Literary Work of the American Presbyterian 
 Mission, North India, including Bible Trans- 
 lation and Revision, and the Circulation 
 of Religious Books and Tracts. 
 
 BY ^ 
 
 The Rev. J. J. LUCAS, 
 
 ALLAHABAD. 
 
 Reprinted from the “Indian Evangelical Review," July and October 1886. 
 
 Calcutta Advertiser Press. 
 
LITERARY WORK OF THE AMERICAN PRES- 
 BYTERIAN MISSION, NORTH INDIA, 
 
 Including Bible Translation and Revision, and the 
 Circulation of Religious Books and Tracts* 
 
 BY THE REV. J. J. LUCAS, ALLAHABAD. 
 
 (Reprinted from The Indian Evangelical Review" July 1S86.^ 
 
 I AM to tell in this paper what has been done \iy the 
 American Presbyterian Mission, to give the people of 
 India among whom we labour, the word of God in their own 
 languages. I am to tell of the literary work of our Mis- 
 sionaries, living and dead, native and foreign, who have 
 taken the pen to explain the Scriptures, to defend the faith, 
 to feed the Church, and to expose error. I am to tell also 
 the difficulties in preparing such a literature, its character 
 and value, the extent and methods of its circulation, and 
 with what results, so far as they can be known. 
 
 What have we done in these 50 years to give the people 
 the word of God, commentaries, formularies of faith, theo- 
 logies, books of praise and devotion, and what to provide a 
 literature fitted to instruct, convince and persuade Hindus 
 and Muhammadans ? When our Missionaries entered North 
 India, little had been done to provide the people with Chris- 
 tian literature. The Serampur Missionaries, all honor to 
 them, anxious to put the word of God in every man’s tongue 
 as quickly as possible, in 1815 issued the New Testament 
 in Punjabi, the Pentateuch in 1817 and the whole Scrip- 
 tures in 1826; but living a thousand miles and a three months’ 
 journey from the people of the Punjab, it is not strange 
 that they failed to catch the right words and idioms, or to 
 make an exact translation. In 1837, Rev. J. Newton^f* 
 began to translate the Gospels into Punjabi. I say translate, 
 because he found it necessary to make a new translation 
 instead of revising the Serampur version. Matthew and 
 John were translated by Mr. Newton, and published at the 
 Lodiana Press before November 1844, and the four Gospels 
 and Acts before November 1847. The Epistles and Reve- 
 
 * This paper ■was read at the Semi-Centennial Celebration of the found- 
 ing of the American Presbyterian Missions in India, held at Lodiana from 
 the 3rd to the 7th of December 1SS4. The paper is given here just as read. 
 
 t The first American Presbyterian Missionary in the Panjab was Rev. 
 John C. Lowrie. He arrived at Lodiana in 1634, but was forced by ill- 
 health to leave the country in 1836, The Rev. John Newton reached 
 Lodiana in 1835, 
 
( 2 ) 
 
 lation were translated many years later by Mr. Newton, at 
 the request of the Panjabi Bible Society, and then submitted 
 to the criticism of Paudits Sardah Ram and Bihari Ld,l. 
 
 In his Report for 1866, Mr. Newton writes : — “My time has 
 been occupied almost exclusively with the translation of 
 the Epistles of the New Testament into Panjabi. It was 
 expected to be a revision, thorough indeed, yet only a 
 revision, but it turned out to be almost a new translation. 
 There was hardly a line that I was not obliged to alter, 
 and a multitude of sentences had to be recast altogether, 
 so that the labour proved to be greater than I antici- 
 pated, and consequently the -work went on slowly.” 
 
 The translation of the whole N. T. by Mr. Newton 
 and of Genesis, Exodus to the 28th Chapter, and of the 
 Psalms by Rev. L. Janvier, has been accepted and 
 published by the Panjab Bible Society, and tens of thousands 
 have been circulated throughout the Panjab. A distinguish- 
 ed Panjabi scholar of the Educational Department, himself 
 the translator of several books of the Old Testament into 
 Panjabi, thus writes of Mr. Newton’s translation : — 
 
 “ I am of opinion that there is nothing unsatisfactory in 
 the translation of the Panjabi New Testament, except that 
 it contains a greater number of Persian words than are 
 perhaps necessary. The equivalents of these words in 
 Hindi are better understood by illiterate Panjabis to whom 
 the Gurmukhi New Testament is of the greatest use. No 
 doubt many of the better educated Sikhs and Muhammadans 
 understand the existing translation thoroughly, and it 
 has done its work most excellently among them. Many 
 of the rural population too, I know, take it all in, owing 
 to their knowledge of the courts, but in the homestead, and 
 among the Sikh and Hindu Panjabi women, the Persian 
 W'ords are not understood. It does not need re-translation, 
 but only the equivalent for these Persian words are required 
 hr Hindi to make it quite acceptable.” 
 
 The only other translation of the New Testament, made 
 by a Missionary of our Church, is that into Pushtoo by Rev. 
 J. Lowenthal. Here again the devoted Serampur Mis- 
 sionaries were the first in the field, issuing their translation 
 of the New Testament in Pushtoo in 1818 ! But here again 
 their distance from Afghairistan, as well as the difficulties 
 of the language, rendered their work of less value, and, so 
 far as Mr. Lowenthal’s letters and reports show, he did not 
 make much use of it. In his Report for 1861, he writes : — 
 
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 “ The translation of the New Testament into Pushtoo was 
 completed early in the year. Separate copies of the Gospel 
 of Matthew have been received from England, and have been 
 distributed to some extent. The distribution in the first 
 place was not indiscriminate, but confined to people whose 
 intelligence, or frequency of intercourse with whom ad- 
 mitted of a good degree of certainty in the hope that the 
 book would be read, and in many instances there was subse- 
 quently entire certainty that it had been read with a sur- 
 prising amount of understanding.” 
 
 The Committee of the North India Bible Society, at 
 whose expense this translation was published, on its com- 
 pletion put on record their appreciation of Mr. Lowenthal’s 
 “ unwearied endeavours to produce a translation of the word 
 of God in Pushtoo which will accurately and elegantly 
 convey the meaning of the original.” 
 
 And so late as 1878, the Rev. T. P. Hughes, the well- 
 known Missionary to the Afghans, at the Mildmay Con- 
 ference, spoke in praise of this translation. When it is 
 remembered that Mr. Lowenthal entered the field at the 
 close of 1855, and his translation was finished early in 
 1861, it will be seen with what indefatigable industry he 
 wrought, first in learning the language, and then in trans- 
 lating the whole of the New Testament into Pushtoo. 
 
 A writer in the Record of 1863 says: — “We regard Mr. 
 Lowenthal’s translation of the New Testament as a work 
 which itself repays the labour of a life-time.” At the time 
 of his death,* he was busily engaged with the translation 
 of the Old Testament and other works, among them a Dic- 
 tionary of Pushtoo, but his manuscripts, so far as we know, 
 have not been utilized. 
 
 In revising the translations of the Scriptures in Urdu and 
 Hindi, our Missionaries have taken the following part : — 
 In 1811, the Serampur Missionaries published a translation 
 of the New Testament in Urdu or Hindustani ; and in 1815 
 Henry Martyn’s translation into the same language was 
 issued, though completed in 1808. The translation of the 
 Old Testament into Urdu was not completed, according to 
 Dr. Murdoch until 1842. In the Missionary Chronicle of 
 1842, it is stated that the Rev. Jas. Wilson spent part of his 
 time “ in revising and translating portions of the Old Testa- 
 
 * He was shot while walking in his garden at night, the watchman re- 
 porting that he did not recognize him. 
 
( 4 ) 
 
 ment into Hindustani.” Rev. J. Warren in his " Missionary 
 Life in North India ” states that “ Mr. Wilson also assisted 
 in getting out the first complete edition of the Urdu Old 
 Testament, “ called that of Messrs. Shurman and Hawkins”: 
 and later he writes : — “ The Urdu Bible was soon expended, 
 and a new edition needed. It was generally agreed that 
 it required some revision. The late Rev. J. A. Shurman of 
 Benares was requested to revise it, assisted by me. His 
 valuable life was cut short when the Old Testament was 
 about half done, and I finished it with such help as I could 
 get, not attempting so close a revision, however, as the first 
 part had received.” 
 
 The Serampur Missionaries issued a translation of the 
 New Testament in Hindi in 1811, and of the Old Testa- 
 ment in 1818. 
 
 Dr. Warren states that when the Hindi Bible began to 
 be out of print, the North India Bible Society took measures 
 to have it thoroughly revised. “ Mr, Owen of our Mission 
 was appointed Editor of the work. There were others on 
 the Committee, of whom I was one, but the business was 
 almost all done by Mr. Owen. My share of it was a few 
 suggestions as to certain passages, and the commencement of 
 the printing of it. In this book, ornamental and large 
 letters are used in the beginning of the chapters, the first 
 work in the Nagri letters that has been printed in this 
 manner.” 
 
 The Committee of the North India Bible Society have 
 put on record their appreciation of Dr. Owen’s work, both 
 as Secretary for many year.s of the Society, and as sole 
 Editor of the Hindi Old Testament now in circulation. 
 According to Dr. Murdoch, Mr. Bowley in 1818 took the 
 translation of the New Testament in Urdu made by Henry 
 llartyn, and .so changed it as to make it acceptable to 
 Hindus. This version of Mr. Bowley was afterwards re- 
 vised by Mr. Schneider of the C. M. S., Agra ; and this revision 
 was in circulation until the mutiny, when most of the Scrip- 
 tures in the various Bible Depots were destroyed. The Rev. 
 J. F. Ullmann was requested by the North India Bible 
 Society, on his visit to England after the mutiny, to carry 
 a new edition of the New Testament in Hindi through the 
 press, with liberty to correct wherever he thought necessary. 
 But Mr. Ullmann was not content with correcting ; for after 
 revising Matthew and Mark, he found himself so hampered 
 that he threw the translation almost entirely aside, and mad e 
 
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 what approaches very nearly to a new translation. In 1860, 
 the Bible Society stereotyped this revision or translation, 
 and issued an edition of 20,000 copies of the whole New 
 Testament. Since then many thousands more have been 
 issued. In 1869, the North India Bible Society appointed 
 Rev. S. H. Kellogg, one of a Committee to revise the Hindi 
 New Testament, and Rev. E. H. Sayre, one of a Committee 
 for revising the Urdu New Testament. I know that Dr. 
 Kelloggspent much time on this work, and had gone through 
 the greater part of Matthew, when he returned to the United 
 States in 1871. How much time Mr. Sayre gave to the work 
 assigned him, I do not know, nor am I able to say why the 
 work of revision was then abandoned. 
 
 In 1881, the North India Bible Society requested the various 
 Missions in North India to appoint members of their res- 
 pective Missions who should constitute a Committee to revise 
 the New Testament in Hindi. The members of our Mis- 
 sion on that Committee are Messrs. Ullmann, Holcomb and 
 Caleb. I am informed that they are not revising, but making 
 a new translation. 
 
 It will be noticed that I have not spoken of the work of 
 the Missionaries of other churches in translating and re- 
 vising the Scriptures, except incidentally, not because they 
 are not worthy of mention, but because the object of this 
 paper is to recall and review only the work done by mem- 
 bers of our own Mission ; and this remark must he home 
 in mind throughout this paper. This review shows that 
 seven of our Missionaries, not including Dr. Kellogg and 
 Mr. Sayre, whose labors were never utilized, and Messrs. 
 Holcomb and Caleb, whose labours have only begun, have 
 spent much time in giving to the people of North India the 
 word of God in their own tongues. Messrs. Owen, Janvier, 
 Lowenthal, James Wilson, Newton and Ullmann gave many 
 years of their lives to this work : Dr. Warren took up the 
 revision of the Old Testament in Urdu on the death of 
 Shurman, and no one knows the amount of work he did in 
 preparing the various editions of the Bible for the press, and 
 bringing them out in superior style. 
 
 None have been more ready than these brethren to ac- 
 knowledge the imperfections of their work. No translation of 
 the Scriptures can be perfect from the very nature of the case. 
 The words of Prophets and Apostles, and holy men speaking as 
 they were moved by the Holy Ghost, who can fathom the 
 depth of meaning of such words, and find for them an 
 
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 exact equivalent in another language? Who can catch the 
 shades of meaning, the colouring from the context, the un- 
 der-currents of feeling flowing through the thought, and 
 pass them over into a foreign tongue ? These were among 
 the difficulties before our brethren. That they have pro” 
 duced versions of the word of God which can be understood 
 by any reader able to take in the thought intended to be 
 conveyed, none can successfully gainsay. It is easy to 
 criticise, perhaps to point out errors, but it is well to re- 
 member that there never has been, and never will be, a 
 translation or revision which cannot be improved at some 
 point or in some way. Witness the many versions of the 
 English Scriptures, made by committees, churches, and 
 individuals. All wm can say here is that our brethren, whose 
 labours we are reviewing, have wrought well, as God gave 
 them gifts and strength for the work laid upon them in His 
 providence. Their labours have not been lost, and to-day 
 we thank God for giving them the privilege of devoting so 
 many years of their lives to this great work. To-day we 
 thank God that we have the words of life in Hindi, Urdu, 
 Panjabi and Pushtoo spoken by perhaps one hundred 
 millions of people. 
 
 I now come to speak of what has been done in preparing 
 commentaries on the Scriptures ; and I shall speak of these 
 in the order of the books. 
 
 Dr. Owen prepared a learned commentary, or rather a 
 series of expository lectures in Urdu, on the first 12 Chap- 
 ters of the book of Genesis — entitled — “ Creation, Fall and 
 Flood.” It is full of quotations from Sanscrit, Arabic and 
 Persian, contrasting the silly stories of eastern books on the 
 subjects spoken of in Genesis with the simple and yet often 
 sublime statements of the Scriptures. He did not intend this 
 book for general distribution, as he states in one of his 
 letters, but he thought it would be useful for our preachers 
 and catechists. Hence the style and method of exposition. 
 Dr. Owen also prepared commentaries on the Psalms and 
 Isaiah, making an entirely new translation of the Psalms. 
 These commentaries are scholarly, and will prove increasing- 
 ly useful as the church increases in intelligence. 
 
 The only other commentary on the Old Testament is the 
 transfusion by Dr. W. F. Johnson into Urdu of Dr. T. V. 
 hloore’s “ Prophets of the Restoration,” Haggai, Zechariah 
 and Malachi. While Moore’s book served as a basis, other 
 commentaries have been freely consulted and used, es- 
 
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 pecially Calvin, Matthew Henry and Lange. There is much 
 matter in this volume put in a form which can be pro- 
 fitably used by our preachers in their pulpit preparations. 
 
 The Rev. James L. Scott’s commentaries in Urdu on the 
 four Gospels consist in the main of selections from the 
 works of Dr. Jacobus. The clearness and simplicity which 
 mark the original have been transferred to the translation. 
 
 The Rev. Rajaram Chitambar writes in praise of the simple 
 style which characterizes this commentary. It can be read 
 with profit by nearly all our Christians ! 
 
 On the Epistles we have two commentaries, one on the 
 Ephesians in Urdu by Mr. Newton, Si'., which appeared first 
 in the Makhzan i Alasihi, and was afterwards bound in a 
 volume. The text of the Epistle commented on is that of 
 the Bible Society, slightly revised. This commentary is 
 brief and chiefly exegetical. In the Makhzan i Masihi also , 
 appeared the Ganji-Afsion by Rev. W. H. Johnson. There ^ 
 is much material in this which can be used by the preacher./ 
 
 The only other commentary is that on the Epistle to the 
 Collosians in Urdu by Dr. J. Newton. In style and spirit 
 it is more like Leighton on Peter than any other commen- 
 tary I know, and I believe Dr. Newton made Leighton his 
 model. A competent critic has spoken of it as “ the best 
 thing of its kind in Urdu.” It is clear in statement, rich 
 in illustration and with the glow of a warm heart running / 
 all through it. It ought perhaps to be said th#t had Dr ./ ^ 
 Newton lived to prepare a 2nd edition, he wmuld haves 
 changed his statement in the 2nd Chapter about Christians 
 not being in any sense under the law, but only under the 
 law of love. His mind underw’ent a change on this point. 
 
 Not the least value of the commentary is a new translation 
 of the text by Dr. Newton, which he places alongside of 
 the received translation of the North India Bible Society. 
 
 In reviewing our work in this field, several facts come to 
 the surface. (1) All these commentaries are in Roman 
 Urdu, except Dr. Owen’s exposition of the first 12 Chapters 
 of Genesis. They should be in the Persian character as well, 
 to be of use to a larger number of readers. (2) They are 
 all in one language, viz., Urdu ; as yet there is not a com- 
 mentary in Hindi or Panjabi. (3) A third fact is that 
 only five brethren have as yet wrought in this field, viz., 
 Messrs. Owen, Scott, J. Newton, Dr. Newton and W. F. 
 Johnson; and they have commented on only eleven of the 
 sixty-six books of the Bible. This is an open and inviting 
 
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 field. I think Mr. Chatterji voices the thought of the 
 whole Indian Church when he says that we greatly need 
 good critical commentaries on the whole word of God. And 
 let them be not only critical and scholarly, but also simple 
 in style, as becomes the word of God. Let them be spiri- 
 tual, practical, full of food for the heart as well as for the 
 head. 
 
 It now becomes my pleasant duty to notice the pro- 
 minent part the native brethren of our Church have taken 
 in preparing Systems of Theology. 
 
 The first of these is an original work of great merit ; its 
 English title, for it has been published in English as well 
 as Hindustani, is “ Lectures on Theology, adapted to the 
 natives of India,” by the Rev. Ishwari Das. Dr. John Muir 
 offered a prize of Rs. 500 for the best popular lectures on 
 Theology adapted to India. The prize was awarded to this 
 book. It is full of apt illustratiods of Christian truth 
 drawn from things in India, and put too in the simplest 
 words the writer could find. Then too, another excellency : 
 special attention is directed to doctrines which Hindus are 
 peculiarly prone to misapprehend. A monument has been 
 placed over the grave of the author by his brethren at 
 Fatehgarh, but this book is his best monument, telling as 
 it does of his intelligence, industry, and comprehension of 
 the word of God. A small compend of Theology in Urdu 
 was prepared by Dr. Owen, but I believe it is out of print. 
 
 Rev. T. S. Wylie’s translation of McDowell’s Bible class 
 book, making a volume in Urdu of 272 pages, and the Rev. 
 Golakh Nath’s translation, with alterations of Venn’s 
 well-known ‘ Whole duty of man’, making a volume of 267 
 pages in the same language. Both these books have done 
 good service, and are especially useful in training Catechists 
 and Scripture readers, and in teaching advanced Bible 
 classes. Both might with advantage be more largely used 
 in instructing the higher classes of our schools. 
 
 By far the largest and most elaborate .system of Theology 
 in Hindustani, is Rev. J. J. Caleb’s translation of Dr. A. A. 
 Hod ge’s “ Outlines of Theology.” 
 
 This translation, which is very close if not word for word, 
 has cost Mr. Caleb years of study and labor. It has only 
 just been issued from the press, and has already found its 
 way into many hands. The only criticism I venture, is 
 that the translation is too literal and stiff. Had Mr. Caleb 
 allowed himself more liberty in translating, and given us a 
 
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 transfusion, rather than a translation of Hodge, we should 
 have had a volume suitable for a larger class than scholars. 
 
 On such a question, however, I defer to the judgment of 
 Babu Yunas Singh, himself an extensive author, who wuites 
 of this translation in high terms. Whately’s “ Evidences 
 of Cliristianity” has also recently been put into Hindustani 
 by Mr. Caleb ; as yet it is only published in the Roman 
 character, and so its circulation is limited to Christians. 
 There is ample I’oom for many more sucli books, and it is 
 an encouraging sign to see the scholarly pastors of our 
 churches devoting their leisure to such work. 
 
 It ought also to be stated tliat Mr. Caleb has translated 
 Hodge’s Commentary on the Confession of Faith, and the 
 translation has been approved by the Publication Commi'tee 
 of the Farru'^abad Mission, but for w'ant of sufficient funds/ 
 has not yet been published. Babu Yunas Singh has seen/ 
 the manuscript, and urges its publication. It may not he 
 out of place here to mention the fact that for 25 years 
 Babu Yunas Si;;j,h was a member of our Mission at Allaha- 
 bad, and during that time did much literary work. He 
 translated the brief compend of Theology by Dr. A. 
 Alexander, and part of Dick’s Theology. The manuscript 
 of the latter was destroyed in the mutiny and w'as never 
 undertaken again. 
 
 This brief review of our Theological literatuve shows, (1, 
 First that w'ith the exception of the small work by Dr. Cwen, 
 all our books on Theology have been prepared by our native 
 brethren, three of them pastors, a fact which promises well 
 for the future of the Indian Church. Thu.s far, our churches 
 have been remarkably preserved from heresy, and if any 
 should arise, the w'eapons are ready to meet it at almost 
 every point. It is a matter of thanksgiving that our liter- 
 ature in this liue is comparatively so full. (2.) The second 
 fact is, that all our Theologies, like all our Commentaries, are 
 in one language, the Urdu or Hindustani, not a single one in 
 Hindi or Panjabi. I think there is a call for small works 
 on Theology in both these languages, certainly in Hindi. 
 (3) The third fact is, that these books, with the exception of 
 that of Babu Ishwaii Das, are translations — translations it is 
 true of able and standard works, and translations which the 
 Church may well prize, but in addition to these and as 
 supplementary to them, w’e need works showing the reason- 
 ableiies.s of the doctrines of Scripture by arguments and 
 illustrations appealing more pointedly and powerfully to 
 
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 those unacquainted with, or as yet unmoved by Christian 
 thought and literature. 
 
 An account of the translation of the Confession of Faith 
 of our Church ought to find a place in this paper. An 
 examination of the early records of our Church in India 
 shows with what care this translation was made. In 1844 
 the three Presbyteries, constituting the Synod of North 
 India, appointed a Committee to translate the Confession of 
 Faith. At the meeting of Synod in 1845, the Synod 
 instructed the Presbyteries to continue these Committees 
 directing them to make over their respective portions to a 
 Committee of Revision to be appointed by Synod, “ who 
 shall revise the whole when completed, and present it, if 
 possible, at the next meeting of Synod.” Messrs. J. Wilson, 
 Rankin, WaiTen, and Newton w'ere appointed the Committee 
 of Revision, At the next meeting of Synod in 1848, the 
 Committee appointed to revise the translation of the standards 
 of the Church reported an Urdu translation of the Shorter 
 Catechism and Confession of Faith. The report was accept- 
 ed, the Committee continued, with the exception of Mr. J. 
 Wilson, whose place was taken by tbe Rev. J. L. Scott. The 
 Synod resolved itself into a Committee of the whole for the 
 purpose of examining the translation of the standards of 
 the Church, and during the sessions fi'om December 4th to 
 December 15th, examined the translation of each question 
 and ausw^er of the Shorter Catechism and the whole of the 
 Confession of Faith ; and on December 15th 1848, the trans- 
 lation, as amended and reported by the Committee, of the 
 whole, was adopted by the Synod. Since 1848, the trans- 
 lation of the Shorter Catechism has been revised by Messrs. 
 Newton, Ullmann, and Kellogg, or perhaps more accurately, 
 each of these brethren made a translation of his own. 
 
 These translations, with the original one adopted by the 
 Synod of 1848, w*ere submitted to a Committee for examina- 
 tion, and upon the report of this Committee, the translation 
 made by Mr. Newton, Sr., was adopted by the Synod, and 
 this is the one now in circulation. It should ha\m been 
 stated above that the Rev. J. R. Campbell, before the meeting 
 of the Synod in 1848, prepared a translation of the Confes- 
 sion of Faith, which was revised by Mi*. Newton, Sr. How 
 far this version was followed by the Synod during its sitting 
 as a Committee, does not appear. 
 
 Other Catechisms, besides the Shorter or Westminster, 
 have been prepared and extensively used in our churches 
 
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 and schools. More than 30 years ago an edition of 6,000 
 copies of a translation of Brown’s Catechism was published. 
 
 Mr. Ullmanu’s Catechism in poetry called Nazrai Sawdl- 
 0 Jdwah, contains 50 questions and answers. It is intended 
 chiefly for children, and has been used very extensively in 
 the Lahore and other schools. Another Catechism by Mr. 
 Ullmann, intended for Christian children, is something like 
 the Shorter Catechism, but simpler, shorter and more adapt- 
 ed to children in India. The Catechism, however, which 
 has had the widest circulation and established itself by its 
 simplicity and fitness in nearly all our Vernacular schools 
 for Hindu boys and girls, is the Guru Gyan by Mr. Ullmann. 
 It is not too much to say that there are thousands upon 
 thousands of Hindu children who have committed large 
 portions of it to memory. It is full of Bible truth, while, 
 at the same time, it exposes in thought and language level 
 to the mind of an average boy, the follies of the Hindu 
 ways of salvation. 
 
 The last Catechism is a translation by IMr. Wherry of a 
 Catechism on the ‘ Form of Government and Discipline of 
 the Presbyderian Church.’ 
 
 I now turn to Church History. 
 
 We have only three Scripture or Church Histories. First, 
 Mr. Ullmann’s Bible stories in Bible words, with practical 
 lessons in Bible language at the close of each story, well-fitted 
 to interest and instruct in Bible History, as well as to im- 
 press the truth underlying the narrative. Then we have the 
 Intikhab i. Tarikli i Kalesiya, or “ Stories and Pictures from 
 Church History”, a volume of 172 pages, translated by Mr. 
 Caleb, full of interesting facts and samples of Christian 
 heroism, fitted to stir the heart and stimulate to noble deeds 
 
 Christ. Last we have Dini aur Dunyawi tarikh ku 
 or “Sacred and Secular History,” a volume of 270/ 
 pages, by the Rev. A. Brodhead. This is taken chiefly frortr 
 John’s Hebrew Commonwealth and Edwards’ History of 
 Redemption. It was prepared originally by Dr. Brodhead 
 in the form of lectures to the students of the Theological 
 School at Allahabad. It fills an unsupplied place in our 
 literature, and will prove useful to young preachers and 
 Bible students. They will find here much valuable matter 
 which can be found no where else in Hindustani literature. 
 
 The Hymnology of our Church. What have we been 
 singing all these years ? In 18I2 Mr. Newton compiled 
 an Urdu book of psalms and hymns for congregational 
 
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 singing. The psalms and some of the hymns were con- 
 tributed by Mr. Bowley, the psalms having been written 
 by him, at Mr. Newton’s request, expressly for this volume. 
 Mr. Newton writes — “ Before that we had nothing to 
 sing but a tiny volume of hymns by Mr. Bowley. Mr. 
 Bowley was not a bom poet, but he did the best he 
 could, and we could then do no better.” A new compilation, 
 for which Mr. Newton was partly responsible, but made up 
 largely of contributions from Mr. Janvier, and still more 
 from Mr. Ullmann, was afterwards publi.shed and continued 
 in use, with slight alterations, until 1872, when it yielded 
 its place in our churches to the hymn book now in use. In 
 this edition the psalms are not separated from the hymns, 
 as in the old book, and many of the psalms are left out 
 The whole collection is classified according to the contents 
 of hymns and psalms. The present book contains 486 
 hymns and psalms, 30 bhajaus and 17 doxologies. Of these 
 hymns, 67 are taken from the last hymn book, the ZahiXr 
 aur Gitki Kitab. 
 
 9 are from the Chutia Nagpur hymn book. 
 
 5 „ Am. Ep. Methodist „ „ 
 
 15 „ by Mr. Dauble. 
 
 58 „ by different authors. 
 
 832 „ by Mr. Ullmann ; but of these 332, put down as by 
 Mr. Ullmann, quite a number were wu'itten originally by 
 Mr. Bowley and others, but they have been so much altered 
 as to their form and contents by Mr. Ullmann, that he has 
 taken the responsibility of the authorship. This hymn 
 book is now used in almost all our churches. 
 
 Mr. Ullmann has also prepared a book of hymns and 
 songs for children entitled Gitawali, containing the 60 
 hymns and songs of the Gitmdld with 65 added, including his 
 translation of the “ Old, Old Story.” The Gitawali has been 
 published by the Panjab Religious Book Society with full 
 music for the piano or harmonium. The Society also gave 
 a prize of Rs. 300 for this book, and Mi’. Perkins, c. s., one 
 of the Examining Committee, thus wuites concerning it in 
 the Annual Report of the Panjab Religious Book Society for 
 1875: — “ The language and nation is happy that has such 
 a charming collection. Viewed as the work of a foreigner, 
 it is a wonderful example of the triumph of patient in- 
 dustry over the difficulties of versification in a strange 
 tongue. The lovely simplicity and naturalness of the 
 hymns, the correctness of idiom and the appropriateness of 
 
( 13 ) 
 
 thought to eastern conclitions, all render it, in my opinion, 
 one of the very best books I have ever seen for India. ’ 
 
 Thus, it appears that for over 35 years Mr. Ullmann has 
 been intimately identified with the preparation of the 
 hymns sung by old and young, not only in our own, but 
 also in the other Missions of North India. Of other hymn 
 books, I can speak only briefly. In 1875, the North India 
 Tract Society published in its Sunday School Series in the 
 Nagri character, a hymn book {Git aur Bhajan) prepared 
 by the Revs. A. Brodhead and T. S. VVynkoop. This book 
 contains 174 hymns and bhajans. Some of the best of 
 them by our native brethren, as for example, the sweet, 
 touching bhajan — “Main kuchh na janun Krusi Siwa,” by 
 Lala Har Parshad of Furrukhabad, and others by the late 
 lamented Pancham Masih of Fatehpur. These bhajans 
 have great power in moving the hearts of Hindus as well as 
 of our Christian people, and we would do welKto increase 
 their number, and use them more largely in our public 
 worship. The proportion of bhajans and ghazals to hymns, 
 viz., SO to 486 in the present hymn book, will speedily be 
 reversed when the Church embraces a larger proportion of 
 members uninfluenced by western tastes. I think that the 
 Rev. Rajaram Chitambar voices a growing feeling when he 
 writes : — “ Our native churches ought to have hymn books 
 suited to the taste of their members.” I venture to say that 
 the future Church of India will not sing, to any great ex- 
 tent, hymns set to English tunes, but as it grows in strength 
 and numbers, European metres and music will be discarded, 
 and the bhajans and ghazals, with native musical instru- 
 ments to accompany, will be introduced into our public 
 worship. Nor need this be a matter of regret: In the end 
 it will prove a great power in winning souls to Christ, it 
 will certainly lessen the prejudice of Hindus against our 
 public worship and allow them even to take part in it. 
 
 In the Gurmukhi character the Rev. E. P. Newton has 
 compiled a book of bhajans, chiefly a selection of Hindi 
 bhajans transliterated. In this connection I may mention 
 that Mr. E. P. Newton, with the aid of his wife, has com- 
 piled a new hymn book, using the “ Zabur aur Git” as a 
 basis, omitting 200 of the hymns, and substituting in their 
 stead 109 hymns selected from various sources, 25 of 
 which had never before appeared in print. Also a number 
 of psalms and other portions of Scripture arranged for 
 chanting. The hymns and chants all have music set to 
 
( 14 ) 
 
 them. This book is now in the hands of a Committee of 
 Synod. To gratify the Hindu taste for poetry and to put the 
 great theme of Christ’s love in a form which would be po- 
 pular among the people, the Rev. W. F. Johnson with the aid 
 of a Hindu Poet, prepared a book of 480 dohas, or couplets 
 in Hindi, entitled Prem Dohawali, following the plan of 
 several popular books among the Hindus. In the latter part 
 of the book is a metrical summary of the sayings of our 
 Lord as found in the Gospel of Matthew. An edition has 
 been published with an English translation beneath each 
 verse. We need more books of this kind. They are more sale- 
 able than prose works, and at once, by their form and style, 
 approve themselves to the people’s love of poetry and song. 
 
 Devotional Literature. — Of devotional works, and works 
 intended to feed and nourish the spiritual life of the Church, 
 / I may mention the following; — T\iq Buvj i Mustahkam or 
 7~ the Strong i^ower (8 vo.) 198 pages, by the Rev. A. Brodhead, 
 selected from the works of the Rev. J. Smith of Cheltenham. 
 The strength, salvation and joy of the believer are shown 
 to be in Christ. Also by Dr. Brodhead a translation of 
 Professor Seeley’s Lectures : of this translation, the Rev. C. S. 
 Dauble, C. M. S., Lucknow, writes : — 
 
 “ It is contemplative and reads like the contemplations of 
 some old German divine. It affords very good reading for 
 native Christian families for daily or Sunday reflection.” 
 Dr. Horatius Bonar’s “ Night of Weeping” was translated 
 by the Rev. T. Tracy. 
 
 The following books were translated into Urdu by the Rev. 
 Jas. Warren: — (1) Watts and Henry on Prayer, as prepared 
 by Dr. Bonton of Concord, U. S. A., with an original intro- 
 ductory letter, (2) The Dairyman’s Daughter, (3) Flavel’s 
 Fountain of Life, and, (4) Gallandet’s Ruth. 
 
 Babu John Hari of Allahabad translated into Urdu 
 Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress and the Holy War. Quite a 
 number of devotioual books have appeared from time to 
 time in the Malchzan i Masihi, as for example : ‘ The Blood 
 of Jesus,’ by Reid, translated by Rev. E. H. Sayre ; ‘ The Closer 
 Walk,’ translated by Babu Yunas Singh ; and ‘ Randall’s 
 Titles of our Lord,’ translated by the Rev. A. Brodhead. 
 
 In fact the chief object of the Furrukhabad Mission* in 
 
 * The American Presb3'terian Mission in India has been divided, for 
 convenience of administration, into three Missions. One of these is called 
 the Furrukhabad Mission, including within its bounds all the A. P, Mis- 
 sionaries in the N.-W. P., except those at Saharunpur and Dehra, who 
 are Members of the Lodiana Mission. 
 
i 15 ) 
 
 founding the Makhzan-i-Masihi in 1867 was to furnish 
 spiritual food for the Christian community. The poveity 
 of the Christians has doubtless greatly limited its circuia- 
 tion, but those who have the seventeen bound volumes, 
 containing altogether 5,088 pages royal, and 2,880 pages octavo 
 in form of supplement, have indeed a small library of pure, 
 instructive and interesting reading. The editors have been 
 successively Messrs. Walsh, Brodhead, Johnson and Ewing. 
 It is now a question whether it would not be well to 
 change its form from a monthly magazine of 32 pages, filled 
 with long articles purely religious, to that of a smab weekly 
 or semi-monthly newspaper, giving in brief the religious 
 and secular news of the day, with short editorials on 
 questions in which the Church of India is interested, 
 allowing room also for correspondence on subjects which 
 mav be of more than local interest. It might thus form a 
 bond of union and communication between our widely scat- 
 tered churches. The great difficulty in making such a 
 paper successful arises from the fact that while nearly all 
 our Christian community speak or understand Hindustani, 
 yet they read it in three different characters, Persian, 
 Hagri and Roman. Probably the majority are able to read 
 the Roman character, and for this reason the preference 
 should be given to it. Mr. Ewing, the present Editor of the 
 J/afcA^an, writes : — “I am fast coming to the conclusion 
 that we must adapt ourselves to altered circumstances 
 enough to originate and carry on a weekly Roman Urdu 
 and English newspaper; so many of our native Christians 
 read English, that such a paper would be supported, appre- 
 ciated, and useful. Our young men will read English, and 
 to get it are driven to the Mirror, Statesman, a d Pioneer.” 
 But this is not the place to discuss this question, and I pass 
 on to speak of our newspaper. The Wtir A fshan (The Dis- 
 perser of Light.) — It was begun in 1873 as a four page roval 
 quarto (a pice paper » at Lodiana, und>^r the editorsLip of 
 the Piev. E. M. Wherry. It was soon enlarged to eight pages 
 quarto royal, so quickly did it find a place in the almost 
 unoccupied field of Musionary newspapjer literature. While 
 giving the news of the day, it has also been full if religious 
 reading, original, translations, and selections. The editoiials 
 and religious articles have been chiefly polemic, particularly 
 assailing Mohammadanism in its weak points and arousing no 
 little discussion in a wide circle. In fact, several years ago, 
 the Muhammadans were so stirred up by its attacks that they 
 
( IG ) 
 
 started a newspaper in Delhi with the avowed object to 
 combat and counteract its influence. In one of the issues 
 of this Delhi paper, after giving an account of the con- 
 version of a Missionary to Muhammadanism, who is represent- 
 ed as now preaching successfully Muhammadanism to the 
 people of America, the Editor goes on to say ; — “ Where 
 now is Padri \Vherry Sahib of the American Mission, 
 Lodiana, who has spread abroad his Nur Afshan over all 
 India ?” 
 
 The question has been raised by one who has been from 
 the beginning one of the best friends and ablest contributors 
 to the Nur Afshan, whether it is not too controversial in 
 tone, and whether it would not be wise to curtail greatly 
 this department of the paper, retaining still its Christian 
 character, without combating Muhammadanism as such ? 
 This is a question which can only be mentioned in passing. 
 There can be no doubt that Christian truth presented through 
 the medium of a newspaper, full of the news of the day, 
 is more likely to obtain a reading among educated men than 
 when put in the form of a tract, which by its very appear- 
 ance is apt to repel. Were this point sufficiently appreciated 
 in mission circles, this method of reaching educated gentle- 
 men would be more utilized. Several years ago the Rev. A. 
 Kelso received a letter from a recently baptized Christian in 
 Central India who attributed his conversion, under God, to 
 the reading of the Niir Afshan. The last day will reveal 
 how far God has used various agencies in leading a soul to 
 Himself and in preparing it for His presence. 
 
 Philological: — I now turn to review what our Missionaries 
 have done to facilitate the study of the languages of the 
 country. Soon after coming to India, Mr. Newton began to 
 note, for his own benefit at first, those points in which the 
 Panjabi differs from the Urdu. The notes in time grew into 
 a volume and at last in 1851, Mr. Newton at the request of 
 Government, published his Grammar of the Panjabi language. 
 Government purchasing 100 copies. Though a small volume, 
 of 11 2 pages, yet it bas proved of great help to those wishing 
 to study Panjabi. A second edition was called for and issued 
 in 1866. In 1841 the Lodiana Mission requested Mr. 
 Newton to go forward with the preparation of a Dictionary 
 of the Panjabi language, the materials for which he had 
 been collecting for several years. Before completing the Dic- 
 tionary, Mr. Newton returned to the United States for a 
 visit, and during his alisence Mr. Janvier completed it, and 
 
( 17 ) 
 
 it was published in 1854, the Panjab Government purchasing 
 1 00 copies. Years ago Mr. Newton enquired the price of this 
 Dictionary in London, and found it selling for three pounds. 
 Mr. Newton is now going carefully through the Dictionary, 
 revising and enlarging it, so that we may reasonably hope 
 the next edition will be free from mistakes, and of yet 
 greater help in the future to the student of Panjabi. 
 
 Of the Rev. S. H. Kellogg’s Grammar of the Hindi 
 Language, a royal octavo of 433 pages, about 50 of which are 
 strictly philological, the India Press at the time of its issue 
 in 1876 was outspoken in its praise. It will be sufficient here 
 to quote the opinions of two or three of the ablest living Hindi 
 scholars. F. S. Grouse, C. S., C. I. E., translator into English 
 of Tulsi Das’ Ramayan, in an extended review of the Gram- 
 mar in the Pioneer, 1876, thus writes — “We look upon his 
 work(Killogg’s Grammar,) as the most important contribution 
 to oriental philology that has been made by any scholar writ- 
 ing iu India itself for very many years past. It, in fact, opens 
 out a line uf country of immense interest and extent that 
 has hitherto been almost absolutely untrodden by the 
 general European student. Yet, though Mr. Kellogg has 
 had no predecessors on whose foundations to build, and has 
 had himself to collect all the material for the work, his 
 design is so admirably carried out, so well based on sound 
 research, and so finished in all its details, that it is not likely 
 to require any corrections or additions of the slightest im- 
 portance, but will remain a permanent monument of its 
 compiler’s scholarship, and the one standard authority on 
 the subject of which it treats.” 
 
 Dr. Fitz Edward Hall writes of this Grammar — “ It is 
 an immense advance on any kindred work that has as yet 
 been published.” Sir Monier Williams also writes — “ It is 
 a most valuable work, and one for which all engaged in 
 Indian studies will be grateful. I consider that it rises to 
 a higher level than any grammar of the same kind yet 
 produced.” 
 
 To the same effect write Mr. Beames, C. S., and other 
 qualified critics also. 
 
 After his return to India in 1872, Dr. Warren translated 
 into Urdu — Arnold’s First Hebrew Book or Grammar. The 
 Rev A. Lambert, L. m. s., who carried it through the Press 
 after Dr. Warren’s death, pronounces it a faithful translation 
 of the original. Dr. Warren at the time of his death was 
 at work on a Hebrew Dictionary in Urdu. The Rev. Ishwari 
 
( 18 ) 
 
 Dass of Fatehgurh prepared a diglott manual of English 
 and Urdu ■with reading exercises, and a concise Urdu 
 Grammar and vocabulary to help beginners in that language. 
 He also prepared a series of Urdu text books in science 
 and literature. 
 
 Controversial : — Of works in English to assist those who 
 labor among Muhammadans, I may mention two — First, The 
 Roman Urdu Quran, with notes in English, by the Rev. Jas, 
 Wilson. The translation of the Quran into Urdu is by a Mu- 
 hammadan. E. G. Fraser, Esq., for many years an elder of the 
 Presbyterian Church, and a warm friend of Missions, furnished 
 many of the notes, which Mr. Wilson worked into form. The 
 object of the notes is to put weapons into the hands of 
 preachers and workers among the Muhammadans, and for this 
 purpose they are very useful. 
 
 In 1876 Mr. Wherry issued an edition of the Quran in 
 Roman Urdu, which contains, besides a preface and introduc- 
 tion in English by the Rev. T. P. Hughes, c.ii.s., a very full and 
 complete index in Urdu by Mr. Wherry, the value of which 
 only those can estimate who wish to see at a glance what the 
 Quran teaches on any given subject. The labor involved in 
 preparing an index of 66 pages royal octavo, giving over 
 2,000 references under about 200 separate subjects treated of 
 in the Quran, is evident. To the preacher among Muham- 
 madans, this elaborate index is simply invaluable. 
 
 To make it cheaper and more useful, it should be published 
 in book form, separate from the text of the Quran. 
 Mr. Wherry has also published the three first volumes of a 
 comprehensive commentary on the Quran, to be completed 
 in four volumes. In the number of the Indian Evangelical 
 Reuieio for October 1884:, there is a highly commendatory 
 notice of Vol. II. Says the writer — “ To any one opening Tol. 
 II. and reading almost any page, the work will be seen to be 
 what it professes ‘ a comprehensive commentar}*.’ Not only 
 are Sale’s Notes given in full, and when desirable, emendations 
 made on these, but there is a very large and varied body of 
 notes, original and selected, from the standard works, 
 ancient and modern, Muhammadan and non-Muhammadan, 
 bearing on the text or on the subject treated in it. And 
 always the needs of the Christian missionary labouring among 
 Moslems are borne in mind and carefully attended to. The 
 notes are much fuller, more practical, less technical, than in 
 the first vol. ... Mr. Wherry’s notes have almost succeeded 
 in making the Quran not only readable but to an earnest 
 
( 19 ) 
 
 Christian Missionary, positively interesting. They not only 
 throw light from contemporary history on obscure passages, 
 but also point out the beauties, excellencies and valuable ad- 
 missions, as w'ell as the defects, anachronisms, errors in science 
 and violations of morality which are to be met with .... 
 The four volumes when completed will prove a most valu- 
 able work connected with the Mussulman’s faith, and will be 
 absolutely necessary for every English-speaking Missionary 
 who labors for the conversion of the followers of Islam.” 
 Literature for Home Readers : — Much has been done 
 by the writings of our Missionaries to increase knowledge 
 and awaken interest in our work in India, especially 
 among Christian people in the United States. Dr. J. C. 
 Lowrie’s two books entitled respectively, “ Travels in 
 North India ” and “ Two Years in India Dr. J. R. 
 Campbell’s Missions in Hindustan Dr. Joseph Warren’s 
 “A glance backward at 15 j^ears of Missionary Life”; 
 and Mr. Walsh’s “ Our Martyred Missionaries ” — These 
 books were written with the desire to give the friends of 
 Missions a better understanding of the field we occupy, of 
 our work, its encouragements and discouragements so that 
 they may form just expectations and ‘ be led to go forward 
 with more interest, more earnestness of desire and purpose, 
 and more intelligence, patience and prayer.’ These books 
 have been read by tens of thousands of people, and their in- 
 fluence in increasing knowledge,arousing interest and quicken- 
 ing Missionary zeal, who can estimate? Few Christians can 
 read Mr. Walsh’s portrayal of the suffering.s, in some cases 
 even into death, of our Missionaries and Christians during 
 the mutiny, without being moved to tears— tears mingled 
 with thanks that God counted our brethren worthy to suffer 
 for His name, and for the grace given them in the hour of 
 danger and with death just before them, to witness such a 
 good confession of His name. , The series of letters by the 
 Rev, R. S. Fullerton, published in the Foreign Missionary, 
 telling in most tender words the story of the scattering of 
 our Christians like sheep before the wolves, of their faith 
 and patience amidst fiery trials, and of the triumphant death 
 of some of them, make indeed ‘ a record of imperishable in- 
 terest, seldom equalled for deep feeling and graphic de- 
 scription.’ Unless it be the letter of Mrs. Judson telling the 
 story of her husband’s sufferings in the Ava prison, I know 
 of nothing in Missionary literature which will compare in 
 simple touching pathos with the letter of Mr. Fullerton 
 
( 20 ) 
 
 telling the suflferings, faith, heroism and martyrdom of 
 Dhokul Parshad, his wife, and four children on the parade 
 ground at Fatehgarh. 
 
 In turning over the old volumes of the Foreign Minsion- 
 ary Magazine, I find in them many long letters from 
 members of our Mission, packed with interesting inform- 
 ation about India and our work, which must have done 
 much to maintain and increase the interest of the home Chu rch 
 in the India Missions. These letters, some of them more 
 like elaborate essays on Hinduism and Muhammadanism, 
 or on some special phase of the errors we have to combat, 
 must have cost their writers much thought and labor, and 
 were a selection made from them, a large and most interest- 
 ing volume might be made — a volume too which would be 
 full of facts, and well worthy of a place in the best Mission- 
 ary literature. 
 
 Miscellaneous.— A number of tracts and sermons in 
 English by members of our Mission have been published,as, for 
 exampe “United Prayer for the spread of the Gospel,” a sermon 
 preached by the Rev. J. H. Morrison. D. D., and published in 
 1851 at the LodianaPress. The date of this sermon (1851) is 
 suggestive. Those who know the part taken by Dr. Morrison 
 in uniting Evangelical Christians, the world over, in observing 
 the week of prayer will see how many long years this subject 
 lay on his heart, and how it brought forth fruit at last in 
 the call to the Christian world for united prayer during the 
 1st week of January, issued by the Lodiana Mission in 1859. 
 
 The paper of Dr. Morrison “ On Prayer for the outpouring 
 of the Holy Spirit” has been issued as a tract of 11 pages. 
 
 Other sermons and papers by members of the Mission, 
 such as Mr. Newdon’s on ‘ Future Reward ’ and Mr. Thackwell 
 on ‘The Conditions of Spiritual Success’, have been published, 
 but of these I have not time to speak. 
 
 In passing I must not fail, to mention the large amount 
 of work done by members of the Missions who have been 
 secretaries of the Bible and Tract Societies. Their duties 
 have often times involved a vast amount of correspondence 
 both with missionaries in the field and with the Home 
 societies, correspondence relative to the preparing, revising 
 and publishing books and tracts — to say nothing of pre- 
 paring Reports, and keeping the work of the societies well 
 before the Christian public. 
 
 The first secretary of the North IndiajT Bible (1846) 
 Society was the Rev. J. Wilson, and by him the Reports for 
 
( 21 ) 
 
 several years were written. Then followed Messrs. 
 
 Warren, J.y^. Scott, Joseph Owen, and A. Brodhead. In / ^ 
 like manner for many y^ears some members of our mission'^ 
 have been Secretaries of the North India Tract Society. 
 
 I can only' name them, and my list, I fear, is not complete. 
 Owen, Brodhead, W^ynkoop, Johnson and Holcomb. In 
 the formation and management of the Punjab Religious 
 Book Society and Christian Vernacular Education St'ciety', 
 our missionaries have taken an active part. Then too as 
 Superintendents of the Press at Allahabad till the mutiny, 
 and at Lodiana till the present time, the amount of labor 
 done by brethren, such as W^arren at Allahabad and 
 Newton, Janvier, Porter, Rudolph and W^herry at Lodiana, 
 has been simply incalculable. 
 
 Dr. Warren in his “ Missionary Life in North India” say's 
 “ My connection with the Press al.<50 caused me a great deal 
 of labour in looking over other people’s books, and preparing 
 copy for the Press.” It may safely be said that he spent 
 years of his missionary life in editing and revising Verna- 
 cular books and tracts, and in carrying them through the 
 Press. And, 24 years ago, Mr. Newton, Sr. wrote — “The 
 reading of proofs, thougli it may involve much labor, es- 
 pecially when it has to keep pace with the action of several 
 presses, and though viewed as a means of evangelizing the 
 heathen and edifying the Church, it may be of great utility, 
 is not a subject one is expected to say much about in a 
 report.” Each of the brethren named above has done an 
 incalculable amount of just such work, no record of which, 
 other than this, can be made. 
 
( 22 ) 
 
 PART II. 
 
 Literature for Hindus and Muhammadans- 
 
 T hus far I have treated of literature prepared chiefly for 
 Cliristians. I now turn to review briefly the literature 
 prepared by members of our Mission for circulation among 
 non-Uhristians. The difficulties in the preparation of such 
 a literature were many and great. The people, 50 years 
 ago, were nob only unprepared for the reception of our 
 books and tracts, but tlie number of readers was compara- 
 0 tively few. Says Dr. L/lwrie, writing of the state of edu- 
 cation among the people of North India on his arrival, 
 in ISS't : — “It is not probable that one person of every 
 hundred is able to read. Of those who can read, four- 
 fifths, probably, read only the Persian. A few of the Sikhs 
 read the Gurinukhi. Of those who acquire a knowledge 
 of their written language, few learn anything beyond the 
 simplest rudiments. There are scarcely any books, and 
 there are none adapted for purposes of instruction.” Dr. 
 Warren, writing 20 years later, laments the want of any 
 healthy reading in the vernaculars of North India,* and 
 adds ; — “ and yet if there were nothing extant which took the 
 place of a literature, it would, in some respects, be better for 
 us, for that which exists misleads the people, and is so 
 thoroughly trusted in, that we can hardly find any place for 
 the truth. The people have Histories, Geographies and 
 various other books, but they are as erroneous as they can 
 be, and the people are as bigotted about them as about 
 tbeir religions.” The school-books used in Hindu, and even 
 in Government Schools, were found to be not only objection- 
 able in sentiment, and often offensive in language, but full 
 of errors and false statements. Nearly 30 years ago, the 
 Missionaries at Lodiana, Messrs. Newton, Janvier, and 
 Rudolph, in - their Report write “ We still feel discontent 
 with the system by which native literature, embracing 
 sentiments grossly anti-Christian, continues to be studied 
 in the schools.” And Mr. Forman writing the same year, 
 (1856), speaks of efforts which had been made to introduce 
 into the schools expurgated editions of Hindu books, ex- 
 cluding anything opposed to true religion and sound 
 
( 23 ) 
 
 morality. Even now, after 50 years of contact with western 
 life and thought, there are very few books in the vernaculars 
 of North India, outside of the Missionary publications 
 worth the paper they are written on, — many of them, and 
 those too the most popular of them, are full of thoughts 
 and expressions which pollute the mind and heart of +he 
 reader. Even so impartial and competent an authority as 
 Mr. Beames, C. S., is forced to say : — “ The literature consists 
 almost wholly of religious poems of no merit, with one 
 or two exceptions. Since the English introduced the Press, 
 many books of all descriptions have been written, the 
 majority of them undoubtedly pernicious trash.” These 
 words of Mr. Beames describe very mildly the worthless- 
 ness of the great body of vernacular literature. A recent 
 reviewer of the books registered in the Punjab during the 
 quarter ending July-30th, 1884, writes; — “The bulk of this 
 provincial literature (360 books and 230 periodicals) presents 
 few points of interest, as it is composed for the most part of 
 the inevitable Muhammadan polemical tracts, and the equally 
 inevitable love songs and stories.” Part of the effort of 
 our Missionaries has been to create and increase a taste for, 
 as well as to prepare, a higher and purer literature. How 
 far they have succeeded in this effort, I am now to inquire. 
 In looking over the long list of books and tracts prepared by 
 members of our Mission, I have been impressed with the 
 following facts : — 
 
 I. Nearly every, if not every, truth of the Bible, as 
 well as every important historical event recorded therein, has 
 been stated and explained, sometimes at great length and 
 with marked power, in some separate book or tract. Take 
 for examples : — 
 
 (1) About the Creation and Fall, by Rev. J. Owen. 
 
 (2) The First Sin, by Rev. J. Newton. 
 
 (3) The Story of the Flood by Rev. C. W. Forman. 
 
 (4) The Life of Abraham „ ditto. 
 
 (5) The Offering of Isaac, by Rev. A. Rudolph. 
 
 (6) The History of Ruth, by Rev. J. Warren. 
 
 (7) The Birth, Baptism, Temptation, Miracles, Teach- 
 
 ing, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ, 5 
 tracts in Urdu verse, by Rev. Golak Nath. 
 
 (8) The Integrity of the Scriptures, by Rev. J. Newton. 
 
 (9) The Trinity, by Rev. J. J. Caleb. 
 
 (10) The Comforter, by Babu John Hari. 
 
 (11) The Resurrection of Christ, by Rev. A. Brodhead. 
 
( 24 ) 
 
 Then we have tracts entitled, ‘ The Deity of Christ/ 
 
 ‘ The Need of a Saviour,’ ‘ The New Birth,’ ‘ The Atone- 
 ment,’ ‘Justification,’ ‘Grace Abounding,’ ‘Prayers,’ ‘The 
 Sermon on the Mount/ ‘ The Brazen Serpent/ ‘ The World 
 to Come/ ‘ The End of the Righteous and the Wicked/ ‘ On 
 Holiness/ ‘Good Tidings of Salvation/ ‘ The' True Saying, 
 
 ‘ Necessity of Repentance/ &c. And this list might be greatly 
 enlarged. These titles show that no foundation truth has 
 been overlooked, but that the Bible itself has furnished 
 much of the material wrought out in our books and tracts 
 for the people. 
 
 II. A second fact : nearly every, if not every, error of 
 Hinduism and Muhammadanism has been met ; and book 
 after book, tract after tract, has been written to expose 
 these errors, remove doubts and answer objections, as well 
 as to present the truth in a way to reach the mind and con- 
 science, and heart of the people. Take some of the titles 
 in evidence of this. 
 
 (1) The Rise, Progress and Decline of Muhamma^fenism, 
 by Rev. Jas. Wilson, published in 1841, the 1st and 2nd 
 editions — 10,000 copies. 
 
 t2) The Word of God concerning Idolatry, by Rev. J. H. 
 Morrison, 6 editions, between 1839-69 — 45,000 copies issued. 
 
 (3) Answer to Saulat-uz-zaigham, a Muhammadan Work 
 against Christianity. The answer by Rev. J. C. Rankin, 
 1844 — 160 pages. 
 
 (4) Mutalashi-i-Din, by Rev. Golak Nath, 164 pages. 
 The Experience of a Seeker after Truth, with a Refutation 
 of Hinduism and Muhammadanism. 
 
 (5) The Dharm Tula, or Religion weighed, by Rev. J. F.^ 
 Ullmann, 100 pages, published first in 1849. 
 
 (6) Tahqiq-ul-Waqiat-i-Injil. Genuineness and Credi- 
 bility of the New Testament. Objections answered by Rev. 
 F. J. Newton. 
 
 (7) Refutation of Pantheism, 90 pages, by Rev. Golak 
 Nath. 
 
 (8) Guru Pariksha, by Rev. W. F. Johnson. 
 
 (9) Tract on the Ganges, by Rev. Gilbert McMaster. 
 
 (10) The Christian Sword and Shield, 156 pages, by 
 
 Rev. C. W. Forman. 
 
 And so I might go on naming book after book, meeting 
 Hinduism and Muhammadanism at every point. He who has 
 mastered even these 10 books will not be at a loss for an 
 answer, whether his questioner be Pandit or Maulvie. 
 
( 25 ) 
 
 III. But 3rd. Not only have we prepared an extensive 
 literature setting forth Bible truth and exposing current 
 error, but also many useful school books, books of history, 
 geography, biography, instructive stories and narratives well 
 fitted to interest the young. As the Des Ghitr Maid by 
 Rev. W. F. Johnson ; the Mulk i Hind men Masihi 
 mazhah ke pkailne kd tazkira, by Baboo P. K. Roy, an elder 
 of the Katra Church, Allahabad, — a simple and attractive 
 story of Missionary work in India, it forms a companion 
 volume to the story of Madagascar by the same author. 
 The silent influence of such books, and there are many more 
 like them, — in shading and strengthening character, is 
 beyond all calculation. 
 
 We must now enquire as to the quality of our literature. 
 On this point I shall let others speak : — Mr. Growse, C. s., 
 C. I. E., than whom there is no more competent critic of the 
 literature of North India, thus writes of the publications 
 of the North India Tract Society; — “No one of the books 
 is of great size ; but even in the smallest there are abundant 
 evidences of years spent in preliminary study and an under 
 current of genuine enthusiasm which at least moves, though 
 it may not alwa}’s succeed in convincing the reader,” and 
 further on in his article, Mr. Growse writes : — ‘‘ The verna- 
 cular compositions, to which we began by referring, are 
 principally the work of ministers of the American Presby- 
 terian Mission Of the prose treatises, all display a 
 
 wide acquaintance with vernacular literature and proverbial 
 sayings, and a readiness in conforming to native modes of 
 argument and illustration which must make them very effec- 
 tive Missionary agents. A few, which are professedly 
 polemic, are a little too sweeping in their denunciation of 
 some Hindu practices, which, to the lay mind, seem innocent 
 enough, and social rather than religious, and are therefore 
 unsuitable for general reading. But others are quite un- 
 exceptionable on this score And we think that 
 
 the Government, without any fear of being charged with 
 proselytism, might at all events in the distribution of school 
 prizes, indent occasionally upon the Missionaries, rather than 
 on the curators of its own depot. Judged by a purely literary 
 standard, there can be no question as to the immense supe- 
 riority of the article that is not stamped with the official 
 brand.” I have made this long quotation from Mr. Growse 
 to show what an honored officer of Government and a ripe 
 scholar thinks of the Missionary literature, much of which 
 
( 26 ) 
 
 has been prepared by members of our own Mission, one 
 member alone, Eev. W. F, Johnson, being the author or 
 translator of not fewer than 112 books and tracts, most of 
 them published by the N. I. T. S, and the C. V. E. S. 
 
 In a recent note to me, Mr. Growse says ; — “ 1 have always 
 entertained a very high opinion of the value of Missionary 
 literary labour in improving the vernacular.” 
 
 In view of such statements, and they might be multi- 
 plied, I think we may rest assured that our literature will 
 not perish because it is unintelligible to the people, as has 
 sometimes been rashly charged. In a letter from J. Murdoch, 
 LL.D., dated November 25th, 1884, he writes: — “When I 
 collected the statistics a few years ago, I found that the 
 gi’eat bulk of Christian literature in the Panjabi language 
 had been prepared and published by the American Presby- 
 terian Mission. In Urdu (Hindustani) it had furnished a 
 much larger number of publications than any other society, 
 and in Hindi a fair proportion. Of 84 publications in the 
 last named language, issued by the C. V. E. Society, only 
 4 were written by Missionaries of other societies. The 
 Mission publications take a high place in quality as well as 
 quantity. Hindi has come most under my own experience. 
 In that language, I know that many of the best and most 
 popular tracts have been written by American Presbyterian 
 Missionaries.” 
 
 The Rev. T. Evans of the English Baptist Mission, the 
 prince of tract sellers in N. India, thus writes of the 
 Dharm Tula (by Mr. Ullmann): — “ This is one of the most 
 saleable and popular tracts in the Hindi language. I have 
 myself sold thousands of it at Melas and in Bazars. Its 
 popularity may be accounted for on 3 grounds. (1). The 
 navie is good. (2.) The language of the book is also such 
 that all who can read will easily understand. It is written 
 in what one may call the common boli of the people which 
 is neither pure Hindi nor good Urdu, but a mixture 
 of both There is hardly a word in it that the com- 
 mon native will not understand (3.) The chief 
 
 excellence of the tract is in its subject matter, which 
 treats first of the “Hindu ritual and religion, and then 
 of Christ and Christianity.” In the same connection 
 Mr. Evans speaks in high terms of the Guru Pariksba and 
 ZemiudAr ka Drishtant, both tracts of 35 pages each, by 
 Rev. W. F. Johnson. Of the latter, Mr. Evans has himself 
 issued 3 editions in the Kaiihi Hindi. I might mention 
 
( 27 ) 
 
 other tracts which have had a wide circulation, as Jaisi 
 Kami waisi bharni, by the late Dr. Jno. New'tou. Of this 
 tract, the Rev. J. Youngson of the Gujrat Mission writes; — 
 “ Had we more of the same character, we would have a 
 powerful means of preaching at command. It is forcible, 
 clear, and pointed ; and contains just as much as is needful 
 to lead a man who has not looked into the Scriptures, to 
 do so.” The Rev, K. C. Chatterjee also places this in the 
 list of tracts wdiich he has found useful and popular. 
 
 The Sinless Prophet of Islam, or Kabi i Mdsum, by Rev. E 
 M. Wherry, first prepared as an article for the Indian Evan- 
 gelical Review, and then put into Hindustani, has proved 
 so useful in meeting Muhammadans, that it has been put into 
 Mussulman-Beogali and Mahrati, and Madras Hindustani. 
 The argument is from the standpoint of Islam, and as such 
 unanswerable ; it is just the kind of argument which should 
 be made prominent in all controversies with Muhammadans. 
 Since writing the above, the Indian Witness of November 
 22nd has come to hand, in which the Editor himself, long a 
 Missionary of the Methodist Church in North India, writing 
 of the translation of this tract into Mussalman-Bengali, 
 says ; — “ We consider it an exceptionally good tract for 
 Muhammadans. The testimony of the Quran to the sinlessness 
 of Christ is unequivocal, while the same claim is not made 
 for Muhammad. On this ground the tract makes a concilia- 
 tory, but very strong appeal to Muhammadans to put their 
 faith in Jesus. The tract shows that, of all the Prophets 
 of Islam described or mentioned in the Quran or Muham- 
 madan traditions, Jesus alone was sinless, and that therefore 
 on the ground of the Muslim (Scriptures, He alone is fit to 
 be man’s intercessor with God. Quotations are freely made 
 from the Arabic original, and accompanied with translations 
 into Urdu by recognized Muhammadan authors. Passages 
 are also cited to show the holy and exalted character of the 
 Lord Jesus, and reference is made to His present exaltation 
 in heaven (as admitted by Muslims), while Muhammad lies in 
 the grave awaiting the sound of the angel’s trumpet. The 
 Bible doctrine concerning Christ is then set forth, and its 
 reasonableness to Muslim minds is shewn. In conclusion, all 
 men are exhorted to believe on the living and exalted 
 Jesus Who is to come and destroy the adversaries of God’s 
 people.” 
 
 The Tahqiq-ul-Wapidt i Injil, or Genuineness of the New 
 Testament Scriptures by the Rev. F. J. Newton, is especially 
 
( 28 ) 
 
 useful to put into the hands of Muslims, Brahmos and Aryas. 
 Its chief defect is its brevity. Were it enlarged, it would 
 be increasingly useful. 
 
 The examination of our books and tracts brings out 
 another fact — not merely that they cover the field of con- 
 troversy between us and the Hindu and Muhammadan, and 
 are in the main well adapted both in matter and style, under 
 the teaching of the Spirit of God, to convict of error and 
 reveal the truth, — but that they are in languages spoken by 
 not fewer than one hundred millions of people, and by 
 people who are not dying out but quite the contrary. 
 This insures the permanence of the literature already 
 prepared in these languages, and encourages to yet greater 
 and better efforts. One of the languages, the Urdu or 
 Hindustani, in which a large part of our literature, es- 
 pecially our Church literature, is contained, is rapidly 
 gaining ground, and may one day become the language 
 of the great majority of the people of North India. That this 
 statement is not unwarranted, hear what so competent a 
 scholar and distinguished an officer of Government as Mr. 
 Beames has to say : — “ It may, however, with much pro- 
 bability be surmised that the immense extension of roads, 
 railways and other means of communication will result in 
 the extinction of Panjabi and the dialects of Rajputana, 
 and the consequent general adoption of one uniform 
 language, the Persianized form of Hindi, from the Indus 
 to the Rajmahal and from the Himalayas to the Vindhya. 
 The language will then be spoken by upwards of one 
 hundred millions of human beings, and from its vast extent, 
 and consequently preponderating importance, it cannot fail 
 greatly to influence its neighbours. In short, with the 
 barriers of provincial insolation thrown down and the ever 
 freer and fuller communication between various parts of 
 the country, that clear, simple, graceful, flexible and all 
 expressive Urdu speech, which is even now the lingua 
 franca of most parts of India, and the special favourite of 
 the ruling race, because closely resembling in its most 
 valuable characteristics their own language, seems un- 
 doubtedly destined at some future period, to supplant, most 
 if not all of the provincial dialects, and to give to all Aryan 
 India one homogeneous cultivated form of speech — to be in 
 fact, the English of the Indian world.” Remember, these 
 are the words of an accomplished Sanscrit and Hindi 
 scholar, author of a comparative Grammar of the Aryan 
 
( 29 ) 
 
 languages of India, pronounced “ The standard authority 
 in the Aryan Languages of the Plains,” and not written 
 therefore to exalt Urdu at the expense of Hindi. They 
 are the words too of a careful observer of the direction 
 the linguistic currents are running. That the process here 
 described by Mr. Beanies is taking place all over North 
 India, especially along the lines of railroad, no impartial ob- 
 server can doubt. 45 per cent, of all the books published 
 in the Punjab from 1875 to 1880 were in the Urdu lan- 
 guage, 13 per cent, in Hindi, and 14 per cent, in Punjabi, 
 and the balance 17 per cent, in English, Persian, Arabic 
 and Sanscrit, leaving 2 per cent, polyglott. Mr. D. C. J. 
 Ibbetson, C. S., Editor of the last Punjab Census, confirms 
 Mr. Beames’ statements : — He says that “ Urdu is gradually 
 gaining ground, and as the Panjabi speech of the pea- 
 santry is becoming more and more Hindi, so the Hindi 
 language of the Punjab is drawing nearer and nearer to 
 Urdu” (Census, page 161 and again : — “ There is little doubt 
 that the Urdu type of Hindi is gradually spreading over the 
 province and superseding the indigenous languages.” 
 
 I have made these quotations, which might be greatly 
 multiplied, to show that the languages in which the greater 
 part of our Christian literature has been prepared, viz,, 
 the Hindi and Urdu, especially the latter, are destined to be 
 the languages of the greater part of Northern India in the 
 future. Of course, political changes which cannot be foreseen, 
 may turn the linguistic current in another direction, but to- 
 day and for years past that current has been setting strong 
 and steadily towards the uniting Hindi and Urdu into one 
 language — that language, in the words of Mr. Evans, 
 ‘ neither pure Hindi nor good Urdu,’ the language mixed 
 so tersely and clearly in the Dharm Tula, Guru Pariksha 
 and other tracts so popular with the people. These tracts 
 have little literary merit, judged by the standard of pundits 
 and maulvies, but their simple every day words quickly bear 
 the thought to the mind and heart. I do not say, far from 
 it, that we do not need now, and shall continue to need in 
 the future, books and tracts in pure Hindi — ‘ High Hindi,’ 
 if you please, and rhetorical Urdu. TTe shall need, and 
 greatly need, books thus written in both languages to satis- 
 fy the tastes of native scholars. We cannot reach them 
 with the speech of the common people, 
 
 We shall also not cease to need a large number of books 
 and tracts in the Panjabi language. On the literature 
 
( 30 ) 
 
 needed in that language, I give the opinion of the Rev. E. P. 
 Newton, who ranks high as a Panjabi scholar. “For Hin- 
 dus we want something in Panjabi, like Thomson’s Life of 
 Clirist in Hindi verse, but it must be written in thoroughly 
 good verse, and lithographed in the native style. The Jats 
 don’t like our type. Also we need very badly a good collec- 
 tion of bhajans in Panjabi. The people of the Panjab don’t 
 understand your high-faluting Hindi and Sanscrit bhajans. 
 In my opinion, we are not in need of controversial works. 
 We have a number of good ones for both Hindus and Muham- 
 madans .Neither do we want ^ctri^e works. The people 
 
 will not read them through. But let us have a large number 
 of short tracts and leaflets, thoroughly idiomatic, pointed and 
 uncon troversial, of the same style as would be addressed 
 in England or America to unconverted sinners.” In looking 
 over the list of books and tracts in Punjabi, I find that 
 three-fourths of them were written, translated or revised 
 by Mr. Newton, senior, the rest were by Mr. Janvier, Dr. 
 Jno, Newton, Mr. Golak Nath, Mr. E. P, Newton and 
 Mr. Wherry. Dr. Murdoch stated in 1870 that, “ with few 
 exceptions, every Christian tract and book in the Punjabi 
 language has been provided by the American Presbyterian 
 Mission.” According to the last Report of the Punjab Reli- 
 gious Book Society, “ during the last 4 years, the circulation 
 of Panjabi books and tracts has increased five-fold. This is a 
 great encouragement to increase our literature in this 
 language. Though despised by the learned, it is the verna- 
 cular of several millions, and the best means of reaching their 
 hearts.” Mr. Golak Nath’s book on Pantheism, 90 pages, first 
 issued 31 years ago, has won its way to the hearts of the 
 people. Mr. Bose relates, that in one of his itinerations, he met 
 a Hindu faqir who had not only read this book carefully, but 
 knew almost the whole of it by heart, and 8 months later, he 
 met an old Sikh who knew % heart a poem, in praise of 
 our Saviour, taken from this same book. May we not hope 
 that many besides these know it, in a higher sense, by 
 heart. Of the books in Panjd,l)i, prepared by Mr. Newton, 
 senior, and Dr. Jno. Newton, the Panjab Religious Book 
 Society sold last year (1883) 3,414. Many more than these 
 were doubtless circulated by other agencies that same year. 
 
 I must now turn to enquire the ways by which our 
 litei’ature has been put into circulation, and to what extent. 
 
 During the early years of the Mission, in fact from 1834 
 to about 1865, perhaps later, I find by reference to the 
 
( SI ) 
 
 Annual Reports, that the Missionaries themselves, together 
 with the Catechists and Scripture Readers, were the chief 
 distiibutors, givingaway box after box of iioohs and tracts on 
 every preaching tour, and especially at Melas. in an 
 itineration from Allahabad to the Panjab in 18-H by Dr. 
 Morrison, he writes that '‘often his tent was besieged by the 
 people clamorous for books, and to every one able to read 
 he gave a bo<ik or tract." In tlie report of an itineration 
 in the Lodhiana distiict by Messrs. Newton and Porter, 
 43 years ago, it is stated that “ books were given out almost 
 as fast as we both could examine those who applied f>.r 
 them, in order to determine what they were capable of 
 reading. This continued with little or no cessation, till it 
 became so dark that we had to quit, i.e., from breakfast till 
 night." During a two weeks’ tour by these brethren, more 
 than 12,500 tracts and scriptures W'ero put into circulation. 
 In the same year Dr. J. R. Campbell visited 18 large towns 
 and 100 villages, of the vSaharanpore District, and gave 
 aw^ay 5,000 tracts, besides large numbers of scriptures. The 
 Rev. Jas. Wilson and Joseph Owmn in a tour in 1842, took 
 with them 4 large boxes of scriptures and tracts, all of which 
 they gave away, and then sent liack for “ two porters’ loads 
 besides.” (Chronicle 1842, page 365) ‘The number of 
 books and tracts distributed among the pilgrims at Hardwar 
 in 1844, by members of our Mission, was more than 25,000, 
 and later in a single season they gave away 40,000 tracts 
 at this same Mela. Two tents were pitched at the Mela, 
 one of w'hich was used for preaching, and the other for- 
 distributing books. The report adds, ‘‘ There was a constant 
 demand for scriptures and tracts from morning till night.” 
 At the Jwala Mukhi Mela in 1850, Mr. Golak Nath and 
 the catechists with him, gave away 7 boxes of books (Record 
 1850, page 121). Mr. Orbison reports that tracts and books 
 were “ given gi-atis to readers at the preaching place in the 
 bazar (Rawal Pindi). Besides this, copies of the scriptures 
 in superior binding, neatly folded up and properly ad- 
 dressed in Persian, Hindi, and Gurmukhi, were sent to the 
 more learned and respectable residents, of all religions, in 
 the regimental bazars, the sudder and the city .... The 
 books were received with salams and kind words. One 
 pundit returned his with the request for a work on Astro- 
 nomy ! Some who had been overlooked sent to the 
 Mission house, asking to be supplied also, inasmuch as they 
 too were ‘ honorable men.’ Many others from the 
 
( 32 ) 
 
 city and villages have come to ask for books. Recently 
 the native assistants, with coolies, carrying boxes of books, 
 went throuirh the lanes and streets of the city, and 
 bazars of the cantonment, distributing to all who seemed 
 worthy,” and the report ap|)ropriately closes, “ thus the 
 / Z(:^>^Gospel seed has been scattered broadcast, and so«i» beside 
 all waters.” I might quote almost to the same effect from 
 the reports of nearly eveiy Mission station from Allahabad 
 to Rawal Pindi, showing, that from the very beginning of 
 the Mission, books and tracts have been scattered with an 
 unstinted hand in all our districts. In one year (1861), the 
 enormous mass ref)iesented by 7,707,700 pages of Gospel 
 doctrine, was issued from the Lodhiana Press alone ; in 1862, 
 9,004 520 pages; in 1868,6,727,006; in 1864, 8,953,233; 
 and in 1<S65, 10,291,836. About 1865, the wisdom of giving 
 aAvay our books so freely began to be seriously questioned. 
 In that year Dr. Morrison, in a letter to the Mission, writes : — 
 
 ‘ I started out (referring to a recent 4 months’ preaching 
 tour) on the plan of giving away single tracts, and selling 
 larger works at a nominal price, but while I continued that 
 plan, I sold very little. The colporteur from Rawal Pindi 
 who met me at Gujrat suggested that our better plan would 
 be to give nothing but sell everything. To this I assented, 
 and it seemed to add a new stimulus to the work of distri- 
 bution. We began by selling the monthly tract at 5 cowries 
 each, and the broad sheets at more or less according to the 
 size. Tliis produced a perfect rush from all the boys of the 
 place. After a few days’ trial, we increased the price to 
 half a pice each for the monthly tracts, and sold the last 
 few for one pice each. On receiving a fresh supply, I fixed 
 the price at 2 pie each. I have persevered under all circum- 
 stances in refusing to give, or be beaten down in price, and I 
 am .satisfied that the results have justified me in the course 
 I have pursued. The chief opposition met with has arisen 
 from the hitherto uniform custom of gratuitous distribution, 
 and this objection I met with equally in places where no 
 ^Missionary had ever been. For, they said, they had received 
 them gratuitously at Murree, at Rawal Pindi, at Lahore, 
 or Hard war, or some other place. But I found it very easy, 
 in almost all cases, to satisfy the people of the propriety of 
 the change which liad been adopted, by telling them what 
 the object was, first, to lead them to appreciate our books 
 better, and second, to secure them from abuse and destruction. 
 
 I have always been of opinion that if we sell, we must put on 
 
( 33 ) 
 
 a price that will secure the object, < r not to pretend to sell 
 at all. Thi' opiuion has been confirmed and illustrated by 
 the experience of this tour. At one place the colporteur 
 caught the natives weighing the Gospel of Mattliew, which 
 sold at ti':o pice, to see whether it would pay to send, and 
 take all I had to make fireworks for the Shao-i Qadr • Their 
 calculation resulted in this, that if I wouid sell for one pice 
 in>tea>l of tivo, they would take all they could get. One 
 effect, of this course, it seems to me, will be to lead the 
 people to read the books they have already received and laid 
 aside for want of interest in them. Another wid be to reduce 
 the expense of that branch of our labours, while it increases 
 both its means and efficiency. And there are, or ought 
 to be, so many books among the people from former distri- 
 bution, that we can well aftbrd now to hold back in order 
 to give the plan of selling a fair trial. Besides, the 
 increased education in the Panjab is increasing the demand 
 for reading matter, so that it is much easier to sell now 
 than formerly.” Dr. Morrison closes his letter with the 
 hope, “ that all the Missionaries in the Panjab will adopt 
 the practice of selling all books and tracts” (Lodhiai a 
 Mission Report 1865, page 56). In view of the evil.s < f 
 the giving system, Mr. Wherry in 1871, then Supeiinten- 
 dent of the Lodhiana Mis.'ion Press, obtained the consent 
 of the Mission to a scheme for the more systematic effort 
 to sell our publications ; all the publications were divided 
 into two classes, one for distribution ami the other for sale. 
 To the former class were assigned all tr -cts containing not 
 m re than a single /or?n of printed matter; to the latter, 
 everything exceeding that amount. 
 
 For similar reasons, in the Furrukhabad Mission for at 
 least 15 years past, the Mi-sionaries have not, as a rule, given 
 away books or tracts. Colporteurs have been employed in 
 both Missions whose business it has bren to sell, and so far 
 as I know, they have had no liberty to give away, unless it 
 be monthly handbills or two page tracts. A few of these col- 
 p rteurs have been successful. For example, two of our col- 
 porteurs at Lahore, during the year 1866, sold books, worth 
 about Rs. 600 or Rs. 700, at about one-fourth of their cost. 
 They were able thus to support themselves by the proceeds 
 of their r^ale.-!. The great majority of the colporteurs, how- 
 ever, do not succeed in selling more than Rs. 4 or Rs. 5 per 
 mensem of vernacular books. Ten years ago, Mr. Chatterjee 
 opened a reading room in Hoshijarpur, which is in chaige 
 
( 34 ) 
 
 of a Christian, who sells our books and engages visitors in 
 conversation on the truths therein contained. Thus, many 
 from the country and villages who came to Hoshiyarpur en 
 business, have a place where they can go for a quiet hour 
 to read or converse. 
 
 Not only have Missionaries, catechists, scripture readers 
 and colpoiteurs done much to put into circulation our 
 books and tracts, but a few English ladies and gentle- 
 men have also taken an interest in this work. In the 
 Lodhiana Mission Frees Report for 1877, it is stated that a 
 lady in Multan bought a small lot of tracts in the Uidu 
 lan;:uage, and distributed them among her servants, and 
 with most happy results, for one of her servants was thus 
 brought to the saving knowledge of the truth. In looking 
 over ihe old Mission reports, as well as the volumes of the 
 Foreign Missionary Chronicle, I notice that the Missionaries 
 refer frequently to the hundreds and even thousands of 
 books and tracts they had given away, especially in the 
 villages and at Melas ; but since the introduction of the sell- 
 ing system, I notice a marked change in the reports on 
 this point. The Missionaries, catechists and scripture 
 readers do not now go forth to preach with their hands full 
 of hooks to distribute, as formerly. While there can be no 
 doubt of the wisdom of selling at a small price, and abo, 
 if the preaching f< rce be small, to employ men who shall 
 give their whole time to this work, going from village to 
 village with this one object; yet it is a matter of regret 
 that for the last few years, the Missionaiies theinselve.s, 
 as a rule, have not personally given so much of their time, 
 thought and strength to the work of cii dilating our books. 
 If they contain saving truth, we ought personally to use 
 every effort to give them a wide circulation. Personal 
 effort is the best. If the Missionary, foreign or native, 
 does not make every effort, personal aiid earnest, public and 
 private, to sell our books, we cannot reasonably expect the 
 catechists and scriptuie readers to do much. This woik 
 ought not to be relegated to a few colporteurs, men too often 
 weak and incompetent. If the colportage system is to 
 drive the Missionaries and other preachers from the field 
 as circulators of our literature, then the wisdom of its ini- 
 tiation may be seiiously questioned. 
 
 It may now be asked, in conclusion, what have been the 
 restdts of the wide spread ciiculation of our books? How 
 far have they influenced the people? Have they been used 
 
( 35 ) 
 
 and blessed of God in the removing of prejudices, the 
 opening of minds, and the conversion of souls ? 
 
 Let us try to answer these questions ? 
 
 (1.) I think we may safely say tliat they have done 
 much) yes very much, in undermining the belief of the peo- 
 ple in idolatry. While it must be admitted that the idols 
 have still their millions of votaries, and new temples are 
 constantly being built, yet it must also be gratefully ac- 
 knowledged that idolatry has not that hold of the people 
 which it formerly had, and hundreds of thousands have 
 been convinced of the folly of such worship and given it 
 up. Our preachers, especially our catechists and scripture 
 readers, have done noble work in testifying with all bold- 
 ness and fidelity against the gross sin of bowing before a 
 stone, and giving it the worship due to God. All credit to 
 them for their zeal in so testifying, and the first place must 
 be ever given to them in estimating the agencies used of 
 God to show the common people the sin and folly of idolatry. 
 But next to them, I think, it will be admitted that our tracts, 
 many of them exposing the fully of idolatry, must be credit- 
 ed as the instrument used to convince very many of tlnir 
 sin in this matter. Who can estimate the influence of one 
 such tract in Hindi as Dr. J. H, Morrison’s, entitled “ What 
 the Word of God teaches about Idolatry,” published first 45 
 years ago, and since then it has passed through six editions, 
 45,000 copies, distributed for years broadcast at Melas and 
 in villages and bazars, doing its silent work on mind and 
 heart when the preacher had gone his way, or laid down his 
 work and gone up into the presence of his master. In 
 estimating then the influences which have led to the decline 
 of idolatry nmong the people, the second place must be given 
 to our tracts. 
 
 (2 ) Another effect of the wide-spread circulation of 
 our books, hns been the reaching and influencing for good 
 many who would never stop in the bazar, or enter our 
 chapels to hear the word of life from the preacher. How 
 could such be reached, except through the printed page ? 
 and not a few who would never have been led to give a 
 thought to the word preached, have been arrested by its excel- 
 lence, beauty and simplicity, as set forth in many a tract. 
 
 Left by the itinerant preacher, they have taken it up 
 in an idle hour, and that hour has proved the turning point 
 in their lives. They have taken it up in a careless mood, 
 and the Spirit of G^ d has put life into the written message ■ 
 
( 30 ) 
 
 the reader’s heart begins to glow and burn until he lays 
 down the book feeling that God has indeed spoken to him, 
 d'he truth has stirred the soul, it. may be onl}^ for a moment, 
 shaken it from itsfiim unquestioning faith in Mahadeo or 
 Muhammad. Doubts have sprung up — which will not d/own 
 at the bidding of the will. The little book has started a 
 new train of thought, thoughts at first so strange as to 
 startle, — “ perhaps the religion of our fathers is not of 
 God, — perhaps Ram and Krishn and Gungaji cannot save 
 us — perhaps, yes perhaps, this Jesus Christ is the true 
 Guru, the only Saviour.” In some souls this thought grows 
 fast and brings us the true enquirer. In others it lies long, 
 and if it bears fruit unto true faith in Christ, we shall only 
 know it hr-reafter. That some such process is going on in 
 many hearts, there can be no doubt. Mr. Chatterjee tes- 
 tifies, “ The number of such people who know our religion, 
 have great regard fur Christ and exercise a kind of faith 
 in Him, is daily increasing, and this result I am sure has 
 been attained as much by the circulation of Chrisiian books 
 as by the preaching of the Word through living agents.” 
 Mr. Rudolph writing of one of the long itinerations made 
 by him, relates that he found many '• well informed of 
 the contents of the Gospel, and it gave him great satisfaction 
 to notice that the books distributed on former occasions 
 were more or less read, and in some instances seai’ched with 
 attention.” Messrs. Newton, Janvier, Leavett and Qadir 
 Bakhsh on their way back from the Jwala Mukhi Mela 
 (October 1855), met two Sikh farmers, one of whom said that 
 a Missionary had once given him a book from which he had 
 learned something about Jesus as the Saviour of sinners. 
 The book proved to be one of our own volumes of Panjabi 
 tracts. He had afterwards procured other books containing 
 the same doctrines ; and these, aided by the preaching he 
 had listened to, at the Hard war Mela, had led him to 
 abandon his former faith, and to rely solely on Christ for 
 salvation. The knowledge this man had obtained of Christ 
 he had communicated to others; and there were now six 
 or seven persons, he s lid, who secretly believed in Jesus. One 
 of the.se was a faqir, who labored specially to propagate 
 the new faith, and to whom the rest louked up as a sort of 
 preceptor. A year later these same men were met with, 
 and they stdl spoke of iheir faith in Christ and His Gospel. 
 ‘ At a village near that in «hichthey lived, a young man, 
 pretty well acquainted with Christianity, said, he had 
 
f 37 ) 
 
 learne 1 what he knew from a book, and instructions received 
 from these two men ” 
 
 I might make many more quotations from old reports to 
 show that our books have been exerting a quiet but power- 
 ful influence, not only starting doubts in the minds of 
 many, as to the worth of the worship they have been 
 taught from childhood, not only removing deep-rooted pre- 
 judices and awakening a spirit of enquiry, and securing for 
 the preacher a prepared heart and favorable hearing, but 
 far better, they have been used of God in “ convertinj; the 
 soul, making wise the simple, rejoicing the heart, enlighten- 
 ing the eyes.” In one of the old reports of the Lodbiana 
 Missi m (1847>, it is m-nti-med that one of our catechists, 
 formerly a wandering faqir, was first led by means of a 
 portion of Scripture, given him at a ^ela. and which he 
 afterwards read, to think of the claims of the great Incar- 
 nation. In the last report of the Panjab Religious Book 
 Society (December 1883), Mr. Maya Das wiites: — “I also 
 know of a young man who was once a most superstitious 
 Mubammadan, and who is now a truly pious Christian, and 
 whose conversion was partly due in God’s hands to the 
 reading of that very nice translation* in the vernacular of 
 ‘ What thin k ye of Christ,’ which I gave him.” Of this 
 book Mr. Das writes that “ it is best suited for enquirers 
 wlio only know Urdu, and cannot believe in the Divinity of 
 our Lord.” 
 
 In the same report Mr. Chatterjee writes : — “ Another ease 
 of conversion took place at the beginning of this month. It 
 was also of a Muhammadan Rajput of high blood. . . . He 
 tells me, Teg-o-sipar-i-Iswi (by Rev. C. W. Forman) and 
 the New Testament were the means of leading him to the 
 Saviour,” and of yet another young man Mr. Chatteijee 
 writes that “ the Guru Pariksha (by Rev. W. F. Johnson) 
 ■was blessed to his soul, and made the instrument of finally 
 determining him to place bis trust in Christ.” This young 
 man was baptized in 1883. I might add to these illustrations, 
 but they are enough to show that God has used and blessed 
 our books to the conversion of many. This is enough to 
 satisfy our souls. This is what we long and labor for; 
 and if any book or tract, prepared, published or circulated 
 by us, leads a soul into the light, we rejoice and give thanks 
 to God. 
 
 The translation is by Eev. E, M. Wherry. 
 
( 38 ) 
 
 That stich has been the case, thei’e is abundant evidence 
 scattered through the reports of past years, and better 
 still the living witnesses here and there in our churches 
 ri'e up and say, — ‘It was this or that book or tract wdiich 
 opened iny eyes and led me to see the beauty, truth 
 and grace hid in Christ.’ The dear brethren who in the 
 enrly years of the Mission made the distribution of our 
 books and tracts such a prominent part of their work 
 especially in the villages and at Melas, have every reason 
 to rejoice that their work has not been in vain in the Lord. 
 They have not sown dead seed, but seed full of life, the 
 Word of the Lord, words of Life, wldch like seed have 
 indeed often lain long in the heart, and often brought no 
 fruit to perfection, but which also, to tlie praise of His 
 AVord and Name be it said, have borne, some thirty^, 
 some sixty, and some hundred fold. But as we rejoice and 
 tliank God for what He has done, let us not forget that 
 the enemy has not been idle all these years. Dr. Murdoch 
 says, “ that while it is undeniable that Christian literature 
 has been advancing at a slow rate, yet the issues of the 
 Native Presses have greatly' increased. Native Presses are 
 springing up everywhere. There are now upwards of 300 
 newspapers conducted by Hindus and Muhammodans. One 
 native printing establishment at Lucknow has 60 presses : 
 its catalogue occupies 116 pages octavo.” 
 
 Bishop French writes, “ that our publications on the 
 Muhaminedan controversy, however weighty, are far fewer 
 than those written to throw doubt on the Word, and to depre- 
 ciate the Avork of Chiist.” The cheap and popular literature 
 now issuing in such quantities from the Lucknotv, Allahabad. 
 Delhi, and Benares presses, much of it, according to Mr, 
 Beames, ‘ pernicious trash,’ some written expressly to coun- 
 teract the intluence of our teaching and tracts, must be met 
 by greatly increased effort on our part, both in preparing 
 suitable, books, and in putting them into the hands of the 
 people. AVe need to enlist more fully the literary talent 
 latent in the Church of India. 
 
 A w'riter in the Indian Evangelical Revieio well says that 
 “ the popular woiks which are to move profoundly and in- 
 fluence deeply the mind of the people at large, the sacred 
 songs and poems, the religious books burning with these 
 emotions which the people feel most readily, and throbbing 
 with the deepest sympathy for a’^d with them — in short 
 
( 39 ) 
 
 what De Quincy calls the literature of power, as distinct 
 from the literature of knowledge, whose priucipal aim it is 
 merely to impart instruction, must be the work not of 
 
 foreign, but of native minds The foreign labourer must 
 
 be content with furnishing the rough materials, out of which 
 more skilful hands than his may carve works of greater 
 beauty, and more lasting use than he can hope to do. ..It is 
 by means of such a process, we believe, that Indian writers 
 them.selves must work up books and tracts in the vernacu- 
 lar, sucli as the circumstances and culture of the people may 
 demand.” 
 
 In conclusion, let me sum up in a word the litera- 
 ture we need. While we still need polemic works of a 
 high order, 3^et we need more than all books and tracts 
 pressing the internal evidences of the truth of the 
 gospel, setting forth the love and grace and beauty, the 
 pure life and sacrificial death of Jesus of Nazareth, the 
 thoughts clothed in verse, if possible, and free from all 
 controversy ; written with love, from the heart and to the 
 heart; written not hastily in time snatched from the pres- 
 sure of other work; written not in a prayedess spirit, but 
 on the knees crying to God for thoughts and words — such 
 books, born of prayer and travail of soul ; born it may be 
 of trials, like the “ Pilgrim’s Progress” in prison, — such books 
 will live, and yet, again and again, will the Spirit of God, of 
 Whom they were born, witness to their truth ; yet, again and 
 again, will the reader be touched to the heart and turn unto 
 the Lord. 
 
 Who can estimate the value of one such book ? Its voice 
 is not heard in the street, and it makes no noise, but like 
 light and heat on the earth and seed, it brings forth fruit, 
 slowly it may be, but fruit unto the praise of the Lord. O 
 that the Spirit would separate a few such writers from 
 among the young men and women of our Indian Churches — 
 writers into whose lips grace shall be poured, whose hearts 
 shall burn as they write of the King rising before their 
 vision ; true, marred more than the face of any man, yet 
 fairer than the children of men. 
 
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