p. 14 | India by C. E. Weeks

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park, Washington, D. C. · Jul 11, 1912

India

By C. E. Weeks

C. E. WEEKS

THE work in the India Union Mission field is onward. It has been my privilege during the last few months to visit every station, with two exceptions, in the union field, and to see some of the great things God is doing in preparing the way to finish quickly the work in heathen India. At times as we see how slowly things move in these Eastern lands, we are almost led to ask ourselves the question, How can this work be finished here in the time allotted by God for its completion? But when Jesus made the promise that the gospel would be preached as a witness in all the world, and that the end would come in this generation, he was speaking directly to Eastern minds, surrounded by Eastern conditions and influences. That promise holds good, and we can see how wonderfully it is being fulfilled in all the world to-day.

South India

Leaving Mussoorie the first of last October, I spent several weeks in south India and Ceylon. The work at our Tinnevelli stations, among those known to the REVIEW readers as the Tamil Sabbath-keepers, is advancing encouragingly. Elder J. S. James and his associates have been laboring hard, and a good work has been done. The evangelical, educational, and medical branches are all well represented, thus giving a good foundation upon which to build. In the past, owing to a lack of proper men, we have not done a great deal in the canvassing work in that section, but steps have now been taken to give this work the prominence that its importance demands. It is planned to start a quarterly journal in the Tamil language for the use of our colporteurs. The school at our main station has more than one hundred young people in attendance, among whom are quite a number who are children of Adventist parents. As in the home land, I believe that many will go out from this school to scatter the printed page of truth among the millions of south India.

Ceylon

While we have no regular work established on the island of Ceylon, much seed has been sown. During the last year Brother Raymond has gone to all parts of the island selling our literature, having sold more than two thousand rupees [about $670] worth in five months. Ceylon is the most beautiful place I ever saw. Although it is so near the equator, a delightful sea breeze is generally blowing, which makes the climate much more temperate than it is in many parts of India. Then there are a number of delightful hill stations, which afford a climate unexcelled in the tropics.

Yet most of the 4,000,000 people of that beautiful isle are still bowing to gods of "wood and stone," knowing nothing of the soon coming of the One who died to redeem them. How much longer must these millions wait for a representative of the third angel's message to locate among them?

Bengal

During the early part of December, in connection with our Bengal conference held in the city of Calcutta, we conducted our first canvassers' institute for India. Our work in India was first opened in Bengal, so we have the strongest work developed in that section of the field. A monthly journal, Signs of the Times, is being issued in the Bengali language, and we have ten or twelve colporteurs giving their time quite largely to its circulation. At the time of our institute, we were sending out from fifteen hundred to two thousand copies of this paper monthly. We all felt that during the year 1912 this number should be greatly increased, so we decided to endeavor to raise the circulation to five thousand by the time of our general meeting, to be held this coming fall. For the present month (April) we have sent out forty-five hundred copies, so we believe that we shall pass the mark set. This monthly journal, filled with the message of Christ's soon coming, should take a prominent part in giving the glad tidings to the 78,000,000 of the Bengal division of this union mission field.

Burma

From the middle of December until the middle of February I was in the interesting land of Burma. Although that is part of British India, it is very different in many ways from India proper. The people are more of a Mongolian type, and everything has more of a Western air. Though the Burmese is a care-free man of leisure, little thinking of to-morrow and its needs, his wife makes up for his lack in shrewdness and business ability—quite different from India, where the women of the better classes are kept in seclusion. The per cent of literacy is very high for the East, over thirty per cent being able to read. Money is also quite plentiful. These conditions make it a fruitful field for the sale of our literature. One day during our Burmese conference, twelve of us went out into the city of Rangoon with our Burmese tract "Signs of the Times and End of the World," and in about three hours between meetings, we sold over six hundred copies. Here, as in all parts of the world, thousands are willing and glad to purchase our literature if we will only do our part to give them the opportunity. Steps were taken to start a quarterly journal in the Burmese language, and the first number will soon be ready.

Having so many languages—one hundred forty-seven—to contend with, the literature question is a great problem; but the Lord is going before us, and is giving victory in our efforts to get the printed message before the 315,000,000 of this land. Pray and give for India.