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number living among the swine, on the outskirts of each village. While heathen, they have no desire for education, and except in very rare instances, the high castes will not send their children to vernacular schools taught by Masters of Pariah descent, and attended by Pariah children.

It is evident, therefore, that the prospects of usefulness through Native Christian teachers are comparatively very limited.

2. In many parts of India no Native Christian Teachers OF ANY DESCRIPTION are available.

Converts are very unequally distributed over India. About two-thirds of the whole number are to be found within about 150 miles from Cape Comorin.

There are large provinces with scarcely a single Christian teacher available. To say that none but Christians are to be employed, is tantamount to the decision that over by far the greater part of India, no schools shall be opened at all by Missions.

3. It leads to the denial of the Word of God itself to the youth of India.

The great mistake of those who object to the employment of non-Christian teachers under any circumstances, appears to be, that they do not fully consider the alternative. The question is not,-Christian versus non-Christian teachers. No one denies that Christian teachers, when available, should be employed to the utmost extent practicable. The real point is this, SHALL WE DENY THE WORD OF GOD TO THE CHILDREN OF INDIA, BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT PROFESSEDLY CHRISTIAN TEACHERS DAILY TO EXPOUND IT?

Captain McMahon observed at the Punjab Conference :

"I believe that there is an innate power in the Word of God, and that God can, by His Spirit, make the Bible all-powerful to the conversion of souls, without the exposition or teaching of man. I would place the Bible in the hands of all, and allow it to speak for itself. I fully admit the principle, that we should

employ spiritual men to teach spiritual truths. But if spiritual men cannot be obtained, what then? Are we to withhold the Word of God, because of the imperfection of the instruments for teaching it?" Report, p. 42.

T. D. Forsyth, Esq., C. B. observed :—

"As regards the teaching of the Bible, I quite concur with Captain McMahon in his remarks. The idea that the Bible ought not to be read, unless there is a specially appointed agency to expound it, was surely one of the great causes of the reformation in our own country; and I do not think that we, at the present day, are prepared to withhold the Bible from the people, because we have not every where clergymen to expound the Word." p. 45.

The following Resolution was passed at the Ootacamund Missionary Conference :

"That in the employment of teachers in Mission Schools, every effort should be made to secure well qualified and earnest Christian men-as such men alone can really sympathise with their main object, and rightly divide the word of truth' to their pupils; but in the present paucity of efficient teachers, they feel that there are circumstances which may render it necessary to employ persons not professing Christianity in Mission Schools when under vigilant Christian superintendence." p. 192.

Opinion of Rev. C. Rhenius.-Bishop Turner, who was spared to labour but a short time in India, was strongly opposed to the employment of heathen teachers. He wrote on the subject to the Church Missionary Society at Madras. A copy of his letter was sent to Mr. Rhenius, who made the following reply :

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Although I fully agree with his Lordship that Christian Schoolmasters are preferable to Heathen Masters in Christian Schools, and although it ought ever to be our intention to employ the former rather than the latter; yet I venture to say, that there is still a necessity for employing Heathen Schoolmasters. This necessity originated in the want of Christian Masters, and in the unwillingness of the heathen to send their

children to Christian Schoolmasters.
causes have ceased to exist, there, of
placing Heathen Masters ceases also.
as yet been the case in many Missions,
exists the necessity also alluded to.

Wherever these two course, the necessity for But this, I fear, has not and in these there still

"Our only consideration should be, how to make our schools really subservient to the great end in view. That the schools at Ashow the boys to be in habits, feelings, notions, and conduct as absolutely heathens as they could be if the books held in their hands, were the palm leaves of Malabar, stamped with the sloghs and mantras of their Brahman Teachers,' does not argue that all other schools in our Mission establishments exhibit the same character; nor can it be admitted that 'the Heathen-Christian Schools at A- -are only the coun

terpart of all such schools in every part of India.' I trust that his Lordship would have been of another opinion had he favoured Tinnevelly with a visit. I venture to say that with the exception of the marks on their foreheads, he would not have been able to determine whether many of the Masters and boys are Heathens or Christians; or rather, he would have mistaken them for Christians: so much would he have found them to differ from heathens in their habits, feelings, notions, and conduct. I believe, too, that in other Mission establishments he would have found the same to be the case. I would, therefore, rather say, that the schools at A -form an exception: and that the error lies not so much in employing Heathen Masters, as in the manner of managing them and the schools. If the Masters are not themselves instructed in Christianity; if they are not willing to be instructed; if the boys are not freely catechised on the principles and doctrines of Christianity, and if idolatry and all other wickedness be not plainly exposed; if the Masters are permitted to go on in their own ways, and the scholars are examined chiefly in reading and writing, and a mechanical knowledge of the catechisms, &c., then indeed, so far as Missionary Societies are concerned, it would be much better to have no schools whatever. But, if instruction in the vital truths of Christianity be made the principal business of every school, and the Masters and their pupils be, to that end, actively and faithfully dealt with, then these schools prove to be nurseries for the kingdom of God, and are a means of spreading Divine knowledge, and causing the downfall of idolatry. I say

this from experience; not that such is the case with every school, nor in the same degree in every school, but in general.

"The difficulty in this matter is not merely the introduction of the Scriptures as a class-book, but the inducing heathen parents to send their children to be taught by a Christian Schoolmaster. They fear lest their children should thus be made Christians at once. This is a prejudice which cannot be removed except by a gradual introduction of the knowledge of Christianity; nor can this again be effected, especially at first, except by a person who professes heathenism, but is willing to teach any book we put into his hands. The best effect results. The minds of Masters and pupils become enlarged; they take their books home to their parents and neighbours; these begin to see the excellency of the Christian religion; the character of the boys improves; the people are pleased; and thus a further good effect follows. Other heathen places, hearing and seeing these things, desire the establishment of similar schools among them, with the express view to have our books taught their children, although they hesitate admitting a professedly Christian. Master. By degrees, one or more persons overcome these prejudices, seek instruction in Christianity for themselves, and at length actually embrace it.

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Now, I would ask, would it be right, in all such cases, to say that, unless they admit a professedly Christian Master, they shall have no school at all? This would be to impede the advancement of our good cause. Christian Schoolmasters, wherever they are admissible, may be really busied in the building of the temple, while they lay one stone upon another; and heathen Masters of the above description may yet bring together the sand, the mortar, and the clay, which also are required.

"It may be said that the heathen Master, whilst openly teaching Christian books, will secretly instil into the children's minds his own heathen notions. This may be true, and I believe it is the case at the opening of a school; but when knowledge increases, and the heart is touched by the truth, this must cease, and the men now become open advocates for Christianity. We have had several instances of the kind. Not only do Masters forsake idolatry, and many of the practices which belong to it; but children also follow the example; and if they do not entirely forsake heathenism, they refuse to observe many idolatrous rites which they witness at their houses, and do frankly avow

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their convictions of the vanity and sin of idolatry. We need only refer to our journals.

"Another consideration is, that though there be a decided difference, and that a wide one, between a professedly heathen Master and a holy Christian Master, yet this will be very slight if the Christian be only one in name. In such a case, and I fear it is frequent, it would even be better to place a professedly heathen Master than one who is merely a nominal Christian : for he, with the single exception of outwardly worshipping idols, will not be a whit better than a heathen: and will, by his heathenish conduct in other respects, occasion much more injury to the cause than a heathen Master could. The one the people know to be a heathen, and thus expect that he will act as such; whereas the smallest errors of the other are very readily noticed by them.

"So long, then, as the majority of the people are heathens, and are filled with prejudices against Christianity, it seems wise to avail ourselves of the agency of heathen Masters, under the restrictions, qualifications, and superintendence before mentioned. They must not, however, be conducted, as it appears that the schools at A- -have been, or, as I learn from Mr. Schaffter, those of the Mayaveram Mission are conducted. Such had better be abandoned.

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"I am glad to see the remarks of his lordship, that the practice ought to be cautiously and by degrees abandoned.' In every well regulated Mission, this will ever be kept in view." Memoirs, pp. 402-5.

When due care has been bestowed, the Masters have, in several cases, embraced Christianity themselves. It has been shown that 132 Teachers connected with the Jaffna Mission became church members.

The Report for 1855 of the American Ahmednuggur Mission says, "Our native pastors and most efficient laborers were originally heathen school teachers, and in this way were brought under the influence of the truth, and converted."

There is, perhaps, no more hopeful class, nor any whose conversion is of more importance.

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