"I Sow INDIA'S Sorrow"
A M oving Firsthand Account
By LOUIS T. TALBOT, D. D.
The magnificent Taj Mahal
THE EDITOR VISITS ONE OF THE NEEDIEST MISSION FIELDS ON EARTH
\ S September was devoted principally to Japan* and Oc- f~\ tober to the Dutch East Indies**, so November was taken ^ u p entirely with India. But one month spent in a land of a million and a half square miles in area, and more than four millions in population, is far too brief a period to secure any adequate idea of its vast needs. Without doubt the most religious country in the world with its 350,000,000 gods, cursed with the most rigid caste system on earth, and for centuries the battleground for two of the most fanatical systems ever conceived by man, Islam and Hinduism, India’s spiritual poverty is almost inconceivable. As I traveled from one part of the country to the other in an eifort to contact the grad uates of our school who are among the noble band of mis sionaries of the cross, I could only catch glimpses here and there of that unfathomable darkness. But it was enough to open my eyes and touch my heart, and I have asked the Lord to make use of me as never before to enlist recruits to fill up the wide gaps in the ranks of those who are fighting in the front lines for Him. What I saw and felt of India’s sorrow I will try to convey in these excerpts from my letters. On our way to India, we made another stop at Singapore where we held meetings in Bethsaida Church with the result that a number of Chinese and Malays were led out of dark ness into God’s marvelous light. Then we flew to Bangkok where we contacted some former Biola students among whom was Dr. Welles of the Presbyterian Hospital whose father was a former business manager of our school. We also enjoyed fellowship with Mr. and Mrs. Seigle who have a church and a school for Hindu and Buddhist children. It was my joy to address these young people and to hear them quote scripture. Dr. Welles, the Seigles, and the Chrismans at Korat are doing a wonderful work for God in that Siamese darkness. A Blaze of Light in the Darkness Our first view of India, as our plane came in for a landing at 3 o’clock in the morning, was a blaze of light which was the city of Calcutta. In the moonlight, the great Ganges River cut across the middle of the city like an immense golden ribbon. However, the romantic aspect of our arrival faded slightly after two and a half hours’ gruelling by the customs officers in the dead of night.
Weary to the point of exhaustion, we finally reached our hotel, and it seemed no time at all until Hubert Mitchell was pounding on our door to give us a hearty welcome to India. He bore a great sheaf of letters from home and from mis sionaries all over India, urging us to visit their stations. Since we were to have only two days in Calcutta, we were glad to get an early start. Filling out five yard-long docu ments for the police took a good hour, and then we went out to see the sights of that metropolis of seven million souls. We were intrigued with the sight of sacred cattle walking at liberty in the midst of the traffic, entering shops at will and helping themselves. Imagine that happening on a street in Los Angeles! But it is only a part of the Hindu teaching that all life is sacred. They believe that if one can grasp the tail of a sacred cow as he is leaving this world, his soul will be carried safely into heaven! Consequently, there are homes for aged cattle, but none for old people!
*November issue, “I Talked to General MacArthur.” **December issue, “I Saw the Wild Men of Borneo.” Page Six
Body prepared for the burning ghat.
THE K I N G ' S B U S I NE S S
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