eg wgti f Wee, ee 1 ; 4 mae tte : : : wt : $ ike As tied ie ee 2 ae tLe i Le 8 Student Volunteer Series, No. 9. HAn Appeal from Sndia. BY MISS GRACE E. WILDER. AN APPEAL FROM INDIA. “He that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit into 4fe eternal .” No land is in itself more attractive than India. ‘To those who would relieve suffering, or break the fetters of caste, or abolish cruel customs and ignorance, no land presents more appealing facts than India. Just here lies a subtile danger to those of us as yet undecided about our field. If these facts so appeal to us as to become the rea- sons for our coming to India, we are doomed to bitter disappointment. The fact that our Saviour is using us in the salvation of souls and for hastening the day of His coming,— this is certainly the reason for our staying in India. So we who are here would say to you in America and Canada, this is the strongest appeal we can send you for coming to India. The presence of the moving cloud was suf- ficient reason for the Israelites to follow. a ~ Does not the presence of God’s Spirit, as now felt in India, convince us that He is calling a large portion of our volunteer band to work for Him here ? Do you say there are large tracts in Africa unoccupied? True. Yet, relative to its pop- ulation, India must have some one hundred and nineteen more missionaries to equal the missionary force of Africa. I cannot wonder that such news as comes from Japan attracts you to that ‘field ; but consider also the workings of the Spirit in India. Why is Satan so defiant here? What means the growth of ‘the Arya Somaj or the effort to start Vedic schools? Why are stones hurled at our new church in Allahabad, or what stirs Mohammedans to publish a Mani- festo against such as allow Christian ladies to teach their wives and mothers? Is not this Satan’s final challenge? And is it not because “the Lord is uttering His voice before His army ?” The history of our Volunteer Movement is proof enough that “it is of God.” If one of you desires yet a further pledge that He is surely going before us, watch His quiet work of preparation. The door, “great and effectual,” opening among these Hindoos is not a more blessed 4 indication of the Spirit’s presence than is the longing of heart which He is giving to India’s missionaries. We realize a growing desire to have new missionaries come to us in /arge numbers. We are not at ease. We are not satisfied with present results. God is leading us to attempt more and expect more. Last month a missionary said to me, “I don’t want to go to America now. I believe there is to be a great breaking up in India, and I want to witness it.”’ Another from Madura writes: “The indi- cations of a great harvest unto the Lord are greater than ever. Our cry is, Where are the laborers?” Rey. B. H. Badley, of Lucknow, writes: “We had thirty-five hundred baptisms in our mission last year, and expect the number to be much larger this year. If our young men and women could only see the needy fields, and the practicability of se’r coming to help us, it seems to me scores would come.” From the Central Provinces one writes: “I am persuaded in my own mind that the most eventful period in the history of mis- sionary effort in this country is now rapidly approaching. The Lord is preparing for a time of glorious ingathering. These souls will need the care of His children.” 5 Is it surprising that in such a period you are restive at home, and that with a mission- ary purpose in your heart you are not easily turned aside by the objections of friends? From missionary altars all over India prayers are ascending for this result. Friends would better sympathize with us, indeed, would not dare to detain us volunteers, could they but realize how we are prayed into the work. That you may see how inevitable it is that many of you come to India, may I give you a few echoes from letters which have come to me. Arcot Mission, of the Reformed Church. Rev. J. W. Scudder says, for the two million souls of this field: ‘We have only eight mis- sionaries. My experience is that a mission- ary, with even a good staff of native helpers, cannot influence more than twenty thousand heathen. ‘Taking the proportion of one to twenty thousand, our mission would call for one hundred missionaries. Never in my somewhat long experience were the claims of India apparently so urgent as now. A rest- less, almost feverish, spirit of inquiry pervades the community.” North India Conference, M. FE. Church. Dr. Thoburn writes: “ We need twenty-two 6 men and a dozen unmarried ladies at once.” Rev. B. H. Badley, Secretary, says: “In our mission we have many ’zillah (counties) with a population of a million each, with only one foreign missionary. ... Our only hope would be for volunteers, to be supported by the col- leges. I am glad to say that we have one such worker, Mr. Mansell. His Alma Mater, the Ohio Wesleyan University, supports him, and the students do not lessen their contributions to the regular missionary collections.” Madura Mission, American Board, At the vote of the mission, Rev. J. P. Jones has written, beseeching. that eight new families be sent at once to-fill vacancies. Mr. Jones writes me: “To-day, one brother has four stations, another, three, and two others, two each. How can they do justice to the work? ‘They are all driven to the verge of desper- ation and ill health. We thank God that we have recently received into our mission circle one of that large band of consecrated stu- dents. How we long, and pray, and write, and implore, that more be sent.” Marathi Mission, American Board. Of the vote sent last year from this mission, Dr. Bissell says: “It was in reply to the inquiry, How many missionaries are imperatively 7 needed at present? The answer says, Six ordained and two single ladies. As we hope each of the missionaries will bring his wife with him, this means fourteen in all. These are asked, not with the purpose of largely ex- tending our work, but in order to carry on efficiently work already in hand.” Maratht Mission, American Presbyterian Board. An urgent request has been sent for sixteen new workers. In Kolhapur State alone there are ten hundred and ninety-seven vil- lages. Preaching thrice daily in three differ- ent villages, it would take a missionary a whole year to preach once around to the village population of that single state. The American Free Baptists are working with eight missionary families and four ladies, among a population of over three million. O. R. Bacheler writes: ‘‘ For several prom- inent stations within our borders, missionaries have been earnestly called.” American Evangelical Lutheran Mission. Reva. 3B. Wolfl;secretary, writes “0.7 1 ne population of this field is eight hundred thousand. We need more men and women too. West of us are wild tribes not at all reached by the gospel.” 8 The Canadian Baptist Mission renews its appeal, asking that forty-eight workers be sent to the Telugu field at once. The faithful worker in Secunderabad, Rev. C. B. Ward, wants twelve missionaries at once. From his church of one hundred souls he can supply helpers. He writes: ‘I long to see some agency work, not to oppose, but supplement, existing missions. The heart of this people is open. Is there a chance of life for them? ” LNisciples of Christ Misssion has sent an appeal for more workers. Neighboring hill tribes of Gonds and Kurkoos have no one to work regularly among them. The Friends’ Mission needs workers to open up a work among hill tribes on the Satpura range. In the Akola Field missionaries are praying God to send thirty men for that region. Mrs. Fuller writes: “The greater need is the quality of the men. We need anointed men; men who &zow Christ, who find in God the answer to every difficulty, hindrance, or disappointment.” Presbyterian Mission, North India. ‘We would shout for joy if we heard that nine men and five ladies were coming next fall. Our !) occupied regions are unoccupied ; that is, we place one or two men in a station, which is the city or ’zillah of a district, with a popula- tion of from six to nine hundred thousand. What we need is that in every such district, not only the city be occupied, but that there be a missionary in from two to six towns in each district.” Unoccupied Fields. The needs of these you must come and voice. Who will rough it in the wild district of Kumaon, to reach the rough highlanders on the Himalayas for whom no one is working ? Rajputana contains two towns with a popu- lation above twenty-five thousand; three, with a population above twenty thousand ; five, with a population above fifteen thou- sand ; and eleven, above ten thousand each, —all as yet unoccupied. The Nizam’s Dominions are now open ; population, ten million. Only a beginning has been made in the Canarese portion on the west. Leaving fifty miles north of Secunderabad, there are three Telugu districts, with a popu- lation of three million, unoccupied. Across the Godavery, Bustor State, with one-half to one million aborigines, is not yet entered by missionaries. IO Four districts of Eastern Bengal, with nearly five million, and in Northern Bengal, Bogra, population seven hundred and thirty- four thousand, and Maldah, population seven hundred and: ten thousand, have no mission- ary. Much of India is but nominally occupied. The region about Jhansi and Bhopal is said to have ten million unprovided for, except for the mission at Jhansi, and a native worker of the American Board at Lalitpur. In Eastern Bengal, the English Baptists reckon their field at seventeen and one-half million ; and for these souls fifteen European missionaries are working. To you who have finished your course of study, and waver not at the question of ulti- mate coming, but of coming /hzs year, I would say, Satan is taking advantage of our delays. Our aboriginal tribes, numbered at some fifty millions, now very accessible, are said to be getting rapidly absorbed into Hin- duism. In large cities, where for years there has been much undermining of old faiths, infidelity, materialism, and theosophy are being pressed upon the attention of the people, and there is danger of seven unclean spirits coming in, in place of cne. 15 We need you zow. We pray God to send you to us filled with the Holy Spirit. It is useless to preach Christ to minds steeped in ignorance and idolatry in any other way than in the “ power of the Spirit.” GRACE E. WILDER. } SONGLI, S.M.C., INp1a, May 8, 18go. STUDENT VOLUNTEER SERIES. The American Student Uprising. By John R. Mott. Shall I Go. By Miss Grace E. Wilder. _ The Volunteer Pledge. By Robert P. Wilder. The Volunteer Bond. By Robert E. Speer. Volunteer Work in the Churches. By W. W. Smith. The World’s Need. By John N. Ferman. An Appeal from China. By Geraldine Guinness. An Appeal from India. By Grace E. Wilder. Numbers 1 to 5 inclusive, price 3 cents each, $1.50 per too postpaid. Numbers 7 to g inclusive, price 2 cents each, 75 cents per too postpaid, The above numbers can be obtained of Walter J. Clark, No. 50 East 7oth Street, New York City.