The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1891, Page 34

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34

The Lutheran Pioneer.

ee ————————————S

The Early Lutheran Missionaries in India.

India is one of the largest fields, as well as
the oldest entered by Protestant missionaries.
It is not as large as China, yet one sixth of the
human race live there. It is thought by some
writers thatit was thesceneof St Thomas's labors
and martyrdom. Queen Elizabeth granted the
charter of the East India Company in 1600.
Soon after that the English people began sett-
ling along the coast. But their avaricious, am-
bitious, selfish, sordid corruption strengthened
heathenism and “weakened Christian missions.
They went in without any sense of their respon-
sibility or a thought of using their power aright.
There were a few English Chaplains taken in
with the company to look after the spiritual
welfare of the people. But they were a drink-
ing, sporting, easeloving people, who did not
worry themselves over
the souls of other
people, feeling that
they themselves were
safe. a :
The Roman Catho-
lics went into India in
the early part of the
sixteenth century.
They passed them-
selves as white Brah-
mins, assuming the na-
tive caste. Many of
the natives were led
to accept the faith and
were baptized into the
Roman Church. The
first Protestants who -
went into the country.
were the Lutheran
ministers Bartholo-
mew Ziegenbalg and
Henry Pluetschaueent
out by Frederick IV.
of Denmark. They were students of Halle at
the time they were chosen. In November 29,
1705, the missionaries set sail from Copenhagen
and reached Tranquebar July 7, 1706. The only

language known to them was High German,

therefore it was impossible to reach these people
through the tongue as the people of India have
more than one hundred and fifty Janguages and
dialects. The language had not only to be
learned, but had to be fashioned and clothed
in the form of written speech. Even the tools
with which they had to work were to be in-
vented and made. The difficulties connected
with the Janguage were trivial in comparison
‘with others met every day. The East India
Company were opposed to missionaries coming
into their territory, and did. much to apnoy

_ them. And when the missionaries would try

to talk to the natives about their becoming
Christians, they would say in broken English:
“Christian's religion, devil’s religion, Christians
much drunk, Christians much wrong, Christians
much *buse, much beat others.’ Mr. Ziegen-
balg began the study of the Tamil language

and made a grammar and dictionary, the first in| to India the next year after his death. In 1725

the country; the latter contains 20,000 words,
which has been regarded as of great value by
Oriental scholars. These young men were the
first to formulate into a printed language the
incoherent jargon of the natives.
writing had to be done on dry palm leaves.
They first tried to reach them by the Oriental
manner of preaching, but failed to gain even
their attention. They then resorted to social
conference, with conversational teaching: This
being so successful, schools were at once founded,
schools necessitated books, the translation of the |
Bible was the next task undertaken. The New
Testament and a part of the Old with a great
quantity of tracts and selections were scattered
abroad. The printing press used to do this work
was furnished by English Christians. A paper
manufactory was erected, which, with a cotton

Worshiping Idols in India.

he completed the translation of the Old Testa-

ment which was left at Ruth by Ziegenbalg.
At first the Raja of Tanjore was hostile to

the missionaries, but afterward became friendly

The first}and allowed them to preach anywhere in his

territory. The trial did not come singly; by
persecutions from the Romanists, with the un-
kindness of the English settlers, by stirring up
the natives against them. Then at a fire in
one of the settlements, all the houses of the
Christians were burned; thena tornado. King
George I. favored them. But, notwithstanding
all their trials, at the end of twenty years they
had 678 persons to accept Christianity. At that
time Benjamin Schultz took charge of the work,
he labored incessantly, preaching, translating
the Scriptures, and establishing schools. In
1729 he baptized 140 converts. In 1730 and
1782, respectively, two
medical missionaries
entered the field. From
1730 the growth of the
work was firm and ,
steady. New laborers
came, new fields were
established along the
Coromandel coast. Na-
tive pastors were set
to work. There was
a real Christian zeal
and love among the
converts. In 1750 the
converts in Tranque-
bar and neighboring
districts numbered
8000, and along theCo-
romandel coast, 1000.
It was at this time that
one of the greatest
missionaries arrived in
Tranquebar, Christian

factory, furnished employment for the converts
who were outcasts with no means of support
from the time they professed Christianity.
After schools were established they were able
to get a stronger hold upon the children, and
through them often reach the parents. Then
followed itinerant evangelistic work into remote
sections and villages. In the first seven years
there were over 200 converts, among them a
native prince, a native poet and pundit. It
cost something to be a Christian among those
natives. This prince renounced his position
and everything for God. The poet and pundit
came into the knowledge of the Gospel by
assisting the missionaries in the translation of
the Word. Ziegenbalg was the master spirit
of the work. But in 1719, after 13 years of
service, the Lord took him to Himself when
only 36 years ofage. The next year Pluetschau
left India. These events threw a cloud over
the work. The mantle of Ziegenbalg fell upon
@ succession of young men singularly able and
devoted to the work. Benj. Schultz was the
immediat®é successor of Ziegenbalg; he came

Frederick Schwartz,
and other students from Halle, in 1750. During
the first year’s work 400 were added to the Tamil
congregation. The fiftieth anniversary of the
founding of the mission came July 6th, 1756,
six years after Schwartz entered the work. At
that time eight missionaries were in the field
and 11,000 persons had abandoned idolatry.
God be praised for what can be done by a
few.—The Mid Continent.

—————®- + o-oo +
In Indian File.

Iam told by men, who have been in the Indian
country, that very often you will find a trail over
amountain, and you will find only one foot-print,
as if but one man had trod the path; and I am
told that the chief goes on and the tribe follows,
and they put their feet into his foot-prints. Our
Chief has gone on before us and left us an ex-
ample. Weare to follow in His foot-steps; and
we would have continual blessing if we did not
go out ofthe path. The trouble with most of us ~
is, that we think our way is better'than His, and
we are not willing to follow in His foot-steps-