Christian Education

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 15, 1913

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 90, No. 20.

Read the full edition

Christian Education

Conducted by the Department of Education of the General Conference

H. R. Salisbury . . . Secretary

Our Schools in India and Burma

(Concluded)

The Garhwal School

AFTER leaving our school at Kalyan, I went from the Bombay side to our headquarters at Lucknow, in company with Professor Shaw, who had been kind enough to come across India to meet me. Spending a day at our headquarters at Lucknow, I left with Brother Carl Weaks for our school in Garhwal, which is situated high up in the Himalayas, twenty-six miles from the end of the railroad. After traveling by train, we drove ten miles to the foot of the mountains, in a native cart, and there I was pleased to see Brother Burgess, who had come sixteen miles to meet us, and to bring horses for us, and coolies to carry our luggage. This last part of the journey is one steady climb up the side of the mountain by a narrow path, but we were able to reach our destination just as the sun was setting. We were warmly welcomed by Sister Burgess and three native teachers.

The Garhwal school has been established three years. Everything about it bears an air of neatness and order. It occupies one of the most unique positions, being located on the top of a high mountain, so that the summers are fairly cool, and the winters delightful. The view from this place is one of the grandest I have ever seen; for stretching away against the blue sky for what seemed scores of miles, were the Himalayas, with their eternal snows. From a hill beside the school, Brother Burgess showed me, on mountainside and in valley, nearly fifty heathen villages, from which there come, from a distance of two to forty miles, the boys who are in attendance as students. The sides of the mountains were everywhere terraced, and used for cultivation.

The buildings are the bungalow for the European teachers, the school building, two dormitories, a cook-house, and a house for the native teachers. These comfortable buildings were erected by money collected by Elder S. N. Haskell. Brother Burgess also has plans on foot to establish a dispensary a few rods from the school.

There are over sixty boys, all of them high-class Hindus. They work out their tuition, and provide their own food, going home about once a month to get their rice and dahl (lentil) flour. Because of their caste, they, of course, prepare their own food in the cook-house. I was permitted to look in the window of this

building, but could not enter, as I should have defiled both the room and the cooking utensils. The boys hold closely to their caste, and even inside the cook-house there are divisions marked on the floor, where the different castes cook and eat apart from the others. Caste is a great hindrance to the advancement or the acceptance of Christianity. But the power of God is greater, and in this Hindu school at Garhwal, where the Word of God is daily taught, already its light has begun to drive out the darkness of superstition and ignorance from the hearts of the boys.

Since returning to America, I have been very sorry to receive letters from Brother and Sister Burgess telling me that Sister Burgess's health has failed, making it necessary for them to return to America for a time. I trust it may be only temporary, however, as they both have the Hindi language, and are acquainted with the customs of the people, and Sister Burgess also speaks the Bengali. Brother Belgrave, from the West Indies, who received his education at Mount Vernon College in America, and who has just reached India, has been placed in charge.

The Karmatar School

The purchase of property and the building of a substantial bungalow for the European teachers, a schoolhouse, a home for native teachers, and a dispensary have greatly strengthened our work at Karmatar. This is not a boarding-school for boys, but they live in the surrounding villages, and attend as day-students. There were more than fifty-seven enrolled when I was there. Aside from this central building, there are out-schools in the villages round about Karmatar, conducted by native teachers.

The children are Hindus and Mohammedans. And while at first the parents strongly objected to the teaching of the Bible or the singing of Christian hymns, the teachers tell me that now there is no objection raised, and the children look forward with great eagerness to their Scripture lessons. The villagers where these schools are located have learned to deeply appreciate the efforts of our missionaries for their children, and this has opened the way to teach the truth to the parents as well as to the children.

The work has been under the supervision of Miss Della Burroway, who gave her entire time to teaching, visiting the schools, and giving counsel to the teachers and helping them with their duties. Miss Burroway has made excellent progress with the Bengali language. She has just arrived in America, as a delegate to the General Conference, and will spend some time on furlough. During her absence the school is being carried by Brother L. G. Mookerjee, the editor of our Bengali paper.

Our Santali School

I visited this institution after the general meeting in Calcutta, in company with Brethren Shaw and Pettit and Brother French, the superintendent of eastern India. An hour's ride by train from Karmatar, and then two hours by bullock-cart back into the jungle, brought us to the school at Babulimohal, directed by Brother Barlow. This is a boarding-school for boys, and Brother Barlow has just recently started a small school for

Santali girls. The children are not only taught from books, but to work as well, and they are being instructed especially in agriculture. Plans are being laid also to add another industry. There are two out-stations, taught by natives, in the Santali villages not far away.

It was also planned at the general meeting in Calcutta to have Brother and Sister Leech go back into the jungle about twenty miles from Brother Barlow's school, and start another school among the Santals, as these laborers have made good progress in the language.

The Tamil School

Down in southern India, at Nazareth, the Lord has been blessing the educational work, and from a small beginning they have now a well-organized and well-disciplined school of sixty-eight boys, and one of thirty-two girls, under the instruction of six native teachers. They have an active young people's society, and the students take pleasure in going out into the villages round about, with their Tamil paper. It was at the girls' school at Nazareth, where, when they heard of the donations given by the boys and girls in America to send the gospel to foreign lands, they asked permission to do something to send the gospel farther afield. Because they had no money, they requested of Brother James to be permitted to go without their dinner on the Sabbath, and to sell the rice to send money to missions, so that others might hear of the Saviour.

The work at Nazareth is in charge of Brother Thomas, one of our Tamil brethren.

The Annfield School (Mussoorie)

This has been in successful operation for two years, under the direction of Mrs. E. E. Bruce. It is for European children, and has been of inestimable benefit to our missionaries, as it enables them to keep their children with them in India, at the same time giving them a Christian education. It is in the Himalayas, so that perhaps there are few places in India more healthfully located. The school is in Annfield House, which was first purchased for a rest home for our missionaries. Mrs. Bruce, reporting at the biennial meeting, said:—

“In this land, where work is considered a disgrace for Europeans, and where the government standards are such as demand cramming to meet the requirements, it took much faith and perseverance to follow the standard laid down by the Lord as to the education of our children. But this we have tried to do. The dignity of labor has been taught with practical lessons; and though at first hard, the work is now cheerfully done by all. Where servants are expected to do all the menial toil, the boys and girls have been learning by doing, and benefited by the, to them, new conditions.

“Classes in cooking, sewing, and practical nursing have been conducted. Seven standards are maintained; and music—piano, violin, and vocal—has been taught. This year the school was made a center for the Trinity College examination in music, and the singing class and a number of the piano and violin students received honors in their examinations.”

Because of the healthful location, the children are in the hills during the hot

part of the year, so that they have the best opportunity to keep strong and well. This year Brother and Sister Mattison, from Keene Academy, who have been in India one year, will go there as teachers.

The Meiktila School

Our school in Burma, which opened three years ago, has been successful from its very start. Beginning with fifteen students, there are now more than one hundred twenty-five; and there would be more were it not for a lack of accommodations. I was glad of the opportunity to visit there. I found two well-constructed buildings,—one for the school, the other for the teachers,—and the foundation was being laid for a third.

Brother Thurber, who is in charge, is a firm believer in manual training, and it is the success which has attended this branch that has made the institution so popular among the natives. But, best of all, it has been the means of bringing the truth to those enrolled. On March 22 Brother Thurber baptized eight boys and the Chinese teacher of carpentry; and he writes that the Chinese cane teacher and eleven boys are candidates for this rite, at their own request, but that it is being delayed until they can be more fully instructed in the present truth.

The most of the boys are Burmese; but there are also Karens, Chinese, and natives from India. So successful have they been in learning the three trades of leather, cane, and wood-work, that the articles made by them find ready market. They are sending samples of their work to our educational exhibit at the General Conference. Rupees 7,500 have been subscribed to the building fund by those not of our faith. In fact, the majority of the donors are heathen; but they appreciate the work being done, and have given willingly for the school, because of its practical nature, and because of the excellent spirit they find there.

With the growth of our work in India must come the increase in numbers and efficiency of our mission schools. In his report at the biennial meeting, Professor Shaw said:—

“Indian people of nearly all classes and castes desire schools, and this makes a common ground for meeting the people and teaching the rising generation the Word of God. Perhaps no other single agency or mission work appeals more strongly to the Indian mind than the mission school. It furnishes one of the happiest combinations of influence for doing good to soul and mind that can be devised by the missionary. The very character of heathenism makes Christian schools a necessity. The philosophy and ethics of Hinduism have a strong hold upon the people. Its castes and superstitions are wrought into the very framework of society. The intellect and heart of every man, woman, and child have been thoroughly steeped in principles and practises which are utterly opposed to the gospel of Christ.

“For these reasons, more can be accomplished in Christian lands in a single sermon than by several months of effort in a Hindu congregation. Heathen errors must be corrected and right thinking encouraged. For this reason, mission schools offer the means of accomplishing this end. They form a regular congregation and give the missionary the surest means of overthrowing heathen sophistries, cultivating right principles, and erecting Bible standards. It has been through the medium of schools that the Roman Catholic Church, which has more adherents than any other church, has largely made her converts.”

I deeply appreciate the opportunity of visiting these schools in India and Burma, and of meeting with the European and native teachers, and counseling with them in their plans to extend the work. As I sailed away for the home land, there came before me again that picture of nearly one thousand boys and girls scattered over India, in simple mission schools of sun-dried brick and thatch, in city and village, in jungle and high on mountainside,—children from Hindu, Buddhist, and Mohammedan homes,—seated about Christian teachers, learning the story of the cross, which has not failed, during the last hundred years of missions, to turn heathen to Christian and sinner to saint. It is a glorious task, the work of these faithful teachers. May God give them power in their lives to lead many of India's children and youth to the Saviour of mankind.