The Life of William Carey, Shoemaker & MissionarySmith, George
Religion
The Life of William Carey, Shoemaker & Missionary
Smith, George
Carey, William, 1761-1834; Missions -- India
In his first letter to a friend in Hull Ward used language which
unconsciously predicted the future of the mission:--"With a Bible and a
press posterity will see that a missionary will not labour in vain,
even in India." But one of their number, Grant, was meanwhile removed
by death, and, while they waited for a month, Carey failed to obtain
leave for them to settle as his assistants in British territory. He
had appealed to Mr. Brown, and to Dr. Roxburgh, his friend in charge of
the Botanic Garden, to use his influence with the Government through
Colebrooke, the Oriental scholar, then high in the service. But it was
in vain. The police had seen with annoyance the missionaries slip from
their grasp because of the liberality of the Governor-General of whom
Carey had written to Ryland a year before: "At Calcutta, I saw much
dissipation; but yet I think less than formerly. Lord Mornington has
set his face against sports, gaming, horse-racing, and working on the
Lord's-day; in consequence of which these infamous practices are less
common than formerly." The missionaries, too, had at first been
reported not as Baptist but as "Papist," and the emissaries of France,
believed to be everywhere, must be watched against. The brave little
Governor let it be understood that he would protect to the last the men
who had been committed to his care by the Danish consul in London. So
Ward obtained a Danish passport to enable him to visit Dinapoor and
consult with Carey.
It was Sunday morning when he approached the Mudnabati factory,
"feeling very unusual sensations," greatly excited. "At length I saw
Carey! He is less altered than I expected: has rather more flesh than
when in England, and, blessed be God! he is a young man still." It was
a wrench to sacrifice his own pioneer mission, property worth £500, the
school, the church, the inquirers, but he did not hesitate. He thus
stated the case on the other side:--"At Serampore we may settle as
missionaries, which is not allow here; and the great ends of the
mission, particularly the printing of the Scriptures, seem much more
likely to be answered in that situation than in this. There also
brother Ward can have the inspection of the press; whereas here we
should be deprived of his important assistance. In that part of the
country the inhabitants are far more numerous than in this; and other
missionaries may there be permitted to join us, which here it seems
they will not." On the way down, during a visit to the Rajmahal Hills,
round which the great Ganges sweeps, Carey and Ward made the first
attempt to evangelise the Santal and other simple aboriginal tribes,
whom the officials Brown and Cleveland had partly tamed. The Paharis
are described, at that time, as without caste, priests, or public
religion, as living on Indian corn and by hunting, for which they carry
bows and arrows. "Brother Carey was able to converse with them."
Again, Ward's comment on the Bengali services on the next Sunday, from
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account