Poetry. To the Editors of the Calcutta Christian Observer. GENTLEMEN, If the following lines be deemed worthy of insertion in the pages of your periodical, they are much at your service. Monghyr, May, 1840. "Faint yet pursuing."--Judges viii. 4. "My course on Zion's heavenly road My anxious bosom bears a load, "My journey is a dreary one, And backward now I dare not look "Let wildest tempests o'er me blow, As thus the faithful Christian cries He feels new vigour as he flies, "O haste thee on," his Lord replies, 66 Hardships still enduring; O haste away to reach the skies, Fainting, yet pursuing!" ANNE. Missionary and Religious Entelligence. 1.- MISSIONARY AND ECCLESIASTICAL MOVEMENTS. We regret to state that the Rev. W. Fyvie, the indefatigable and long resident Missionary of the London Society at Surat, departed this life on the 10th of June, of bilious fever. Mr. F. had been about 20 years at Surat. He was a good man and full of the Holy Ghost. His end was peace. The Rev. G. Pffander has undertaken pro tempore the pastorship of the Native Church at Agarpára.-The Rev. M. Gordon and Mrs. G., late of the Madras London Mission, have reached England in safety and with improved health. We regret to learn that the health of the Rev. W. Campbell, of Bangalore, is such as to prevent his return to India, at least for the present.-The Rev. W. Glen has arrived at his station, Moorshedabad, and commenced his labours. May the Lord long spare him to labour in that vast field with great success.-We regret to announce the death of Mrs. Innes, the wife of the Rev. J. Innes, Acting Secretary to the Church Missionary Society: she departed this life in peaceful triumph on the 15th of June. Mrs. I. had not been many months in the country she having arrived in the same vessel with the late Rev. W. H. Pearce, whose happy spirit she has joined in another and better world.-Rev. Mr. Wallis has arrived at Bishop's College as a Missionary from the Propagation Society.-The Church Mission at Kishnagur has been strengthened by the arrival of two brethren from Europe. The work at Kishnagur is going on, we are happy to hear, very satisfactorily. The last accounts from the Bishop speak of his continued health, activity and usefulness.-The London Society expect a re-inforcement of Missionaries at the Banáras station in a short time. Thus do we see one and another carried off the scene of life and labor, and others full of life and vigor coming to occupy their posts and carry on their work. Oh, may we all feel the necessity of working while it is yet day and that with all our might. 2. THE MONTHLY MISSIONARY PRAYER MEETING Was held last month at the Union Chapel. The address, delivered by the Rev. T. Boaz, was on the instruction afforded to the Church from the occurrences of the day of Pentecost. The devotional parts of the service were engaged in by the Rev. Messrs. Piffard and Ewart. 3.-NEW HOSPITALS. The physical ills to which flesh is heir are in every land many, but in this they are very numerous and afflictive. Every well-directed and hopeful attempt, therefore, to ameliorate them should meet with the prompt and prayerful aid of every man and especially of every Christian. We have much pleasure in announcing that Dr. Brett has once more appeared amongst us, aud is about to establish his hospital for the relief of the native diseased poor. We understand that the Governor General and other influential members of Society have promised aid to Dr. B., provided he can give hope that the New establishment will be likely to continue its operations in case of his removal. Dr. Mitchell has also put forth a Prospectus for a new Medical Hospital and Dispensary for indigent Christians. Both are needed and both promise such great good on an economical scale that we cannot but cordially recommend them to the favorable consideration of the public, and sincerely pray that they may effect all the good, yea even more than contemplated by their benevolent projectors. 4.-NEW NATIVE SCHOOLS. The Vedists and other enlightened native gentlemen have opened three or four new Schools for native youth in and about Calcutta during the last month. This all angurs well. May the feeling set in shortly amongst the natives, that the most effectual way to recommend themselves to the notice of their more enlightened fellow-men and of benefitting their country is by the establishment of schools. It will be a noble sight to see the wealthy natives emulating each other in such a work. 5.-CAPT. WHELER AND THE ORIENTAL OBSERVER. The Oriental Observer of the 25th July, contains one of the most shameless and undisguised attacks upon Capt. Wheeler, of Agra, and through him upon every pious officer in the Company's Army, that it has ever been our lot to peruse, at least from those who are the earnest friends to the diffusion of the light of the gospel in India." The sin of which Capt. Wheler is guilty in the estimation of the Oriental Observer, is that of distributing religious tracts and books! The Oriental Observer modestly and liberally enough begs to call the attention of the Governor General and His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief to an extract from a letter addressed by Capt. W. to the Secretary of the Calcutta Tract Society and inserted in the Report of that institution in the year 1839!!! Surely the Oriental Observer must have been hard driven for a subject on which to wreak his vengeance upon the religious portion of the community to seek for matter against an upright and zealous officer of the Company's service in an old Report of a religious institution. We connot now, the paper having reached us so late in the month, offer any lengthened remarks upon it; we will, however, not fail to do this in our next. In the mean time our readers may judge of the spirit and temper of the article by the following expressions. The writer" would most heartily rejoice to hear that, if after due warning, any officer in the service persists in following out this silly notion," (extending the knowledge of Christ) "he be brought to a court martial and dismissed the service!" How fortunate that the Editor of the O. O. is not the Commander-inChief!-and yet we doubt not but that he is one of the many who are loud in their cry for liberty of conscience! Again "the over-righteous"-"new species of martyrdom"-" He cannot indulge his fancy of serving God by distributing religious tracts"-" a drunken man distributing temperance tracts is a joke to an English officer in India distributing religious tracts"-" the bigot notion that distributing tracts is the Lord's work"-" this new-fangled freak," (viz. distributing tracts)"the bayonet saints”—“sowing seed in the shape of religious tracts-containing gross vituperation of Muhammadanism on the one hand and Hinduism on the other"-" Capt. Wheler and his pious friends"-" the good cause was served." The very heading of the article shows the animus of the writer-it is low and scurrilous. "Not preachee and fightee too." The writer is not satisfied with abusing Capt. Wheler and his pious friends, but, speaking of the missionary body, he says, "Distributed by a Feringee brahman; they signify nothing more than his particular abuse of the religion of the country and zeal for the establishment of his own religion." We pity the man whose heart could allow him to pen such a libel on a body of men whose object and practice is, not to abuse but to bless-not to revile but to reclaim from the errors of idolatry to the worship of the one true God. We deny it in the most unqualified manner that the Feringee brahmans do abuse the religion of the country. As we said at the commencement, so we repeat at the close, that it has seldom been our lot to peruse an article which in so short a space contains so large a measure of hostile feeling to piety, irreverence for God's work, and bitter animosity against a good and upright man, and that under the guise of anxiety for the prosperity of religion in the land. ed. 6.--THE EXAMINATION OF THE PUPILS OF THE FREE SCHOOL Took place at the school in the beginning of July. The Archdeacon presidThe examination was conducted by the Rev. Mr. Macqueen and the Chairman. The children acquitted themselves upon the whole very satisfactorily. This school deserves well of the public and is at present, with some few exceptions, under very good management. From the Report which is now before us we should infer that some alteration in the dieting of the children would be attended with advantage. 7.-NEW POEM IN BENGALI. We have been favored with a sight of a new Poem in Bengali written by a native Christian catechist formerly a Sanyásí. The object of the Poem is to expose the practices of the most celebrated shrines in India, nearly the whole of which were visited by the author with a view to obtain salvation, but in vain. It is an admirable exposé of the abominations of these falsely-called scenes of salvation. The Poem, we doubt not, will be referred to after many a year to illustrate the manner of the times in which we live, as Chaucer's severe and caustic satires on the age in which he lived are referred to as that from which we catch the spirit of the times he lived in. We give a specimen of the Poem, a bare translation, below. Many parts are not fit for other than Bengáli eyes and ears. The whole reveals such a system of gross and sensual iniquity as it were difficult to imagine could be sanctioned under the mask of religion did we not know that Popery had swollen her revenues by the licencing of brothels and the guilt of prostitution. Brahmans at Kámikhyά, in Assam, inviting Pilgrims to visit their shrine. (Fragment of a Bengáli Poem.) They sit on the wayside, looking out for pilgrims, they ask every one who passes that Will way, you visit the temple? If they meet a pilgrim, who is willing to do so, they are overjoyed and take him quickly to their house. They treat him with great politeness, beg him to be seated; they prepare tobacco for him, and offer him the huká, and then ask him with a soft sweet voice, Where do you come from? Where is your home? Blessed are your father and mother, who have given you birth. Friend, you have done the duty of a good son; For to worship the goddess Kámikhya with a joyful heart, in so doing, you will escape the punishment of hell. Give gifts to the brahmans and honour the virgins. Then you will with ease obtain entrance into heaven, but I will now tell you, what is required. If you wish to see and worship the goddess you must present her with a Sárí (woman's cloth) and vermilion (with which Hindu women adorn their foreheads); you must sacrifice a he-goat at the door as an atonement for your sins, and make an offering of spices, sugar, rice, plantains-also money; you must give as much as you can afford, and clarified butter and wood for the sacrifice, the head-priest and the other brahmans and all the servants of the temple expect also some trifle. After this you will be able to behold the face of the goddess. And finally, friend, you may give me whatever you think proper. When the virgins come to you, take heed to satisfy their wishes, for to offend them is to offend the goddess. Her creative power has produced them all, and she has a secret familiar intercourse with them. O! who understands the mysterious ways Virgins, so called, women of easy virtue attached to many temples in Hindustan, they also expect to receive gifts from the pilgrim. of the mysterious goddess! But if you expend all this money with your own hands it will bring you ill luck and loss of property. Therefore listen to my advice-Give into my hands as much as you intend to expend; I will give as much as is needed to the satisfaction of all parties, and will procure you entrance to the temple. But tell no body the amount of money you put into my hands. If the head-priest asks you about it, you simply tell him, I am a poor pilgrim, and cannot give according to the rules. I have brought with me one or two rupees and those I have already given in the name of the goddess Kámikhyá. In this way, my dear reader, do the bráhmans of that place receive and rob the poor pilgrims. There is no holiness, no devotion to be found there. They are all intent upon practising deceit and enriching themselves. If any pilgrim refuses to do according to their liking, they, by telling lies, bring him into great trouble, they go and say in secret to the head brahmans: "You must know, this pilgrim is a very rich man." The consequence is, that the priests ask a very large sum. And if he cannot give it, the door is shut before him, he cannot see the goddess. If the pilgrim is willing to give the money asked for to the bráhman who invites him, this brahman will expend one part of it in sacrifices to the goddess and the rest he will keep himself. After having shown the temple and goddess to the pilgrims, he takes him back to his house, and tells him: Now you must prepare to give a feast for the vir gins, and adorn their forheads with vermilion, for such is the custom of this place. If you omit to do it, your pilgrimage will lose its merit, I assure you; my words are true and you will have expended so much money in vain; but if you prepare a feast for the virgins take care do not buy any thing in the bazar, for in so doing you will lose your caste. I will take the trouble upon myself. Give me the price of the articles and I shall prepare the sweetmeats and cook the rice. The meal being ready, he invites 6 or 7 of the girls. He calls them, bráhman's children, but I know there are Sudrá's girls among them. When they have eaten, he says to the pilgrim: Now you must give the usual reward (f) to the virgins. Else they may get angry, and you know they are brahmans. If the pilgrim has any money remaining the brahman contrives to deprive him of it in the following way. He says: Remain over night in this holy place. With sweet entreaties he prevails upon the pilgrim. He makes room for him in his own house. In the evening he tells him: Listen to me; you have accomplished every thing according to the rules. But there is yet one thing remaining; it is something very mysterious, I will tell you if you wish to do it, do it; if not, I will not force you: but if you do not do it, it will be imputed to me as a sin. Take intoxicating liquors (), make a necklace of the leaves of the Bel tree and chandan, go with it secretly to a certain house, and there piously worship a virgin. So doing, the goddess Kámikhyá will appear unto you and will give you, whatever you shall ask. Her promises are unchangeable; what she says, will certainly be accomplished. Having deceived the pilgrim in this way, he prepares all the articles of worship in another house. One of the virgins goes there and the pilgrim worships at her feet; the worship over, she blesses him, &c. &c. The poem is published by subscription, and may be had of the Publisher of the Observer. 8. THE BIBLE SOCIETY'S LIST OF SCRIPTURES AND PRICES. The Secretary to the Calcutta Auxiliary Bible Society has forwarded to us a printed list of the different Scriptures procurable at the Calcutta Depository, together with the prices affixed at which they may be purchased; they have been all much reduced, so that those friends who feel a desire to distribute the native Scriptures, and who may have the means VOL. I. 3 R |