Our First Acquaintance with India by GEO. F. ENOCH

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 7, 1908

Our First Acquaintance with India

By GEO. F. ENOCH

(Concluded)

GEO. F. ENOCH

THERE is still one more important tongue among the Dravidian languages—the Kanarese. Those speaking this language live chiefly in the Mysore native state and the adjoining territory, and number more than ten million. There are other tongues spoken in south India, by a less number of people; but, all told, the natives speaking these related languages number nearly sixty millions. Among all these millions we found only Brother and Sister J. S. James struggling to learn the Tamil, at the same time bearing the burden of an English effort that was trying in the extreme. They have done good work, and have succeeded in getting out four tracts in Tamil,—two on the coming of the Lord, and two on the Sabbath. They were providentially provided with a munshi who is good at translating, and who is an earnest Christian. These tracts have been submitted to the public, and are highly recommended as good Tamil.

When these things pressed into my soul, and also the needs of the eighteen million Marathi and ten million Gujarati on the west coast, there came a new appreciation of the words of our Saviour found in Matt. 9:36-38. Here were the millions scattered abroad, as sheep without a shepherd. Plague and famine were doing their terrible work among them, and still they were ignorant of the meaning of these things, and there was none as yet to tell them of the greater judgments that are fast approaching, or of the nearness of our

Saviour’s coming, but our two families. And what were we in the midst of such great need? And how could we possibly tell which of these two open doors to enter? Then, while we were yet uncertain as to the mind of the Lord, there came the visit to the Tinnevelli Sabbath-keepers. For a time it seemed that it was best that both our families should locate there, and develop the work in south India from that point, with the young people of these Sabbath-keepers as a working force. But the hot season in south India was coming on, and there was no place to live near these, who are down on the plains, except in the native houses, which were not suitable for a family residence. They generously turned over their church-school building, which is made over into a temporary residence. This will provide a home for only one family. As

Brother and Sister James had been studying the language for one year, and had long been planning to go down among them, there was nothing left for us but to withdraw, and turn our faces back to the west coast.

As I traveled from Tinnevelli in south India to the Bombay Presidency in west India, a distance of more than one thousand miles, and thought of this territory representing ninety million inhabitants, with at present only Brother James and myself with our families to give this message, my heart was torn with a burden that can not be expressed. I could only bow in prayer to the Lord of the harvest, to send forth laborers into his harvest. O where are the young men and women who, with an eye single to God’s glory, will come and join us in this great work? Where are those who will come to stay?—not to see some of the hardships and the depths of heathenism, and then return home, but to stay as long as God gives them life? If he wills that they shall rest

from their labors, let them rest on the battle-field; but O, come over, and help us uplift the banner of the third angel’s message in this dark land.

We are now in Satara, the old capital of the Marathi empire, earnestly studying the language. The Lord is helping us. It is difficult; but we can pass the word back to the young men and women at home who have strong, active minds, that in his name it is not impossible to get the language. We have been led by the guiding hand of the Lord to a most excellent Marathi pundit, and hope soon to get out some literature in the Marathi. We are happy in our work, and would not be elsewhere. Although plague is all about us, and famine is at our right hand, and there is unrest everywhere, yet, knowing God has led us here, we can say, “Thou hast put gladness in my heart. . . . I will both

lay me down in peace and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.”

Pray for the work in south and west India. Help us with your means in getting out literature among these teeming millions. Send your young men and women over to help in the great task before us, so that the work may be speedily finished.

Bangalore.