Among the Santals by W. A. Barlow

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 20, 1906

Among the Santals

By W. A. Barlow

W. A. BARLOW

SINCE writing to the REVIEW AND HERALD last, we have seen God's hand working in our midst, and causing souls to come to us for the bread of life. We now hold Bible readings twice daily, besides our morning and evening services with praise, prayer, and Scripture. About nine are attending the daily Bible studies on present truth, which I conduct from “Bible Readings,” a book which all our dear native workers should have as soon as they can read and understand English. They often ask me the price of this book, so I am trying to secure a few copies from our Calcutta depot. We also need some prophetic charts for each member of our candidates' class, while they are studying and preparing for baptism, which rite I hope to administer during the next cool season. That is the best time to get teachers and preachers and others together for Bible classes, as the rainy season is on. Nearly all the farmers are busy plowing and sowing Indian corn, rice, etc., and the country is generally flooded. Most of the large boys in our boarding-school ask leave to go home to help their parents on the farm. I encourage this spirit, because, as a rule, all the members of each family help at this time of the year. We have sown some cotton, and are now busy hoeing (or “poeing,” as the Santals say). They use an Indian spade, called a kudali. The boys who are too small to use the plow care for the cattle.

At present we have two families at Simultala studying the Bible truths. Part of the day they work in the garden, among the young fruit-trees, etc., and part of the time they go to the heathen villages, to preach and sing the everlasting gospel, in Santali and Hindi, and sometimes in Bengali. They also circulate gospel tracts in the vernacular, as well as the London Good Health and Oriental Watchman, at the railway station, about a mile from our mission compound.

We have one dear little Santali orphan boy, named Libu, who has been with us a long time in school, and now is able to attend our Bible class and read his own Santali-Roman Testament. He feels quite happy, and reads fairly well, considering his age. He is the smallest boy we have had in the school, but I think one of the best. My son Rudie is very fond of him, and between school hours they work and play together like two little Santali boys.

Another of our schoolboys has desired to study with us, as does also his young wife. It may seem strange that nearly all our students are married. They marry young, though not so early as the Hindus. Most of the latter are married when babies. The Santals marry between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five, or later, and are allowed to choose their wives and husbands, contrary to Hindu custom. From my experience of about sixteen years among them, I find them one of the most moral, peace-loving people I know in India. I have heard of only one or two murders in the Santal country. One occurred a few days ago, not far from Babolmohal. It was caused, I hear, through a land dispute with some Hindus. The Santal is, as a rule, very straightforward and honest, unless he wanders away from his hill and forest home, and settles near a city or bazaar, and mixes with the keen shopkeepers, money lenders, and others.

We are hoping to make a good start in the hand-loom weaving industry, after the rainy season is over. It takes well among the Santals, because most of them are accustomed to weaving. They use a very simple hand-loom. It costs about half a dollar. I have two here for beginners; and as soon as the student can operate this loom, he will begin work on the fly-shuttle loom, which is a little more difficult, runs faster, and turns out better work. We shall need a better place for a weaving school. Our present place is only one small room, about ten by twelve feet, and will accommodate only two looms. So in the rainy season it will be difficult to prepare the cotton for the looms, unless we have a good, large shed, or veranda. We shall also need a better kind of loom. I saw one of these automatic machines at work while visiting the School of Industry, in Calcutta, during my visit to our new Bengal mission at Gopalganj, east Bengal, conducted by Brother and Sister Mookerjee.

I was much encouraged to see the progress of the work in east Bengal. After a hard struggle and much prayer and perseverance, our laborers there have, by God's help, been enabled to erect a number of bamboo and sal-tree buildings, with well-thatched roofs, near a river, and right among the poor villagers, who earn their living by fishing, farming, carpentering, shopkeeping, etc. The most encouraging feature of this work in connection with the present truth is the multiplication of earnest inquirers, through the mediums of the preacher and the printed page. I believe that the spiritual work begun by the free circulation of our Seventh-day Adventist Spirit-filled tracts will accomplish much. We need a greater supply of tracts in Hindi, Burmese, Tamil, Bengali, Urdu, Singalese, and Santali. We need more translators, typesetters, and funds for this important and urgent work. I am glad the Watchman Press has just given us a few thousand Hindi and Bengali tracts; but what are these among so many?

Brother and Sister Burgess have worked well in this line since their return to India, among the Hindi- and Urdu-speaking people. They have already sent me a number of tracts in these two dialects, on “The First Angel’s Message,” “The Ten Commandments,” and “Tobacco Poison,” and now they write that they hope to have a neat little Hindi pamphlet, or booklet, on present truth. I am sure this will be one of the best little works we have yet had printed in these dialects on this subject. We need to pray for these dear laborers, who are at present, I hear, studying Hindi and Urdu, as well as translating and publishing these tracts for India’s millions. May God bless them, and lead in opening their new mission station.

It is hoped that we shall have two preachers in each of our Santal stations and out-stations—in Simultala, Babolmohal, and Baswata, where we have a village school, conducted by Malta, one of the first Santali converts, whose parents live in this village. We hope that one or two students will take their stand for Christ in the near future, as well as others who, with their wives, are now under instruction for baptism.

May God bless our coming general meeting. We shall be glad to welcome Elder and Mrs. Shaw, and other workers who are expected in India at that time, also Elder Hansen, and the medical staff from Bombay who have lately arrived. May this be another pentecostal season of prayer, praise, testimony with power, and soul winning.

“From Greenland’s icy mountains, From India’s coral strand, Where Afric’s sunny fountains Roll down their golden sand, From many an ancient river, From many a palmy plain, They call us to deliver Their land from error’s chain. “What though the spicy breezes Blow soft o’er Ceylon’s isle; Though every prospect pleases, And only man is vile; In vain with lavish kindness The gifts of God are strown; The heathen, in his blindness, Bows down to wood and stone.”

Simultala, India.