

ELEVEN YEARS MISSIONARY IK ORISSA. 



BOSTON: . 
GEO. C. RAND & AVERT. 

1856. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1853, by 

0. R. BACHELER, 
In the Clerk s Office of the District Court for the District of Massaclvasetta 




SEP 8 1964 

\\ <v, 






Stereotyped by 

HOBART & ROBBIXS, 

BOSTON. 

Printed by Geo. C. Rand, Cornhill. 



PREFATORY NOTES. 

1. Tins little work is designed to answer the many inquiries 
that are often made in regard to our field and missionary opera 
tions in India. 

2. Some few works have been consulted as authority, principally 
Marshman s History of India, History of Pooree, by a native, and 
the correspondence of our missionaries, &c. 

3. The Map has been kindly supplied from an engraving pre 
pared for " Button s Orissa and its Evangelization ; " the Cuts by 
the American Board and Dr. Noyes. 

4. The Music has been kindly written out by H. S. Cutler, Esq. 

5. An attempt has been made to secure a correct pronunciation 
of oriental names. With the exception of the map, and a few names, 
the pronunciation of which is established in this country, all the 
proper names and Hindu terms employed in this work are repre 
sented as they are pronounced by the natives. By consulting the 
accompanying rules, any one may pronounce these names correctly. 

RULES OF PRONUNCIATION. 

A is pronounced like a in all. 
A " " " " " father. 

E " " e " prey. 

I " " " i " pin. 

I " " " ee " spleen. 

U " " " u " tube. 

G is always hard. 

Accent each syllable alike, and sound the vowels full and dis 
tinct. 0. R. B. 



CONTENTS. 



PART I. 

PAGE, 

CHAPTER I. Historical View of India, of Orissa, of Balasore, 9 

CHAPTER II. Geological Divisions. Soil and Productions. 
Domestic Animals, 14 

CHAPTER III. Wild Animals. Reptiles, Insects, Fish, Birds, 20 

CHAPTER IV. The Seasons. Furniture. Dress. Food, 
Mechanical Trades. Implements of Husbandry, 25 

CHAPTER V. Different Races. Hindus. Mahamadans. Hill 
Tribes. Santals. Bhumijas, 37 

CHAPTER VI. Languages. Literature. Sacred Books. Po 
etical Works. Schools, 44 

CHAPTER VII. Hindu Mythology. Brahma. Brahma. 
Bisnu. Siba. Ten Incarnations of Bisnu, 48 

CHAPTER VIII. Krisnu. His Character and Worship. Jag- 
arnath. Origin of the Images. Temple at Pooree. Car 
Festival. Mortality among Pilgrims. Government Connec 
tion with the Shrine. Expenses of Jagarnath. 58 

CHAPTER IX. Other gods. Gancsa. Durgd. Lakmi. 
Indra. The Salagram, 70 

CHAPTER X. Temples. Worship. Offerings. Penance. 
Hook-swinging, &c. Pilgrimage, 80 

CHAPTER XI. Human Sacrifices to Durga to the Ganges 
to Crocodiles. Sacrifice among the Kands. 94 



CONTEXTS. VII 

CHAPTER XII. Philosophy. Its Antiquity. One Supreme. 
Transmigration. Fourteen Spheres. Various gods. Idola 
try. Fatalism, 105 

CHAPTER XIII. Landed Property. Marriage. Funerals. 
Government, 109 

PART II. 

CHAPTER XIV. Origin of the F. Baptist Mission Society. 
Missionaries of the Society, 119 

CHAPTER XV. The Field. Sumbhulpore. Balasore. Jella- 
sore. Midnapore, 126 

CHAPTER XVI. The Santals. Manners and Customs. Relig 
ious Interest. Letter of a Santal, 136 

CHAPTER XVII. Difficulties to the Missionary. Peculiarities 
of the Work. Obstacles to Conversion. Influence of the 
Brahmans. Caste, 151 

CHAPTER XVIII. Educational Department. Day-schools. 
Boarding-schools. Preparation of Books. Results, . . 161 

CHAPTER XIX. Medical Efforts. Balasore Dispensary. 
Medical Class. Results, . . . , 174 

CHAPTER XX. Preaching. Chapel Preaching. Bazar 
Preaching. Itinerating. Journals, 180 

CHAPTER XXI. Native Preachers. Prasuram. Rama. Let 
ter. Mahes. Letter, 194 

CHAPTER XXII. Summary of Results. Statistics of Indian 
Missions. Statistics of all Mission Societies. Appeal. 
Hindu Hymns and Tunes, 202 




A FAMILY TAKI.NG OFi KKINCS TO THEIR GODS. SEE P. 81. 



PART I. 

HINDUISM IN ORISSA 



CHAPTER I. 

BRIEF VIEW OP THE HISTORY OF INDIA. 
Historical View of India. Of Orissa. Of Balasore. 

LITTLE is known of India previous to the time of 
Darius, twenty-three centuries ago, at Avhich time a 
considerable portion of the country was annexed to 
the kingdom of Persia. Two centuries later, Alexan 
der crossed the Indus, penetrated as far as the river 
Sutledge, and subjugated the present country of the 
Slks, after which he returned home. 

It would seem that the power of the Persians and 
Greeks was never extensively established, nor was 
their dominion permanent in the East. 

Herodotus has collected from the historians of 
Darius and Alexander some account of the Hindus at 
this early period, from which it appears that, as a 



10 HINDUISM IN ORIS3A. 

people, few changes have since taken place in their 
manners and customs. 

The following particulars, selected from among 
others, will show to those who are conversant with 
India how nearly the ancient inhabitants resembled the 
present: "1. In the slender make of their bodies. 
2. In their living on vegetable food. 3. In their dis 
tribution into sects or classes, and the perpetuation of 
trades in families. 4. In marriages as early as seven 
years. 5. In the daubing their faces with colors. 
6. In the rule that only the principal people should 
have umbrellas carried over them. 7. In the manu 
facture of cotton goods of extraordinary fineness. 
8. In devotees performing their devotions beneath the 
trees." 

These peculiarities serve to show that the Hindu 
economy which exists at the present time is not very 
different from that which existed twenty-three centu 
ries ago. 

Previous to the conquests above mentioned, Hin 
dustan appears to have been divided into several prin 
cipal kingdoms, each having a large number of tribu 
tary states, all ruled by native princes. Large 
standing armies were kept ; severe conflicts were the 
result, each striving for the supremacy. Centuries 
thus rolled away, till a new power arose, which was 
destined to exert a controlling influence over India for 
more than seven hundred years. The followers of 



BRIEF VIEW OF THE HISTORY OF INDIA. 11 

Mahamad had been extending their dominions gradu 
ally towards the East. 

Early in the tenth century a powerful Mahamadan 
dynasty was established in the eastern portion of Per 
sia, having Ghazni for its capital ; where, near the 
close of the same, Mahamad. the conqueror of the 
Hindus, ascended the throne. In twenty-five years 
he made twelve successful expeditions into India, over 
coming the most powerful armies that the Hindus 
could bring against him, demolishing their idols and 
idol temples, and raising the standard of the crescent 
on the ruins of Hindu supremacy. 

A powerful dynasty was eventually established in 
the north, having Delhi for its capital, which extended 
its power over a considerable portion of eastern Hin 
dustan. This power remained paramount till the 
English conquered the country. 

In the year 1600, the English East India Company 
was chartered, at first as a trading company merely ; 
but, gradually, establishing its factories, and increas 
ing its influence, it began to rival the native powers, 
and excite their jealousies, until open war was the 
result. In 1757 its important conquests commenced, 
and ever since it has been extending its dominions, 
conquering power after power, and humbling dynasty 
after dynasty, till the Himalayas on the north, the 
Indian Ocean on the south, the Indus on the west, and 
Burmah on the east, constitute the boundaries of its 
empire. It has ceased to be a mere trading company. 



12 HINDUISM IX ORISSA. 

and has become a powerful vice-regal empire, giving 
laws to a hundred millions of the human race. 

During the last eight centuries, India has been the 
scene of many a hard-fought battle. The Mahamad- 
ans poured their desolating hordes over her plains, 
conquering as they went ; and the armies of the Hin 
dus vanished like the early dew before them, but not 
till those plains were strewed with thousands of the 
victors. Some of England s severest battles have 
been fought there, too; and the blood of her noble 
sons has been poured out there like rain, mingling, as 
it flowed, with the blood of the brave Hindu ; and not 
till thousands and tens of thousands have perished has 
her power been acknowledged supreme. 

OKISSA. 

The province of Orissa lies to the south-west of 
Calcutta, bordering on the Bay of Bengal. It extends 
nearly from the nineteenth to the twenty-third degree 
of north latitude, having Bengal on the north, the 
Bay of Bengal on the east, the country of the Telu- 
gus on the south, and Nagpore on the west. It is, 
irregularly, about three hundred miles in length, or 
from east to west, and two hundred and forty in 
breadth, or from north to south. Its population is 
supposed to be about three millions. The eastern por 
tion, or that lying upon the sea, is by far the most 
populous, the central and western parts being moun- 



BALASORE. 13 

tainous, and, to a considerable extent, uncultivated ; 
large tracts being still covered with primeval forest, 
inhabited by wild beasts, or men almost as wild. 

Orissa was, for many centuries, an independent 
nation, and less exposed to invasion than the more 
northern provinces. It was subjugated in part, how 
ever, by the Mahamadans, some four hundred years 
ago, and afterwards by the Marathas, from whom it 
was taken by the English in 1803. 

The province is divided into three districts ; Cut- 
tack in the centre, Puri in the south, and Balasore on 
the north. 

BALASORE. 

The district of Balasore, the site of the mission 
whose operations we purpose in the following pages to 
describe, lies on the west side of the Bay of Bengal. 
It is about eighty miles in length by, on an average, 
thirty or forty in breadth, and contains about five hun 
dred thousand souls. On its northern border there is 
a considerable tract belonging to the province of Ben 
gal, inhabited by Oriyas, and on the west several trib 
utary states governed by the native princes, and 
inhabited by Oriyas, Santals, &c. ; so that the popu 
lation dependent on our society for religious light and 
influence will not fall short of a million of souls. 

The town of Balasore, the capital of the district, is 
a small river port, of about fourteen thousand inhabit 
ants, owning some one hundred and fifty sail of coast- 
2 



14 HINDUISM IX ORISSA. 

ing vessels, mostly engaged in transporting salt to 
Calcutta. It is situated on the Brudhabalanga river, 
about eight miles from the sea. 

The immediate border of the sea. and for three or 
four miles inland, from its liability to inundation, is 
not generally inhabited. Next comes the plain, suffi 
ciently elevated for security, which is highly culti 
vated and densely populated ; and, further inland, 
abrupt mountains rise, covered in part by forest, and 
interspersed with the scattered villages of the Oriyas, 
Santuls and Bhumijas. 



CHAPTER II. 

Geological Divisions. Soil and Productions. Fruits. Trees. 
Domestic Animals. 

THE country may be divided geologically into three 
portions : 1. The plains, an alluvial formation 
bordering on the sea, and probably formed from it ; 
2. The upland, or original formation, skirting the 
mountains, intersected, here and there, by the allu 
vial deposits on the banks of the streams, and what 
were formerly coves and bays of the sea ; and, 3. The 
abrupt and craggy mountains, on some portions of 
which wild grass and diminutive forest-trees grow. 



SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS. 15 

SOIL AXD PRODUCTIONS. 

The soil of the plains is fertile, never failing to 
yield a respectable crop when there is a sufficient sup- 
])] y of water. It is composed of a mixture of clay and 
sand, in such proportions that brick may be made, in 
almost any locality, of the soil. This becomes ex 
tremely hard when dry, and cannot be cultivated 
unless saturated with water. The rain and overflow- 
in"- of the rivers afford sufficient nourishment for the 

5 

ordinary rice crops so that the same fields may be 
cultivated century after century, with little or no 
manuring, and without impoverishing the soil. Tho 
uplands are less fertile, and require more manure, 
though there, too, the rain seems to be the natural 
fertiliser of the ground. 

Rice is the principal production of the plains. The 
fields are divided off into small plats of from two to 
ten rods square, each being surrounded by a ridge of 
earth raised a foot or more in height by the same -in 
breadth. This is to prevent the water from running 
off during the rainy season. 

The land is ploughed and the seed sown early in 
June, when the rains set in, and grows till September, 
and the later crops till November. After it has come 
up a few inches, it is ploughed and trodden into the 
mud. but springs up immediately, and grows the bet 
ter for this severe treatment. Once during the sea- 

O 

son all grass is carefully weeded out, men passing 



16 HINDUISM IN ORI33A. 

through and plucking it up by the roots. When ripe, 
it is reapt with a small sickle, tied up in bundles, and 
carried to the house on the backs of bullocks, two 
bundles being swung across a saddle, and hanging 
down the sides. If the farmer has no bullocks, it is 
borne on the shoulders of men or the heads of women. 
The threshing-floor is prepared, a small plot of ground 
being smoothed, in the centre of which is a post. 
Four, five or six oxen are tied in a row to the post, 
and driven round and round upon the rice spread on 
the ground. When beaten from the stock, the straw 
is removed, bundled and stacked, for fodder, and the 
grain winnowed, and carried to the store-room. It is 
still in the husk, to remove which it must be beaten in 
a large mortar, which is worked by the feet, generally 
by the women. 

From twenty to forty bushels to the acre is an 
ordinary yield, in good seasons. The crop depends 
entirely upon the rain, however ; if that fails, it does 
not come to maturity. 

Sugar-cane is raised on the rich bottoms bordering 
the rivers, but, as it grows mostly during the cold 
season, it requires considerable irrigation. Cotton 
grows on the more elevated lands, and is planted after 
the early crop of rice has come off. The plant is 
inferior to ours, but comes to maturity in four or five 
months. Wheat is raised in small quantities on the 
higher lands. Mustard is extensively cultivated as a 
second crop on the early rice fields, the oil of which 



FRUITS. 17 

is used in cookery, &c. The castor bean flourishes. 
Cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, squashes, potatoes, 
yams, egg-plants, as well as most garden vegetables, 
and a variety of native plants, unnamed in English, 
grow well in the cold season. They require, however, 
constant irrigation. Indian corn, of an inferior qual 
ity, is cultivated in small quantities, for eating green 
and parching. The native hand-mill is not sufficiently 
heavy to grind it. It may be grown at all seasons. 

FRUITS. 







The plantain, or banana, is the most valuable fruit, 
excellent in quality, and never out of season. The 

2* 



18 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

tree comes to maturity in about a year, and never 
produces but once. It grows ten or twelve feet in 
height, and six or eight inches in diameter. It is a 
loose, porous substance, without woody fibre. The 
leaves come out from near the top, and spread most 
beautifully on all sides, each being five or six feet in 
length by a foot or more in breadth. When it has 
attained its growth, a pithy stem springs from the 
root, and, growing through the entire tree, comes out 
at the top, headed by a bud, and falls down on one 
side, a foot or more in length. The bud unfolds, leaf 
after leaf dropping off on all sides, and under each 
leaf is a cluster of fruit. When all have dropped 
away, and the fruit has increased in size, these clus 
ters seem to unite all around the stem, thus forming 
one cluster, from one to two feet in length. The fruit 
resembles in size and shape a medium-sized cucumber, 
and there may be from one to two hundred on one 
stem. It is delicious in flavor, and may be eaten in 
almost any quantity without injury. When ripe, the 
tree dies ; but others spring forth from the roots, and 
are ready to produce in a few months after the death 
of the parent stem. 

Mangoes, pine-apples, custard-apples, Jack fruit, 
cocoa-nuts, guavas, tamarinds, lemons, limes, oranges, 
pomelows, and many others, are more or less abun 
dant. 



TREES. DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 19 

TREES. 

In the plains, forest-trees are not abundant. The 
mango, cocoa-nut, palmira, date, tamarind, and other 
fruit-trees, the banyan, fig, and a variety of trees pro 
ducing nuts, from which oil is expressed, are exten 
sively cultivated for their shade or fruit, and the bam 
boo cane for building purposes. In the interior we 
find valuable timber-trees, the sal, ebony, and many 
others without English names. 

DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 

Horned cattle are abundant. The breed is small 
and inferior, and they are pastured on the waste lands 
at all seasons, where for months the grass is parched 
and shrivelled, which does not tend to improve them. 
They are kept for their milk, which is made into but 
ter, and melted down, so that it may be kept for 
months without salt. This is used in cookery instead 
of lard. The oxen draw the plough and cart, and 
carry burdens on the back. Herds of buffaloes are 
kept for their milk, and used instead of oxen by the 
hill-tribes. Sheep and goats are raised for their meat 
and milk. Horses, ponies, donkeys and elephants, 
are kept for labor or show. Cats and dogs swarm the 
country, tarrying with those who will feed them, or 
wandering about when not fed. 



20 HINDUISM IX ORISSA. 

CHAPTER III. 

Wild Animals. Reptiles. Insects. Fish. Birds. 
WILD ANIMALS. 

THE tiger, leopard, bear and buffalo, throng the 
jungles, and are the most formidable. Some of these 
have peculiar traits of character. The royal tiger is 
little inferior to the l king of beasts in strength and 
ferocity. He does not leave his jungle, however, 
while the sun is above the horizon, nor attack men 
unless pressed by hunger. Cattle, when exposed, are 
carried off at night, or destroyed when they approach 
his lair by day. The following anecdotes will illus 
trate some of his peculiarities : Two boys were tend 
ing their cattle, near a jungle, when they discovered 
a tiger. The older said to the younger, l Brother, do 
you not know that the Company pays a bounty of 
ten rupees for every tiger caught ?- Let us kill this 
tiger, and we shall be rich. You take the cows and 
drum, and go round the other side, and drive them 
through the jungle, beating the drum, and thus drive 
him out, and I will shoot him with my bow and 
arrow." The younger took the cows, and round he 
went, as directed, beating the drum, and driving them 
along before him. Soon they came to the tiger, which, 
frightened by the noise, ran out near where the older 
boy stood. He let fly an arrow, which pricked him 



WILD ANIMALS. 21 

slightly. The tiger came up, and gave him a slap 
with his paw for his impudence, knocking him down 
without injuring him, and passed majestically on his 
way. The boys were thoroughly frightened, and did 
not dare to repeat the experiment. They then went 
to an English gentleman living near, who was a great 
sportsman, and kept an elephant for hunting tigers. 
He mounted his elephant, and went out, directed by 
the boys, to the spot, and, with some difficulty, suc 
ceeded in shooting him. It proved to be one of the 
largest he had ever killed, measuring fifteen feet from 
the nose to the extremity of the tail. 

The following was related by a missionary in Orissa. 
He was passing through a jungle, and came to a cart 
upset with no driver or bullocks near. A few rods 
farther on he came to another similarly situated. He 
thought all was not right. Passing on a short dis 
tance., he found some affrighted people sitting round a 
wounded man. He learned that as their train of carts 
was passing, a few minutes before, a tiger sprang upon 
the driver of the last team and carried him away. 
His brother, on one of the forward carts, sprang after 
them, and with his goad thumped the tiger on tlio 
nose till he released the man and ran away. The 
brave fellow brought away his brother ; but no sooner 
were they out of sight, than another cart, which had 
fallen in the rear, came up, and the tiger, returning, 
sprang upon the driver and carried him away ; and, 



22 HINDUISM IN ORIS8A. 

as some men were passing a few moments after, they 
heard him crushing his bones in the bushes near. 

The leopard carries away calves, and sometimes 
attacks men. The bear is exceedingly ferocious ; but 
little behind the grizzly bear of the West. Pie seldom 
fails to attack men when they come within his reach. 
He does not kill outright, but with his teeth and claws 
mutilates in a fearful manner. He seems to have a 
particular fancy for tearing out eyes, stripping the 
scalp from the head, and mutilating the face. It is 
difficult to account for this vicious propensity. 

The wild buffalo occasionally attacks men, when 
they approach near, and few that are thus attacked 
escape with their lives. His hatred to man is most 
implacable : and when he has killed, he seldom leaves 
his victim till, by continued hooking and stamping, he 
has reduced the body to pumice. 

Elephants, hyenas, wolves, jackals, foxes, monkeys, 
rats and mice, squirrels, and many other varieties, 
abound. 

REPTILES. 

Poisonous serpents are numerous. Among these, 
Ihe Cobra Be Capello is the most poisonous ; his bite 
destroying life in from half an hour to three or four 
hours, according to the amount of poison injected. 
Some others are more or less poisonous, and others 
imtQ innocent. They come out of their holes more 
particularly in the rainy season, enter houses, conceal 
themselves in the thatched roofs, and obtrude them- 



INSECTS. 



selves everywhere ; so that great caution is necessary 
by day and night, or there is no safety. 

Toads and frogs abound, and are almost as great an 
annoyance in India as they were to Pharoah in Egypt. 



INSECTS. 

Ants, white, black, and red, are a great blessing to 
the country ; still, they are a great nuisance. They 
destroy large quantities of vegetable and animal mat 
ter, which would otherwise, by its decay, prove a 
fruitful source of disease. The white ant is covered 
by a mucous membrane, which being always moist, he 
cannot bear exposure to the air. He works under 
cover of a little mud canal, which he carries forward 
to any object that may attract his attention. He is 
not fastidious in his tastes ; boxes of clothing, articles 
of furniture, anything, either animal or vegetable, is 
always acceptable. With the most persevering assi 
duity he carries forward his little mud canal to the 
object of attack. If it be a box he will plaster the 
bottom, then bore a hole through, and extend his op 
erations on the interior. If articles of clothing are 
packed within, he will carefully cut away the corners 
of the folds, and, if not discovered, will speedily con 
sume the whole. Most kinds of wood, and sometimes 
live trees, are destroyed by it. It is not more than 
an eighth of an inch long, and no* larger than a small 
ant ; but, though small individually, their number is 



24 HINDUISM IN OllISSA. 

infinite. The ground swarms with them everywhere. 
Houses must be frequently swept and kept clean. 
boxes, trunks, &c., must be elevated on stools, or 
there is no safety from these all-devouring little in 
sects. 

Musquitoes, bugs, wasps, honey-bees, flies, and 
almost every namable insect, may be found abundant 
in India. 

FISH. 

Fish, in nameless varieties, swarm the sea, rivers, 
tanks, &c. As the country is generally flooded once, 
at least, during the rainy season, they come up over 
the fields, and wherever there is standing water there 
fish may be caught, The natives are very fond of 
them, and every pool and ditch is carefully strained, 
and everything that bears the name of fish eagerly 
caught and devoured. Among these varieties I have 
seen none that are found in America but the pout. 

BIRDS. 

Eagles, vultures, hawks, crows, peacocks, parrots, 
ducks and geese, both wild and domestic, doves, 
pigeons, partridges, quails, snipes, domestic fowl, &c., 
&c., are abundant. 



THE SEASONS. 25 



CHAPTER IV. 

The Seasons. Furniture. Dress. Food and Cooking. Wash 
ing. Mechanical Trades. Implements of Husbandry. 



THE SEASONS. 

THE year is divided into three seasons ; the hot, 
rainy, and cold. The hot season commences "with 
March and ends with May. It is excessively hot 
during most of the time; the meridian temperature 
ranging from eighty-five to one hundred and ten 
degrees in the shade. The soil is dry and parched, 
little vegetation adorning the face of the earth. During 
the hottest part of the season it is necessary to close 
the doors and windows from nine o clock in the morn 
ing till four or five in the afternoon, so as to exclude 
the external air. With this precaution the thermome 
ter seldom rises above ninety in the house. 

In April and May most violent thunder-storms 
occur at evening. The wind blows from the south- 

O 

east, during fair weather, hot, dry and -parching. At 
intervals of a few days, as evening approaches, a, haze 
may be distinguished in the north-west. Soon a black 
cloud begins to rise, gradually extending upwards till 
it covers nearly half the heavens. Then, suddenly, 
the wind, that had been blowing hard all day, ceases, 
and there is a lull. Now is the time to secure the 
doors. By the time this is done the wind sets in from 
3 



26 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

the north-west, bringing with it a cloud of dust, and in 
a few moments more it will be blowing a gale, accom 
panied with the most terrific thunder and vivid light 
ning, torrents of rain pouring down, so that the 
parched plain is covered with a sheet of water. Thatch 
from the roofs, if not securely bound on, goes whirl 
ing away ; trees are sometimes uprooted or broken 
down, and the roofs of houses carried away en 
masse. In the course of half an hour you may 
unbolt the doors and look forth. Distant thunder is 
rumbling, the clouds all passing away, the air, so hot 
arid sultry just before, is now cool and refreshing, the 
parched and shrivelled vegetation revives, and you 
seem to be in a new world. The next day the heat 
returns, though not so severe at first as before, but 
daily increases till it comes to its climax, and then 
another storm succeeds, and so on till the close of the 
season. 

About the first of June the rainy season sets in. 
For some time the rain is rather moderate, but be 
comes more abundant as the season advances. Clouds 
are ever floating about, and during most of the season 
there is a constant succession of showers and sunshine 
during the day ; ten. twenty, or thirty showers occur 
ring during the twenty-four hours. Sometimes there 
will be an interval of several days when no rain falls ; 
at other times it will come pouring down in torrents, 
without intermission, for three or four days, deluging 
the country, overflowing the rivers, filling the tanks. 



VILLAGES, HOUSES, &C. 27 

c. In a regular season there are usually one, two, 
or three such storms. In September the rains dimin 
ish, and close with its close. The heat is not generally 
oppressive, but it is damp and close. Then follows a 
month or more of warm weather, which belongs, 
rather, with the hot season. The cold season sets in 
with November, and continues through February ; 
clear, cloudless, and cool. Animal nature then revives, 
the debilitated constitution rallies, and acquires energy 
for another season of heat. The climate during the 
cold weather is, probably, one of the most delightful 
in the world. The sun is somewhat oppressive during 
the hottest part of the day, but .the nights are suffi 
ciently cool for comfort. Frost is never seen on the 
plains, and the thermometer never falls below forty- 
eight degrees in the coldest part of the night. 



VILLAGES, HOUSES, &C. 

The Hindus invariably dwell in villages. This is 
necessary to avoid attacks from robbers, who would 
not fail to plunder any dwelling situated remote from 
others. 

A spot is usually selected somewhat elevated above 
the rice fields ; a tank, one or more, is dug to supply 
the inhabitants with water; trees are set out, for 
shade and fruit, and among these the Hindu erects his 
mud hut ; each family having but a small plot of 
ground, sufficient for a house and small garden, where 



28 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

some few vegetables and fruit trees are cultivated. 
Winding paths lead around among these houses, and 
beneath the overspreading trees. There is the Hindu s 
home. His house is a most simple structure. It 
may consist of one or a number of rooms, according 
to the size of his family and number of his cattle. 

A plot is measured off of the size he intends to 
build ; water is then brought and poured upon the 
hard ground, which is dug up with the hoe, and mixed 
into mortar with the feet, then taken up in balls, and 
the foundation of the walls, about a foot and a half 
high, by the same in thickness, is laid all around. 
Two or three days are sufficient to dry this, and then a 
second tier is laid in a similar manner, and so on till 
the walls are raised some seven or eight feet. The 
roof is constructed of bamboo poles running up and 
down, secured by the same split into thin laths, run 
ning lengthwise, and tied to the former by grass 
strings. This forms a net-work, on which straw or 
long grass is smoothly laid, and bound with strings, 
making it six inches, or so, in thickness. This effectu 
ally sheds the rain, and affords protection from the 
heat of the sun. The inside of the house is filled up 
with earth one or two feet, and thoroughly beaten 
down, so as to be dry and hard. This constitutes the 
floor. The walls and floor are then neatly washed 
with a mixture of earth, cow-dung and water, which 
forms a coating that serves to protect them from the 
rain, and gives them a neat and smooth appearance. 



VILLAGES, HOUSES, &C. 29 

The eaves project over the walls two or three feet, to 
prevent their being washed by the rains, and a veran 
dah is usually constructed on the front side. If the 
walls are washed once or twice a year with the mix 
ture above mentioned, they will remain firm for many 
years. The roof must be repaired annually ; the 
decayed grass removed, and a thin coat bound over 
the old. If the family is large and the establishment 
complete, rooms are built on the four sides of an open 
space thirty or forty feet square, all opening into it, 
and one or two doors opening from it to the outside. 
In this court much of the family work is done, away 
from observation. The cattle occupy one of the rooms 
under the same roof with the family, and pass in and 
out by the same door. 

There are many patriarchal families ; the sons, 
when married, never leaving the paternal roof. New 
apartments are added, when needed, to the original 
establishment, and the labor and profits of the concern 
are all in common. If the family is engaged in 
agriculture its lands may be remote from the village, 
wherever obtainable. The villages are situated from 
a quarter of a mile to a mile apart ; footpaths leading 
from one to the other, over the rice fields. 

Many of the wealthier people build their houses 
of brick, and either cover them with thatch like the 
mud huts, or with tiles, arranged on beams, and cov 
ered with a mixture of broken brick and lime, pounded 
down and polished, so as to be as hard and smooth 



30 HINDUISM IN OIIISSA. 

almost as marble. This is the ordinary flat roof of the 
East. 

Some erect a frame-work of poles and plaster it 
within and without with mud. for walls, and cover 
with thatch as above. These are not so durable, 
however, as those above mentioned. Five dollars will 
suffice for erecting a comfortable house for a small 
family. 

FURNITURE. 

The household furniture of the Hindus is but little 
in advance of what we may suppose graced the dwell 
ing of Adam and Eve. A mat, or piece of straw 
carpeting spread upon the ground, answers for a bed. 
Chairs and tables are not needed, as they have not 
yet learned their use. An earthen pot for boiling 
rice, a jar for holding water, a drinking-dish, a plate 
for each person, a salt-dish, lamp and oil-holder, all 
of the same material, answer a tolerable purpose. 
Many a newly married pair keep house comfortably, 
with furniture that has not cost more than three or 
four cents. If able, brass dishes are used instead of 
earthen, but they are not considered necessary. 

DRESS. 

The dress of the Hindu is simple, neat, and econom 
ical. Seven yards of white cotton cloth suffice for 
a man. This is divided into two portions. One, 
of four yards, is wrapped around the waist, coming 



DRESS. 31 

down below the knees. The other is worn over the 
shoulders like a shawl, in cold weather, or wrapped 
around the head, in hot, to protect it from the sun. 

Native gentlemen sometimes wear a long frock-coat 
of white cotton, fitting the upper part of the body, 
and coming down below the knees ; and some wear 
a sort of jacket, of the same description, meeting the 
lower cloth before described. 

The women wear but one cloth, five or six yards 
in length. It is wrapped around the waist, carried 
up over the head, and allowed to fall down in front 
nearly to the feet. This is easily drawn over the face, 
when modesty requires, so as to conceal it from the 
view of a stranger. In cold weather she sometimes 
wears beneath this a jacket similar to that worn by 
men. All is generally of white cotton, except that 
married women wear a cloth with a red border, pure 
white being considered a sign of widowhood. Red 
and yellow cloths are sometimes worn. 

Ordinary clothing requires no making, and mend 
ing is not common. 

Shoes, mostly made of red sheepskin, gaily em 
broidered, are sometimes worn by the men. The soles 
are thick and heavy, and they are worn down at the 
heel, in order to facilitate their removal. They are 
carried in the hand when passing through mud or 
water, and removed when saluting a superior, entering 
a place of religious worship, or a dwelling. 

Ornaments for the wrists are considered indispensa- 



HINDUISM IX ORISSA. 



ble to the married woman. To be without them is 
considered a sign of widowhood. Five pounds of 
brass rino-s are often seen on each wrist. When able, 




silver ornaments of various descriptions are worn on 
the wrists, neck, fingers, and in the ears and nose. 



FOOD, CLOTHING, <tC. 38 

Cheaper articles in gum are sometimes substituted for 
brass. 

Rings, and bell rings, are usually seen on the 
ankles of public women. 

FOOD, CLOTHING, &C. 

Boiled rice is the principal food of the Hindu, for 
every meal and for every day of his life. Vegeta 
bles, such as the egg-plant, pumpkin, yam, and the 
like, are usually cut up and stewed in butter or oil, 
with pounded spices intermixed, and a small quantity 
of this is eaten with the rice to give it a relish. Fish, 
either fresh or dried, is used in the same way. Meat, 
in small quantities, is eaten by some castes ; but it is 
contrary to the principles of. their religion to kill 
animals, except in sacrifice. This rule is not strictly 
adhered to, however, as there are many who eat kid, 
wild boar, deer, &c., without scruple. 

The shasters teach that there is no harm in eating 
animals that have died of disease ; and such are gen 
erally acceptable to the lower classes. 

Cooking apparatus is extremely simple. A small 
excavation is made in the floor of the room where the 
family live, and the earth raised a few inches on three 
sides, so as to admit of a pot being set upon it ; the 
whole is then washed over with the mixture of earth, 
cow-dung and water, and this answers for a fire-place. 
The pot is set on and the fire built underneath. The 
smoke fills the room, and finds its way out at the 



34 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

door, and through the thatch roof. The natives are 
so accustomed to smoke that they are not disturbed 
by it. 

WASHING. 

Washing is done by men. A stone or plank is 
placed in a river or tank, near the shore, the sur 
face just above the water, on which the clothes are 
beaten. The washerman stands in the water, and 
taking the clothes, article by article, dips and beats 
them alternately. For once dipping he beats them 
three or four times. This process renders them white 
as the driven snow, though it is so severe that fringes 
are abundant, and none but the most thorough stitch 
ing will stand so severe a test. The nicer articles are 
usually boiled in ashes and water, or washed with 
soap, to avoid the necessity of so much beating. 

MECHANICAL TRADES. 

The Hindus are not deficient in mechanical skill. 
Whatever the circumstances of the people demand 
they find no difficulty in producing. Carpenters, 
blacksmiths, shoemakers, &c., abound, but these arts 
are in rather a rude state. In the manufacture of 
cotton goods, and gold and silver ornaments, they long 
excelled every other nation. Everything is done by 
hand, and with the rudest implements ; and yet, it is 
said that the Hindu produces finer cotton thread and 
cloth than can be done by machinery. 



IMPLEMENTS OF HUSBANDRY. 35 

The art of masonry lias been carried to a high 
degree of perfection. The erection of so many splendid 
temples has tended to produce this result. The Hindu 
mason excels in ornamental work. Their style of 
architecture is peculiar ; less symmetrical, perhaps, 
than that of other nations ; but, in durability, and 
adaptedness to the destructible elements of the coun 
try, unsurpassed by any. 

There is a beautiful bridge in the District of Bala- 
sore, erected by the Hindus some four hundred years 
ago, that appears as firm as when first completed ; 
and it will, probably, remain for centuries after every 
similar structure erected by the English has crumbled 
to dust. 

IMPLEMENTS OF HUSBANDRY. 

These are few and simple. 1. The plough is but 
little in advance of that formerly used by the Indians. 
It consists of a carved block, with a handle in one 
end, and a flat piece of iron, some eight inches long 
by two wide, stuck in the other. A pole is attached 
to the centre of the block, and the other end fastened 
to the yoke. A man holds the plough with one hand, 
and twists the tails of the bullocks with the other to 
urge them on. This turns no furrow, but merely 
scratches the surface. 2. The yoke is a flat board, 
some three inches wide, for the plough, and a round 
stick for the cart. This rests against the hump over 
the shoulders, the bullocks being tied to it by strings. 



DIFFERENT RACES. THE HINDUS. 37 

3. A hoe, sufficiently large and heavy to break up 
the hard soil. 4. A bundle of brush, drawn over the 
ground, answers the purpose of a harrow. 5. The 
sickle is used for cutting the grain ; and, 6. If we 
add a rude axe for cutting wood, we have the whole 
of the husbandman s set-up of tools. 



CHAPTER V. 

Different Races. Hindus. Caste. Mahamadans. Hill Tribes. 
Santals. Bhumijas. 

DIFFERENT RACES. 

BY far the greater portion of the people are Hindus, 
though scattered among them there are several thou 
sands of Mahamadans ; and in the western highlands 
there is a considerable population of Santals, &c. 

THE HINDUS. 

The Hindus are supposed to combine several dis 
tinct races, closely assimilated many centuries- ago. 
They are divided into classes, called caste, according 
to their station in life and employment. The Hindu 
shasters assert that this division into castes was made 
at the beginning by Brahma, the Creator ; that he pro 
duced the Brahmans, the highest and most honored of 
4 



38 HINDUISM IN OKISSA. 

all, from his head ; indicating thereby that they should 
live by intellectual exertion : the Kyatri, or soldier, 
from his arms, that they might protect their brethren 
from the aggressions of the wicked by physical power : 
the Baisya, or merchant, from his abdomen, that he 
might sit and trade : * the Sudra, or laborer, from his 
feet, that he might be the servant of all. These four 
original castes have been subdivided into a great num 
ber of others, though their general characters are still 
retained. 

The Brahmans, or priests, are considered very 
sacred, and are excused from all servile labor. They 
are the best educated and the most influential class. 
They officiate at the temples, read and expound the 
sacred books, the most sacred of which are only acces 
sible to them. Their various fees afford them an 
ample support, without labor. 

The Kyatri caste supply a large portion of the sol 
diers in the armies of the native princes, and of the 
East India Company. Many of these princes and 
wealthy land-holders are also of this caste. They arc 
next to the Brahmans in respectability and influence. 

There are few of the original mercantile caste in 

* The idea seems to be that these several castes were produced 
from that portion of the body which would be most employed in 
their respective professions. The trader sits upon the ground, 
with his goods around him. The abdomen is the most prominent 
part. 



CASTES. 39 

Orissa. The Sudras and Brahmans are now the prin 
cipal traders. 

The Sudra caste supplies the principal portion of 
the farmers, mechanics and day-laborers ; also mer 
chants and servants. 

The Brahman and Sudra castes are more subject to 
subdivision than the other two. All these are consid 
ered as within the pale of respectable society, though 
they are not allowed to intermarry, or eat together. 

Aside from these there are several classes that are 
looked upon as outcasts, exceedingly low and degraded. 
Their origin is accounted for in the following manner : 
After Brahma had created those above mentioned, as 
he was one day rubbing the scurf from his body, the 
thought occurred to him that he would make a man 
of it. He did so, and sent him forth into the world. 
After some time, he returned to his maker, and said 
that no one would have any intercourse with him, 
touch him, or speak to him, and asked him indignantly 
why he had made him thus. Brahma replied that it 
could not now be helped, but that he might have this 
to console him, that on two occasions he should take 
precedence of all others ; he should walk before them 
in procession, and they should follow after ; namely, 
on marriage and funeral occasions. Consequently, 
the members of this caste became musicians ; and, on 
all occasions when music is requisite, they head the 
procession, or occupy the most conspicuous place. 
Among these castes we find the scavenger, leather- 



40 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

dresser and shoemaker, and a variety of others whose 
employment is considered unclean. To touch some 
of these would render bathing necessary; and it is 
said that, should a high caste man speak the name of 
a leather-dresser, it would insure the necessity of spit 
ting three times, to purify his mouth. 

These castes are purely hereditary. A person born 
in one can never become a member of another, though, 
by violating certain rules, he may become an outcast. 
It is considered a great disgrace, in many cases worse 
than death, to lose caste. 

We find the influence of caste constantly operating, 
in a variety of ways, against the elevation of the peo 
ple. A man must follow the avocations of his fathers ; 
he can engage in nothing else, can choose no new 
employment, can make no improvement, but must be 
what his fathers have been before him. Here we see 
the reason, probably, why the Hindu has never 
changed, but has remained for twenty-three centuries, 
at least, the same stereotyped being. 

MAHAMADANS. 

When the Mahamadans conquered India, many of 
the Hindus were compelled to embrace their religion ; 
and, ever since, they have occasionally received acces 
sions to their ranks by conversions. These have 
become amalgamated with their conquerors by mar 
riage, and thus formed a new and distinct class. They 



THE HILL TRIBES. 41 

constitute no inconsiderable portion of the commu 
nity ; some few are engaged in agriculture, but more as 
police officers, soldiers and servants. In complexion 
and habits they resemble the Hindus, though their 
features plainly indicate their descent from the family 
of Abraham. They speak the language of the Indian 
Moslems, the Hindustani, as their vernacular, 
though most of them understand the Oriya. Their 
education is mostly in Persian and Arabic literature ; 
their religious belief and customs are based on the 
Koran, though somewhat influenced by long-continued 
contact with heathenism. They are extremely big 
oted, and, if anything, exceed the Hindus in immoral 
ity and vice. 

THE HILL TRIBES. 

There are within or on the borders of the district 
of Balasore two or three branches of the aboriginal 
tribes inhabiting the hilly districts. 

It is probable that the various tribes now occupying 
the mountainous or hilly portions of Hindustan were 
the original possessors of the country; but, being 
overcome by the Hindus, took refuge in the more 
inaccessible regions, leaving the plains to the invaders. 
And there for many centuries they have lived, away 
from the noise and tumult of war and conquest. The 
wealth of his more civilized neighbors has attracted the 
cupidity of -foreigners ; the conqueror has come, and 
and again subdued and pillaged the people of the 
4* 



42 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

plains, being conquersd in turn by others more power 
ful; but the jungle tribes have looked out from their 
wilderness home, calm and unmoved, upon the clash of 
arms and the bloody strife of contending armies, safe 
within their mountain fastnesses and the almost impen 
etrable wilderness ; the natural defences of the coun 
try presenting to the invader more formidable obsta 
cles than marshalled armies and the fortifications of 
art. And there, in the midst of political turmoil and 
change, they have lived, a peculiar people, isolated 
from the world, and uninfluenced by it. Ages have 
passed over them and witnessed no change, no improve 
ment, no progress. 

THE SANTALS. 

The Santals are the most populous of the tribes 
above mentioned. They occupy the north-western 
portion of the district, and are principally located in 
the territories of the Maharbanj Raja, to whom they 
are subject. They invariably prefer the wilderness, 
and never build their villages in the plains. They 
cultivate the soil to some extent, but live principally 
by selling wood, coal and leaves, to their Hindu neigh 
bors. Their language and religion are peculiar, and 
in their manners and customs they differ essentially 
from the Hindus. 

They are less influenced by caste, though that sys 
tem prevails among them to some extent: They have 



THE BHUMIJAS. PHYSIOGNOMY. 43 

no regular priesthood, no temples, no systematic reli 
gion. They are fond of intoxicating drink, music and 
dancing. Their literature is embraced in a few oral 
songs and traditions ; they have no written language. 
They are a mild and inoffensive people, and we have 
reason to believe that missionary effort among them 
would be more immediately successful than among the 
Hindus, since the obstacles to the introduction of 
Christianity appear, on partial acquaintance, to be far 
less. 

THE BHUMIJAS. 

Next in importance to the Santals are the Bhumi- 
jas, a similar people, occupying the same portion of 
the district, and speaking a language strongly resem 
bling the Santal, and, in most particulars, differing 
little from them. They are considerably less numer 
ous than the former, and it is probable that missionary 
effort among them also would prove eminently success 
ful, could they be brought under religious influence. 

There are small portions of one or two other tribes 
scattered among those already mentioned, but they are 
not sufficiently numerous to render a particular descrip 
tion necessary. 

PHYSIOGNOMY. 

The complexion of these different races varies from 
a dark copper color to black. Those whose occupa 
tion is mostly within doors are rather lighter than 



44 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

those more exposed. The hill-tribes are darker than 
the people of the plains. The hair is straight and 
black, and worn long both by men and women. The 
eyes are black, the lips thin, nose prominent, fore 
heads elevated, the intellectual faculties predominating. 
They have an intellectual cast of countenance, and are 
rather good-looking than otherwise. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Languages. Literature. Sacred Books. Poetical Works. 
Astronomy. Geography. Schools. 

LANGUAGES. 

THERE are three vernacular languages spoken by 
the inhabitants of the Balasore district. 1. The 
Oriya, one of the Hindu family of languages, derived 
principally from the Sanscrit. This is spoken by the 
greater part of the Hindu population. 2. The Hin 
dustani, derived principally from the Arabic and Per 
sian, and spoken by the Mahamadans. 3. The San- 
tal, with which may be classed the Bhumija, they both 
being dialects of the same language. 

LITERATURE. 

The Oriya contains a large number of religious and 
literary works, both prose and poetical, a considerable 



LITERATURE. 45 

portion of which are translations from the Sanscrit. 
Many, however, are original. They have also works 
on medicine, astronomy, history, geography, &c. 

The sacred books, or sliasters, are made up of 
legendary tales, of the exploits of their gods, philo 
sophical and metaphysical disquisitions. 

The Hindus have ever been a highly poetical peo 
ple. The greater part of their religious books are in 
metre, and some of them possess a high degree of lit 
erary merit. They are little known, however, to the 
European world, and, consequently, their merits are 
not generally appreciated. Had the Bhagabat, the 
Mahabharat, the Ilumayan, and some others, found a 
Pope, they might not have suffered much in compari 
son with the poetry of Greece. 

The number and size of these poetical works are by 
no means inconsiderable. The Mahabharat consists 
of two hundred thousand lines j the Ramayan of forty- 
eight thousand ; the Purans of one million six hun 
dred thousand. 

The Hindus knowledge of astronomy is very 
obscjure, their principal theory being that of the Ptol 
emaic system, i. e., that the earth is stationary, and 
that the sun, moon and stars revolve round it. When 
these have performed their appointed task for the day 
or night, and arrived at the western horizon, they are 
supposed to take the nearest road back to the eastern 
side of the earth, to be ready for their next day s or 
night s labor. They are able, however, to calculate 



46 HINDUISM IN OKISSA. 

eclipses with accuracy, not from a knowledge of the 
principles involved, but, as it is said, from certain 
tables which have been handed down from their ances 
tors. Their system of geography is not less errone 
ous. They suppose that Hindustan is the world, a 
plane, around which flow seven seas. Scattered among 
these seas are seven islands, inhabited by foreigners. 
Beyond this their knowledge (?) does not extend. 
They suppose the earth rests upon a serpent, the ser 
pent upon a tortoise, the tortoise upon the back of an 
elephant. Earthquakes are occasioned by the ser 
pent s, from some cause or other, changing his position. 

Their history, if such it may be called, is but a 
collection of the wildest and most impossible legends, 
giving an account of the exploits of their heroes, gods, 
demons, men and animals. 

All their books are of palm-leaf, written with a 
pointed steel ; each leaf being about a foot and a half 
in length by two inches wide. The leaf is perforated 
in the centre, and a string passed through. As many 
as may be necessary to make up the book are passed 
on to this string, and are thus kept in position. Books 
are usually from two to six inches in thickness. They 
are very durable, and not so liable to injury as paper. 

A considerable portion of the males, perhaps one 
half, have some advantages of education. The females 
are seldom taught to read. Schools are established in 
almost every village, in many cases a large tree 
answering instead of a house; and there, with his 



EDUCATION. 



47 



pupils sitting upon the ground around him. the village 
pedagogue, rattan in hand, reigns supreme ; and there, 




HINDU SCHOOL. 



with the ground for a blackboard, and a soapstone 
pencil in hand, he teaches the arts of reading, writing 
and arithmetic. 

After some years have passed, and his pupils arc 
sufficiently advanced to enter upon the higher branches, 
they are taught to read and chant the sacred books, 
Sanscrit dictionary, &c. The teacher is paid by a 
tax upon the scholars, either in money, clothing, or 
provisions, as the parties may be able to agree. From 
one to two dollars a month is a tolerable salary. 

The Brahmans, or priests, are generally better edu- 



48 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

cated than the other classes. They have schools for 
the education of their children, where, in addition to 
the branches already mentioned, they are taught the 
Sanscrit language and the higher sacred books, which 
are sealed to the common people. 

The Mahamadans also have their schools, where, in 
addition to the ordinary branches above mentioned, 
the Persian language is taught. They, too, have a 
variety of works, literary, religious and poetical, 
written in both the Hindustani and Persian languages. 
Arabic is sometimes studied by the priests, but their 
knowledge of this language is generally very limited. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Hindu Mythology. Brahma. Brahma the Creator. Bisnu. 
Siba. Ten Incarnations of Bisnu. Macha. Kacha. 
Baraha. Narasinga. Banian. Prosuram. Rama Chan 
dra. 

HINDU MYTHOLOGY. 

THE Hindus adopt the theory that there is one great 
supreme being, from whom all things proceed ; that he 
has created an almost infinite number of inferior 
deities, who are placed/ as his agents over different 
departments of his works. He is not supposed to 
take particular cognizance of the affairs of the universe, 
but, as a god has a perfect right to do, exists in a 
state of unconscious rest. Consequently, he is not an 



BRAHMA. 



49 



object of worship, as he would not be cognizant of the 
adoration of his creatures. 

The inferior divinities are worshipped for the pur 
pose of obtaining blessings, either temporal or spirit 
ual, which it is their peculiar prerogative to bestow. 
Some are objects of daily worship ; others are only 
worshipped on particular occasions. 

The following are the most important of the Hindu 
deities : 

i. BRAHMA. (Ananta Say ana and Par ameswara.) 

This is the great supreme being, from whom all 
things have proceeded, and into whom all will eventu 
ally be absorbed. He is represented as being forever 

asleep, as one of 
his names, Anan- 
ta Sayana, Ever 
lasting Sleeper, 
indicates. 

Having per 
formed the first 
acts of creation, 
formed the first 
triad of gods, 
Brahma, Bisnu, 
andSlba, to pre 
side over the affairs 
of the universe, he 
has retired to rest, sleeping upon the back of an enor- 






50 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

mous serpent, basking on the sea of milk. Whenever 
the affairs of the universe become so complicated that 
the inferior gods are not able to manage them, they 
are allowed to awake him; and, having given the 
necessary directions, he again sleeps on, perhaps for 
another succession of ages. 

The highest state of bliss to which the Hindu hopes 
to attain is that of absorption into this supreme being. 
For this he will perform the most astonishing pen 
ance, endure the most excruciating pain, and that, too, 
for a series of years, in order that he may at last lose 
his individual identity, and, forming a part of him. 
sleep on forever, basking on that sea of milk. 

BRAHMA, THE CREATOR. 

A lily once grew from the navel of the Everlasting 
Sleeper (see preceding cut), from which Brahma, the 
creator, was produced. By him the world was made. 
He is represented as a man in a sitting posture, with 
four heads and four hands. The four Beds, the first 
series of the sacred books, proceeded from his four 
mouths. In one hand he holds a copy of the Beds ; 
in another a hammer or mallet, the instrument of cre 
ation ; with another he is counting beads ; and in the 
fourth he holds a lota, or water-vessel. Brahma is 
not an object of worship, on account of a falsehood 
that he once told. It is said " there was once a dis 
pute between him and Bisnu as to who was the great 
est. While thus contending, Slba appeared between 



52 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

the two as a pillar of fire, and told them that he who 
w r ould first find the top or bottom of the pillar would 
show thereby his superiority. Bisnu assumed the 
form of a hog, and began to root up the earth, with 
the hope of finding the bottom; Brahma changed 
himself into a swan, and, flying up towards the top, 
cried out " I have found it," when he had not. For 
this he was cursed, and has never been worshipped 
since. 

BISNU. (Vishnu, Bees/mu, fyc.) 

The second in the triad is Bisnu, the preserver. 
He is represented as a man sitting, having four 
hands. In one he holds the chakra, a kind of wheel, 
an instrument of war, in another a club, his emblem 
of power, and in the others the shell and flower, all 
emblematical of his divinity. Bisnu, under various 
incarnations, is more extensively worshipped, for the 
purpose of obtaining spiritual blessings, than all the 
other gods of the Hindus put together. These incar 
nations will be described hereafter. 

..^ SIB A. 

8ib, Sheeb, Siva, Seeba, Mahddeb and Eswara. 

The third in the triad is Siba, the destroyer. He 
is represented as a man sitting, holding in his hand 
the trident, the emblem of his divinity. The char 
acter of this god is represented as depraved in the 
extreme. In licentiousness and uncleanness he ex- 



INCARNATIONS OF BISNU. MACE A. 



ceeds all others. He delights in human sufferings, 
and it is in his worship that some of the most shock 
ing penances are performed. He is extensively wor 
shipped in his character of destroyer, in order to 
avert evil, and thereby secure temporal blessings. 
He is not supposed capable of conferring any spirit 
ual good whatever. The peculiar forms of the wor 
ship of this god are too obscene for description. 

THE TEN INCARNATIONS OF BISNU. 

We have already said that Bisnu, the preserver, 
under various incarnations, has been, and still is, 
more extensively worshipped than all the other gods 
of the Hindus put together. There have already 
been, in various ages of the world, nine incarnations ; 
the tenth is yet to come before the end of all things. 

1. MACIIA. (Fish incarnation.} 

In this incarnation Bisnu is 
represented as half man and 
half fish. He became incarnate 
in this form in order to pre 
serve King Satiabhrata and his 
family of eight thousand souls 
from the deluge, which was to 
destroy the wicked. An ark 
had been constructed, into which 
this family were instructed to 
5* 




54 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

take refuge, and Bisnu bore the whole in safety on 
his back until the waters subsided from off the earth. 



2. KACHA. (Tortoise incarnation.) 

The second form assumed by 
Bisnu was that of a tortoise. 
The superiority of the gods over 
men consisted, in part, in their 
possessing the principle or es 
sence of immortality, the drink 
ing of which secured to them 
exemption from fatal accident. 
This principle had been acci 
dentally lost in the sea, and the 
gods and demons combined together to churn the sea, to 
bring it up. A large company had assembled to assist 
in the operation, and, having taken an enormous 
mountain for a churn-stick, they caught the prince of 
serpents for a string, and commenced twirling it round 
and round.* But having no foundation on which to 
rest the mountain, it sunk in the sea. Bisriu, seeing 
their dilemma, assumed the form of a tortoise, and 
sustained the mountain on his back while the sea 

* The Hindu churn, here referred to, is thus constructed. In a 
jar containing the milk, a stick, three or four feet in length, is set, 
the upper part being loosely attached to a post, a string applied 
round the stick, one end being held in each hand ; this is then 
pulled back and forth, which keeps the stick whirling in the milk. 




BARAHA. NARASINGA. 55 

was churned and the nectar recovered. But, having 
obtained it, the gods drank the whole, and, conse 
quently, became immortal; while the poor demons, 
unable to obtain their portion, remained subject to 
death. 

3. BARAHA. (Boar incarnation.) 
Half man and half swine. An 
evil demon had nearly succeeded 
in submerging the earth in the 
sea, and Bisnu assumed the form 
of a boar, and sustained the earth 
above the water on his tusks. 




4, NARASINGA. {Man- Lion incarnation.) 

Represented as half man and 
half lion, emerging from a cloven 
pillar. 

A demon denied Bisnu s om 
nipresence, saying, that if he was 
omnipresent he was in a certain 
pillar, which, at the same time, 
he smote, when lo ! the god ap 
peared in the above form from 
the opening pillar, and destroyed 
him. 




56 



HINDUISM IN KISS A. 



5. BAMAN. (Dwarf incarnation.) 

Bisnu is here represented as a small 
man, holding an umbrella. He became 
incarnate in this form to destroy King 
Bali, a tyrannical monarch who had 
cruelly oppressed the world. The 
dwarf appeared before him one day, 
asking alms. The king, much pleased 
with his address, told him to ask what he would, and 
it should be granted. He only desired sufficient 
space to set three feet upon ; and. this being granted, 
with one foot he filled the earth, with the other 
heaven, and a third, which sprang from his body, he 
placed upon the head of Bali, and thrust him into 
hell. 





6. PRASURAM. 

This was a military hero. He 
is represented as a man holding 
a battle-axe in his hand. 

The object of this incarnation 
was to destroy or humble a por 
tion of the military race that 
had become too powerful and 
arrogant. 



RAMCHANDRA. 
7. RAMCHAKDRA. 

Another military hero. The bow 
and quiver of arrows are the emblems 
of his power. 

The principal object of this incar 
nation seems to have been to conquer 
and destroy Rabana, a giant living in 
Ceylon. 

Neither of these seven incarnations 
are now extensively worshipped ; nor 
are they supposed to be able to confer 
spiritual blessings. Bisnu is supposed to have as 
sumed these forms for a specific purpose, and that 
purpose having been accomplished, their day has 
passed away. The two following are worthy of more 
particular notice, since they are still extensively wor 
shipped 




58 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Krisnu. His Birth and early Exploits. Character. Wor 
ship of Krisnu. Counting Beads. Jagarnath. Origin of 
the Image. Temple at Pooree. Priests and Pandas. 
Blessings supposed to result from Pilgrimage. Festivals. 
Car Festival. Mortality among the Pilgrims. Their Suffer 
ings. Government Connection with the Shrine. Private Ex 
penses of Jagarnath. 



KRISNU. 

THIS incarnation is represented in 
various forms. The most common 
is that of a man dancing and playing 
upon a flute. He was a military 
hero, famed in war. The object of 
his incarnation was the destruction 
of a race of demons that then in 
fested the earth. 

The tenth book of the Bhagabat 
commemorates his godlike exploits. 

It is there related that Kangsa, 
the prince of the demons, had a sister married to 
Basudeb. On their wedding day a voice from the 
skies informed Kangsa that the eighth child of his 
sister would prove his destroyer. To prevent the 
fulfilment of this prophecy he shut up his sister and 
her husband in prison, and had them closely guarded. 




KRISNU. 59 

Seven of their children he destroyed at birth. At 
length Krisnu, the eighth, was born. The gods 
were interested in his preservation. 

His father was directed, on the night of his birth, 
to take the child to the village of Gopipur, and 
exchange it for the goddess Durga, who had been 
born there at the same time. Receiving this com 
mand, his fetters fell off, the prison doors opened, and 
he went forth as directed. The exchange was made 
without the knowledge of the parents of Durga and 
Basudeb returned with her to the prison ; the doors 
of which ejtfsed after him, and his fetters returned 
upon him as before. 

The child cried and awoke the guard, who commu 
nicated the news of its birth to the king; and he 
came, forthwith, to destroy it as he had done the 
others. Taking it by the feet, he raised it over his 
head , to dash it against the wall, when it escaped 
from his hands and vanished into heaven. 

Kangsa then sent forth his demon subjects to seek 
out and destroy Krisnu ; but, as many as came within 
his reach were destroyed by him. He eventually 
annihilated the race, slew his cruel uncle, and reigned 
in his stead. 

Many amusing stories are told of his conflicts with 
these demons. Soon after his birth, one of them, 
assuming the form of a wet-nurse, came and offered 
her services to his mother, in order to destroy him 



60 HINDUISM IN ORI3SA. 

with her poisoned breasts ; but the first effort of the 
infant god drew her life away. 

On another occasion, as he, with the children of 
the village, were tending the cattle in the fields, a 
demon appeared, and swallowed up all ; boys, cattle, 
fields and all. Krisnu immediately assumed the form 
of a mass of heated iron, and burnt through the mon 
ster, when the children and cattle came pouring forth 
from his mouth, as from some huge cavern in a lofty 
mountain. 

The character of Krisnu is represented as immoral 
in the extreme. In falsehood, deceit, and seductive 
power he exceeded all mortals ; and among the argu 
ments in favor of his divinity, it is urged that he was 
capable of greater excesses in licentiousness than any 
human being could possibly be, and, therefore, he 
must be divine. 

Krisnu came to his end in the following manner. 
As he was reposing beneath a tree in the forest, a 
huntsman espied one of his feet protruding from the 
foliage, and, taking it to be the ear of a sleeping deer, 
let fly an arrow, which pierced the foot, and ulti 
mately caused his death. 

WORSHIP OF KRISNU. 

Next to Jagarnath, Krisnu is more extensively 
worshipped than any other of the Hindu deities. 
Temples are erected in almost every important vil- 



JAGAKNATH. 61 

lage, where there are Brahmans in constant attend 
ance, to perform the ordinary rites, and receive the 
offerings of the people. 

A great degree of merit is supposed to result from 
repeating the name of Krisnu, since the sacred books 
hold out the hope of eternal life as the reward of such 
exercise. To secure this, there are many who spend 
hours of every day, often sitting up till late into the 
night, doing nothing else than repeating the names 
of Krisnu upon a string of beads. Here, in all 
probability, we see the origin of a custom that now 
prevails extensively among the heathen and the Ma- 
hamadans, as well as among the Catholic and Eastern 
churches, that of pronouncing the name of the deity 
upon a string of beads. We suppose it to have 
originated in the worship of Krisnu, since that is 
more ancient than either of the other forms. 

9. JAGARNATII. 

Ddru Brahma (wooden god), Budha, incarna 
tion of wisdom. 

The object of this incarnation was to explain the 
Beds. 

Bisnu being at the present time incarnate in the 
form of Jagarnath, he is worshipped more than all 
the other gods of the Hindus put together. Jagar 
nath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra, his brother and 
sister, are invariably worshipped together. 
6 



62 



HINDUISM IN OHISSA. 



The images are the most clumsy and hideous im 
aginable. 




IMAGE OF JAGARXATn. 



The account of their origin is as follows : After 
Krisnu s death, an attempt was made to burn the 
body, according to the custom of the country. The 
pile was erected and fired, but the body would not 
burn. To dispose of it, it was thrown into the river ; 
thence it floated down to the sea, and was cast on 
shore at Pooree, in the shape of a log. The temple 
had been previously erected there, and the raja of 
the place was anxiously awaiting some revelation in 
regard to the idols that should occupy it. He heard 



JAGARN^TH. 



63 



of this curious log, and it was reveled to him that of 
that the idols must be constructed. He and his offi 
cers of state, accompanied by some carpenters, repaired 
to the shore. They found, indeed, a wonderful log. 
The carpenters tried their adze upon it, but could 
make no impression j they rebounded as from the 
hardest steel. 




LOG OF WHICH JAGARNATII WAS MADE. 



In this dilemma, as they were looking on with 
astonishment, an old man appeared, very feeble and 
emaciated, his legs enormously swollen with ele 
phantiasis, and so asthmatic he could hardly breathe. 
On his shoulders he carried an adze, with which he 
struck the log, and severed it in two at a single blow. 
With another stroke he divided it again. He then 
engaged to make the necessary idols, on conditioo 



64 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

that he should be shut up in an enclosure for twenty- 
two days, during which time he was. not to be dis 
turbed. All being arranged, he shouldered the logs 
and walked into the enclosure. For several days the 
click of his adze was heard, and then all was still. 
Great excitement prevailed without, for they feared 
that the poor old man was dead. On the twentieth 
day the suspense could be endured no longer, and the 
doors were forced. The three images were found as 
now represented, but the old man was not there. He 
had retired whence he came, to the land of the gods, 
and left his work unfinished. This explains the rea 
son of Jagarnath s having such awkward stumps in 
stead of hands. The two remaining days were nec 
essary for completing them. 

The shrine of Jagarnath was established at Pooree, 
in the province of Orissa, in 1198. No expense was 
spared in making this one of the most splendid in the 
land, in order to attract the attention of the people 
to it. A temple was erected of stone, one of the 
largest in the country, one hundred and ninety feet 
in height, surrounded by a wall thirty feet high, 
and enclosing an area about six hundred and fifty feet 
square, at an expense of something like two millions 
of dollars. Within this enclosure there are also one 
hundred and twenty small temples, devoted to the wor 
ship of various gods. There are some three thousand 
p-iests connected with the shrine, a portion of whom 
officiate daily before the idols. There are, also, sev- 



JAGARNATH. 65 

eral thousands of pandas, emissaries of Jagarnath, 
who travel throughout the country, persuading the 
people to go on pilgrimage. They tell them that he 
is the great lord of the world, as his name indicates ; 
that the place where he dwells is the very gate of 
heaven, and so holy that for ten miles around the 
temple no sin is found; that whoever dies there is 
sure of being received immediately into heaven. They 
assure them that whoever goes on pilgrimage to 
Pooree, and sees the idol there, will secure infinite 
blessings, and whatever sins he may have committed 
will there drop from him. Consequently, multitudes 
are induced to go on pilgrimage, a long and weary 
journey, in order to secure such great blessings. 

Connected with the shrine of Jagarnath there are 
twenty-four annual festivals. Among these the car 
festival is the most important. 

Once a year the idols are brought forth from the 
temple, placed upon cars constructed for the occasion, 
and drawn for half a mile or so, placed in a small tem 
ple for a few days, and then returned in a similar 
manner. 

This occasion attracts a multitude of pilgrims to 
Pooree. In some years there have been as many as 
three hundred thousand present. 

The ceremonies of the occasion are as follows : 

Three cars are erected, on which the gods are to ride. 

That of Jagarnath is forty-five feet in height, has 

sixteen wheels, seven feet in diameter, and a platform 

6* 



66 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

thirty-five feet square. The other cars are of the 
same form, but so/ ne what smaller, and having a less 
number of wheels. 

On the appointed day the images are brought forth 
and placed upon these cars, when the admiring mul 
titudes welcome them with shouts of "jae Jagar 
nath," victory to Jagarnath. Heavy ropes are at 
tached to the cars, and they are then slowly drawn by 
the multitude to their place of destination. Sixteen 
hundred men are assigned to the car of Jagarnath, 
fourteen hundred men to that of Balabhadra, and 
twelve hundred to that of Subhadra. The infatuated 
crowd rend the air with their shouts of " Hari bol, 
Hari bol ! " and sometimes the deluded pilgrim throws 
himself beneath the wheels of the car, as it rolls 
heavily along, and is crushed beneath its ponderous 
weight, a voluntary sacrifice to Jagarnath. 

When the idols have appeared to the admiring view 
of the pilgrims, the object of their journey being ac 
complished, they begin to pour forth from Pooree, a 
continued multitude, on their way home; for they 
have learned that although it is so holy a place, and 
the gate of heaven, disease and death reign there in 
their most horrid forms. And, to escape disease, they 
travel as fast as their strength will allow, many of them 
not stopping to cook, but, subsisting on the cold rice 
they have brought from Pooree, they hasten away 
from the presence of their god as from pestilence and 
deffch. There are not sufiicient accommodations on 



JAGARNATH. 67 

the road to shelter so great a multitude ; consequently 
many of them are obliged to sleep in the open air, on 
the bare ground, exposed to the pelting rain. Thus 
drenched by day and night, exhausted by long fasting 
and fatigue, they become predisposed to disease ; and 
cholera usually closes the scene with many of these 
poor pilgrims, carrying them off by hundreds and 
thousands. 

Wherever the pilgrim falls, there he is usually left 
to die. Companions and friends hasten on their way, 
and leave him to his fate. And as he groans his 
troubled life away, he may beg of the passer-by for 
a cup of water to quench his dying thirst, and beg in 
vain. The pilgrim s heart is steeled to human suffer 
ing ; pity is a stranger to his bosom. And there, 
with thoughts of home and friends far away, forsaken 
and alone, the pilgrim dies. No, not quite alone ! 
The vulture eyes him from above. Jackals and 
ravens sit around and watch his glazing eye, and listen 
to his dying groan, and when all is still in death, they 
telegraph their friends to the feast, and anon, all that 
remain are a few scattered bones, over wliich angry 
dogs are snarling, or vultures and jackals fighting. 
These are the fruits of pilgrimage ; these are thy 
trophies, Jagarnath ! 

And yet, for nearly forty years, Christian England s 
representative in the East has delighted to honor 
Jagarnath. When she hunted and banished the mis 
sionaries of .T^sus, as dangerous to the state, she has 



68 HINDUISM IN ORIS3A. 

hugged Jagarnath to her bosom. Ay, with his 
mangled corpses beneath his car, with his dead and 
dying votaries strewed thickly round, with the skulls 
of his victims scattered over the plains, still she has 
honored Jagarnath. She has collected his rents, kept 
his accounts, supplied his table, defended him from the 
attacks of his enemies, and, more than that, she has 
supplied her own scarlet broadcloth, that has clothed, 
her soldiers on many a battle-field, and been her sol 
diers honored shroud in death, she has supplied that 
with her own hand, to ornament the blood-stained car 
of Jagarnath ! And not till she had struggled long 
with England s warm philanthropy, would she con 
sent to loose him from her embrace.* 

The following abstract, in round numbers, of Jagar 
nath s private expenses, will give some faint idea of 
the splendor of his establishment : 

Annual expense of food for the idols. $7,700 

" " " dress " " " 2,200 

" " wages of his servants, 1,500 

:i " contingent expenses, 1,500 

" " " elephants and horses, 500 

" " " erecting the cars, 700 

" " broadcloth and silks for cars, 400 

* The East India Company has paid some ten thousand dollars 
annually as a bonus to Jagarnath; and it was only last year, after 
the most stringent orders had been sent out from England as the 
finale of a long controversy on the subject, that this donation was 
withheld. 



JAGARNATII. 69 

Annual expense of other idols in and out of the 

temple, 100 

" various presents, 200 

" " repairs, 200 



n 



Amount, 



15,000 



This account does not include the support of the 
priests, of course, nor any but the personal expenses 
of the idols. 

There are small temples erected to the worship of 
Jagarnuth in most of the large villages throughout the 
country, where forms of worship are constantly kept 
up, similar to those at Pooree, but with far less mag 
nificence. 

10. KALANKI. {Rust incarnation.) 

The form, will be 
that of a woman 
with the head of a 
horse, attended by a 
flying horse. This 
will be the last in 
carnation of Bisnu, 
and will succeed Ja- 
garnath ; when, pro 
phecy does not re 
veal. She will de 
stroy the wicked and 
restore the age of 
purity. 




70 HINDUISM IN GKISSA. 

CHAPTER IX. 

OTHER GODS EXTENSIVELY WORSHIPPED. 

Other gods. Ganesa. Origin of the Elephant s Head. His 
Worship. Durga. Her Festival and Worship. Lakmi. 
Account of her Quarrel with Jagarnath. Indra. The Sala- 
gram. Tulasi tree. Occasion of its Worship. 

ASIDE from those already mentioned, there are a 
great number of gods represented by images of stone, 
wood, earth, metals, &c. ; also animals and men, that 
are worshipped under peculiar circumstances, or at 
stated periods. The most important of these may be 
briefly noticed. 

1. GANESA, (The god of Wisdom.) 

This is the son of Siba, or Mahadeb. His form is 
that of a man, with an elephant s head, in a sitting 
posture. The occasion of his having an elephant s 
head is thus stated : When quite a child, his father 
went to fight the demons in distant parts, and did not 
return until his son had arrived at manhood. On 
the day of his return, his mother had set the young 
man to guard the gates of the palace. The father 
presented himself, and attempted to enter, but not 
being recognized by the son, was opposed by him. 



GANESA. 



71 



The parties drew their swords, and, at a single blow, 
Siba cut off the head of his son. Consternation 




reigned among the gods when the sad event became 
known, for one of their number had fallen. A coun 
cil was held among them, and, after considerable 



72 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

deliberation, it was decided that messengers should be 
sent forth on every side, and the first living thing, 
found sleeping with its head to the west, should have 
its head cut off, and by placing it upon the shoulders 
of Ganesa he should live again. The first thus found 
was an elephant. His head was severed and brought 
and placed upon the prostrate trunk, and it lived. 
And so, in this form, Ganesa has ever been wor 
shipped. 

A season of about a week is annually set apart in 
the fall of the year. A gorgeous image is made of 
clay, beautifully painted, and set up in a conspicuous 
place, where he is worshipped by making various 
offerings, music and dancing. Temples are in some 
instances erected to his permanent worship. He is 
supposed to confer temporal blessings, wealth and 
worldly prosperity. 

DURGA. 

(Kdli, Bdgabati, the wife of Siba.} 

The representations of this goddess are most hideous. 
She has ten hands, in one of which she holds a sword, 
in another a human head which she has just severed 
from a body that lies prostrate at her feet. She is 
sometimes represented as drinking the blood as it flows 
from the neck. A string of beads, composed of human 
skulls, is hung about her neck, coming down nearly to 
the floor. In her other hands she holds various in- 



DURGA. 73 

struments of war. She delights in human blood, and 
human victims were formerly offered on her altars ; 
but these cruel rites have been prohibited by the 
British government. Goats, sheep and buffaloes, are 
now offered instead. 




DCRGA. 

Her festival occurs early in October, and is held for 

ten days. Government offices are closed, and in the 

cities and large towns nearly all business is suspended, 

*and a general holiday is kept. A vast amount of 

wealth is expended on this occasion. Those who are 

able have an image erected in their best apartments ; 

musicians and dancing girls are employed to perform, 

and days and nights are spent in feasting, music and 

7 



74 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

dancing. The people vie with one another in ex 
travagance, and the hard earnings of the year are 
often squandered in these few nights. Some even 
impoverish themselves and families, and are reduced to 
indigence by their extravagant expenditures on these 
occasions. On the last day of the festival the image 
is taken with great ceremony and parade to some 
river or tank, and, after being stripped of its tinselling 
and ornaments, is thrown into the water. (See cut.) 
And thus her worship ends till another year comes 
round. Durga has power to avert evil and bestow 
temporal prosperity. 

LAKMI. (Lakshimi) the wife of Bisnu.) 

This is the goddess of fortune. No one can prosper 
without her favor; consequently she is extensively 
worshipped. She is represented in various forms. 
A bundle of straw, stones, lumps of earth, &c., are 
often employed. Offerings are made to her in order 
to propitiate her favor and secure earthly good. 

There is an interesting poem in Oriya, devoted to a 
description of the advantages to be secured by 
worshipping Lakmi. The leading sentiment of the 
book seems to be that even the gods cannot prosper 
without her favor. 

She is there described as the wife of Jagarnath. 
On a certain day she was seen standing at the door 
of a low caste man, conversing with the inmates. For 



LAKMI. 75 

this she was repudiated by her husband, and sent forth 
alone into the world. In order to bring Jagarnath to 
terms, she called to her aid Hanumat, the monkey 
god, and sent him to the temple, while Jagarnath, his 
brother and sister, were asleep, telling him to bring 
away all it contained, ornaments, furniture, treasures, 
food, the golden bedsteads on which the gods slept, 
and not to spare even their personal clothing. This 
having been accomplished, Jagernath and his brother 
awoke, their bones aching from lying upon tfee floor, 
and found themselves destitute of everything. Time for 
dinner came, but they had nothing to eat. They went 
to the treasury to get some money to purchase food ; 
but that was empty. ^Balabhadra found, however, a 
single gold coin, that Hanumat had dropped, and with 
that they sallied forth. Jagarnath took it into his 
hand, and it turned to stone, though in his brother s it 
was gold. They went to the bank to get it changed ; 
but on giving it to the banker it became brass. Being 
sharply reproved for their dishonesty, they determined 
to go and beg, and started off. After travelling a 
long way, they called at a house and asked for food. 
The woman went to her pot to get some rice, but, to 
her astonishment, it was empty, though it was full just 
before. They went to several places, but succeeded no 
better. Some abused them, and called them hard 
names. Some would have fed them, but were pre 
vented in some way by Lakmi. After being disap 
pointed in every effort, and being, by this time, very 



76 



HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 



hungry and weary, they concluded to return and so rk 
for Lakmi 5 and to endeavor, if possible, to be recon 
ciled to her ; for they felt that without her favor they 
must perish with hunger. This was at last accom 
plished, and they all returned to the temple together. 
She caused all the furniture, treasures, &c., that had 
been removed, to be restored to the temple, and hav 
ing been reconciled to Lakmi, peace and prosperity 
returned to Jagarnath s dwelling. 

INDRA. 




O.OZWTTTsc 



KATIKIA. 77 

Indra, the god of rain and consequent prosperity, is 
represented as sitting upon an elephant. Often, how 
ever, he is represented by stones or lumps of earth. 
He is extensively worshipped in seasons of famine, as 
he is supposed to have control of the elements , and tg 
send or withhold rain when he pleases. 



KATIKIA. 




Represented as riding on a peacock. He is wor 
shipped principally during the month of October for 
the purpose of securing worldly prosperity. 



THE SAL A GRAM. 



This is a small stone, esteemed very sacred. It is 
supposed to be the soul of Bisnu in a state of petrifi- 

7* 



78 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

cation. It is said that Bisnu was once engaged in war 
with a demon of powers equal to his own. The final 
success of the parties depended upon the fidelity of their 
respective wives, both celebrated for their virtue. For 
a long time they waged an equal contest, neither party 
gaining any advantage. At length Bisnu assumed 
the form of his enemy, and appeared to his wife. She 
received him, supposing him to be her husband. This 
advantage gained, the demon and his army were easily 
overcome. But," seeing the distress of the wife of his 
adversary, Bisnu was filled with remorse, and to 
atone for his crime determined to perform penance. 
He consequently assumed the form of a mountain, and 
during three months absented himself from the council 
of the gods, and sat there in stately silence and soli 
tude, thus making amends for his misdeeds. From 
this mountain are now dug peculiar globular stones, of 
about the size of a hen s egg, considered by the Hin 
dus as the most sacred of material objects. They are 
placed in many of their temples, carried about by 
religious mendicants, and ascetics, and worshipped 
as the material form of Bisnu. Eternal life is sup 
posed to be secured by worshipping the Salagram. 



THE TULASI TREE. 

This is a small aromatic tree, or plant, growing 
four or five feet in height. These trees are kept grow 
ing before the doors of most pious Hindus. A mound 



THE TULASI TREE. 



79 



of earth, beautifully arranged and ornamented, is 
raised about it ; water is poured upon it daily, and a 
lamp burned beneath it at night. The members of 
the household, from time to time, prostrate themselves 
before it, thus rendering to it divine homage. It is 
supposed to secure prosperity to the family. 

The foregoing are the gods principally worshipped 
by the Oriyas, though the objects of theii religious 
homage are almost infinite. The Cow, mohkey and 




OFFERINGS TO A SERPENT. 



other animals ; the serpent and other reptiles j trees 
and plants, brahmans and ascetics, the sun, moon and 



80 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

stars ; rivers, mountains, are all objects of religious 
homage. 

In fine, any object in creation may be worshipped, 
if the worshipper only believes that the divine being 
dwells within it. 



CHAPTER X. 

Temples. Forms of Worship. Food. Music. Offerings, &c. 
Penance. Hook-swinging. Religious Vows. Swinging 
by Proxy. Penance for securing Spiritual Blessings. Various 
Forms. Measuring the Distance. Popular Belief on the Sub 
ject of Penance. Pilgrimage. Bathing. Fasts. 

RELIGIOUS RITES AND CEREMONIES. 
TEMPLES. 

INDIA is a land of temples. There is scarcely a 
village where one or more may not be seen. They 
are usually neat brick structures, plastered and white 
washed, and more or less ornamented. The greater 
part are erected by the public, some by private munifi 
cence. The Hindu, when he supports a shrine on 
his premises, appropriates the inferior portion to him 
self and family, and the more expensive to his god. 
Hence we generally find the people living in mud 
huts ; but if there is anything more expensive than the 



FORMS OF WORSHIP. 81 

rest, more ornamental and beautiful, it is the dwelling 
place of their gods. 

FORMS OF WORSHIP. 

Wherever there is a shrine established, priests, one 
or more, are constantly in attendance. 

Twice in the day, at mid-day and in the evening, 
food is prepared and placed before the idols ; for the 
Hindus suppose that their gods are possessed of like 
appetites with themselves, and consequently must be 
fed. When the food is placed before the gods, a band 
of music plays, or the priest beats a brass drum, thus 
making as much noise and clatter as possible, in order 
to aw r aken them from their slumbers, should they be 
asleep, and attract their attention to the food before 
them. After remaining there for a few minutes, it is 
removed and consumed by the priests and their fami 
lies. 

2. Some portion of their sacred books are clianted 
daily before the idols by the priests in attendance. 

3. Offerings of rice, fruit, milk, butter, money, 
c., are brought by the votaries as gifts to the gods. 
These are placed before them for acceptance, and 
then removed and appropriated to the use of the 
priests. 

4. Whenever the people come with their offerings, 
or look in upon their gods, they prostrate themselves 
before them, repeating in reverential tones their 
names. 



82 



HINDUISM IN OKISSA. 



When metallic images are used, they are usually 
bathed daily and rubbed with " holy ashes." 

To a few of the gods animals are sacrificed, the 
head being cut off in the presence of the idols and 
placed upon the altar. The body is then removed and 
consumed by the persons in whose behalf the sacrifice 
is made. Goats are most commonly offered by the 
Oriyas. 

PENANCE. 




DBTOTEE STANDING BETWEEN FIRES. 



DEVOTEE SUSPENDED BY THE FEKT 
TO A TREE. 



PENANCE. 83 

The idea of penance enters largely into the relig 
ious system of the Hindus, arising, no doubt, out of 
one of the fundamental principles of that system, that 
the gods are pleased with human suffering. 

Penance is performed in a great variety of ways, 
and for various purposes. Some few of these may be 
briefly described. 

1. Penance performed for the purpose of obtaining 
temporal blessings. Many of these are performed in 
the worship of Siba, the destroyer. 

Some walk over burning coals with naked feet. 
Some allow themselves to be suspended from the limb 
of a tree by the feet, while a fire is kept burning 
beneath the head. 

Some cast themselves from an eminence upon bags 
of straw, in which knives and other sharp instruments 
have been inserted. Others bore their hands and 
tongues with iron rods and various other instruments. 
Some thrust through an aperture, thus made in the 
tongue, a living serpent, and, with it writhing there, 
dance about among the crowd assembled on the occa 
sion. Some pierce the sides with the handles of small 
iron shovels, and, with these shovels crossed before 
them, keep a fire burning on the blades, fed by pitch, 
resin, c. Some stand with naked feet upon the edge 
of a sword, fixed in a sort of car, and are thus borno 
about on the shoulders of men. 



84 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 



HOOK-SWINGING. 

This form of penance is extensively practised by the 
Oriyas. A post is erected, twenty-five or thirty feet 
high, on the top of which a pole is attached on a pivot, 
so that it may be made to revolve. One end of the 
pole is held by a rope by some men standing upon the 
ground, while to the other a man is attached by two 
cords, each fixed to an iron hook, thrust through the 
skin of the back on either side of the vertebral 
column, just below the scapula. He is thus raised 
into the air twenty-five or thirty feet by the men hold 
ing the opposite end of the pole, who then walk or 
run round the upright post, and thus keep him 
revolving in the air. Having swung four or five 
minutes, he descends and another takes his place j five 
or six usually swing on each occasion, 

In the town of Balasore and suburbs, there were ten 
of these swinging-posts, where annually from fifty to 
sixty individuals swung. 

The object of this penance is to avert evil and secure 
temporal good. Parents, when their children are ill, 
sometimes go to the temple of Siba, and there promise 
that if he will restore their child to health it shall 
swing. These vows are sacredly performed. A per 
son thus vowing would never think of violating the 
obligations thus entailed ; and a child in whose behalf 
a vow had been made when in unconscious infancy, 
would never dare to neglect the fulfilment of that vow, 



PENANCE. 85 

It may, however, be fulfilled in person or by proxy ; 
and it is more generally the case that those who swing 
are employed to do so by persons who have thus made 
vows. Only low-caste men are allowed by the rules 
of caste to swing ; consequently a man of good caste 
must perform his vows by proxy. From ten to 
twenty-five cents is considered a fair compensation on 
such occasions. Some swing merely for sport or 
honor. An outcast even, during the time of swing 
ing, is looked upon with unusual respect, and a Brah 
man will then eat from his hand, though, at other times, 
he could not touch him without pollution. A bag of 
fruit, sweetmeats, &c., is usually carried by the in 
dividual while swinging, and these are scattered about 
upon the crowd below, and eagerly caught and eaten 
by them. It is supposed that whoever secures a por 
tion will obtain such blessings as result from swinging. 

PENANCE UNDERTAKEN FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBTAIN 
ING SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS. 

This class is as varied as the foregoing, and in 
many instances far more severe. 

Some stand, during a considerable portion of each 
day, with a fire burning on all sides. (See p. 82.) 

Some extend an arm upward over the head, and 
keep it there till the muscles contract and grow rigid, 
so that it can never be placed in any other position. 
The nails are allowed to grow like birds claws. The 
accompanying cut represents one of these characters, 
8 



86 



HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 



whose arm has been suspended so long that the mus 
cles have nearly disappeared. 




Some sit for many hours of the day and night 
pronouncing the name of Krisnu on a string of 
beads. 



88 HINDUISM IX ORISSA. 

Some construct an iron rack, two feet square or so, 
through which the head is passed, and wear this for 
years. 

Some impose upon themselves vows of perpetual 
silence, and never speak again. (See preceding cut.) 

I once saw a man and his wife who had never 
spoken, as they assured me by signs, for twelve 
years. 

Some suspend themselves to the limb of a tree, at 
some little distance from the ground, and hang there 
during most of their waking hours, till the hair grows 
so as to reach the ground. (Page 82.) 

An account was published some years ago of a 
Brahman who had constructed a bedstead of boards, on 
the surface of which were inserted spikes with the 
points upwards, and on the points of those spikes he 
had slept for twenty-seven years. He had travelled 
over the most of Hindustan, and some of the neigh 
boring countries, carrying this bedstead on his shoul 
der, and there slept, and when not otherwise employed 
he counted his beads, pronouncing on them the name 
of his gods; he himself being worshipped as a god 
on account of his extreme penance. 

I have seen an individual who, for twelve years, had 
never lain down ; invariably maintaining a standing 
position day and night. He attached a rope at both 
ends to the limb of a tree over head, having it pass 
across his breast and under his arms, and over this he 
reclined. There he slept and took his rest. His 




x* 



90 HINDUISM IN ORI3SA. 

food was cooked and brought to him by a servant, and 
there he ate ; and never changed his position, except 
when travelling from place to place. And, probably, 
he had vowed to continue this the remainder of his 
days. 

Some measure the distance to some shrine of their 
gods, in many instances for hundreds of miles, pros 
trating themselves over every inch of the way. This 
severe penance is thus performed: The individual 
prostrates himself towards the shrine he intends to 
visit, then stretches forward the hands and makes a 
mark in the dust with the fingers as far as he can 
reach; then arises, places the toes upon the mark 
thus made, and prostrates himself again, making a 
mark as before, at each prostration striking his head 
three times upon the ground. 

I have seen several such devotees passing my door 
on their way to Pooree. One of these I engaged in con 
versation, and asked him how far he had come in this 
way. " A thousand miles," was the reply. "Where 
are you going?" " To Pooree, to see Jagarnath." 
"How long have you been on the way?" Two 
years, three months and some days." He was then 
one hundred and fifty miles from Pooree, and, according 
to his estimate, the entire journey of eleven hundred 
and fifty miles woull occupy some two years and a 
half; during which time he would have beat his head 
upon the ground more than two millions and six hun 
dred thousand times. 



PENANCE. 91 

There are many such who continue to perform this 
cruel penance during a period of many years, hoping 
thereby to secure the highest spiritual blessings. 

It may perhaps be difficult to conceive of any suf 
ficient motive to induce men to undergo such extreme 
suffering. We shall find, however, a solution of the 
difficulty in the popular theories on the subject. 

1. The gods are pleased with human suffering, and 
he who suffers most secures their highest favors. 

2. By performing a certain amount of penance, a 
more exalted state may be secured in the next birth. 
An ordinary man may become a Brahman, a prince, 
king or emperor, according to the degree of penance 
performed in the present state. 

3. By performing extreme penance, a man may 
atone for all his sins, not only those of this life, but 
of every previous state, and at death be absorbed 
directly into the great Supreme Being ; thereby avoid 
ing the" necessity of passing through other births, or 
inhabiting other bodies, in order to be prepared by 
suffering for such absorption. 

4. A person, while performing penance, is looked 
upon as an exalted being, more holy than other men. 
If a mendicant, his wants are freely supplied ; he 
receives the highest honors of the people, and is even 
worshipped as a god ! 

Here we find, perhaps, a sufficient explanation. 
Motives of piety have little influence; but pride, a 
desire to be great and honored, not only among men, 



92 



HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 



hut among the gods, motives purely selfish, urge 
the Hindu on to the performance of penance, the 
severity of which has astonished the world ! 



PILGRIMAGE. 




PILGRIM CARRYING HOLY WATER. 



Pilgrimage to the principal shrines is considered 
highly meritorious. There are many of these in dif 
ferent parts of the country ; four of which are con 
sidered of more importance than the rest, in conse- 



BATHING. Jo 

quence of being situated at the four corners of the 
earth. Brindaban is on the north, Jagarnath on the 
east. Sitaband on the south, and Dwarika on the west. 
They are said to be equidistant from each other, and 
fifteen hundred miles apart. These attract multitudes 
of pilgrims from distant parts of the country, all 
expecting to receive the peculiar blessings which it is 
the prerogative of each particular god to bestow, and 
in proportion to the labor it has cost them in making 
the journey. He who rides receives a certain bless 
ing ; he who walks, a greater ; he who carries a load 
of the holy Ganges water, greater still ; while he who 
prostrates himself over the entire distance receives the 
highest of all. There are comparatively few orthodox 
Hindus who have not made some pilgrimage during 
their lives. The number of lives sacrificed on these 
various pilgrimages must be immense, tens of thou 
sands every year ; but no one can approximate to a 
correct estimate of their real numbers. 

BATHING. 

There are many sacred localities on the sea-shore, 
and on certain rivers, where the gods have sometimes 
lived or bathed, where annual bathing occasions are 
observed. The confluence of the two principal 
branches of the Ganges, and the mouths of the Gan 
ges, are considered the most sacred among these. 
Immense multitudes throng the shores on these occa- 



94 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

sions, and, by bathing there, suppose their sins are all 
washed away, and eternal life secured. 



FASTS. 

Several days during the year are observed as fasts ; 
more generally such as are set apart for the worship 
of some particular divinity. These fasts, however, 
are not so severe as has been sometimes represented. 
The days only, in most cases, are devoted to absti 
nence ; the nights, it may be, to feasting. 



CHAPTER XI. 

Sacrifices to Durga. Satti. Authority of the Shasters for Satti. 

How performed. Description of the Scene. Sacrifice to the 
Ganges. To Crocodiles. Human Sacrifices among the Kands. 

The Thags. 

HUMAN SACRIFICES. 

HUMAN sacrifices are now prohibited wherever the 
authority of the East India Company extends. But, 
since the sacred books of the Hindus sanction these 
cruel rites, and they are still practised, to some extent, 
in remote portions of the country, a brief description 
of some of the most important of them will not be out 
of place. 



SATTI. 95 

1. SACRIFICES TO DURGA, OR KALI. 

During the great Durga festival, which occurs in 
October, human beings were formerly sacrificed to 
that cruel goddess. Some person of the lower class 
was obtained, a slave, or imbecile person, and, 
after certain ceremonies of consecration, performed 
before the image, he was brought up, and made to 
prostrate himself there, and then his head was severed 
from the body at a blow, and placed upon the altar. 
Durga is supposed to be highly pleased with such sac 
rifices. Since the prohibition of these rites by govern 
ment, various animals are substituted for men, 

2. SATTI, OR BURNING OF WIDOWS. 

In some parts of India, even to this day, widows 
are sometimes burned on the funeral pile with their 
husbands. This practice prevailed throughout the 
country, among the higher classes, until a few years 
ago, when it was prohibited by the British govern 
ment. Cruel as it is, it has the sanction of the sacred 
books of the Hindus. One of these books says, 
" There is no virtue greater than a virtuous woman s 
burning herself with her husband. No other effectual 
duty is known for virtuous women, at any time after 
the death of their lords, than casting themselves into 
the same fire. There are thirty-five millions of hairs 
on the human body. The woman who ascends the pile 



96 HINDUISM IN HISS A. 

with her husband-will remain so many years in heaven. 
If the husband be a murderer of his friend, the wife, 
by burning with him, purges away all his sins." When 
ever, therefore, a man of rank died, the widow must 
decide whether she would burn with his body, or be 
banished from her home and friends, and lead a life 
of infamy. No other alternative was left her. And 
there were many among those poor benighted Hindu 
women, to their honor be it said, who would rather 
sacrifice themselves in this cruel manner than lead a 
life of infamy. And so, if she decided to burn, the 
pile was prepared with wood sufficient to consume two 
bodies instead of one, and the body of the husband 
placed upon it. The widow would then come forth, 
accompanied by her children and friends, walk around 
the pile in solemn procession, and, having exchanged 
the last farewell with those friends, and embraced, for 
the last time, her children, she would lie down upon 
the pile, and suffer herself to be bound to it ; and then 
her oldest son, or, if she had no son, her nearest male 
relative, must come forward and kindle the flame. 

A missionary thus describes one of these scenes : 
" I saw her pacing her appointed circuits around the 
pile. I saw her ascend the bed of death, and tied to 
the dead body of her husband. I saw her take her 
jewels from her ears, her neck, and the various mem 
bers of her body, and distribute them as parting memo 
rials to her friends. I saw her son, whom she had 
nurtured, and whom she had nursed, take the torch 



SACRIFICE TO THE GANGES. 97 

into his hand, and, in several places, kindle the flame 
that was to consume his mother. And as the flames 
ascended, and as the pile became one mass of fire, I 
heard the horrid yell and the shout of exultation from 
the surrounding multitude, to drown the shrieks of 
that victim in the plaudits of their joy. ! I thought 
I was standing on the borders of the infernal lake. I 
wondered that the earth did not open her mouth to 
devour the perpetrators of this horrid murder." 

SACRIFICE TO THE GANGES. 

The Hindus suppose that the river Ganges is a 
goddess; that its waters are very sacred and holy; 
and that whoever dies on its banks, or is buried in its 
waters, is sure of eternal life. The sick were formerly 
carried there in large numbers to die ; and, in many 
cases, their end was hastened by cramming their 
mouths with mud, and pouring the holy water down 
their throats. 

Whenever a person had been taken to the river, he 
was considered as a sacrifice to the goddess ; conse 
quently, he must die there, or if, by any means, he 
could manage to escape and recover, he must remain 
an outcast, for he could never be received by his 
friends again, but must be considered as a dead man. 

Many were brought by their relatives, and left 
upon the banks to die ; and cases were not uncommon 
9 



98 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

where the dying were pushed off into the stream, ere 
the breath had left the body. 

Some sacrificed themselves voluntarily in these 
sacred waters; and mothers offered their tender 
infants, more especially their female children, tossing 
them in, and seeing them struggle for a moment, and 
sink before their eyes. The infant was sure of heaven, 
and the parent thus sacrificing it would thereby secure 
the richest blessing of their goddess. 

SACRIFICE TO CROCODILES. 

The crocodile is considered a sacred animal, and. in 
some localities, children were extensively sacrificed to 
them. The Hindu mother would bring her child to 
the bank of the river, and, holding it out in her hand, 
would there stand and watch ; and, when she saw one 
of those monsters coming up, would toss it into its 
distended jaws, and see it crushed before her eyes. 
These cruel rites have, in a great measure, been sup 
pressed ; and this may be considered as one of the 
direct results of Christian effort in behalf of India. 

HUMAN SACRIFICES AMONG THE KANDS. 

The people called Kands belong to the hill tribes, 
or aborigines of India. They are a peculiar people, 
differing essentially from the Hindus, not speaking the 
same language, or worshipping the same gods. 

The custom has long prevailed of offering human 



HUMAN SACRIFICES AMONG THE KANDS. 99 

beings in sacrifice to one of their favorite deities (it is 
sometimes called a goddess), which they call the earth 
god, from the circumstance of his dwelling in the 
ground. They suppose it necessary to propitiate the 
favor of this god, in order to secure a plentiful har 
vest ; and that favor is only secured by planting a 
portion of human flesh, cut from the body of a living 
victim, in their fields, previous to sowing the seed. 
To provide victims for this sacrifice, there are persons 
who traffic in human flesh, going about from place to 
place, purchasing children, wherever they can find 
those who will sell them ; for there are many, in sea 
sons of famine, who cannot provide food for their chil 
dren, and, rather than see them starve, they will sell 
them for a mere pittance, even though they know that 
they will ere long be offered in sacrifice, in a most 
cruel manner. 

In seasons of plenty, when the poorest can obtain 
food, it becomes more difficult to purchase victims; 
still, they must be had, or there will be no crop. It 
then becomes necessary to steal them. They go to 
distant villages for this purpose, and down into the 
plains, among the Hindus, and lurk about, and, when 
an opportunity offers, perhaps as the children are play 
ing about in conscious security by their own doors at 
evening, as one strays away from the group, they will 
rush forth from their lurking-place and seize it, and 
hie away to the fastnesses of their own mountains, 
where pursuit is impossible. These children are kept 



100 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

for a time, until they have attained a sufficient age, 
fourteen, sixteen, or eighteen, actually fattened for 
the slaughter. 

Annually, in the month of January, as the first 
rains fall, and they are preparing to plough their 
ground, the day is set apart for the sacrifice. The 
people assemble, dressed in their finery ; a band of 
music attends; the victims are beautifully painted, 
clothed and decorated ; garlands of flowers are hung 
about their necks, and, with the music playing, and 
the people dancing, they march about. After some 
time spent in this manner, they retire to some secluded 
spot, where all has been made ready for the sacrifice. 
For each of the victims to be offered , two stakes are 
driven into the ground, one on either side, to which 
the feet and hands are securely bound. When all is 
ready, the multitude raise a shout, to drown the 
shrieks of their victims, and, rushing up, each, with 
his knife or battle-axe, cuts a portion of flesh from the 
back, the arms or legs, and, each having secured a 
piece, they run away as fast as possible, and bury it 
in their own particular field, an offering to their god. 
When any of the large vessels are severed, and the 
victim dies, the operation ceases, as a portion cut from 
the body after death would not be acceptable. These 
children usually live from twenty minutes to half 
an hour, thus being gradually cut to pieces. They 
are sometimes offered in pairs, a boy and girl together, 
arid the marriage ceremony is previously performed, 



HUMAN SACRIFICES AMONG THE KANDS. 101 

since it is supposed that the offering of a married 
couple is more acceptable to the god than single indi 
viduals. Great importance is attached to the first 
piece cut from the body, as that is supposed to be 
more efficacious than the others, and secures a greater 
crop. 

Other modes of sacrifice are thus described by 
Capt. Macvicor, one of the government agents, by 
whom many of these victims have been rescued. 

"On the appointed day of sacrifice, the victim is 
led out, attended by all the men, women, and children 
of the surrounding districts, with their wild and dis 
cordant music ; the procession moves onward, shriek 
ing, yelling, and becoming excited to the highest 
pitch. The poor victim has usually been strongly 
dosed with ardent spirits, and is as excited as any. 
When they reach the place chosen for the sacrifice, a 
few ceremonies are performed. The poor victim is 
bound to a tree, and the priest chants a kind of incan 
tation; after which the legs and arms of the victim 
are broken at the knees and elbows, in order that no 
opposition may be shown, and that it may appear a 
willing sacrifice. During the priest s incantation the 
mob becomes more and more infuriated. At last the 
ceremonies are completed : the priest strikes the vic 
tim with a knife, and the now furious and excited mob 
rush upon the bleeding Meriah, and tear him (or her) 
to pieces ; each party securing a portion of the flesh 
and blood, which they hasten away with to bury in 



102 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

their fields. For some days silence is maintained, 
until the funeral obsequies of the victim are performed, 
when tongues are again loosened. 

"This is the modus operandi in parts of Upper 
Goomsoor. In Boad the practice is nearly similar. 
In Patna no two districts perform the Meriah sacrifice 
in the same way. Some destroy the victim with 
heavy blows on the head, inflicted with metal bangles, 
purchased at the fairs, and worn on these occasions. 
If the poor wretch is not killed by two or three of 
these blows, they end his sufferings by strangling him 
with a cleft bamboo, which they slip over his neck. In 
Patna they do not use much of the flesh ; often none 
at all. In some districts they cut out the liver, in 
others the lungs, and chop them into small pieces, 
which they bury. Others, again, destroy the Meriah 
by placing him on the ground, bound hand and foot, 
with his face downward, and throw large stones vio 
lently on the back of his neck, until life is extinct. It 
is the custom among some tribes to draw a cup full 
of blood from the body, and each family takes a little 
of this and sprinkles it on the floor of their house, 
imploring, at the same time, blessings on their house 
hold and their fields. In Chinna Kimedy, the victim 
is bound under a figure representing an elephant, and 
is cut to pieces while living. Loss of blood, however, 
soon terminates the sufferings of the Meriah." 

When the existence of this cruel custom became 
known to the British government, they determined to 



THE THAGS. 103 

put it down. Agents have been sent into the country 
every cold season for several years, and as many vic 
tims as could be found have been rescued. More 
than two thousand have thus been saved from the 
murderous knives of these cruel savages, and a con 
siderable portion of them placed in the different mis 
sionary schools in the province, where many of them 
are now being trained for usefulness, happiness } and 
heaven. 

THE THAGS. 

Thagi is a secret association of robbers, who inva 
riably murder those they rob. They have extended 
their operations over the entire country ; some branches 
of the fraternity being settled in almost every impor 
tant district in the land. Yet, their operations had 
been conducted with such secrecy, that although large 
numbers of travellers and others had been murdered 
by them, and they had enriched themselves in the 
practice of their profession, their existence was not 
even suspected by the government authorities until a 
few years ago. As they are a very religious people, 
and practise their cruelties under the sanction of their 
gods, a brief description of them may not be out of 
place here. 

"To Kali they ascribe their origin, their laws and 
observances. They say that this goddess once plucked 
a fang from her celestial jaw, and gave it to them, 
saying they might use it as a pickaxe, which would 



104 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

never wear out. She then opened her side, and pulled 
out one of her ribs, which she gave them for a knife, 
whose edge nothing could blunt. Having done this, 
she stooped down, tore off the hem of her garment, 
and gave it to them for a noose, which would never 
fail to strangle any person about whose throat it should 
be cast." 

These are the instruments used in their profession. 
The noose is invariably used, and the victim strangled 
if possible ; if, however, he should struggle, and there 
should be danger of his escape, or if the noose should 
Ireak, the knife may be used as a last resort. The 
pickaxe is employed in burying the body. These are 
all sacred, and are consecrated with great solemnity. 

They sometimes travel in large parties, sometimes 
in small, variously disguised, as pilgrims, mendicants, 
or merchants ; and, having decided to rob any party, 
they insinuate themselves into their favor, travel in 
company with them, mutually devise means of pro 
tection against robbers, and, when they have arrived 
at a lone spot, the unsuspecting traveller dreaming of 
no danger, two men approach, one seizes him by the 
legs, and, at the same instant, the other casts the fatal 
noose, and strangles him with a single turn. Large 
parties are sometimes cut off in this manner. The 
body is then concealed, and the property disposed of. 
A portion, however, is invariably set apart as an offer 
ing to the goddess, to secure the continuance of her 



HINDU PHILOSOPHY. 105 

favor. Thus we see that the religion of the Hindus 
directly sanctions the most revolting crimes. 

She is also consulted previous to their leaving their 
homes on a robbing expedition ; and the Thag would 
never think of engaging in one of these enterprises, 
until, by certain signs and omens, the goddess had 
signified her approbation. 



CHAPTER XII. 

Philosophy. Its Antiquity. One Supreme. Transmigration. 

Fourteen Spheres. Various gods. Idolatry. Fatalism. 

Illustration. 

HINDU PHILOSOPHY. 

THE peculiar principles of primitive Hinduism date 
back far into antiquity; before the days of Plato, 
Pythagoras, or the Egyptian priests. It is supposed 
that there is one Supreme Being, self-existent and 
eternal, from whom all things have proceeded, and in 
whom all will eventually be absorbed. Having per 
formed the first acts of creation, and committed the 
affairs of the universe to created deities, he has retired 
to rest. This great Supreme, either directly or 
through his deputies, constitutes the active or vital 
principle of matter. Life, either vegetable or animal, 



106 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

is but the extension or diffusion of the divine prin 
ciple. 

From the highest created objects to the lowest 
there is a regular succession of grades, and the mem 
bers of these respective grades are constantly rising 
or falling in the scale, according to their merits or 
demerits. Hence the popular doctrine of the " trans 
migration of souls." The spirit may inhabit hundreds 
or thousands of bodies, either of men or animals, and 
it must continue to pass through a succession of births, 
till, by virtuous conduct, penance and suffering, it has 
atoned for all the sins it may have committed in all 
the bodies it may have inhabited since first it was 
breathed forth from the great Supreme. 

Man is considered as a fallen creature. His suffer 
ings and punishment are purely reformatory, designed 
to prepare him to return to that Being from whom he 
at first emanated. 

There are seven celestial spheres, the abodes of 
happy spirits, the highest of which is the heaven of 
Brahma, and seven subterrestrial spheres, where wicked 
spirits dwell. Both, however, are probationary. The 
good may fall, and become inhabitants of earth or 
hell ; the wicked may rise to eaith or heaven. And 
when all have accomplished the period of their proba 
tion, and atoned by toil and suffering for all their 
sins, all will be restored to their pristine state of per 
fection and blessedness, and heaven, earth and hell 
will be absorbed in the great Supreme. These are 



FATALISM. 107 

the doctrines of the Beds, or the first form of Hin 
duism. 

During the prevalence of this form but one Supreme 
Being was worshipped, and the doctrines of the Beds 
had universal sway. Next- came the second form, 
a superstructure built upon one of the fundamental 
principles of the first, the diffusiveness of the divine 
principle in all matter, animate or inanimate. Gods, 
demi-gods, military heroes, men and animals, in end 
less variety, came to be worshipped. This system is 
sanctioned by the Purans, the second class of their 
sacred books. 

Idolatry, or the worship of images, seems to have 
been an afterthought, growing out of the two former. 
The Hindu, finding a difficulty in worshipping a spir 
itual or imaginary being, carrying out the idea that 
God was in everything, fashioned images of such as 
had been previously worshipped, and introduced many 
others, gods of wood, stone, earth, brass, &c. Nei 
ther the Beds nor Purans sanctioned this, and to meet 
the difficulty the third class of sacred books was pro 
duced, advocating idolatry. Different sects embrace 
these ^several systems, and some combine the whole in 
one. 

FATALISM. 

The idea of being under the influence of an all- 
controlling destiny, is indelibly impressed upon the 
Hindu mind. He believes that all the acts of life, 



108 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

with the reward and punishment of those acts, are irre 
vocably decreed by a superior power ; that at birth 
the destiny of the individual is written in his fore 
head in unseen characters, and that it is impossible 
for him to act contrary to what is there delineated. 

This forms an excuse for every misfortune and for 
every crime. It is enough for the Hindu, when his 
house has been burned, or his friends have died, 
to say, "It was my destiny." And, when he is 
arraigned for crime, and asked why he committed the 
deed, " It was my destiny," is a sufficient answer. I 
once saw a Brahman hung for murder ; and, as the 
drop fell, I heard but one remark from the breathless 
throng that surrounded the gallows: "Do you not 
know how it happened?" said a man to one standing 
near. "When that man was born it was written in his 
forehead that he should be hung, and, though a Brah 
man, he could not avert his destiny. That is how it 
happened." 



LANDED PROPERTY. 109 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Landed Property. Marriage. Ceremonies. Condition of the 
Wife. Funerals. Government. Tributary States. Con 
dition of the States ruled by Native Princes. 

LANDED PROPERTY. 

THE land throughout the English territories, as well 
as in the native states, is the property of government. 
It is rented to extensive native land-holders, whose 
right is hereditary so long as they pay their annual 
rents. About one fourth of these rents go to them, 
as their fees for collection, and the remainder to gov 
ernment. They rent it to their tenants, either by an 
annual or permanent lease. Tenants more generally 
secure their house-lots by a permanent lease, and 
their cultivated lands by an annual. Many, however, 
cultivate the same fields year after year, and hand 
the same down to their children. So long as their 
rents are paid their title is undisputed. The annual 
rent is, on an average, about a dollar and a half an 
acre ; varying much, of course, on account of quality 
and location. Only the cultivated lands are rented. 
Waste lands abound, where all pasture their cattle 
free of expense. These are constantly watched by 
herdsmen, as fences are not common. 

There are some lands that have been given, at dif 
ferent periods, to distinguished individuals, for public 
10 



110 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

services, or to heathen shrines as endowments, that 
are bought and sold ; but these constitute but a small 
portion of the country. 

MARRIAGE. 

Marriage is more generally contracted by the 
parents of the parties, ere they come to maturity, 
often while they are mere children. When a man 
wishes to secure a companion for his son or daughter, 
he seeks among his acquaintances, of his own caste, of 
course, a suitable person. The parents sit down to 
calculate the expenses of the wedding, the settlement 
of which usually constitutes the principal difficulty. 
These expenses vary, according to the rank or wealth 
of. the parties, from five dollars to many thousands; a 
man s station in society being usually estimated by his 
display on such occasions. Among laboring men, ten 
dollars ig an ordinary sum, which is paid by the father 
of the male for the expenses of the wedding. This is 
not considered as a price paid for a wife, as is some 
times represented. All being arranged, a day is 
appointed for the celebration of the betrothment. The 
friends of the boy assemble, and placing him in a car 
gayly ornamented, borne on the shoulders of men, with 
torches burning, and a band of music playing, they 
march to the house of the bride. After certain cere 
monies, she is placed in one end of the same car with 
the boy. with a cloth thrown over her head, to conceal 



MARRIAGE. Ill 

her face from view, and both are borne in a similar 
manner to the house of the bridegroom, where she 
remains for a few days, and then returns to her 
father s. She remains there till she is twelve or thir 
teen years of age, when similar ceremonies are per 
formed as on the first occasion, and she then goes to 
live with her husband. The parents of the young 
man usually have the training of his wife. Very 
little opportunity is given the parties to become 
acquainted with each other previous to marriage ; nor 
is this considered necessary, since the whole transac 
tion is looked upon as a commercial affair. 

The duties of the wife seem to be to prepare food 
for the family, look after the house, and keep it 
clean, beat the rice from the hull, and, if poor, to 
devote a portion of her spare time to spinning. Her 
degradation does not consist in being over-worked, for 
her labor is comparatively light ; but she is never edu 
cated, has no intellectual enjoyments, and can never 
be the companion of her husband. His associates are 
not hers ; and, when friends come to the house, she 
remains secluded in her own apartment. Among the 
lower classes, the women are engaged, more or less, in 
out-door labor, going to market, carrying burdens, 
&c. ; but the wives of the rich seldom leave their 
homes, and are never seen except by the members of 
their own families. There are probably many of these 
unfortunate women who, for years, never see the sun 
rise or set. 



112 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

FUNERALS. 

Immediately after death, the body is washed, dressed 
in a clean cloth, and carried on a litter to the fields, to 
be burned. One or more musicians precede the corpse, 
playing on a drum, or flageolet, and some of the 
male relatives follow after. Arrived at the place of 
burning, a pile of wood is erected, sufficient for the 
consumption of the body, on which it is placed, with 
the face downward. More wood is then laid upon it, 
and the fire lighted. The party remain until the 
body is consumed, occasionally stirring the fire, or 
adding more fuel, if necessary. When the whole has 
been reduced to ashes, the remains are raked into a 
heap, and the friends depart. Some of the lower 
castes bury their dead ; but this probably originated 
in their being too poor to purchase fuel for burning. 

The relatives of the deceased are considered unclean 
for several days, during which none can eat with 
them, or touch them. Their clothes must remain 
unwashed, the house and cooking utensils unclean, 
and the men unshaved. When the appointed time 
has expired, the men are shaved, have their clothes 
and houses washed : the cooking utensils are thrown 
away, and new ones purchased; a general feast is 
made for all the members of their caste in the neigh 
borhood, and certain presents made to the Brahmans, 
and then they are restored to the intercourse of soci 
ety. A portion of the calcined bones is sometimes 




10* 



114 HINDUISM IN OKISSA. 

taken by some members of the family, and thrown 
into the river Ganges; and it is supposed that any 
individual, a portion of whose remains finds sepulture 
in its sacred bosom, is received immediately into 
heaven. 

Considerable sums are sometimes paid to Brah- 
mans, to induce them to swallow a portion of a bone 
of a deceased friend, as it is supposed that whoever 
thus finds burial in the stomach of a Brahman is 
immediately admitted to heaven. 

GOVERNMENT. 

"When the English conquered the country r they 
found the government in the hands of the Mahamacl- 
ans and Hindus. The Kuran formed the basis of the 
laws of the former, and the Institutes of Menu of the 
latter. As it was not considered safe, in their weak 
state, to change the form of government at once, the 
same system was continued for a number of years. 
Gradually, changes were introduced, till the people 
were brought, to a considerable extent, under the 
influence of British law. 

The East India Company s government is invested 
primarily in a governor-general and four councillors. 
These enact the laws, and superintend the affairs of 
the country. Acting under the direction of these, 
each department of state has a superintending board, 
to which their respective officials are subordinate. 



GOVERNMENT. 115 

The country is divided into provinces, each with its 
governor or commissioner ; and these are again divided 
into districts, with their judges, magistrates and col 
lectors, assistant magistrates and collectors, &c. These 
offices are usually held by Europeans. Still lower 
down we find the deputy-magistrates and collectors, 
police officers, &c. These are more generally natives. 
The officers of the higher grades are better paid, prob 
ably, than in any other service in the world. 

Capital offences are tried by the judges, subject to 
the supervision of the superintending board. Any 
case may be appealed from the lower to the highest 
courts. The natives have a predominating propensity 
for litigation, which supplies abundant employment for 
their rulers. 

The revenues of the state are derived from export 
and import duties, the rent of lands, and the sale of 
opium, gunjah, spirits and salt, which are all monopo 
lies, these articles being prepared and disposed of under 
the direct superintendence of government. Aside from 
these there is no tax upon the people. 

The expenses of government are very heavy ; since, 
besides the salaries of the civil officers, a standing 
army of some two hundred and fifty thousand men is 
kept up, for the protection of the country, and for the 
control of the refractory border states. 

Though the British in India have ever been accused 
of oppression, they are probably far less oppressive 
and exacting than any previous rulers have been. 



116 HINDUISM IN ORISSA. 

The natives ever have been, and, till their nature is 
changed, ever will be, the greatest oppressors of their 
countrymen. 

In the tributary states, capital offences are tried by 
an English agent stationed in or near their territories. 
All other cases are under the jurisdiction of the native 
authorities, subject, under certain circumstances, to 
appeal to the agent. 

There are several of these states on the borders of 
the district of Balasore, their rulers paying a small 
tribute to the English for their protection. These 
kings are not permitted to keep troops, except by con 
sent of the Company, nor engage in war on their own 
account. In case of insurrection or invasion, the 
Company is bound to protect them. All means of 
redress are thus taken away from the people, for there 
is no appeal from the oppression of their rulers except 
an appeal to arms, and then the strong arm of British 
power comes in for their suppression. It will be a 
happy day for these poor, oppressed people when the 
English shall take the exclusive government of these 
states into their own hands. By allowing the kings a 
moderate pension, they would do them no injustice, 
and confer the innumerable blessings of enlightened 
government upon their down-trodden subjects. 

The most casual observer would not fail to notice a 
striking difference between the territories directly 
under English rule, and those governed by the native 
Eajas. In the former, signs of wealth and prosperity 



GOVERNMENT. 117 

everywhere appear ; in the latter, if there is any 
wealth among the people, it is almost invariably con 
cealed ; for, when a person is known to possess prop 
erty, the king or his emissaries are sure to find some 
plausible pretext as an occasion for taking it from him. 
Consequently, there are few comfortable houses or 
cultivated gardens, and the various appearances of 
affluence, as are seen in the Company s territories ; 
but everything bears the appearance of poverty. 

The administration of justice, as might be supposed, 
exists only in name ; and he that can give the largest 
bribes, though guilty of the most daring crimes, is 
almost sure to escape with impunity ; and the inno 
cent who has the misfortune to be poor is always liable 
to be punished for the crimes of others. 




A MISSIONARY PREACHING. 



PART II. 

CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Origin of the Freewill Baptist Foreign Mission Society. Mis 
sionaries of the Society. Period of Service, &c. 

ORIGIN OF THE FREEWILL BAPTIST F. M. SOCIETY. 

SOMETHING more than fifty years ago, the atten 
tion of the Christian Church was directed, more 
particularly than it had ever been before, to India, as 
a field for missionary labor. Cary, Marshman and 
Ward led the way, in the province of Bengal. There 
were thirty millions of human beings there, among 
^whom the gospel had never been preached. Previous 
to this time, Swartz and his associates had commenced 
a mission in Southern India, which, in the end, proved 
eminently successful. 

Soon after Cary and his associates entered the field, 
the church generally began to awake from its slumber 
of ages, and, marshalling its strength, took up an ad 
vanced position. They saw that a great proportion 



120 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

of the human race was still in the darkness of heathen 
ism, and felt that the last great command of the 
Saviour had for centuries remained almost a dead let 
ter. The spirit of missions began to pervade the 
churches of England, and soon its influences were felt 
across the Atlantic. 

American Christians began to feel that they, too, 
had a duty to perform, and, mourning over their neg 
lect, they determined to atone for the apathy of the 
past by a more consistent course in future. The lead 
ing denominations determined to engage in missionary 
operations. 

Forty years ago the first missionaries left our 
shores, to carry back to benighted Asia that gospel 
that had emanated from it eighteen centuries before. 
American Christians became more and more deeply 
interested in the work ; party after party of laborers 
were sent forth ; and the mission enterprise ceased to 
be looked upon as an experiment, and was acknowl 
edged the legitimate child of the church. Then, a 
brighter day dawned upon her, a degree of pros 
perity unknown before attended her efforts, vital 
piety was revived, and the reflex influences of missions 
were felt and acknowledged. 

Then, she was enabled to understand, as she had 
never done before, the truth of the sentiment, "There 
is that scattereth, yet increaseth ; there is that with- 
holdeth more than is meet, and it|endeth to poverty." 

Still, our own denomination kept in the back- 



FREEWILL BAPTIST MISSION. 121 

ground, and "came not up to the help of the Lord." 
Some ministers, even, said the work was not of God, 
spoke lightly of it in private, and preached against 
it in public. Others thought more favorably of it, 
felt for the poor heathen, remembered them at the 
throne of grace, and would have gone forward ; but 
they were alone. Soon a voice came from the far 
East, that attracted their attention, and roused them 
from their apathy. The General Baptists of England 
had commenced a mission in Orissa, and one of their 
missionaries (Rev. A. Sutton), who had raised the 
standard of the cross close by Jagarnath s bloody 
shrine, who had seen the blood gush from the man 
gled bodies of his victims, crushed beneath his pon 
derous car, had witnessed the pilgrim s sufferings, 
seen the flames of the SattI curl around the dying 
widow, and had become familiar with the desolating 
influences of heathenism, was induced to address an 
appeal, through one of our leading ministers, to our 
denomination generally, in behalf .of the perishing 
sons of Orissa. 

Driven shortly after, by ill health, from the land of 
his adoption, he came and labored for a season among 
our churches. Long established prejudices began to 
vanish away, and an interest in the mission work was 
gradually excited. 

The Freewill Baptist Foreign Mission Society was 
organized in 1833, with the object, more particularly, 
of sending the gospel to Orissa. Contributions came 
11 



122 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

in apace, and soon it was enabled to send forth its 
first representatives to labor in a foreign land. 

The following abstract will show the Society s 
receipts, from its organization to the present time. 

1833, 34, and 35 - - $2653.37. 

1836 ----- 915.43. 

1837 1459.79. 

1838 - 2504.36. 

1839 - - 2336.71. 

1840 - - - - 2777.00. 

1841 - - 3137.32. 

1842 - - - 3556.42. 

1843 - - - - - 2726.74. 

1844 2388.04. 

1845 3160.66. 

1846 - - 3219.21. 

1847 - - - 3544.00. 

1848 - 5618.63. 

1849 2992.20. 

1850 4215.31. 

1851 - - - - - 4958.14. 

1852 - 4475.98. 

Am t raised during twenty years, $56639.31. 

This account shows considerable irregularity in the 
annual receipts, which is accounted for, in part, from 
the circumstance of the annual meetings, at the time 
of which the accounts are usually made up, having 
been held somewhat irregularly. If we divide the 



MISSIONARIES OF THE SOCIETY. 123 

twenty years of the Society s existence into two 
equal portions, setting down to each period its respect 
ive receipts, we shall ascertain the increase in the 
Society s funds during the last period over the first. 

Thus. During the first ten years the receipts 
were, - $19340.40. 

During the last ten years, - 37298.91. 

Excess in the latter over the former, 17958.51. 

The affairs of the Society are managed by an ex 
ecutive Board, Corresponding and Recording Secre 
tary, and Treasurer. A considerable portion of the 
labor in the home department has fallen upon the 
Corresponding Secretary and Treasurer. Rev. A. 
Sutton, Rev. D. P. Cilley, Rev. E. Mack, and Rev. 
E. Hutchins, have served the Society as secretaries, 
and W. Burr, Esq., as treasurer, and thus far these 
services have been rendered gratuitously. 

MISSIONARIES OF THE SOCIETY. 

1835. 

1. The first missionaries of this society were Rev. 
Jeremiah Phillips, of Plainfield, N. Y., Mrs. Phillips, 
of Dover, N. H., Rev. Eli Noyes, of Jefferson, Me., 
and Mrs. Noyes, of Portsmouth, N. H. They sailed 
from Boston in Sept., 1835. Mrs. Phillips died Nov., 
1837. Mr. and Mrs. Noyes returned to this coun 
try in October, 1841. Mr. Phillips still remains in 
India. 



124 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

1840. 

2. Rev. Otis R. Bacheler, of Holliston, Mass., 
Mrs. Bacheler, of Roxbury, Mass., and Miss Hannah 
Cummins, now Mrs. Phillips, of Lowell, Mass., sailed 
in May, 1840. Mrs. Bacheler died in January, 1845. 
Mr. Bacheler returned to this country in July, 1852. 
Mrs. Phillips remains in India. 

1843. 

3. Rev. James C. Dow, of Livermore, Me., and 
Mrs. Dow. of Wilton, Me., sailed in November, 1843, 
and returned to this country in August, 1847. 

1846. 

4. Miss Sarah P. Merrill, now Mrs. Bacheler, 
sailed in August, 1846, and returned to this country 
in July, 1852. 

1849. 

5. Rev. Ruel Cooley, of , K Y., and Mrs. 

Cooley, of Ellington, N. Y., sailed in August, 1849, 
and are still in India. 

1850. 

6. Miss Lavina Crawford, of Villanovia, N. Y., 
sailed in October, 1850, and is still in India. 

1852. 

7. Rev. B. Burley Smith, of Sandwich, N. H., 
and Mrs. Smith, of Manchester, N. H., sailed in 



MISSIONAKIES OF THE SOCIETY. 125 

August, 1852, since which, March, 1853, no intelli 
gence has been received from them. 

In this connection we should mention the second 
Mrs. Phillips (formerly Mary Ann Grimsditch), 
born in India, an adopted daughter of Rev. Mr. 
Mack, of Serampore. She died, August, 18-10, in 
less than two years after her marriage with Mr. 
Phillips. 

From the above account, it appears that six male 
and nine female missionaries have been sent out by 
the society, and the services of one female secured in 
India, in all, sixteen. 

Three females have died. Two males and two 
females have returned home on account of ill-health ; 
and one male and one female on account of that of 
their companions. Three males and four females re 
main in the field. 



126 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

CHAPTER XV. 

THE FIELD. 

Surnbhulpore. Sickness, Trials, and Death in the Mission Circle. 
Balasore. Boarding School. Labors. Death of Mrs. 
Bacheler. Jellasore. Death of Mrs. Phillips. Midnapore. 

SUMBHULPORE. 

OUR first missionaries. Brethren Phillips and Noyes, 
with their wives, having arrived in India, spent the 
first six months, while engaged in the study of the 
language, laboring in connection with the English 
General Baptist missionaries; Mr. Phillips at Bala 
sore, superintending the bazar schools connected with 
that mission, and Mr. Noyes at Cuttack, in the Eng 
lish mission school. At the end of that time, by the 
advice of their brethren there, they determined to 
occupy a separate field. Sumbhulpore, a native trib 
utary state, lying on the Mahanadi River, two 
hundred and fifty miles above Cuttack, was at first 
selected. After a tedious journey up the river, in 
native boats, which occupied them nearly a month, a 
portion of which time was spent in preaching, and 
distributing Scriptures and tracts among the villages 
on its banks, they arrived at their station. 

The town of Sumbhulpore, the capital of a district 
of the same name, and the residence of the raja, is an 
important town, of some fifteen thousand inhabitants, 



SUMBHULPORE. . 127 

and is situated in the midst of a populous country. 
They found but one European family residing there, 
but they showed them every possible kindness, and 
rendered them every assistance in their power. Sev 
eral months were spent in erecting their houses, and 
in preparing for a permanent location. 

They preached and distributed books as extensively 
as they were able, and there laid the foundation for 
our boarding-school system. Six starving children 
were given them by their parents or relatives, and 
with them our school commenced. Ere they had 
become settled in their new abodes, they were one by 
one prostrated by disease. An Indian fever, without 
medical treatment, and without nursing, is a formida 
ble foe. Our brethren were their own doctors ; and, ill 
as they were, to a considerable extent their own nurses. 
Few of the comforts of life surrounded them, and their 
hastily-constructed houses were not sufficient to shelter 
them from the scorching heat. Strange faces were 
about them ; but sympathizing friends to care for them, 
anticipate their wants, and relieve them, there were 
none. Mr. Noyes on one occasion deeming it neces 
sary to be bled, his wife was called up from her sick 
bed to perform the operation. For a time they were 
both prostrated together, while groan answered to 
groan. And, after consigning a beloved child to the 
grave, and having themselves been brought to death s 
door, they regained sufficient strength to admit of 



128 . CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

their being placed on board a boat, and floated down 
to Ottack. 

The case of Mr. and Mrs. Phillips was still more dis 
tressing. Having consigned their infant child to the 
grave, she followed a few days after ; thus closing her 
short Career when she had but just begun her labors. 
Her disconsolate husband, with the six small chil 
dren gathered into a school by her effort, and instructed 
by her care, laid her in her lone grave, and there her 
mortal part rests, in one of India s most delightful 
groves, till the dead shall arise. " She hath done what 
she could." She has left on record a testimony in behalf 
of fclie mission cause which should not be forgotten while 
tke memory of those who have given their lives for God 
in heathen lands is cherished. Having bequeathed the 
Lttle property she possessed previous to her marriage 
to the mission, she said, "Had I thousands of gold 
<md of silver , / would lay it all on the altar of mis 
sions, to the last mite;" 1 and then gave her life 
beside, and repined not at the sacrifice. 

Our remaining brother went from the grave of his 
wife to his sick bed, and there, in his desolate home, 
with none to comfort or to cheer him, his fever gained 
rapidly ; and, when hope had nearly fled, he too was 
carried on board a boat, and, almost in a state of 
unconsciousness, was floated down to Cuttack. 

When, several years after, I visited the scene of the 
early trials of our missionaries, and learned how much 
they were exposed, and how much they suffered, I was 



SUMBHULPORE. 129 

led to wonder that, instead of one, they did not all find 
a grave at Sumbhulpore. The following extracts from 
the published account of that visit may not be out of 
place here. 

" My first object on arriving at Sumbhulpore was to 
seek out the grave of Mrs. Phillips. I had no diffi 
culty in finding it, as a substantial stone monument 
had been erected over it soon after Brother Phillips 
left the place. 

" I stood beside the mortal resting-place of our de 
parted sister with feelings of melancholy pleasure. 
The thought that she had died so young, when but 
just entering on a sphere of usefulness, with more than 
ordinary talents for the work in which her whole soul 
was engaged, made me sad. But the reflection that 
she had died with her armor on, bearing a noble testi 
mony to the blessedness of the gospel in the midst of 
the enemy s land; that her influence had not died 
with her, but had been felt across the ocean, in her 
native land, exciting in the hearts of others that same 
spirit which had led her to forsake the endearments of 
home for the lonely lot of the missionary, cheered 
my heart, and caused me to feel that, trying as the 
vocation of the missionary is, I would exchange it for 
no other. 

"It is natural to mourn the premature departure 
of those who bid fair to be useful in their Master s 
service ; yet it often happens that such, like Samson, 



130 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

accomplish more by their death than in all their life 
beside. The removal of Harriet Newell was a myste 
rious providence to her almost discouraged associates, 
but the influence of her death still continues to be 
felt, fanning in many a heart the missionary flame. 
Of such it may emphatically be said, 

" Long do they live, nor die too soon, 
Who live till life s great work is done. 

"I pitched my tent in a beautiful mango grove, 
near the grave. The moon was at its full, and the 
evenings delightful ; and I often spent them in soli 
tary musings at the monument. The Coles, who 
inhabit a small hamlet close by, often came out to 
ascertain the cause of my loitering about a grave at 
such a time. They no doubt thought me a singular 
being, as they look upon the resting-place of the dead 
only with feelings of horror. 

" Brother Phillips house was but a few rods from 
the grave ; nothing now remains but a heap of dirt 
and a few loose stones to mark the spot. That of 
Brother Noyes was at the other end of the town, half 
a mile distant. The site is now occupied by a small 
village ; a portion of the brick floor still remains, on 
which stands a small native hospital. 

"I had not been long in the place before I had 
ample proof that, though our brethren had been absent 
more than eight years, neither they nor their instruc- 



BALASORE. 131 

tions were forgotten. One interesting young man, 
who had received a New Testament from Brother 
Noyes, which he had lost by the burning of his house, 
besought me to supply him with another. Another 
had received two or three tracts from Brother Phillips, 
which he had carefully kept ; and, to convince me that 
his statement was true, repeated a considerable portion 
of one of them. And most were familiar with the 
instructions of those who taught them the worship of 
the Nirakara, or God without form. As our breth 
ren were but imperfectly acquainted with the language 
at the time of their residence here, and labored under 
many severe trials, I did not expect to find any 
remains of their influence. But in this I was most 
happily disappointed, as I found their instructions 
were as fresh in the minds of the people as though 
they had been absent but a few months, instead of 
eight years." 

2. BALASORE. 

After a few weeks residence among kind friends at 
Cuttack, the wasted strength of our brethren was 
recruited. Still, it was not thought advisable that 
they should again expose their lives at Sumbhulpore. 
Balasore in the mean time having become vacant by 
the return to England of Mr. Goadby, the General 
Baptist missionary at that station, they determined to 
locate there. Accordingly, in February, 1837, we 



132 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

find them commencing operations at their new station. 
The town of Balasore is situated on the great pilgrim 
road leading from the northern provinces to Pooree, 
one hundred and fifty miles from Calcutta, one hun 
dred from C attack, and some eight miles from the sea 
shore. It contains about fourteen thousand inhabit 
ants, and the district of which it is the capital about 
five hundred thousand, with an extensive field for 
missionary operations among the hill tribes on its 
north-western border. There they found a climate 
comparatively cool and healthy ; four or five Euro 
pean families, some of them deeply interested in their 
work; and a populous native community, under the 
entire control of the English government. 

The six native children whom they had brought 
from Sumbhulpore formed the nucleus of their board 
ing-schools. Not long after, others were rescued from 
death, in a time of famine 5 and their number increased 
to fifty. 

There they preached in the streets of the town dur 
ing nine months of the year, and during the remaining 
three made extensive journeys into the country round, 
scattering Scriptures and tracts wherever they went. 
In 1840, the writer, "with his wife, was located at 
Balasore, in connection with Mr. Noyes; and, the 
health of the latter failing soon after, he was obliged 
to leave the scene of his labors and his sufferings, and 
return to his native land, when a number of converts 
had just been gathered in, when opposition had begun 



BALASORE. 133 

to die away, and when the night of toil was breaking 
in the dawn of success. 

Mr. and Mrs. Cooley and Miss Crawford afterward 
became connected with this station, where they still 
remain. 

One of the members of this mission has rested from 
her labors. Mrs. C. E. Bacheler was for four years 
intimately connected with the female department of 
the boarding-school. As soon as she had acquired 
the language sufficiently to make herself understood, 
she entered diligently upon the work of instruction, 
taking the entire superintendence of the girls. Dur 
ing many months of her Indian life she was an invalid, 
confined to the house. But even illness was not 
allowed to interrupt her efforts for the good of her 
pupils. In her sick-room, and around what proved 
her death-bed, these orphan children were daily 
assembled, and there several hours were spent in read 
ing the Bible, religious conversation, and labor. 

A few weeks before her death a consultation was 
held on her case, and the physicians decided that noth 
ing short of a return home could save her life. When 
this decision was communicated to her, it seemed 
almost too much for her feeble constitution to bear. 
She was violently convulsed, and begged that some 
means might be taken to divert her mind from the 
painful subject. How could she leave those poor 
orphan children? Gladly would she have remained 
at her post, at the risk of life ; but when she thought 
12 



134 CHKISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

of her tw o little babes, that must have been left orphans 
by such a course, she reluctantly consented to depart. 
She died, however, a few days after leaving her sta 
tion, and was honored with a grave on heathen ground. 
She sleeps side by side with the second Mrs. Phillips, 
in the English bury ing-ground at Midnapore. 

3. JELLASOKE. 

Early in 1840, thinking it advisable to extend their 
operations, Mr. Phillips removed to Jellasore, taking 
with him a portion of the boarding-school, and some 
of the native converts, and there commenced a new 
station. 

Jellasore is situated on the great pilgrim road before 
mentioned, thirty miles to the north of Balasore, in 
the midst of a densely-populated country. There he 
found an extensive district, nominally belonging to the 
province of Bengal, yet inhabited almost entirely by 
Oriyas, numbering perhaps half a million souls. And 
there, with but one European family within thirty 
miles, he has labored, unassisted and alone, for more 
than thirteen years. 

One death has occurred in connection with this 
station. Mrs. Mary Ann Phillips, having received 
her education in the country, was ^yell acquainted 
with the native language when she became connected 
-nth the mission, and, from the first, was eminently 
repared for usefulness in the boarding-school. After 



MIDNAPORE. 135 

devoting something like two years to the work, during 
which time she took a deep interest in her pupils, 
laboring arduously for their temporal and spiritual 
improvement, she yielded up her youthful spirit, ere 
she had completed her twenty-first year. 

4. MIDNAPORE. 

Mr. Dow having arrived in India, it was thought 
best for him to locate at Midnapore, a town contain 
ing some seventy thousand inhabitants, the capital 
of a district of Bengal, with a population of some 
thing like a million and a half of Bengalis, which 
had a short time previously been vacated by the 
General Baptist missionaries. There, single-handed 
and alone, he labored on, in that most trying field, day 
after day preaching in the crowded streets of the 
city, -or in the populous villages in the neighborhood, 
striving, with more than ordinary strength and zeal, 
to scatter the light of truth in the dense mass of 
darkness around. In three short years a powerful 
constitution was shattered ; his strength was gone ; 
and, after lingering on the shores of India till hope of 
recovery there had fled, with a sad heart he turned 
his back on the field he loved, and came home a con 
firmed invalid. 

Midnapore still remains without a missionary to 
direct its perishing thousands to the " Lamb of God 
that taketh away the sin of the world." It is situated 



136 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

about seventy-five miles from Calcutta, and forty 
from Jellasore. The climate is unusually healthy, 
and there are some twenty European families residing 
there, from whom considerable aid might be secured 
in prosecuting missionary labor. Three times has 
this promising station been occupied by different mis 
sionary societies, and relinquished for the want of 
laborers. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

SUBJECT CONTINUED. 

The Santals. Manners and Customs. Religious Interest. 
Baptisms. Letter of a SantaL 

THE SANTALS. 

FOR several years the friends of our mission have 
taken a deep interest in the condition of the Santals, 
a branch of the hill tribes, inhabiting the jungles 
on our western border. Little was known of them 
until within a few years. Mr. Noyes thus described 
a visit to one of their villages, in 1838 : 



"December 20^. Came to a small village in the 
heart of a dense jungle. As soon as I came in sight 



of the houses, I felt persuaded I was coming among 
old acquaintances, they so much resembled the stick 







12* 



138 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

huts of the Coles of Smnbhulpore. When I saw the 
jet black people, with a necklace of white beads about 
their necks, and their peculiar dress, if dress it might 
be called, I was more confirmed in my opinion. I 
immediately alighted from my horse and inquired if 
that was a village of the Coles ; but was not a little 
surprised at being so soon transported from the Ori- 
yas to a people who could not understand a word I 
said. I looked about with astonishment at the roman 
tic change, till at length I found an old man, who 
could speak broken Oriya, of whom I gained the fol 
lowing information. He said they were not Coles, but 
Santals. They had no castes among them ; no tem 
ples, priests or images. Their principal object of 
worship is the sun, which they believe to be God 
himself, and which they worship by sacrificing goats 
and chickens, at the same time repeating the prayer 
that the Coles repeat who sacrifice the same animals. 
The master of a family officiates as its priest, and 
performs the worship either in a dwelling-house or 
under a tree. They also adore the departed spirits 
of their fathers. They consider themselves the abo 
rigines of the country, and esteem the Hindus as 
their conquerors. They do not marry till the age of 
sixteen or seventeen, which they do as follows. The 
man first marries himself to the woman by putting 
some paint on her forehead, after which the woman 
confesses herself his wife by anointing his head with 
oil. Thus the bride and bridegnom are the only 



MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 139 

ones concerned in the business. Unlike the Hindus, 
they do not burn, but bury, their dead. They live by 
husbandry, and by distilling spirits from rice, of 
which they are yery fond, as appeared from the head 
man of the village lying in a state of intoxication all 
the time I remained there. Except as it regards the 
object of their worship, and their language, they 
resemble the Coles in every particular. I have 
learned that there are more than two hundred of 
these villages scattered throughout the Moharbanj 
country, and though from time immemorial they have 
lived among the Oriyas, yet they maintain their pe 
culiar manners, religion, and language. 

"Their color is much blacker than the Oriyas, 
their features very different, and their manners are 
not so deceitful. Their language is much more soft 
and musical, a dozen or twenty words of which I took 
down as a specimen. After I had written these 
words, they had some conversation amongst them 
selves, in which they manifested much suspicion of 
my motives. It appeared quite evident that that was 
the case, as they refused to tell many more words. I 
inquired if any of them could read; to which they 
replied they were wilderness men, and had no occa 
sion to learn letters. Desiring in some way to bring 
them under the influence of the gospel, I said. If one 
of you will go with me to Balasore, and learn to read, 
I will give him wages to return and teach the rest of 
you. They replied that I talked very well, and what 



140 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

I said might be true ; yet they had no /lesire to learn 
to read, and, though they should like ,he money, no 
one in the village would consent to gc with me, as I 
was the first white man they had ever seen, or even 
heard of, and hence I could not blame them for fear 
ing. We found it quite impossible to make them 
understand anything about the gospel." 

The following extracts from the writer s journal, 
published in 1841, describe some of their peculiari 
ties. 

" Rode on two miles through the jungle to Kinda- 
kunta, a large village of forty houses. Their houses 
are built of round posts driven into the ground so 
near as to be nearly tight, sometimes plastered with 
mud, but generally not; this is roofed with the com 
mon thatch or straw. Their wealth consists of buffa 
loes, cattle, sheep, goats, hogs and fowl. They must 
subsist principally by their flocks and herds, as we 
saw nothing of cultivated lands. The country here 
is elevated and dry, being of the primary formation, 
consisting of continued ledges of reddish rock, the 
surface of which seems crumbling to dust. The peo 
ple appear to be very fond of music. In the evening 
their musicians assembled with drum and fife, while 
the children were engaged in singing and dancing. 
As we arrived in the heat of the day, we took shel 
ter from the sun under a r neighboring banyan. 

" At night we asked fo 1 a house, but could obtain 



MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 141 

none ; so, spreading our umbrellas over our heads to 
keep off the dew, we lay down to sound and quiet 
slumber beneath cur tree. 

" 10/i. Spent the morning in making up a vocabu 
lary of Santal words. Obtained about one hundred 
and fifty. P. M. Hearing there would be a large 
dance some three or four miles off, and as most of our 
villagers had gone, we determined to go also. On 
our way we overtook a company of men, women, and 
children, dressed in their nicest clothes, singing and 
skipping about in the most delightful manner. On 
arriving at the spot, we found some six hundred 
people assembled in a circular enclosure, in the centre 
of which a few leaves of the sal tree were placed 
upon some rough images of elephants, horses, croco 
diles, &c. Around these were some two hundred 
women ; while in the outer part of the circle a large 
company of musicians, followed by the men, were 
marching round at a varied pace, partaking of the 
run, the jump and the dance, so that the whole 
company were constantly moving ; the men in the 
circumference at a rapid pace, the weaker sex in the 
centre more leisurely. The scene was pleasant to 
witness ; it is so seldom that we see anything like 
activity, that we delight to gaze even upon a dance. 
The highest bliss to which an Oriya aspires, is to 
stuff himself until he can eat no more, and then lie 
down to sleep in the sun. This constitutes his hap 
piness here, and, in his opinion, will constitute his 



j.42 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

heaven hereafter. Eut here appears to be a very 
different people. Wherever we have been, we have 
found the women mingling with the men, in their 
labors and in their recreations; and they do not 
appear to be considered inferior. The consequence 
is, they look like human beings, they respect them 
selves. They are divested of all that disgusting 
squeamishness which we see in all Hindu women." 

Mr. Phillips has been engaged, during several 
years past, in occasionally preaching among them, 
reducing their language to writing, and in preparing 
some few elementary books. He thus writes, in 
regard to their language : 

"The regularity of the language, considering it 
has never been cultivated, is remarkable. The per 
son and number of the* verb are more distinctly 
marked, and the mood and tense not less so, than in 
the Oriya, or even the English. The following may 
serve as specimens : 

Ing ernoaing, I shall give. 

Am ernoam, Thou shalt give. 

Huni ernoai, He shall give. 

All ernoale, We shall give. 

Ape ernoape, Ye or you shall give. 

Hunko ernoako, Tley shall give. 
"The language sounds very sweet and musical 
when spoken. 

"In theological terms, it appears to be extremely 



RELIGIOUS INTEREST. 143 

barren. How could it be otherwise 1 Words, which 
compose language, being but signs of ideas, it fol 
lows that they will only keep pace with the progress 
of thought. The Santals are mostly employed in 
cutting and selling wood, cultivating the land, rear 
ing cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, hens, &c., to which 
may be added hunting and dancing, of both which 
they are passionately fond ; literature, of any name 
or nature, being wholly unknown among them. Their 
religion, so far as I can learn, is confined to a few 
simple offerings, made either to the sun, the only 
god of which they appear to have any conception, or 
to some idol, formed, for the time, to represent the 
sun, it would seem, and the offering of a few short 
prayers, for good crops, thriving cattle, &c., and for 
recovery when ill, when they promise, in case they 
get well, to offer goats and pigs. As to a future state 
they disclaim all idea ! They have no hope, no fear 
beyond the present ! How, then, could it be expected 
that the terms faith, hope, repentance, conversion, 
atonement, mediator, reconciliation, &c., &c., could 
exist in a Christian sense, or in any sense, among 
such people ? They do not," 

Little religious interest was manifest among the 
Santals until 1847. Mr. Phillips established a school 
at Jellasore, into which several of their youths had 
been drawn. There they learned to read their own 
language, reduced to system, and written, for the 



144 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

first time, in a book. The minds of some of these 
were gradually enlightened, religious instruction was 
sanctified, and they began to manifest a deep interest 
in spiritual things. 

Mr. Phillips thus describes the commencement of 
this religious interest : 

" This evening we have had what may be termed 
ouYJirst Santdl prayer meeting. I gave a lecture 
from Matt. 16 : 24, and succeeded with the language 
better than I had hoped. After this we had a famil 
iar conversation, in which Budharai and Bhagabun 
and some of the school freely engaged, frankly con 
fessing their former darkness, and the great light 
they had now received, and the glorious prospects 
thus presented to them. Budharai freely confessed 
his present position. He felt fully convinced of the 
truth of Christianity, and of his own need ; but, in 
case he should entirely forsake the gods of his fathers, 
he had his fears lest they might do him some injury, 
perhaps eat him up ! 

" I at length asked Elias to pray, and he did so, very 
much to my surprise and delight. He was perfectly 
composed and ready in his language. His prayer 
was simple, unaffected and fervent, coming from the 
heart. Forms of prayer, he could have learned 
none, for the simple reason that none existed in. their 
language. But what need of forms of words, when 
a man is taught by the Spirit to pour his wants into 



RELIGIOUS INTEREST. 145 

the ear of sovereign mercy? He prays with the 
spirit and with the understanding also. Set forms 
would but trammel the free-born soul. 

" To me this meeting has been the happiest I have 
experienced for years, truly a feast of fat things. It 
more than repays me the labor and toil of their in 
struction, and the acquisition of their strange lan 
guage : yea, it is an abundant recompense for all the 
labor and suffering of twelve years exile. God be 
praised that I have lived to see this day ! 

"Aug. 4/A. At our prayer-meeting last evening, 
Bhagaban, Elias Hutchins, David Marks, Daniel Cil- 
ley, and Abial Moulton, all engaged in prayer and 
spoke, expressing their full determination to forsake 
all for God, and their readiness to put on Christ by 
baptism. Three of these I should have no hesitancy 
in baptizing even now. Of the other two I have 
strong hopes, and probably we shall soon have the 
happiness of admitting the five all together to the 
bosom of the church. Surely, salvation has come to 
the Santals, the long-despised, long-neglected San 
tals. for whose souls no man cared. God be praised 
for this great salvation ! 

" 16/A. Daniel and Elias have at length, and I 
trust forever, become emancipated from the shackles 
of caste ! They had repeatedly communicated their 
intention to do so, and, as I felt pretty well satisfied 
with their experience, I thought it best to lose no 
time in bringing the matter to a close. I therefore 
13 



146 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

called them in this afternoon, with Kama and Mahes ? 
and, after conversing with them some time, proposed 
that they should take some bread and eat before us. 
Surprising as it may seem, this startled them, and 
they drew back. At length Daniel said he would 
eat ; Elias said he would wait till he should be bap 
tized. The bread was brought, but Daniel s heart 
almost failed him. He, however, after some hesita 
tion, raised his hand and took a piece ; Elias declined. 
Poor Daniel sat with the bread in his hand, swelled 
up and seemed in an awful trial, and for half an hour 
or more it seemed doubtful whether they would taste 
the morsel which was to be the signal of a final sepa 
ration from all their former connections. It was an 
important step to take. The Rubicon once passed 
there could be no retreat. They, however, at length 
put the fearful morsel to their mouths, and the work 
was done, when they immediately became tranquil 
and happy. They appeared quite happy at our prayer- 
meeting this evening, and the family they have now left, 
so far from taking fright, have been singing and pray 
ing with Rama as cheerful as ever. David seemed 
almost persuaded to cast in his lot with them, but his 
courage failed. I hope both he and Bhagaban, his 
father, will do so soon. The Lord be praised for 
redeeming grace ! 

" 30^/i. Yesterday, Sabbath, was a day of rejoicing 
with us. Five happy converts witnessed a good pro 
fession before many witnesses. Notice had been cir- 



BAPTISMS. 147 

culated in the neighborhood, and about fifty of our 
heathen neighbors came and attended our afternoon 
preaching, and then repaired with us to the water-side, 
and beheld, in solemn silence, five of their country 
men buried with Christ in baptism. They looked on 
with interest, and, in a few instances, expressed their 
approbation : and we can but pray and hope that the 
public administration of this divinely appointed ordi 
nance may be blessed to the good of those whose 
curiosity led them to witness it. 

" In the evening we met (for the first time in our 
new chapel) to commemorate the dying love of our 
glorified Lord. The season was one of refreshing 
from the presence of the Lord, and not soon to be 
forgotten. 

" Among the newly baptized were two Santals, two 
Oriyas and a Bengalee widow, the mother of Mahes, 
native preacher. 

" Daniel Cilley is a Santal youth, about sixteen 
years of age. He entered the school in January last, 
and is a bright, active, and amiable lad, and learns 
well. He is a very frank, open-hearted boy, and 
often reminds us of our Lord s commendation of Na- 
thanael, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no 
guile. 

1 Elias Hutchins is also a Santal, and is about 
eighteen years of age. He entered the school in 
April, 1846. For many months his disposition and 
manners were rough and disagreeable, but the past 



148 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

three months have marked a most pleasing change in 
his life and conduct. The rude barbarian is changed 
for the meek and lowly disciple of Jesus. He has a 
noble form, being of middling size, a good voice, a 
pleasant, ready delivery, and is a plodding genius of a 
scholar. We hope he is destined to become a vessel 
of great mercy to his long-neglected, long-despised, 
outcast countrymen. Elias is probably our first San- 
tal convert; and he was instrumental in bringing 
Daniel forward, as he was also in introducing him into 
the school at first, being from the same village as him 
self. Still, I have put the latter first, because, with 
rather more firmness than his companion, he was the 
first openly to renounce caste, and thus sever himself 
from all his idolatrous connections. They appear very 
happy together, and now occupy a separate apartment, 
arid cook for themselves, so as not to defile those who 
have not yet renounced caste." 

The following letter was written by one of the 
young men above alluded to, who is now a preacher 
of the gospel : 



LETTER OF ELIAS HUTCHLNS ON THE SANTALS. 

"To REV. E. HUTCHINS: 

" 0, my holy father and namesake ! to you my 
many salutations. 

"Formerly I was a very bad person. From my 



SANTAL LETTER. 149 

birth till I was grown up I knew not whether there 
was a God or not. But, by the mercy of Christ, I 
came to Patna, and, by degrees, learned to read the 
Bible, and obtained knowledge. Knowing the Bible 
to be a true shaster, I began to cry Alas ! alas ! how 
shall I obtain salvation from sin ? This I began to 
seek, and the Lord pardoned me, and until now has 
kept me as his own. 

"Among the Santals there is great ignorance. 
From their birth to their death they have not the least 
knowledge as to how they may obtain salvation. They 
say, when a person dies his soul dies also ; others say 
the soul becomes a lizard ; others, that the king of 
death will cast the soul into hell. Thus they have 
many ways. They worship wood, ston?, earth, and 
the demons of the forest. 

" Should you ask them, Who made you ? they would 
say, The sun ; and the things we worship are his ser 
vants. Worshipping these, they will make known our 
joys and sorrows to the sun. They are his servants, 
we are theirs. Whenever he is hungry, they lay hold 
of us ; we make offerings, and they take them to him. 
If we go to them, and speak the word of God, they 
say, This word is true, all you say is true ; but, 
unless we worship these gods, we shall die ; therefore 
we are not able to obey. If you ask them, Do you 
hope for salvation by your gods ? they answer, No. 
Then why do you worship them ? i That we may 
obtain riches. What sin is they do not know. Should 
18* 



150 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

you tell them not to commit adultery, they would say, 
We have but this one life ; shall we have another 
after this ? What we shall be hereafter an insect, 
a lizard, or what who can tell 1 therefore we choose 
to make the most of the present. They wander in 
the jungle, cut and sell wood and leaves, and at night 
spend their time in dancing and revelry. When they 
hear of a jatra, mothers and children all go and dance. 
In every house they have the handi (fermented liquor) 
and poura (distilled spirits), and, drinking freely, 
fight and quarrel. 

" Thus, if I were to tell you all about the Santals, 
it would take more than five days to write it. My 
wife and I send you both many salutations. We are 
ignorant, and unworthy to write you. Be merciful, 
and write me a letter. We are all well here. 
" From your friend and namesake, 

"ELIAS HUTCHINS." 

Considerable interest was manifested at one time in 
India in our Santal mission. An appeal was sent 
forth, soliciting aid, which met with a hearty response. 
One gentleman contributed more than three hundred 
dollars to aid in the work. We besought our Board 
to send out a missionary at once for that field, and 
some funds were obtained in this country for that 
purpose ; but the churches did not respond to the call 
made upon them to a sufficient extent to enable us to 
enter upon the work. Mr. Phillips has done what 



DIFFICULTIES AND OBSTACLES. 151 

he could, without detriment to his Orija labors, in pre 
paring elementary books ; but the Santal mission, 
after all that had been said about it, remained among 
the things that were to be, until quite recently. By 
recent intelligence from India we learn that a consid 
erable tract of land has been secured in the neighbor 
hood of the Santals, and that an effort is being made 
to collect some of them, together with some of the 
native Christians, into a village. The services of a 
young man, Mr. Olliver, have been secured, who is 
located in this germ of a village. It is to be hoped 
that something more decided will be undertaken, to 
excite a permanent interest among them, and bring 
them under the influences of the gospel. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

DIFFICULTIES AND OBSTACLES. 

Difficulties to the Missionary. The Language. Peculiarities 
of the Work. Apathy of the People. Obstacles to Conver 
sion. Attachment of the Hindus to the Institutions of their 
Fathers. Influence of the Brahmans. Deficient tone of 
Moral Feeling. Caste. Illustration. 

THAT there must be difficulties in the way of the 
missionary, and obstacles to the introduction of Chris 
tianity among such a people as the Hindus, must be 
obvious. The missionary, on his arrival in India, 



152 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

finds difficulties of no inconsiderable magnitude in the 
way of the successful prosecution of his work. When 
he steps on shore, he finds himself in a strange land, 
and among a strange people. He speaks, hut is not 
understood ; he is addressed by the people, but under 
stands not; and even when the natives, with their 
stentorian lungs, vociferate in his ears, the sounds 
strike his ear with painful force, but they are strange 
sounds to him; they reach not his understanding. 
Multitudes are around him, moving on in the busy 
whirl of life ; but he lives and moves in solitude. (X 
how he longs for the day when he shall be able to 
meet them on their own ground, and tell them, in 
their own language, of a Saviour s dying love ! He 
sits down to the study of the language, and, as he 
toils through its fifty simple characters, and five or 
six hundred combinations of letters, and stores away 
word after word in the treasure-house of his memory, 
he is cheered by the hope that, ere long, he shall be 
able to communicate his burning thoughts in breathing 
words ; and, after a year of toil, he may be able to 
converse with some degree of ease to himself, and 
profit to his hearers. Another six months passes, and 
he begins to preach, with some difficulty. Then other 
difficulties arise. He cannot express his thoughts 
with that clearness he desires. Objections are raised 
by his hearers which he may not be able to answer 
satisfactorily to himself or to them, and they seem to 
triumph over him. Then he longs for the day when 



DIFFICULTIES AND OBSTACLES. 158 

he shall be able to reason without being misunderstood, 
and carry conviction to the minds of his hearers. He 
descends into the labyrinths of native literature, reads 
over ponderous volumes, studies day and night, to 
store his mind with arguments, that he may meet his 
opponents on their own ground. He sallies forth thus 
doubly armed, with arguments drawn from the shas- 
ters and the Bible, and is sure to conquer on every 
fairly-contested field. Has he attained the goal of his 
ambition ? Has he left his difficulties behind ? No ; 
they have but just commenced. Another "change 
comes o er the spirit of his dreams." Though he is 
able to convince his opponents by argument, he finds 
that " a man convinced against his will is of the same 
opinion still." He finds that human nature is the 
same the world over. Circumstances may modify 
some of its traits, but human beings are human, take 
them where you may, on Christian or on heathen 
ground. In the ardor of his enthusiasm he may have 
,felt that it would only be necessary to convince- the 
heathen of his error, and show him the absurdity of 
his own system, and then point him to the Saviour, 
all-powerful to save, and it would suffice. But, as he 
stands up, day after day, in the crowded streets or 
markets, and reasons with the multitude " of righteous 
ness, temperance, and a judgment to come," and, in 
all the ardor of his love, invites them to the Saviour, 
he finds the same all- pervading apathy, the same 
strong tendency to worldlincss and vanity, only in a 



154 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

higher degree, that we find here in our own more 
highly favored land. 

Other difficulties, that may have seemed great, may 
have vanished away, but this " sticketh closer than a 
brother," even to the end of his earthly pilgrimage. 
As, day after day, he turns away from his congrega 
tions, interested and enlightened somewhat, but still 
unsaved, with the influences of an unfriendly clime, 
that, at best, must rob him of half his energies, with 
few hearts to beat in unison with his, with few to 
whom he can unbosom his sorrows, with little or no 
intellectual companionship, with his varied labors, 
cares and responsibilities weighing him down, is it 
strange that his strength should fail, and that he 
-should sometimes be driven from the field of conflict 
by physical disabilities, or go down to a premature 
grave? And yet, notwithstanding these difficulties, 
and though the average of missionary life in India has 
been but little above five years, though many have 
found- their graves there, and others have left the field 
with shattered constitutions, though the physical 
strength of many has failed, I have never heard of 
but one whose heart failed because the difficulties were 
too great to be encountered. But, as the worldly 
warrior, though scathed and wounded in the deadly 
.fight, yet, when strength returns to his debilitated 
system, and new blood courses in his veins, sighs 
again for the scene of conflict, so has it been, so may 
it ever be, with those who go forth to fight the battles 
of the Lord in heathen lands. 



OBSTACLES. 155 



OBSTACLES. 

That there would be serious obstacles to the intro 
duction of the pure principles of Christianity among 
such a people as the Hindus, must be obvious. It was 
not, however, because the Hindus were too stupid to 
understand, or too depraved to appreciate, argument, 
that the early missionaries met with so many obstacles 
to the successful prosecution of their work. Accus 
tomed to reflect and reason on religious subjects from 
his childhood up, he is prepared to be influenced by 
correct argument. Consequently, we do not find it so 
very difficult to convince him of the truths of Chris 
tianity. Obstacles arise from other sources. 

1. The Hindu is strongly attached to the institutions 
of his fathers. Desire for change does not exist. It 
is enough for him to follow the same avocations, to use 
the same tools, to cultivate his fields in the same way, 
to build his house, live, act and dress, as his fathers 
have done before him. The gods he worships have 
been their gods, and that for untold generations ; the 
principles of his religion have been their guide in life, 
and their only solace in the hour of death. While 
desire for change has been the ruling passion of all 
the world beside, it has been the reverse with him. 
He must ever remain the same. This principle of 
unchangeableness exerts a direct influence against the 
introduction of a new religion. Christianity, in his 
estimation, may be more worthy of esteem, its prin- 



156 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

ciples may be more reasonable than those of his own 
system ; but it is not the religion of his ancestors. 
The Bible may be a better shaster, more pure in its 
teachings, more elevating in its influences, more sub 
lime in its hopes than his own ; but it is not the shas- 
ter of his fathers. The Christian s heaven may be a 
desirable place, but his ancestors are not there, and 
where they are, there he desires to be. We find this 
principle strongly operating, everywhere, against the 
temporal as w T ell as moral improvement of the people. 
An attempt was made, some years ago, to introduce 
the cultivation of American cotton in our neighbor 
hood, as it is more productive than the native, and 
some seeds w r ere distributed for this purpose; but, 
after some time, we learned that its cultivation was 
discouraged by the Brahmans, because such cotton 
had never been raised by their fathers. 

2. Another obstacle is found in the power and in 
fluence of the Brahmans, the hereditary priests of 
Hinduism. They are the most intelligent, the best 
educated, and the most influential class. Their sup 
port is derived from profits arising from the discharge 
of their priestly duties. Their very existence, as a 
class, depends upon the continuance of the present 
system, and their keeping the people under the same 
influences that have ever operated upon them. They 
will oppose to the uttermost, both with their legiti 
mate influence and their ecclesiastical authority, the 
introduction of a system that must necessarily sub- 



OBSTACLES. 157 

vert their power and deprive them of the support and 
confidence of the people. 

3. The deficient tone of moral feeling presents 
another obstacle to the introduction of Christianity . 

The influence of the worship of gods "whose attri 
butes are rage, revenge and lust," must be demoral 
izing in the extreme. It is natural that the character 
of a people should be assimilated, to a considerable 
extent, to the supposed character of the gods they 
worship. And, as in the case of the Hindus, where 
the character of their deities is but the cmbodyment 
of all that is corrupt, immoral and impure, the public 
mind must be debased, the morals corrupt, and the 
finer sensibilities of the heart obliterated. Impure 
and unholy influences have ever operated upon the 
mind, the fountains of religious sentiment have been 
poisoned, sending forth nothing but the turbid waters 
of. corruption. 

To purify these fountains and create a correct moral 
sentiment, is a work of no inconsiderable magnitude. 

4. Caste presents a more formidable obstacle than 
either of the preceding. This institution, in the 
Hindu s estimation, is as ancient as the human race, 
its characteristic features having been established by 
the great Creator when he formed man from himself. 
Its influence is felt in every condition of society. If 
the Hindu thirsts for improvement, this meets him at 
the outset. When his ambition would lead him to 
seek a more elevated position in society, this is an 

14 



158 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

effectual check upon his efforts. When his purer 
aspirations would carry him above the corrupt influ 
ences of the world, and lead him to communion with 
his Maker, this checks his upward flight, clips his 
wings, and brings him back to earth. He must bo 
what his fathers have been before him ; must move in 
the sphere in which they moved, live as they lived, 
and die as they died, or he ceases to be a Hindu. 

The institution of caste is guarded by the strictest 
rules, the violation of which throws the individual for 
ever beyond the pale of respectable society, rendering 
him an object to be despised by men while he lives, 
and disowned by the gods when he dies. 

It is necessary for every Hindu, on becoming a 
Christian, to sacrifice his caste ; and with it every 
thing which he has been taught to hold dear and 
sacred, and to be looked upon as a low and degraded 
being. Friends and associates, reputation and influ 
ence, and, in some instances, wealth, and wife and 
children, all that he has loved and all that he has 
respected, must be left behind, when he crosses that 
broad gulf that separates between heathenism and 
Christianity. 

The following instance may be considered as a fair 
illustration of this obstacle to the Hindu s conversion. 

A. young man came to Balasore, a few years since, 
where he became convinced of the truths of the gos 
pel, and came to the determination to be a Christian. 
His widowed mother, living away some forty miles in 



OBSTACLES. 159 

the country, heard of his determination. The news 
of his condemnation to an ignominious death would 
not have been received with more consternation. She 
called hastily upon two of her neighbors, and begged 
of them to go up with her to Balasore, and assist her 
in reclaiming her son, who was in danger of becoming 
a Christian. They came, and had free access to that 
young man for several days, laboring with him day 
and night, endeavoring, by argument, threatening and 
entreaty, to induce him to return home. His mother 
said to him, " My son, if you become a Christian you 
can never come to my house again ; I never could 
give you food, though you were starving ; you will be 
disowned by our friends, and become an outcast ; we 
shall ever look upon you as dead, and must perform 
your funeral ceremonies ; you will go down to hell 
yourself, and carry us all along with you ; and not 
only that, but you will draw down fourteen genera 
tions of your ancestors from heaven." These are not 
imaginary arguments ; they are all drawn from their 
sacred books, and possess, to the Hindu, all the stern 
realities of law. And these arguments were brought 
to bear upon that young man s mind with painful 
force, day after day. His constant reply was, I 
cannot help it, I must be a Christian." He could 
not satisfactorily refute arguments of such high au 
thority; but his determination was fixed to be a Chris 
tian, whatever the sacrifice might be. When this 
contest had continued for some days, and all were 



160 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

wearied with constant excitement, our native Chris 
tians came in one evening, bringing the young man 
with them, and begged that he might be permitted to 
break caste, for they thought his principles had been 
sufficiently tested. Finding him still steadfast after 
having passed so severe an ordeal, I allowed him to 
break from his neck the string of beads that he wore 
as a badge of caste, and gave him a bit of biscuit, 
which he ate, and his caste was gone ! Eating bat a 
crumb from my hand, and in my house, was enough 
to destroy it forever. His mother was soon told that 
it was all over, for her son had eaten in the Sahib s 
house. When she heard that, she knew full well that 
it was all over, too. Her heart was too full to allow 
her to speak ; in silence she took up the few articles 
she had brought with her, and, with her two friends, 
started off, then ten o clock at night, for her home, 
forty miles over the plains. 

Arrived at home, two weeks were spent in perform 
ing the funeral ceremonies of her son, now considered 
as dead. The house was polluted by his act, and 
must be washed within and without; her cooking 
utensils w r ere unclean, and must be thrown away, and 
new ones purchased ; certain fees must be paid to the 
officiating priests, and a general feast made for all 
the members of her caste in the neighborhood ; and 
then she was restored to society. 

The deep disgrace, however, of having a son an 
apostate, a Christian, she could never wipe out. So 



NATIVE SCHOOLS. 161 

far as her standing in society was concerned, it would 
have been better for her had her son died an igno 
minious death, had he perished on the scaffold. The 
disgrace would not have been so great, nor the stain 
so deep, as it was in his becoming a Christian. 

These are the obstacles that present themselves to 
the mind of the Hindu when he contemplates becoming 
a Christian. And though, as the number of converts 
has increased, and Christianity has become more 
popular, they have gradually diminished, still they 
exist to a fearful extent, even to the present time, 
sufficiently so to induce thousands, who are fully con 
vinced of the truths of the Gospel, to live and die in 
heathenism. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT. 

State of the Native Schools. Mission Day Schools. Their Ad 
vantages. Boarding Schools. Oriya, Santal and Kand 
Schools Results. 

STATE OF THE NATIVE SCHOOLS. 

OUR missionaries early saw the necessity of an im 
proved system of education. They found the native 
schools in a very inefficient and corrupt state, the 
14* 



162 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

nurseries of vice, rather than the promoters of moral 
ity. Their system provided only for the education of 
males, and they were generally not instructed beyond 
the rudiments of reading, writing and arithmetic. 
The most obscene portions of their sacred books were 
selected as class books, and these their pupils were 
taught to read and repeat thus storing their minds 
with the most impure ideas. To remedy these defects, 
and to prevent the youthful mind from being poisoned 
by such corrupt influences, two plans were devised. 

1. DAY SCHOOLS. 

These were established for the purpose of enabling 
heathen children to acquire a better education, with 
out detriment to caste, and, also, with the hope of 
bringing them more directly under religious influence. 
By paying the salary of the teacher, usually about 
two dollars per month, the missionary could secure 
the entire control of the school. The Bible, and 
other Christian books, took the place of the shasters. 
The higher branches were taught, and the children 
were brought more immediately under religious influ 
ence, most of them attending worship on the Sabbath. 

Although one or more of these schools have been 
sustained in connection with each of our stations, the 
desired results have not been fully realised. Many 
thus educated have obtained a more correct knowl 
edge of the principles of Christianity ; a better state 



BOARDING SCHOOLS. 163 

of education has been secured; but with us, few, if any, 
conversions have resulted directly from these schools. 
It was found that though a purer atmosphere was 
secured in school, but little could be gained so long as 
the children were exposed to the corrupting influences 
of heathenism at home. To remedy this evil, and to 
bring the young under continual religious influence, 
the boarding-schools were designed. 



2. BOARDING SCHOOLS. 

Almost from the commencement of the mission the 
plan of disseminating religious truth through the 
medium of boarding schools was adopted. During the 
short but eventful residence of our first missionaries 
at Sumbhulpore, six starving children were received in 
time of famine, and these formed the nucleus of our 
boarding schools. Soon after their removal to 
Balasore, during two successive years of famine, their 
number was increased to more than fifty, and after the 
occupation of Jellasore as a mission station, some 
twenty-five others were gathered in there under simi 
lar circumstances. 

As the becoming members of these schools required 
the sacrifice of caste, children could not be obtained so 
long as their parents were able to support them ; and 
as the ten succeeding years were years of comparative 
plenty, there were few additions during this period. 

Some few extracts from the mission reports will give 



164 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

a clear idea of the management and progress of these 
schools. 

" It is truly delightful to contrast the condition of 
the eight children that form my first class with wha,t 
it was when they first came to us. They were then 
naked, skeletons, and almost as wild as the monkeys 
of their native jungle, with dim eyes and beast-like 
visages. Now they have the appearance of humanity 
and a degree of mental culture not possessed by the 
most intelligent natives. The most of these, according 
to Hindu custom, will soon be considered men and 
women, a boy being of age, according to their laws, at 
sixteen. As they are soon to take their stand in 
society, very much depends upon giving them a good 
Christian education. 

" One very interesting lad, whom we call Adam, 
learned the Bengalee alphabet in two days, and that 
when getting up from a fever. This was entirely of 
his own accord, as I knew nothing of it till he had 
completed the task. This will appear to be no small 
acquisition, when you reflect that the Bengalee alpha 
bet is not like the English, which contains only twenty- 
six characters, but contains several hundreds of dif 
ferent figures, consisting of letters, parts of letters, and 
combined letters. 

" We hope that a work of grace has been wrought 
in the hearts of some of these children, though we 
deem it prudert not to admit them to the church till 



BOARDING SCHOOLS. 165 

we see the most satisfactory evidence that they have 
been born from above."- Mr. Noycs. 

11 Our boarding school affords us great encourage 
ment. As the children are entirely removed from the 
contaminating influence of the heathen, we trust that 
the labor bestowed upon them will not be in vain. 
We have received four more children within two 
weeks, and, I doubt not, could get an hundred had we 
the necessary funds. Could our dear sisters in Amer 
ica, witness their improvement, the sight of their eyes 
would affect their hearts, and they would give with a 
liberal hand ; for when the heart is affected the 
hand is opened. Then they would not oblige us to 
turn away the poor little Hindu girls to certain rnin 
and degradation^ for want of means to receive 
them. 

" The Oriya school commences at sunrise, when all 
the children assemble, and are engaged in their studies 
till eight o clock, when they are dismissed. They then 
bathe, eat, clean their houses, &c., until about ten, 
when the larger girls come in to me, and the little ones 
and boys go to the school again, and remain till four. 
I teach the girls to sew, &c., till four, when the 
schools for the day are dismissed. I then give out the 
rice, vegetables, fish, c., for their food till the next 
afternoon. Each child is allowed a pound of rice 
daily, besides curry. 

" I was quite interested the other evening, going 
into the girls house, to see them all seated in a circle, 



166 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

as I thought, eating their suppers. I asked them 
what they were about. They replied, they were learn 
ing to pray ! The larger girls were teaching the 
smaller their prayers, of their own accord ! A few 
months before, these children were wild as the beasts 
of their native jungle ; now. what a pleasing contrast ! 
learning to become useful, intelligent human beings ; 
and above all, we trust, with the blessing of God, they 
will become heirs of eternal life. We have formed 
them into a Sabbath-school, and those who can read 
commit to memory twelve verses in the gospels, which 
they appear to understand." Mrs. Noyes. 

" A year ago this school contained but seven schol 
ars, and was located at Balasore. In March following 
it was removed to this place, and during the year 
twenty-eight children have been added to the number. 

11 The great scarcity of provisions in this part of the 
country last year, induced many parents to give us 
their children to prevent their starvation. Not a few, 
however, of these destitute children had become so 
reduced and impregnated with disease, as to render it 
difficult to save them. 

" Although the judgment which has been abroad in 
the land has been the apparent cause of this unlooked- 
for increase, yet we would not be so blind as not to 
discover that omnipotent hand which holds in subjec 
tion all judgments, and makes them but agents of the 
divine pleasure. We desire to feel that God is saying 
to us, Take these children and bring them up for me/ 



BOARDING SCHOOLS. 167 

With so important and responsible a charge on our 
hands, we feel that it is not left optional with us to 
choose what part we are to act. While the path of 
duty is thus distinctly marked out, and the love of 
Christ dwells in the heart, a more delightful task need 
not be coveted, than to train these young immortals in 
the way they should go. 

u Three of the oldest children have gone through 
with nearly all the class books in the Oriya language. 
They are able also to write a legible hand. The old 
est boy (who is a member of the church) begins to be 
useful as an assistant teacher in the school, and bids 
fair to do well. 

" Another class, ten in number, formed a little more 
than a month ago, is making encouraging improve 
ment. They read in the gospels, and a part of them 
are able to write. Some of the members of this class 
bid. fair to become more than ordinary scholars, should 
they enjoy proper advantages." Mr. Phillips. 

These children, being removed from intimate contact 
with heathenism, were educated on Christian princi 
ples, and under strictly religious influence. 

Some of them have now arrived at mature years, and 
are occupying important positions in our Christian 
community. 

Some years since a number of Santal youths were 
gathered into a school at Jellasore, where they were 
taught to read the Bible in their own language, then 



168 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

first reduced to writing. But as it was found difficult 
to induce them to remain long under instruction on 
account of their wandering habits, it was suspended 
after the first year. It was not without its fruits, 
however, as two promising young men were hope 
fully converted through its influence. One of them is 
now a teacher, and the other a candidate for the 
ministry. 

In 1849, thirty, and in the following year fifty 
Kand children, boys and girls, were placed under the 
care of our mission at Balasore, by government. 
They had been rescued from human sacrifice by the 
agents of the English government but a short time 
before. They had been purchased or stolen in in 
fancy, and in a short time would have been sacrificed 
in a most cruel manner to a strange deity, as described 
in a previous chapter, had they not been rescued. 

When they came among us, a more ignorant com 
pany of human beings perhaps could nowhere be found. 
As they were so soon to be offered in sacrifice, their 
instruction would have been a waste of labor, conse 
quently they had not been taught. Some of the boys 
were expert in the use of the bow and arrow, and were 
fond of roaming through the jungles, shooting the 
hares and jackals, but beyond this they knew little. 
At first they thought it very dull work to sit down on 
the ground and write off the alphabet, without knowing 
the meaning of the characters they wrote. But when 
they came to understand the object and advantages of 



BOARDING SCHOOLS. 169 

education, they made as rapid progress as children of 
a fairer skin and superior advantages would have 
done. 

A few extracts will illustrate the progress of these 
children, not only in their studies, but also in the 
superior knowledge of the heart and of God. 

" We have often been deeply gratified, while silently 
observing little things, to see developed, inadvertently 
to themselves, a gradual growth in moral principle. 
Thus far their studies have been confined to reading, 
writing and arithmetic, and committing to memory 
their Sabbath-school lessons. Most of them can read 
with a good degree of fluency, and they think it a 
most pleasant pastime, while engaged in their work, to 
chant from the Jewel Mine, or sing hymns from 
the Qriya Hymn Book." 

A year subsequently we find the following : 

"Many of our larger pupils are, and have been for 
months, in a very interesting state of mind, and one, 
I can but hope, has passed from death unto life. A 
few evenings since I had an interesting conversation 
with Brunda and Pundari. They complained of un 
believing, wicked hearts, which prevented them from 
believing in a saving manner, and said that their 
minds were in trouble night and day. 0, may they 
never find rest till they find it in Jesus ! And I 
15 



170 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

believe that they and some others will be able to 
believe unto salvation. 

" We have an inquiry meeting once a week, and 
other meetings often. The dear ones allude, in their 
prayers, most feelingly to the awful death from which 
they have been delivered. In our female inquiry 
meeting last Sabbath, thirteen were present, and we 
had a melting season. At the close one of the girls, 
Phebe, prayed, and prayed like a child of God, which 
I can but think she is. She alluded most aifectingly 
to the awful doom from which God in his mercy had 
saved her. She is a noble girl, of an independent, 
thoughtful mind, and will exert much influence." 
Mrs. Bachelor. 

" I have a very interesting Sabbath-school class, 
consisting of eight girls. They learn and recite from 
six to twelve verses of the New Testament every Sab 
bath. A year since they knew not a letter. The 
truths of the gospel never seem so precious to me as 
when I try to explain it to these little, untutored 
minds, in their own mother tongue. I think I love 
them quite as well as I used to my little white-faced 
American pupils." Mrs. Cooley. 

Recent letters from India mention the conversion 
of six of these children during the last year, and sev 
eral others are anxiously inquiring what they shall do 
to be saved. In one of these letters, the writer states 
that, on the previous Sabbath, as they were coming out 



BOARDING SCHOOLS. 171 

of the chapel, one of the girls was heard to cry out 
most bitterly. On inquiring what was the matter, she 
replied, while the big tears rolled down over her dark 
cheok, " 0, I am so great a sinner ! Is it possible 
for such a sinner to be saved ! " 

It should be observed that when these children came 
amongst us they were hardly possessed of a single 
religious idea. They had no idea of a Supreme Being, 
had only been taught to tremble before that cruel 
earth god to whom they were so soon to be sacrificed ; 
a god whose depraved appetites craved human blood, 
warm and reeking from the veins of his murdered vic 
tims. 

They have now been in our schools something more 
than three years. They have made commendable 
proficiency in useful knowledge. The boys have been 
taught mechanical trades, the girls to sew, knit and 
spin, as well as various household duties ; and what 
is better far, many of them have learned to bow in 
humble adoration before the God who made them, and 
are earnestly seeking to walk in his ways. 

As nearly as can now be estimated, about two hun 
dred children have been connected with these schools, 
from the commencement of the mission. A large number 
of these have died from diseases contracted previous 
to their reception, or resulting from debilitated consti 
tutions, induced by long-continued privations and suf 
ferings. Others became impatient of the restraints of 
school, and ran away ; and some that have arrived at 



172 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

mature years are now settled in our Christian com 
munities, useful and happy members of society. 
Three of our native preachers, three doctors, and 
three school teachers, have either been educated in 
these schools, or brought in through their influence. 

The entire expense has been less than a dollar a 
month for each scholar, and the expenses of the Kand 
schools have been entirely defrayed by government. 



PREPARATION OF BOOKS. 

The importance was early felt of giving to the 
Hindus a purer literature ; and a variety of works, 
both religious and scientific, have been prepared in 
the native language. 

The Bible was first translated into Oriya by Dr. 
Gary, of Serampore ; this has been revised and im 
proved by Dr. Sutton, of Cuttack. Some thirty 
tracts have been composed, several of them in poetry, 
to meet the peculiar circumstances of the people. 
School-books, such as the circumstances of the schools 
required, have, from time to time, been prepared. 
The General Baptist missionaries, having established a 
press at Cuttack, have taken the lead in this depart 
ment. Something, however, has been done by our 
own missionaries. The following are the principal 
that have been published. In Oriya, a tract by Mr. 
Noyes, a tract and geography by Mr. Phillips, and a 
Medical Guide by Mr. Bacheler. In Santal, a trans- 



PREPARATION OF BOOKS. 173 

lation of the Gospel of Matthew, First Lessons, Cate 
chism, Grammar and Vocabulary, by Mr. Phillips. 
In Bengali, a Medical Guide, by Mr. Bacheler. 

The distribution of the Scriptures and religions 
tracts has been arduously prosecuted from the com 
mencement of the mission. Thousands of Scriptures, 
or portions of the same, have been put in circulation, 
and have been read by the people. These are exert 
ing an influence, silent though it may be, that must 
gradually subvert that system of religion that has 
held the Hindu mind in chains for ages. Many thou 
sands of tracts have been scattered far and wide, and 
these, too, are exerting their influence, and doing 
their work. Many instances have occurred, where 
the perusal of a single tract has resulted in the con 
version of the soul. 

A man in a remote part of the district of Balasore 
obtained a copy of the "Jewel Mine," one of our 
poetical tracts. He studied it till he had committed 
nearly the whole to memory. The truths he there 
found arrested his attention, and ultimately led to his 
conversion. A traveller, passing through Balasore 
some years ago, received a tract, which he took to his 
home, some two hundred miles away. It remained 
unnoticed a long time, but at last curiosity led him to 
read it, and his conversion to Christianity, a few 
months after, was the consequence. We have abun 
dant evidence for believing that our efforts in this 
department are not in vain. 
15* 



174 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA, 



CHAPTER XIX. 

MEDICAL EFFORIS. 

Native Medical Practice. Practice of Missionaries. Balasore 
Dispensary. Medical Class. Results. 

EVERY European in India being looked upon as a 
superior being, is supposed to understand more or less 
of medicine, and is often called upon to prescribe foi 
the sick. The Hindu system of medicine, deficient, 
and, in many respects, erroneous as it is, is not gener 
ally understood even by the majority of native prac 
titioners. Their knowledge does not extend beyond 
the mere rudiments of the profession. Of surgery 
they understand little. The blacksmith, with his 
tongs, serves as dentist, and the barber, with his 
razor, as surgeon; since these are the only persons 
supposed to have tools adapted to the practice of these 
professions. 

All our missionaries have found it necessary to 
engage, more or less, in alleviating the physical suf 
ferings of the people among whom they have labored. 
The writer, having studied medicine previous to going 
to India, has been more extensively engaged in these 
efforts than any of his brethren. A Dispensary was 
established at Balasore, which, for ten years, has been 
extensively patronized. 



BALASORE DISPENSARY. 175 

The folio-wing extracts from published reports will 
give a brief view of our labors in this department. 

1 Medicines have been dispensed to all who have 
applied, and surgical operations performed, for the last 
nine years. These applicants have usually been poor, 
such as were not able to pay for medical advice. 
The pilgrims, on their return from Jagarnath, have 
afforded a large number of patients ; and many come 
from remote parts of the district, as well as from the 
town and vicinity of Balasore. During the last year, 
the number of applicants has very much increased, in 
consequence, probably, of the introduction of chloro 
form. A few successful operations under its influ 
ence seemed to establish the confidence of the people, 
to an extent never before known, not only in regard 
to surgical operations, but, also, in the use of Eu 
ropean medicines generally. 

"A small medical class has been formed, composed of 
young men from different parts of the province. They 
are pursuing a course of study sufficiently thorough, 
it is hoped, to enable them to practise medicine and 
surgery with success, according to European princi 
ples. 

"In the absence of medical books, a lecture has 
been delivered daily, which each student has copied 
out for future reference ; and these, when the course 
is completed, will embrace a sufficient amount of in 
formation to enable them to perform the duties of 



176 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

their calling with acceptance. They have rendered 
great assistance in the Dispensary, most of the labor 
of preparing and dispensing the medicines having 
been performed by them. 

The expense of medicines was in former years 
defrayed by contributions received at this station ; but 
in consequence of the increase of patients, and the 
additional expenses of the medical class, we have been 
under the necessity of soliciting assistance from the 
friends of the cause at neighboring stations, which 
has been most promptly rendered. 

"It is often asked, by those interested in the cause 
of missions, whether the influence of medical mis 
sionaries is sufficiently salutary, in introducing the 
Gospel among the heathen, to justify the increased 
expenditure of time and money. In regard to our 
own station, the apparent result of nine years expe 
rience may be briefly stated. 

" 1. The time devoted to dispensing medicines has 
not, on an average, exceeded one hour daily. 

c c 2. The expenses have been provided by friends, 
who feel a particular interest in this cause, who might 
not, perhaps, feel the same interest in other depart 
ments of missionary labor. 

3. The missionary is brought much more in con 
tact with the people than he could otherwise be. 
Wherever he goes he is sought after. At home, num 
bers throng his house ; in the country, when on mis 
sionary excursions, his congregation is brought to his 



KESULTS. 177 

tent, and he is not under the necessity of going from 
village to village to collect a small company to which 
to preach the word of life. He is introduced to the 
retirement of the family, where the foot of the 
Stranger seldom treads ; he sits down as the familiar 
friend and adviser of those who seek his aid. 

4. He is more respected and loved than he would 
otherwise be ; respected, because he is able to render 
assistance in time of need ; and loved, because he is 
willing to do so. 

"It is true that all this does not save the soul, 
neither, in itself considered, does it advance the sin 
ner a single step in the way to heaven ; but it affords 
many opportunities of communicating religious truth 
which could not otherwise be enjoyed, and that, too, 
when the heart is softened by affliction and sorrow. 
The comparative good that may result will only be 
known in eternity ; and having done what seems to 
be our duty, we would wait with humility and patience 
for the blessing of Him who alone is able to render 
our feeble efforts for advancing his cav.se successful. 

" The following shows the number of cases treated 
during the year 1850. 

Number of cases treated during the year, 2407. 
Surgical operations, - 126. 

Operations under the influence of chloroform, 12." 

The following is from a subsequent report. 



178 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

" The Medical Class has completed a course of two 
years study, each student having taken copious notes 
of the daily lectures, sufficient to provide himself with 
a competent guide in the ordinary diseases of the 
country. Twelve young men have, at different times, 
been connected with the class, only six of whom have 
completed the course. Four have remained one year 
each, and the remaining two only a few months ; four 
have made excellent proficiency, and are prepared to 
acquit themselves with honor in their profession. Of 
the others we cannot speak with so much confidence. 
Seven are nominal Christians, three Hindus, and two 
Santals ; those who have made the greatest proficiency 
are of the former class. 

" In closing our labors in this department, it is but 
natural to inquire, What good is likely to result? 
The circumstances which gave origin to the Medical 
Class were these. We had several young men in our 
mission who had been educated in our schools, and 
who had become somewhat unsettled, for the want of 
some employment that would engage their energies, 
and, at the same time, hold out the prospect of a 
comfortable support. Some of them were on the 
point of leaving us, and would, no doubt, have become 
wanderers, and, perhaps, vagabonds. A proposition 
was made to them to engage in the study of medicine, 
with a salary of from seventy-five cents to one dol 
lar per month, for two years. They also engaged 
to spend three or four hours daily in manual labor. 



MEDICAL CLASS. 179 

This small sum, with the strictest economy, afforded 
but a bare subsistence ; but they were interested, and 
this was what we felt to be necessary : and, notwith 
standing their pecuniary trials, they have pursued 
their studies with a persevering ardor that we have 
not before witnessed among our native Christians. 
After we had commenced the course, several others 
joined the class, and during the first year we had ten 
in daily attendance. The Dispensary afforded a good 
opportunity for studying disease, as well as learning 
the preparation of medicine. Tims far. these young 
men, in being reclaimed from a wandering disposition, 
appear, for the present, to be saved to the mission. 

" Two of the most advanced students are retained, 
in connection with the Dispensary at Balasore ; one is 
located at Jellasore, in charge of the hospital there ; 
a fourth is engaged in a hospital in Calcutta ; a fifth 
as doctor to the church mission in Calcutta; and a 
sixth is in the employ of the mission at Berhampore." 

A hospital was established at Jeilasore, some four 
years ago, for the benefit, principally, of the pilgrims 
to and from Jagarnath. A large number of sick 
have there received medical assistance. The annual 
number of patients has usually varied from four to 
iive hundred. 

The means for the support of these institutions 
have been raised by subscriptions in India, prin- 



180 CHKISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

cipally among Europeans ; though a small portion has 
been raised among the natives. 



CHAPTER XX. 
PREACHING. 

Chapel Preaching. Bazar Preaching. Itinerating. Journals. 

PREACHING the gospel is the first great work of 
the missionary. In prosecuting this department of 
labor in India, three different methods have been 
adopted. 

1. CHAPEL PREACHING. 

Neat and comfortable chapels have been erected at 
both our stations, where religious services are held 
on the Sabbath. The congregations, made up mostly 
of the members of our Christian communities, are as 
orderly as can be found anywhere, and the services 
are conducted in much the same manner as in Chris 
tian lands. The people sit upon the floor on mats 
spread out for the occasion. Few of the heathen 
attend these exercises, as they are too fond of discus 
sion, which would tend to disturb the order of the 
congregation. The native Christians and inquirers 
are there instructed more thoroughly in the principles 
of Christianity than they could be elsewhere, and a 
respect for the Sabbath and its institutions is pro- 



BAZAR AND VILLAGE 1 J KEACHIXG. 181 

moted. One of the native preachers at each station 
has usually conducted one of these services on the 
Sabbath. The influence of this department of labor 
is limited to a small portion of the people. 

2. BAZAR AND VILLAGE PREACHING. 

During nine months of the year religious services 
are daily held in the bazars or large villages near the 
missionary s residence ; as, on account of the heat, he 
is not able to go far from home. These are designed 
expressly for the instruction of the heathen. He 
goes out towards evening, accompanied by the native 
preachers, and, taking a stand in some central place, 
they chant, in a loud voice, a portion of one of the 
poetical tracts. This attracts the attention of those 
passing by, and draws forth others from their houses. 
When a sufficient number have collected, some theme 
is introduced, in familiar language, which usually 
draws forth inquiries, or excites discussion, sometimes 
one, sometimes several of the company taking a part. 
The teachings of the Bible are kept as prominently 
before the minds of the people as possible ; but argu 
ments from the shasters must be often met by counter 
arguments from the same ; so that, in order to be suc 
cessful, the missionary must be familiar with the 
sacred books, and be able to quote passages from them 
bearing upon any subject that may chance to be intro 
duced. He cannot anticipate what the subject of his 
1C 



182 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

discourse may be, but must be prepared, by diligent 
study and research, to take in at a glance the entire 
field of argument on any subject that may come up 
for discussion. Familiar illustrations, parables, &c. 7 
enter largely into these exercises. The missionary 
and the native preachers engage in turn, occupying 
usually from one to two hours, and then the exercises 
close by the distribution of Scriptures and tracts to 
such as are able to read. 

The influence resulting from these labors varies at 
our different stations. In the town of Balasore, or 
Midnapore, congregations of from one to two hundred 
could be secured almost every afternoon. Many of 
the hearers coming from the country, would naturally 
make the subjects they had heard discussed a matter 
of conversation on their return home, and take tracts 
and Scriptures with them there. Here, the influence 
would be diffused over a considerable territory, and is 
exerted on many minds, tending to enlighten the 
mass. At Jellasore, there being no collections of 
people from a distance, only small congregations can 
be secured, at their villages and markets ; but the in 
fluence exerted is more direct and continuous, since 
the same people are instructed day after day. It has 
been a matter of doubt as to which class of stations 
are likely to prove the most profitable. Large towns 
were formerly preferred, but more recently many sta 
tions have been formed in country places, and these 
have, perhaps, been more immediately successful. The 



ITINERATING. 183 

influence of both classes of stations is, probably, 
necessary to the successful introduction of the gospel. 

3. ITINERATING. 

During the three months of cold weather the mis 
sionary and native preachers are abroad, living in 
tents, travelling from village to village, and from 
market to market, preaching to such companies as 
they may be able to collect, and distributing Bibles 
and tracts to such as may be able to read them. These 
exercises are usually conducted much in the same 
manner as described under bazar preaching, with the 
exception that wherever the tent is pitched, there the 
people congregate, sitting about on the ground, and 
listening to instruction, asking questions and raising 
objections, often till late into the evening. 

The following extracts from Mr. Cooley s journal 
give a clear idea of "itinerating" in India. 

1 l To-day we left Murula for Baripada, the capital 
of the Moharbanj Territory. In travelling in our 
cold season work of spreading the gospel abroad, we 
are under the necessity of supplying ourselves with 
tents and all necessary apparatus, or taking lodging 
as best we can get, on the ground, under trees, or in 
the jungle ; -which, certainly, could not be done with 
safety to our health ; for it is out of the question to 
depend on getting even a mud hut for our accommo- 



184 CHRISTIANITY IN OKISSA. 

dation. The missionaries prefer being to the expense 
of supplying themselves with a tent, rather than con 
fine their labors near home, or expose their health. A 
suitable tent usually costs from one to two hundred 
rupees. Then the trouble and expense of transport 
ing it through the country we should be glad to dis 
pense with, could we conveniently do so. I will give 
you a brief description of a march from Murula to 
wards Baripada. First in the van was what is called 
a bangi wala, a man who carries burdens suspended 
to a stick across his shoulders, with our complement 
of dishes, food, &c., in two large baskets, made for 
the purpose. Next followed another bangi wala, with 
grain for our horses in one basket, and books for dis 
tribution in the other. Then followed two more ban- 
gimen with our camp-bedsteads, the tent-pole, and our 
chairs, or rather stools. The next company em 
braced ourselves, on horseback, with the syces, or 
men who take care of the horses, with the blankets, 
ropes and stakes for tying them, and with instruments 
for cutting and digging grass ; for when they cannot 
find grass to cut, they dig the roots for the horses. 
Then came the native preachers and Christians, in 
cluding a lad who had recently joined our company 
from the Santa! s, for the purpose of attending school 
at Jellasore, with our fire-arms, which we regard as a 
necessary appendage in travelling through jungles 
infested with tigers, bears, leopards, &c. Lastly came 
four bullocks with their drivers, bearing on their 



ITINERATING. 185 

backs the tent, our bedding, valises of clothing, cook 
ery utensils, &c. 5 all of which could be taken by one 
American horse and wagon, over American roads, 
twice the distance, in a day, we are able to travel 
here. 

"On our way we saw ever and anon aerial dwelling- 
places constructed in the tops of trees. For a time 
we were at our wits end to understand the design of 
them. At length the mystery was solved. It seems 
the country here is infested with wild elephants, 
which are accustomed to make not very welcome visits 
to the natives rice fields ; and as they have no means 
for destroying them, the only way of saving their crops 
is to frighten them away. This they do by seating 
themselves in their aerial houses and making use of 
torches and music. 

We selected a place near a Santal village for our 
encampment. In the field near were gathered a 
company of Santiils, performing puja, or worship, as 
we supposed. Being curious to know more fully 
what they were doing, and the object of it, we drew 
near, and found they were met to worship their bul 
locks. They, as well as the Oriyas, are accustomed to 
do this annually. They had a fire, and had been boiling 
rice combined with some other ingredients unknown 
to us, which they placed upon the ground. Soon a 
large herd of cattle were driven up, and a young bul 
lock seized and compelled to eat some of the composi 
tion, greatly to his displeasure. He was probably not 
16* 



186 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

particularly elated with being regarded with idolatrous 
reverence. This finished their worship for that day, 
save the counterpart, which is drinking and revelry. 
Would to God the nefarious practice of converting the 
blessings of Heaven, in the products of the soil, into 
poison to curse men, was confined to Christian 
nations ! But unfortunately the Devil has taught the 
heathen, and the Santals in particular, to make and 
use what often passes under the name of a delicious 
beverage, but should be called the bane of mankind. 

" On inquiry of them why they worshipped their 
cattle, they replied that they had borne burdens during 
twelve months, and it was but right that they should 
now be worshipped. In the course of the evening two 
men came to our tent, bringing us some buffalo s milk, 
which was very acceptable. They were evidently 
very much intoxicated ; and what amused us was their 
remark, that all the village were drunk but them 
selves." 

The following is from Mr. Noyes journal : 

" A MODERN CORNELIUS. 

" This evening differed from anything I have before 
witnessed among the heathen. A man sent for me 
to come and pray in his house. At first I doubted 
as to what this vision meant; but seeing the men 
whom he had sent to conduct me, I went on to the 
house of the modern Cornelius. After walking about 



A MODERN CORNELIUS. 187 

half a mile, I entered a neat enclosure, around which 
were four or five houses built in the common Hindu 
style. Never was I struck with greater solemnity 
than when I was conducted into the apartment of my 
visitant. I found him sitting with four brothers, all 
men grown, an aged mother and his wife, waiting, as 
they said, to hear the word of the Lord. The house 
appeared to be neatly prepared for our reception. In 
one end was a large blanket rolled up for a seat for 
myself, and a couple of mats near it for the two native 
preachers. Soon as I entered, the man who had sent 
for me fell down at my feet to worship, and I raised 
him up, saying as Peter did to Cornelius. He then 
told me that, for a long time, he had not worshipped 
the idols of the Hindus, and that he had made it his 
object to seek salvation from the true God. He had 
read many Hindu books, and followed many religious 
teachers ; but had found no way of salvation that 
could satisfy his own mind. He heard us preach in 
the village, and thought, Who knows but this may be 
the word of salvation I need? Now, said he, we 
wish to hear the word of the Lord, by which we may 
all be saved. So much did this man remind me of 
Cornelius, that, had he been acquainted with the word 
of God, I should have been sure he was striving to 
copy after him. But he was ignorant of it, though he 
had been seeking it for years. I replied that salva 
tion had come to his house ; that the precious jewel 
which he sought was contained in the holy book I held 



188 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

in my hand; and then desired Bhikari (native 
preacher) to read the account of the birth of Christ. 
As he read he made remarks, which were listened to 
with most profound attention. It would be needless 
to give a full account of our remarks ; suffice it to 
say, we pointed them to the Lamb of God who 
taketh away the sin of the world ; after which, at the 
request of all, we knelt down, accompanied by the 
whole house, and called upon the Lord, who is no 
respecter of persons. Never did I enjoy such a prayer- 
meeting before in the house of a heathen, in the com 
pany of the whole family, who all appeared deeply 
affected, earnestly inquiring what they must do to be 
saved. The brother who called us, and who appeared 
to be most earnest, desired that he might be permitted 
to visit me at Balasore, and was particular in inquir 
ing for my address. When we departed we were 
lighted into the road by one of the house, and left 
with expectation of seeing them on the morrow." 

On his way homeward in his tour, Brother Noyes 
passed through this place again. Of his second visit 
he says : 

" As soon as we came in sight of the place, many 
came out to meet us, hailing us with joy, insisting 
upon our pitching our tent there again. The family 
of inquirers were still seeking the Lord, and pressed 
me not to leave their village until morning, when some 



A MODERN CORNELIUS. 189 

of them would accompany me to Balasore. I could 
not withstand so much kindness on the part of the 
people from whom I had ever before met with nothing 
but cruel ingratitude. 

" Akura, for that is the name of the inquirer who 
called me to pray in his house, spent the evening at 
my tent, and told me that he, his mother, four broth 
ers and their wives, had thought much of the new 
religion, and were almost persuaded to be Christians." 

Setting forward early the next morning, the mis 
sionaries arrived at Balasore before night, accompanied 
by Akura and a brother-in-law of his. They remained 
nearly a week, conversing and praying much of the 
time with the native preachers, Prasuram and Bhikari. 

" When about to leave me this morning, Akura, 
with tears in his eyes, said, 0, sir, do not forget me, 
a poor sinner. I never can forget you ; neither shall 
I ever forget that Saviour who spilt his blood for my 
sins. I told him he would meet with many obstacles 
if he professed Christ ; he must count the cost, and 
know if he could command courage to face the opposi 
tion of Brahmans, baisnabs, neighbors, and perhaps 
brothers and sisters. 0, replied he, I have for 
many years believed that Bruhmans and baisnabs were 
the emissaries of the devil, and as for my brothers and 
sisters, if they do not believe in Christ, I must leave 
them. It will be hard to part with friends, but none 



190 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

is so great a friend to me as Christ has been. He 
then begged that we would pray for them, which we 
did ; and he followed us, giving vent to his overflow 
ing soul in a strain of sublime eloquence, that I never 
can forget." 

The following is a description of our first acquaint 
ance with Fakir Das, who, for several years, has 
lived a devoted Christian. 

"After arriving at Sura we took an early oppor 
tunity of visiting Jirtal, a place at which Rama had 
formerly spent several days, and where he had met 
with two interesting baisnabs. One of them, Fakir 
Das, a few days after he first heard the gospel, 
made me a visit at Balasore. He appeared to be a 
man about forty, was of the Brahman caste, and had 
followed the life of an ascetic for twenty years. He 
had visited most of the sacred places in Hindustan in 
search of some way of salvation ; but, becoming dis 
gusted with such a manner of life, he concluded that 
if God was to be found at all, he might as well be 
found in one place as by wandering the world over ; 
so he had for the last five years settled down and 
gained a livelihood by cultivating a small garden. 
When he first heard the name of Christ, he concluded 
he was the Saviour he had so long been seeking. 
While at Balasore he expressed his firm determination 



A MODERN CORNELIUS. 191 

to be a Christian, though he had but a very imperfect 
idea of Christianity. 

c: As neither of the native preachers was at home, 
he was persuaded by some of the heathen about us to 
return to his garden. 

"I had wished to visit Fakir Das when at Jirtal, 
but had not sufficient time. Rama called on him the 
following morning on his way to the tent, and he con 
cluded to cast in his lot with us for a time. He 
joined us at Sura, fully persuaded to be a Christian, 
as he said ; but he needed instruction, and some one to 
lead him on constantly in the ways of truth. He had 
long been a wanderer, had looked upon himself as a 
god, and had been worshipped as such by multitudes. 
His mind was dark and dreary ; old principles were to 
be rooted out, and new ones introduced. It seemed a 
dubious task, but as he possessed a willing mind, we 
had hope. 

The other baisnab, who had taken up his abode in 
a banyan tree, was also an interesting character. We 
took an early opportunity for making him a visit. 

" We found Daiya this was the baisnab s name 
sitting monarch of all he surveyed. He appeared glad 
to see us. Seating me in his swing, he brought from 
his den a Bible which Rama had given him, and sat 
down to listen. I read and explained a portion of the 
fifth of Matthew, every word of which he seemed to 
drink in with eagerness. Such instruction, he con 
fessed, he had never heard before. He professed his 



192 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

determination to be a Christian, but at some future 
time. His comfortable retreat, and the influence he 
had gained over the people, seemed too much to be 
relinquished. 

"We had intended visiting Bhadrack, forty-two 
miles south of Balasore, but as matters at Jirtal had 
assumed so interesting an aspect, we concluded to 
return there. On our second visit, we remained five 
days. I never had an opportunity of becoming so in 
timate with the heathen before. My little tent was 
crowded every evening, and the time occupied in 
a most interesting manner in reading the Scrip 
tures, and in religious conversation. The interviews 
were closed with prayer, and here I witnessed what I 
had never seen before, heathen bowing prostrate be 
fore a throne of grace ! So great was the excitement 
that all opposition seemed to vanish. Two of the sons 
of an old man who had entertained us were strongly 
impressed, and appeared to be on the borders of the 
kingdom. Another young man of the Brahman caste 
declared his determination to be a Christian, and went 
with us to Balasore when we left. 

" The excitement seemed more like the outpouring 
of the Spirit of God than anything I have ever wit 
nessed among the heathen. What the result will be, 
remains to be seen. The distance between Hinduism 
and Christianity is almost infinite, to break away 
from all bonds of caste, relationship, and early preju 
dices, is a very difficult thing, still we have hope 



A MODERN CORNELIUS. 193 

that one or two, perhaps more, will, ere long, embrace 
Christianity from this neighborhood. The Lord grant 
we may not be disappointed ! The two younger sons 
of the head man of the village appear in a hopeful 
state. They must labor hard to stifle their convic 
tions, or they must ere long renounce Hinduism. 
Their father is fully aware of their state, and is rather 
prepared to see them become Christians. 

It affords us great pleasure to see anything like 
the revival of the work of God, even on so small a 
scale. 0, may he soon appear to pour out his Spirit 
universally, that these heathen nations may be given 
to Christ ! " 

During the last sixteen years, the gospel has been 
preached in many of the villages of northern Orissa, as 
extensively as two or three missionaries and three or 
four native preachers could do it ; but there are many 
important villages in our district that we have never 
yet seen, and there are other important localities that 
we have visited, that we have only been able to visit 
once in two or three years. How extensive is the 
field, but the laborer show few ! 
17 



194 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

Necessity of Native Preachers. Prasuram. Rama. Letter. 
Mahes. Letter. Other Laborers. 

NATIVE LABORERS. 

THE necessity was early felt of an efficient native 
ministry. The Hindus at first looked upon Christi 
anity as the religion of the European alone, and not 
designed for them. It was difficult for the mis 
sionary to approach them sufficiently near to excite 
their sympathies-, and cause them to feel that the 
Christian religion was not a religion of birth, but of 
character, and consequently as much designed for 
them as for any of the members of the human family. 
The remark was often made by the Hindu, when 
urged to believe in Christ, "Your religion is, no 
doubt, good enough for you, but who ever heard of 
the black man s worshipping the white man s God?" 
Other agents were needed in order to naturalize 
Christianity, and bring its principles home to the 
hearts and consciences of the people, the native 
preacher who could enter into the peculiar views and 
feelings of his countrymen, sympathize with them, and 
show them by their own renewed characters that the 
gospel was what they, too, needed. 

Among the early converts to Christianity in Orissa, 



NATIVE PREACHERS. 195 

there were some who seemed eminently calculated for 
diffusing its principles amoung their countrymen. 
Several such have been raised up in connection with 
our own mission. A systematic course of education 
was deemed necessary in order to prepare them for 
their work. Still their services were at once needed 
and could not be dispensed with. Study and labor 
must be combined, or they could not be rendered im 
mediately and permanently useful. 

A plan was adopted to meet the difficulty. Each 
missionary formed his native assistants and candidates 
for the same office into a class, spending a portion of 
every day in instructing them in those branches that 
were necessary to render them efficient laborers, 
workmen that needed not to be ashamed. These 
studies were prosecuted during nine months of the 
year, in connection with their daily labors in the ba 
zars, and only suspended during the cold season, 
when it was necessary to be abroad in the country. 
At our quarterly meetings they were all brought 
together and examined in the studies that had been 
pursued during the term. 

Years have thus passed on, and our native brethren 
have become efficiently prepared for the great work to 
which, in the providence of God, they are called. 
Habits of study have become fixed, and the preacher 
of twelve years standing continues to pursue his 
studies during a portion of each day, with as much 
ardor as when he first commenced his course. A 



196 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

brief notice of those who have labored in connection 
with our mission will not be out of place here. 

During the first few years of the mission, several 
native assistants were sent to our aid by our General 
Baptist brethren at Cuttack. 

Our first convert, who became a preacher, was 
Prasuram, a man of respectable caste, somewhat 
advanced in life, who had been employed for a time 
as a pleader in the courts. Possessed of considerable 
powers of eloquence, he labored with good effect 
for several years. His character, however, was not 
above reproach, and after a time it was thought 
advisable that he should suspend his labors as a 
preacher. He is a member of the church at Balasore, 
but is not occupying a prominent position. 



RAMA. 

Rama, our first ordained native minister, became a 
Christian early in 1840. He belonged to one of the 
higher castes, though he had injured himself by the 
excessive use of ganja, an intoxicating drug. Soon 
after his conversion he began to preach, and for more 
than twelve years has been a faithful laborer in his 
Lord s vineyard. His talents are admirably adapted 
for bazar preaching and itinerating in the country. 
His mode of address is warm and affectionate, never 
failing to secure the attention and excite the interest 
of his hearers. Untiring in his labors for the good of 



RAMA. 197 

his countrymen, zealous in the discharge of every 
duty, his religious character above reproach ; he is a 
bright and shining light in the dark land of his birth ; 
a man whose influence will not die when his mortal 
part is laid in the dust. 

The following letter will be read with interest : 



" To the dear Brethren and Sisters in the American 
Church, Christian Rdm&s loving salutation. 

11 0, my dear brethren and sisters, you have loved 
us greatly, and in that love we are debtors. We know 
ourselves to be unable to repay that love. You have 
sent from among yourselves holy teachers, and we 
have received the gospel in our own language ; thus 
we have obtained double riches. You have expended 
your property for us, and in this way we have received 
great assistance. 0, beloved brethren, I am the seed 
of idolaters, and for a long time I worshipped idols. 
And my Creator, Preserver, the undying Lord, I and 
my fathers knew not. Arid thus my human birth 
(meaning the blessing of being a man instead of 
a beast) was passing away (that is, being lost), be 
cause I disregarded the divine command. And had I 
died in sin, I should have gone to hell. But you, 
seizing hold, brought me from the path of destruction, 
and caused me to enter the kingdom of life. There 
fore I rejoice, and my heart is glad. Pray for me, 
that I take hold of the true pathway and walk in it 



198 CHHISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

until death. Pray, also, that as I enjoy the grace of 
the Lord J )sus Christ, so my country people may, 
and that I nay be able to preach the gospel of Christ 
unto them, that Satan s kingdom may be destroyed, 
and the kingdom of Christ enlarged, and that churches 
may be established in many places. I rejoice that 
you have sent a new brother. Now Satan s kingdom 
is becoming unsteady, and it appears that it is about 
to be overthrown. 

"1, asking grace of the Lord, do his holy work, 
and many people say this word is true, l but we are 
born in the age of vice, and therefore are unable to 
regard it. Thus many say. But the Brahmans and 
baisnobs, when they see the new brethren (mission 
aries), give abuse, and say, Now our gods and god 
desses will go un worshipped. Thus the sinful spirits 
that is Satan s kingdom becomes unsteady. Pray that 
the love and zeal of Christ may be among us, as they 
walk among you. Dear brethren, send us more 
brethren, that the darkness of this land may pass 
away. 0, friends, taking hold of your feet, I plead 
and pray that, as I see Christ s path of light, and am 
(happy, so the people of this country may see and be 
happy, and strive that all nations, trusting in Christ, 
may obtain salvation. 0, saints ! this is my request 
unto you." 



MAKES. 199 

MAHES. 

Mahes is a young man from Calcutta, having been 
educated in one of the mission schools there. He has 
been connected with our mission for several years. 
He is a faithful and devoted laborer, has done and 
is doing much good. The following earnest appeal, 
from this interesting convert from heathenism, is 
worthy of the careful perusal of every American 
Christian. Comments are unnecessary. 

A LETTER FROM A NATIVE PREACHER. 

To the Fourteenth General Conference of the F. 
Baptists in North America, assembled in R. /., 
October, 1850. 

" WORTHY AND DEAR BRETHREN : We were not 
worthy you should send and cultivate this jungle, that 
is, to destroy the kingdom of Satan, where he has ever 
reigned in the hearts of the people, and establish the 
kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ ; nevertheless, you 
have zealously done so, and for this favor, this great 
mercy, we confess to you with very tender minds. 
But you will allow us to entreat further, and make 
you acquainted with the wants of our needy and desti 
tute countrymen. 

" From generation to generation the natives of this 
country, dwelling in great darkness, have worshipped 
various false gods an I goddesses. Not knowing what 



200 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

a true refuge is, they have sought salvation in false 
refuges. But, now, by the grace of God, and your 
zeal, the light has begun to shine a little. Those who 
sat in darkness and in the shadow of death have 
received the news of the light of life. Many who 
formerly sought salvation from gods and goddesses, 
now regard these as false. Hence, we bless the Lord. 
But, will hearing that the physician has come cure 
the sick ? Not so. So, also, what will it benefit those 
destitute of salvation simply to hear the gospel? 
Very little ! But if it can be properly divided to 
each one, then the gain will be great. 0, brethren, 
consider, will hearing of the riches of the rich remove 
the distress of the destitute ? Not so ; but they wait 
in the hope of receiving. 0, sirs, through the knowl 
edge of the true God, you are very rich. Hearing 
this, the people of this country, as the thirsty hart 
panteth for the cooling water, so do they cry out in 
their distress, and call to you for the water of life. 
Fastening their eyes, they look steadfastly on you, 
that they may receive the true light. This must have 
come to your ears. 

" But, 0, sirs, hearing this cry of distress, how 
long will you delay to satisfy these hungry and thirsty 
people 1 0, be entreated to provide for them quickly, 
for they expect assistance only from you. The rope 
by which they may be saved is in your hands. 0. 
sirs, they are perishing ! quickly throw them the 
rope ! Seizing hold of it, we shall live. For preach- 



MAHES. 201 

ing the gospel of the Saviour, the life-giver, and for 
turning the wicked from their wicked ways, 0, sirs, 
send more preachers to this land, that the word of life 
may be divided and planted in the mind of every one. 
This is our petition. 

" This country is unknown to you. that is, you do 
not see it. Oh. could you know the customs of this 
country, you could not avoid weeping continually! 
You would walk about and cry daily. As fish with 
out water, so you would be in distress. 0, sirs, to 
feed the hungry in this dark land, there are, by the 
grace of God, and your zeal, three missionaries, and 
with them three or four native preachers. But in so 
large a field, what can these do ? As a straw floating 
on the ocean, so are they. For sending these, we 
love and praise you. 0, sirs, we know you greatly 
desire the salvation of the heathen. But suffer me to 
plead. The people of this country, like a flowing 
river, are passing away down to hell ! There is no one 
to turn them, and save them. Therefore, seek con 
tinually their rescue, and aid them in that they need. 
Do not forget us. 

"The three missionaries, Phillips Sahib, at Jella- 
sore, and Bachelor Sahib, at Balasorc, labor very 
diligently to preach the gospel to the Hindus, and 
establish the church of Christ in this country : and 
Cooly Sahib is laboring very diligently to learn the 
language of the people of this country. But as Christ 
commanded his disciples to pray the Lord of the 



202 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

harvest that he would send forth more laborers, so 
we pray to Him and to you, for more laborers for 
this country. Be pleased to accept this our supplica 
tion ! Prom your brother in Christ, 

MAIIES CHANDRA." 

Silas Curtis and Elias Hutchins are young men 
educated in our boarding-schools. They have been 
engaged but comparatively a short time in preaching, 
but they both bid fair to become eminently useful. 
The latter is a Santal, and it seems a merciful provi 
dence that one of our two converts from among that 
interesting people, should be eminently prepared to 
preach the gospel to his neglected countrymen when 
ever we may be able to prosecute missionary opera 
tions among them. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

Summary of Results. Statistics of Indian Missions. Statistics 
of all Missionary Societies. Appeal. Hindu Hymns and 
Tunes. 

SUMMARY CF RESULTS. 

AFTER seventeen years of missionary effort in 
Orissa, let us take a brief view of the results. 

1. The gospel has been preached as extensively as 
two or three missionaries, assisted by four native 



SUMMARY OF RESULTS. 203 

preachers, could do it, in a district inhabited by more 
than a million of souls. A good impression has been 
made ; a great amount of preparatory work has been 
accomplished : the minds of the people have been in a 
measure prepared for the reception of the gospel; 
obstacles, that at first seemed almost insurmountable, 
have begun to disappear, and the strong towers of 
Hinduism have been shaken. It has been demon 
strated to the world, what to many seemed a matter 
of doubt, that the Hindu can become a Christian. 

2. The Bible, either as a whole or in separate por 
tions, has been extensively circulated, is being read, 
and is exerting an influence. Religious tracts, too, 
have been scattered extensively, and are doing an im 
portant work. 

3. Some seventy-five young men, women and 
children are receiving a religious education in our 
boarding-schools, where several of our most promi 
nent members, preachers, doctors, and teachers, have 
already been educated, and these are destined to exert 
an important influence in India s evangelization. 

4. Four native preachers have been raised up, en 
dowed by nature, education and grace, for extensive 
usefulness in the same great work. 

5. Two churches have been organized, both num 
bering some forty-five members, gathered from among 
India s dark sons and daughters ; rescued from the 
influence of a religion whose tender mercies are 
cruel, the brightest features of which are dark as 



204 CHRISTIANITY IX ORISSA. 

midnight. It should not be forgotten, too, that some 
who have been converted among us have removed to 
other places, and become united with other churches, 
and that, during seventeen years, some have been 
transplanted to the church above. 

STATISTICS OF INDIAN MISSIONS. 

The following statistics of missionary operations in. 
India will not fail to interest those who feel for the 
heathen. 

"At the commencement of the year 1852, there 
were laboring, throughout India and Ceylon, the 
agents of 22 Missionary Societies. These include 
443 missionaries, of whom 48 are ordained natives, 
together with 698 native catechists. These agents 
reside at 313 missionary stations. There have been 
founded 331 native churches, containing 18,410 com 
municants, in a community of 112,191 native Chris 
tians. The missionaries maintain 1347 vernacular 
day-schools, containing 47,504 boys ; together with 
93 boarding-schools, containing 2414 Christian boys. 
They also superintend 126 superior English day- 
schools, and instruct therein 14,562 boys and young 
men. Female education embraces 347 day-schools 
for girls, containing 11.519 scholars; but hopes more 
from its 102 girls boarding-schools, containing 2779 
Christian girls. For the good of Europeans, 71 ser 
vices are maintained. 



STATISTICS. 



205 



"The entire Bible has been translated into ten 
languages ; the New Testament into five others ; and 
separate Gospels into four others. 

Besides numerous -works for Christians, thirty, 
forty, and even seventy tracts have been prepared in 
these different languages, suitable for Hindus and 
Musselmans. Missionaries maintain in India twenty- 
five printing establishments. 

"This vast missionary agency costs 900,000 an 
nually; of which one sixth, or 150,000, is contrib 
uted by European Christians resident in the coun- 
try. 

" By far the greater part of this agency has been 
brought into operation during the last twenty years. 
It is impossible to contemplate the high position which 
it occupies, and the results which it has already pro 
duced, without indulging the strongest expectations of 
its future perfect success ; and without exclaiming 
with the most fervent gratitude, WHAT HATH 
GOD WROUGHT ! " 

TABULAR VIEW OF MISSIONS. 

THE total number of missionaries, assistants, and stations, as given 
below, may be taken as nearly complete. The amount of receipts is 
likewise exact. But the number of communicants is necessarily quite 
incomplete ; it may, however, be stated in round numbers at 300,000 
at the lowest estimate. 



Societies. 


Miss -IAss i- 
uries. |iints. 


Sta 
tions. 


Communi 
cants. 


Scholars. 


Receipts. 


Gos. Propagation 
Eng. Baptist Miss. 
Gen. Bapt. Miss. 
London Miss. 
Church Miss. 


355 
54 
8 
171 
147 


324 
10 
700 
1579 


194 

103 
106 


5,008 
135 
*9,808 
13,551 


4,276 
106 
*17,000 
*32,268 


$444,700.00 
95,719.00 
9,135.00 
302,637.00 
604,685.00 



18 



* Returns incomplete. 



206 



CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 



Receipts. 



Eng. Wesl. Miss. 


427 


781 


324 


105,394 


78,548 


$540,560.60 


Glasgow Miss. 












8,095.00 


Scottish Ch. Miss. 


14 


j 


8 




2,131 


51,260.00 


Scot. Free Church 


37 


57 


22 




6,000 


100,681.00 


Scot. Secess. Ch. 


33 


c 








45,125.00 


Irish Presb. Ch. 


*6 


*2 


*3 








Eng. Presb. Ch. 


*1 


scv. 


*1 








French Miss. 


10 


4 


10 


1,340 


350 


25,600.00 


Rhenish Miss. 


43 




25 


*1,400 


*500 


25,630.00 


Basle Missionary 


29 




20 




*1,967 


54,000.00 


Unit. Breth. Miss. 


282 




69 


t70,000 




53,540.00 


Berlin Missionary 


*11 




7 






17,000.00 


Gosner s Miss. 


19 




2 






3,630.00 


Dresden Miss. 


*4 




2 






9,200.00 


Leipsic Miss. 


*G 




3 


*137 


1,000 


8,000.00 


Hamburg Miss. 


6 


2 


5 






5,000.00 


Stockholm Miss. 












4,555.00 


Stavanger Miss. 


*4 










3,365.00 


Norway Miss. 














Netherlands Miss. 


*8 


*4 


*3 


*130 




27,000.00 


Am. Board 


157 


360 


134 


25,875 


22,824 


251,339.35 


Am. Bapt. Union 


56 


250 


155 


12,500 


2,772 


87,537.20 


Presb. Board Miss. 


55 


43 


28 


282 


1,709 


126,075.40 


Epis. Board Miss 


10 


*9 


8 


96 


656 


36,114.11 


Methodist Miss. 


34 


sev. 


8 


1,611 




38,193.14 


Am. Miss. Assoc. 


12 


31 


10 


380 




26,849.66 


Lutheran Miss. 


5 




2 




263 


4,230.42 


Assoc. Pres. Ch. 


5 




2 






3,182.32 


M. E. Ch., South 


5 




2 






6,000.00 


Baptist Ch., South 


12 


24 


12 




320 


28,697.70 


Bapt. Free Miss. 


2 


5 


2 






6,571.81 


Free-Will Bapt. 
Seventh-Day Bapt. 


3 

2 


8 


2 

1 


45 


130 


4,433.05 
1,200.00 


38 


2033 


4208 


1280 


*247,867 


172,720 


$2,959,541.16 



The following appeal from a beloved fellow-laborer 
in the mission field, is earnestly commended to the 
candid attention of all into whose hands this little 
book may fall. Though written expressly for a cer 
tain class, it contains interesting statements, and im 
portant thoughts, that render it worthy the consideration 
of all who have hearts to feel for the heathen, and to 



Returns incomplete. f Including all under religious instruction. 



APPEAL. 207 

sympathize with those who are laboring in exile to 
bring them to a knowledge of the truth. 

APPEAL 

To all the Brethren and Sisters of the F. Bap 
tist denomination in North America, who do 
nothing to aid in publishing the Gospel among" 
the Heathen : 

DEAR FRIENDS : On receiving a letter from a 
stranger, two questions very naturally arise in the 
mind, First, Who is the writer ? Secondly, What 
is his object in writing us ? 

Allow me, dear friends, to crave your attention a 
few moments, while I reply to these two queries. 
First, Who is the writer ? I am a missionary in 
Orissa. To become a missionary, I parted with my 
home and beloved friends in America. More than 
sixteen years of my life have been spent among a 
heathen people, whom it has been the object of my 
labors " to turn from darkness to light, and from the 
power of Satan unto God." Daily have I looked upon 
their gross, degrading superstitions; beheld their 
senseless idol -worship, and viewed " the mark of the 
beast " on the persons of men, women and children. 
Year by year have I witnessed their long and toilsome 
pilgrimages, and various other self-inflicted torture, 
for the purpose of obtaining the Divine favor. While 
I am writing, thousands and tens of thousands of 



208 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

these deluded idolaters throng the road which passes 
our house, sad and wan, returning from the great 
annual festival at Pooree, " the Rath Jattra." Few 
have, as yet, reached our place, this being but the 
llth day since the return commenced. But the fore 
runners report that disease and death, as usual, are 
rife among the multitude of pilgrims. The unburied 
corpses and whitening bones of multitudes fallen in 
these wasting pilgrimages have met my eye and sick 
ened my heart. Year after year the same sad spec 
tacle is presented to view, fearfully verifying the 
Divine testimony "that their sorrows shall be multi 
plied who hasten after another God." The wild, 
despairing looks and dying groans of 

" The heathen in his blindness," 

as he passes out of time, have stung my very soul. 
Long and deeply have I pondered over "this valley 
of dry bones," and. in my heart, pitied its spell 
bound inhabitants, " led captive by Satan at his will." 
My heart has well-nigh sunk in loathing and despair, 
while I have asked, " Can these dry bones live?" In 
secret I have poured out my warmest supplications 
before " the God of all grace," and plead the merits of 
a Saviour s death. Again have I gone forth to beseech 
my fellow-men to turn from lying vanities and be 
reconciled to the living God. A few have listened, 
pondered, believed, obeyed, and are now rejoicing in 
hope of the glory of God." But multitudes turn a 



APPEAL. 209 

deaf ear, and " reject the counsel of God against 
their own souls." " Their hearts are gross and their 
ears are dull of hearing." They require " precept 
upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, 
line upon line; here a little and there a little." But 
who is to instruct them? "The harvest truly is 
great, but the laborers are few." As a disciple and 
follower of him, "who, when he saw the multitudes 
faint and scattered, as sheep having no shepherd, was 
moved with compassion on them," I feel my heart 
stirred within me, in view of the multitudes around 
me, "wholly given to idolatry;" and, as their friend 
and advocate, I am constrained to obtrude myself on 
your notice. 

Secondly, as to the object of my epistle : it is 
affectionately, but earnestly and urgently, to entreat 
you to " COME OVER AND HELP us." 

Of course, none of those I now address need be 
told that the F. Baptist denomination has a small mis 
sion in Orissa ; that to this mission has been assigned 
a field, containing a population of Bengalies, Oriyas 
and Santals, numbering about two millions of souls ; 
and that, although this mission has now been more 
than sixteen years in operation, it has seldom em 
ployed more than two missionaries at a time, able to 
preach in the native language. You almost involun 
tarily exclaim, "What are they among so many?" 
Very little indeed ; still, under the Divine blessing, 
the good work advances even here. But the laborers 



210 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

are so few in number, and the demands on their time 
and energies so numerous and complex, as to seriously 
embarrass their operations. Their spirits are often 
greatly depressed and borne down by a sense of their 
own weakness, and of the magnitude of the Avork in 
which they are engaged. Nor will you, it is pre 
sumed, be surprised to learn, that this depression of 
spirits is not a little augmented by a knowledge of 
the fact that so large a number of their esteemed 
brethren and sisters stand aloof, and, apparently, 
" care for none of these things." 

From late accounts, published in the Morning Star, 
it would appear that your numbers are large and in 
fluential, comprising scarcely less than one half the 
entire denomination ! Now it were literally impossi 
ble to occupy merely neutral ground, in relation to 
the great missionary enterprise of the present day. 
Christ has something, in this work, for every indi 
vidual disciple to do ; and not to do it, would evince 
indiiference to his claims, and place ourselves in direct 
opposition to him. " He that is not with me, is 
against me," saith Christ, dividing mankind into two 
classes, making inactivity in his cause an offence 
equal to hostility thereto. Did your inactivity occa 
sion only the loss of your personal aid to the mis 
sion cause, much as this were to be deplored, the evil 
would be small compared to what it now is. Every 
Christian man, woman or child possesses a world-wide 
influence. What, then, must be the combined influ- 



APPEAL. 211 

ence of twenty-five thousand professors of religion, 
who, in relation to this cause, " Stand all the day 
idle?" Certainly it cannot be small. Does not your 
inactivity proclaim to the unthinking world, that the 
mission cause is an imposture, utterly unworthy the 
countenance and support of Christians? Does not 
your example prevent many from giving it their cor 
dial cooperation ? Do not many others, who are not 
entirely prevented from offering it aid, content them 
selves with doing but half their duty ? Are not the 
hearts of many of your active, devoted brethren made 
faint, and their hands weak, by your neglect of 
duty? 

God, in his providence, has given the F. Baptists 
of America a heathen field to cultivate, containing 
about two million souls. No other society has, or is 
likely soon to have, a mission within the limits of this 
vast field ; hence, our feeble mission affords these 
perishing millions almost their only hope of obtaining 
a knowledge of salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Is not here, then, a loud and imperative call for every 
individual member of the connection to "come up to 
the help of the Lord"? In place of only two, why 
may we not have twenty missionaries to sound the 
gospel trumpet among these two millions of heathens ? 
If, indeed, we have a duty to do to the heathen ; if we 
are not to withhold good from them to whom it is due 
when it is in the power of our hands to do it ; if, as 
we have received the gospel fre-ly, we are under the 



212 CHRISTIANITY IN OEISSA. 

most sacred and solemn obligations to impart its 
benign and heavenly, its life-giving rays freely to the 
spiritually destitute, if, in short, we are disciples of 
the benevolent Jesus, who " pleased not himself," but 
freely gave his life for the world, thence are bound 
to obey his last great command, to preach repentance 
and remission of sins in his name among all nations ; 
then, I ask, have we, as one branch of his church, 
done our duty in this matter ? 

But I forget myself; I am addressing those who 
DO NOTHING, afford neither countenance nor support 
to the cause of " Christ and his gospel," among the 
heathen. Whatever our own or other missions may 
have effected, " you have neither part nor lot in this 
matter." Beloved friends, is this a position you 
occupy from choice ? from principle ? from a candid 
and solemn conviction that it is "according to godli 
ness?" Or have you been led to adopt it without due 
consideration? Pray, think again. Be entreated, 
by your great numbers and influence in the Zion of 
God; by all the abilities God has given you, to aid in 
publishing " among the Gentiles, the unsearchable 
riches of Christ;" by all the tender, earnest yearn 
ings of the renewed heart, for the salvation of im 
penitent sinners ; by your compassion for the millions 
perishing "without Christ;" by the constraining love, 
the atoning death, and last great command of our 
adorable Redeemer; by your own hopes Df heaven 
and fears of an eternal hell, be entreated to think 



APPEAL. 21 

on these things." Settle it in your own minds 
whether you can longer remain thus inactive, and be 
guiltless before God. 

To aid your decision in this matter, place your 
selves, in thought, in the presence of "Him beforo 
whom shall be gathered all nations." Witness the 
unspeakable joy of the righteous, as they hear from 
the lips of Him who " loved them and washed them in 
his own blood," " Come, ye blessed of my Father, 
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the found 
ation of the world; for I was an hungered, and ye 
gave me meat ; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink ; I 
was a stranger, and ye took me in ; naked, and ye 
clothed me ; I was sick, and ye visited me ; I was in 

prison, and ye came unto me Verily I say unto you, 

inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of 
these my brethren ye have done it unto me." On 
the other hand, mark the dark despair that rests on 
the countenances of " those on the left hand," as they 
receive from their final Judge their awful doom, and 
mark well the cause: "Depart from me, ye cursed, 
into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his 
angels ; for I was an hungered, and ye gave me no 
meat ; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink ; I was 
a stranger, and ye took me not in ; naked, and ye 
clothed me not ; sick and in prison, and ye visited me 
not - - Verily I say unto you," that notwithstanding 
ye professed to be my friends, and " called me Lord, 



214 CHRISTIANITY IN ORISSA. 

Lord," " inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of the 
least of these, ye did it not to me." 

Once more, and 0, could- 1 utter one groan, one 
awful groan, equal to the present and prospective 
miseries of these two millions of heathen souls, it 
should reach across "the Atlantic wave," and rouse 
to effort every inactive member of our beloved Zion ; 
my cry should be, COME OVER AND HELP 
US ! Beloved friends, it has long been on my mind 
to address you on behalf of the deluded heather, 
around me. for whose salvation I am content "to 
spend and be spent, to live and to die," beseeching 
your aid. I have now done so. And, although I am 
by no means very sanguine as to the result, I can but 
do my duty, acquit my own soul, and trust the event 
with an all-wise Disposer. May the God of grace 
bless you all, and make you n blessing to your fellow- 
men ! Thus prays your affec tionate brother in Christ, 

J. PHILLIPS. 



.HINDU HYMN. 



WORDS BY GAXGA DHAR, A NATIVE PREACHER. TRANSCRIBED BT H. S. 
CUTLER. 



Ni-tie A - nan-da je Ji - su turn - bha gu-na gu - ni 
Ithak-tau-ka ni - man - te a-ma-ra bhu- ba - na 



s N f 






:zttd=zz3 



^=*^&tt=i*tt^^ 



ite-ji a- chi Prab-hu pu - ni Ni-tie "A nan-da je 




Ji-sutum-bha gu-na u-ni. 1 Mara de-ha ba-hi rnartie a-ba-ta-ri 



^ iJdsA-kA-ra rupa dliari, Eswa-ra ina-hA ma-lii-ma prakA - si-cha 

JJM? Jifc ^ fez^~" _. fcz-^__fcr izzuJzuv i-rp v s ^i^ 

^^^fc*^E^BEjEJ3^E 

JZ_ L_ =j _LL^_^_^_uj: 

di-na-hi-ne da-ya ka - ri Ni-tie A- 



EftE 

| m 0-i 



nan-da je Ji - su turn - bha gu - na gu - ni. 

2. Swarga sabha mudie Eswara dakine nitie nibedana kari 
Nija sisiagana ananta jiliana deuacha krupA kari 
Mitie Ananda je Jisu tumbha guna guni. 

TRANSLATION. 
(WORKS OF CHRIST.) 

C ( Ever happy thou, oh Jesus, in thine attributes, 

* \ i or thy worshippers an undying state ia prepared, 0, Lord ! 

1. Taking a human body and becoming incarnate, and assuming the form of a 

servant, 
The great glory of God. thou hast -evealcd being merciful to the wretched. 

2. In the council of heaven, at God s right hand constantly interceding, 
To thy disciples everlasting life thou givest, showing mercy. 



HINDU HYMN. 

WORDS BY BAMA DEB, A NATIVE PREACHER. TRANSCRIBED BY H. S. 
CUTLER. 



- 

f !S 




------ -- hi --- S - K - K -- 1 1 --- f^*-H-r 

K |V I -- : -- S - Tr* p I 4 (^-H-^ 
zigzigHziaizggii:** | * 

Di - na ga - la - ti - re ba - hi, Mo - ra glia -re a - si a - chi 




Di - na ga - 14 - ti - re ba - hi 

-K- 



-H H k I- 

SE i= ^ 



1 De - ha - ra bhi - ta - re to - ra dt -ma -ti bi - de - si 



De - ha - ti pan jn 

fe^PP^P 

-^=9 & & j-H -9 






at 



ma 



au kha-sA - ri bha . si. Di - na ga-la-ti-re ba-hi. 




2. Chadi urdi jibo dine au je na dsi, 
Nirdosare dose mari, bhunje phala rasi, 

Dina gal&tire bahi. 

3. Pharma sastra mana, mane satia bakia dhara ; 
Jisu Krista prema nahe, chala swarga pura. 

Dina gal&ire bahi. 

TRANSLATION. 

(THE SPIRIT S SOJOTJRX IN THE BODY.) 

C The time is flowing away ; 
RCS \ Into thy house thy spirit comes from a foreign country. 

1. In the body thy spirit is a stranger ; 
It dwells there enjoying happiness. 

2. It will leave and fly away one day, and will never return ; 
In innocence or guilt dying, its reward it will receive. 

3. Obey the Bible, with thy mind seize the true word, 
In Jesus Christ s loving boat go to the city of Heaven. 



APPENDIX. 



1854. 

MR. and Mrs. Smith, -whose departure from this 
country has been noticed, arrived in due season in 
their appointed field of labor, and have located for 
the present at Balasore. 

The last has been a year of unusual prosperity to 
our mission. Fifteen have been added to the churches, 
and several families appear to be on the point of cm- 
bracing Christianity. 

It has been stated, p. 151, that a tract of land had 
been secured, in connection with the station at Jel- 
lasore, and on the border of the Santa 1 country, for 
the purpose of forming a settlement of native Chris 
tians arid Santals, in order to bring the latter more 
directly under Christian influence. That settlement 
has been commenced, and a happy Christian village 
has already sprung up in the wilderness. It bears 
the name of Santipur, village of peace. May it 
ever be true to its name ! 

The following interesting description of this settle 
ment has been recently furnished by Mr. Oliver. 

"It is now about eight months since Mr. Phillips 
and myself visited Santipur. pitching our tent in a 
1 *) 



218 APPENDIX. 

small grove, consecrated to a Hindu goddess named 
Kali Graham. Before that time, little could the eye 
rest upon save bramble and bush, interwined with 
wild vines, forming altogether an almost impassable 
network of thorn and prickle. The same spot now 
presents by far a more pleasing and cheering appear 
ance. Where but nine months ago the wild hog slept 
in profound security, and the graceful deer made her 
midnight lair. where the prowling tiger roamed in 
quest of prey, and the bear fearlessly dug for white 
ants, there, in that same spot, a neatly laid-out vil 
lage has arisen, and children sport where but a short 
time ago the forest-king craunched his loathsome meal. 

" Where for ages past the heathen trod in idola 
trous procession, where heathen rites and cere 
monies from time immemorial had been celebrated, 
there a new song is sung, and the God of the Chris 
tian is, we hope, worshipped in spirit and in truth. 7 

"Where the potent goddess, Kali Graham, exer 
cised unquestioned sway over the hearts of many, 
and whose sacred grove none dared to approach, with 
out some token of reverence and much of fear, there 
a higher power is in operation, and numbers even 
among the heathen may be seen gathering fuel in the 
very grove which, nine months ago, wis clothed by 
superstition with a garment of deep dread. 
" These are all pleasing indications of a change 
from c darkness unto light ; and in viewing these, us 
they rise slowly but steadily before our eyes, we can 
not but indulge in anticipations of a bright and happy 
future ; but, in doing so, we feel a stern hand placed 
on the reins of our fancy ; and while on the one hand 
we are encouraged to hope, on the other we do so only 
in fear and trembling. For the native character is 
such, that while at one time it is all that could bo 
desired, at another it is quite the opposite. 



APPENDIX. 219 

"We have seen seven families, and seven unmar 
ried young men from the school at Balasore, besides a 
few others, forming altogether a community of about 
forty at Santipur all busy ; and. now that a few 
showers have moistened the ground somewhat, there 
is a perfect bustle of preparation for the early crop. 
I am besieged, at all hours of the day-, with requests 
of one kind or another ; and though at times I have 
thus been severely tried, yet, all in all, I have reason 
to thank God that he hath placed me here. Seldom 
do I retire to rest, after the day s work, without expe 
riencing much of satisfaction at the energy and good 
feeling displayed by our people. 

"Daily social worship is observed, and weekly 
prayer-meetings tend to cheer and refresh us, know 
ing as we do that our Father in heaven hearkens to 
our pleadings, and that all we enjoy are tokens of his 
love and mercy. A portion of the Scriptures is daily 
studied by all who are able to attend. We have just 
got through the book of Job, and commenced the first 
epistle of John. Thus a very pleasant hour is passed 
every day. and much profitable conversation is con 
nected with instruction from the word of life. 

" Weekly visits to markets have been kept up, and 
many, especially among the Santals, have flocked to 
hear of salvation through Christ crucified ; but not 
being myself so conversant with the language as I 
would wish to be, I have been unable to take any 
prominent part in this most essential adjunct to mis 
sionary labor. Still the Saviour has been loudly and 
fearlessly proclaimed, and with apparently much 
effect, both by Silas Curtis, native preacher, and Elias 
Ilutchins, a Santal convert. A Sabbath school is kept 
in operation during the afternoon of each Lord s day, 
and a day school for children, in general from heathen 



220 APPENDIX. 

villages, and our own. has been opened. This latter 
consists of about ten boys from an adjoining village, 
one Santal, and two children of our people. The day 
school is conducted by Daniel P. Cilley, a Santal con 
vert, who seems to interest himself in instructing his 
charge. We hope, under God s blessing, to see much 
good springing from this small beginning, and many 
growing up in the knowledge of the Lord. 

" Although there is a great deal to encourage, yet 
it must not be forgotten that our people are all from 
the heathen, and much of heathen tarnish, it is to bo 
expected, will cling to them; and the crude metal, 
dug from the mines of filthy idolatry, must be sub 
jected to the purifying influences of the furnace of 
religion, ere we see it in its brightness. Our men 
and our women have, almost all of them, from child 
hood till a few years ago, been nurtured in a super 
stition which does not mark sensuality or dishonesty 
with the brand of sin, and which holds morality in 
general as a spider s web, which may be severed at 
will to serve a purpose. Under such a state of things 
it is not to be wondered at if at times a stain is brought 
on the cause of the Lord by the misconduct of some. 
Such things have occurred, and will occur, it is to be 
feared : but we have reasons to thank God that it is 
not oftener we have occasion to weep over the wound 
inflicted on Zion, and over a brother or a sister in the 
Lord. I now take my leave of you, begging your 
prayers, and the prayers of God s people, in behalf of 
our little community, that it may be firmly established 
in the ia-illi/ 

CHOLERA IN INDIA. 

Among the dangers of that land of death where our 



221 



missionaries arc called to labor. that from cholera ia 
not the least. This fearful seour^e, which has passed 
like a destroying angel over a Luge portion of the 
earth, had it.-; ori^n in Bengal, on the banks of the 
Ganges., some thirty years ago. It has continued to 
rugo in India inure or le-^ ever sinee. It is more 
prevalent in cities and large to\vns and on the great 
thoroughfares, than in the retirement of the country, 
and is nio.it fatal in the hot season. It may breakout 
in any locality without apparent cause or premonition. 
The state of the atmosphere, however, seems to have 
a piouiinoiit influence, since cholera is found to be 
iiiOre severe when the air is filled with electricity, and 
subsides immediately on the occurrence of a thunder 
storm. It is often exceeding partial in its ravages, 
attacking single families or villages, while all around 
are for the time exempt. 

Our missionaries have, through mercy, been pre 
served, though living in the midst of its ravages, and 
laboring in innumerable instances to relieve the suf 
ferings of the sick and dying. Our Christian com 
munities, too. have been kept in a remarkable manner 
from the dangers that have surrounded them. During 
ten years, not a case occurred among the Christians, 
though hundreds and thousands of the heathen per 
ished around us. In 1850, however, it suddenly 
appeared in our boys boarding school, and five of the 
healthiest fell victims. The girls school was located 
on the same premises ; still not a case occurred among 
them. In 1853, it broke out as suddenly among the 
girls, and, ere its ravages could be stayed, six had 
fallen. The following touching description of this 
painful scene is from the pen of Sister Crawford, tho 
teacher of this school : 

"Last Friday, at five p. M., it was ascertained that 



222 APPENDIX. 

Lungumai hud an attack of cholera. Brethren Cooley 
and Smith were at Jellesore, thirty miles distant. 
George, the native doctor, was called, and did the 
best he knew how. In the evening, at ten, Byali was 
attacked. Notwithstanding all our efforts to save 
them, about sunrise on Saturday morning they 
breathed their last. The last words I heard from 
Lungumai were, Can you do nothing for me ? 
Poor thing ! I could not save her. Bela had been 
very sick with bowel complaint a few weeks before, 
and was still weak. I knew not whether the wailing 
she heard for the dead, or fright, affected her. She 
was taken worse still I hoped she might be saved. 
Ham came and advised giving her two grains of calo 
mel once in two hours. I think George gave her one 
dose. did not seem to approve of giving it, but gave 
the cholera mixture. She was very restless ; almost 
raved for cold water, which was denied her. She 
lingered until three in the morning, when her suffer- 
ing clay became lifeless. As soon as we knew of any 
one affected, medicine was immediately given. All 
were strictly charged to inform us if they were at 
tacked. I staid with the girls till six in the morning, 
and, being scarcely able to stand, staggered into sister 
Smith s room to attend to my own case. Took an 
emetic as soon as I could obtain one. Had been much 
exposed to the heat on Saturday, and had felt a raging 
thirst, and such a taste as I never knew before. Drank 
cold water all day, but could not eat, so great was my 
anxiety for the children. On Monday I was again in 
the midst of the girls, but had to be careful, being 
very weak. Found Simali and Keenari very ill, and 
Jenetta dangerous. Before four o clock, poor Simali 
died. I was saved the dreadful sight of seeing her 
expire. We now had the tent pitched in the com- 



223 

pound, to give the survivors a change of air : and, 
taking the sick into the school- house, with a few to 
assist in taking care of them. I sent the rest to the 
lent. I had little hope that these two would live till 
morning. Being BO weak myself. I consented to try to 
rest ; but it was of no use I could not rest away from 
the sick. Spent most of the night whh them, and 
before morning 1 had ihe happiness of seeing them bet 
ter. But the work of the destroyer was not yet stayed. 
Several more were taken, and among them dear little 
Li ili. I took her into the school-house, but she ap 
peared the weakest of any one. I frequently ran to 
the tent. Did not think any case ilit-rc would prove 
fatal, till noon, when poor little Eila failed very fast. 
Between four and five she died. Soon after Si mi. 
was taken ; she said she should die, and a^ked to see 
Cooley Mama 7 and the pious girls: was perfectly 
composed : said she feared die should go to hell : but 
when directed to the love of Christ, she appeared satis- 
lied. 0. she was the most innocent little lamb of the 
whole floek ! I watched her with the most devoted 
attention, but I either could not, or did not. know how 
to save her. She died in the evening. Though her 
death touched the i-ic.st tender choid of my heart, there 
was consolation in thinking that Jesus had taken her 
into his own bosom. I think I never knew her to find 
fault with any one, or any one to find fault with her. 
I could always tell the other girls to do as she did, 
and they would have no disputes. Bcla wept and 
prayed much during her illness, but she would not say 
where she thought she should go. She had practised 
secret prayer, and for some time had appeared more 
meek and teachable than formerly. Lunguniai I think 
met with a change last cold season. She was greatly 
distressed on account of her sins for some time. 



ZZ4 APPENDIX. 

Though she never dared to say she had a new minl. 
ever after that her conduct was different from what it 
had. been before. Bidli and Ella. I think, died in their 
innooency. I had become ranch attached to them. 
Poor Siiiudi ! we do not know how it is with her. She 
was the most irreligious, to appearance, of all the girls, 
and was greatly terrified in her last moments. 

"All we ctia do is to leave them in the hands of 
Him who cloeth all things well. I need not tell you 
that I feel very much the ]<v^ of the departed. So 
many vacant places, 0. it is trying ! Though bur 
dens do sometimes press heavily, I think I can truly 
say my spirit never faints. I rejoice in tho work, and 
in Him who has thus far sustained me ; and. come weal 
or woo, I hope to be cheerful and diligent, and at last 
die with my armor on r 



n 



Bacheler, R 

3280 Hinduism and Christianit 

07B3 in Orissa 



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