A Popular Account of the Manners and Customs of IndiaAcland, Charles
History
A Popular Account of the Manners and Customs of India
Acland, Charles
India -- Description and travel; India -- Social life and customs
_C._ "If the Brahmins curse you, God is stronger than they are, and
he will bless you; if your wife and children run away, Jesus will
make you happy in heaven; if your brother will not smoke with you,
the great God will give you his peace."
_I._ "Well, I will see. Lend me the book; I will read it and show it
to the Brahmins. How soon shall you be here again, sahib?"
_Mr. L._ "In about ten days."
_I._ "Good: I will see you again."
This is a mere epitome of the conversation, but may furnish some idea
of the mode of argument pursued. Whenever the convert brought forward
a good argument, or came to a convincing point, it was curious to
see the countenance of the Christians. They had been watching their
champion with the greatest interest, looking more like dark statues
than human beings, so perfectly still did they sit, except when a
mother pressed her infant to her bosom to keep it quiet. Suddenly, as
they saw the drift of what was said more clearly, their white eyes
would dance amid their dark skins, and one or two of them would smile
and utter gently the emphatic word "Ha!" (yes).
A nice-looking young woman brought her baby to show it. It was only
two months old, and had not yet been baptized. Poor woman! I won
her heart completely by taking it from her and kissing it. Mr. L.
seemed a little surprised at my doing so, but both the mother and
her husband were delighted. She asked me to name her child. Mr. L.
wished it to be a scriptural name. I accordingly gave it the first
that came into my head, which was "Benjamin." It was interesting to
watch the mother's face as I named the child, she had apparently
never heard the name before, and there was much amusement amongst
them, all trying to pronounce it; they could not quite manage it,
but, as the mother carried the little one out, several of the men
patted its cheek and smiled, and said very slowly Bend-za-min. There
were to have been four adults baptized on this day, but one of them
came in the morning and said that his wife declared she would not
live with a Christian, that she had taken her children and all his
fortune, consisting of one rupee and two pice, and had gone away to
her brother's house. Mr. L. advised the man to go and reason with
her, which he did, and we afterwards heard that she had returned with
him on condition that he would not become a Christian.
The people have literally given up father, mother, wife, children,
friends, and home as soon as they become followers of Jesus. They are
looked upon as utterly degraded; and the tribe to which they belong
has to pay a sum of money to the Brahmins before they can be freed
from the stain which attaches to them in consequence of the pollution.
Mr. L. preached in the afternoon, and in the evening the Christians
again met, when he addressed them a discourse in the midst of a
tremendous thunderstorm.
[Sidenote: RETURN TO CUTTACK.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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