1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

CHRISTIAN INFLUENCE IN INDIAFor centuries India has been a missionary field--particularlythe southern portion, and the Island of Ceylonadjacent. Tradition has it that St. Thomas, one of thetwelve Apostles, visited Ceylon and Madras. A cathedralto his memory stands in Madras, covering, it is claimed,his grave. The legend is quite specific. We were shownthe cave where he was attacked by the Brahmins, butfrom which he escaped. About two miles from it is whatis termed Mt. Saint Thomas. This is the place where,supposedly, he was speared to death by a Brahmin. Ofcourse, these incidentals may have belonged to some otherman by the name of Thomas, and centuries of time mayhave confounded him with the Apostle Thomas. But thatsome man by the name of Thomas, a Christian Missionary,visited those parts long ago could scarcely be questioned.Additional tradition shows that at a very early periodSyrian Christians made a settlement on the southwestcoast. They still maintain an organization, and a churchhistory running back from twelve to fifteen hundred years,and they now number about a quarter of a million in theProvince of Travancore, whose population is about threemillions.The London Missionary Society, a Congregational institution,has carried on a work in Travancore since 1806.They have had some success, almost exclusively with thelower castes, some of whose forbears were slaves. Theyclaim now a church membership of ten thousand. AlthoughTravancore is one of the smallest of the IndiaProvinces, we have given it prominence because Christianmissionary effort here appears to have reached abetter development than elsewhere, so far as we coulddiscern. The natives are very poor, but industrious, andapparently honest-hearted. The higher castes, which adhereto Hinduism, seem not averse to Christianity, but rejectit, because to them it seems less logical than theirown beliefs. The natives from the lower castes, reachedby the Gospel message, have certainly been blessed abovetheir fellows still remaining under the grosser superstitionsand idolatry of Hinduism.Northward from Travancore and Madras we foundevidences of missionary activity, but they were newer andtheir successful work correspondingly less in evidence.We were pleased, however, to note that some amongst thenatives in all parts give evidence of great sincerity andChristian devotion to the extent of their knowledge ofthe Lord and His Word. These, however, of course, arevery isolated cases, just as this class of Christians is scarcein every part of the world.METHODS EMPLOYED TO INTEREST NATIVESVarious are the methods used by the Missionaries togain a hold upon the people of India, and to lift themfrom idolatry and superstition. The college appears to be