Missionary Herald.

nothing at all is unsatisfactory; the adoption of a middle course seems only practicable when some striking incident takes place, that gives a leading character to the whole service.

engaged in the native chapel, and opened his papers, and began to read. Whether it be journeying to Benares, or Gyah, or bathing in Gunga, or whatever it might be, he concludes the paMo-ragraph by pledging himself to be hung if he fails to prove that all is false. If interrupted, he is filled with anger, and breaks out in the most shocking abuse. But why does he come with us? Nay, but he thinks we must necessarily be one with him because we both agree that these things are utterly false. We tell him to let go what he has thus discovered to be false; but before he can be right, he must receive the truth as it is in Jesus.

A person, by the name of Ram hun, has been amongst us this month as an inquirer: I fear, however, he is not in earnest. He is a Byraggee-a man of excellent natural parts, but rendered half mad by his wild career in the service of Satan. He has been with us formerly, though for no length of time; yet there appear to have been some rays of light remaining with him, that afford a little additional interest in conversing with him, to what we feel when we come in contact with an entire stranger. Byraggees pride themselves much upon an indifference to the world, and profess to be above enjoyment or suffering: yet Ram Mohun had not been with us as an inquirer twenty-four hours before he is uneasy about eating and drinking and clothing!

24th. This morning Ram Mohun comes, and taking the New Testament in his hand, and sitting on the steps of the tank near our bungalow, reads

aloud in a tone similar to those who read the Ramayan, and continues his exercise for more than an hour, with out suffering himself to be interrupted by any, who coming to the tank to bathe, stop to hear. Well, thought I, these are the words of truth, and who can tell but some sentence may sink into the ear of some one; and thus Ram Mohun may be the means of doing what never entered into his heart

save some fellow-sinner. After continuing this exercise for a very long time, he came into the house, as straight as an arrow, and as full of complacency as the Pharisee, "who went up into the temple to pray," &c. "Sir, here is the holy book, I have been reading there for a long time, and now I want a book to learn to pray out of; for, some-how, prayer does not well come out." He had a much better cloth upon him than he had last week, and equally as much consequence about his carriage; yet there is great good nature about him he is handsome in his appearance his utterance is bold and clear-but Ram Mohun is not touched at heart.

This month has brought to us another person, between forty and fifty years of age, a Brahmun, of stern aspect, large aquiline nose, who gravely professes he will be hanged if he does not prove all the shastras, and all

the modes of Hindooism, to be false. He came once or twice while we were

Specimen of social Life.

I have often felt grieved at the sad effects of false religion upon the social character, and this morning I had a very affecting instance of it. An old man, not less than sixty, came to me with a countenance full of grief and rage, with a wound over his left eye, which he professed to have been inflicted by one of his sons. I heard all he had to say, and then called his two sons in to inquire from them as to the complaints of the poor old man, and give them the best reproof I was able. After the father had finished, I inquired of the elder what he had to say, as his father had charged him with beating him with his shoe, and a number of other things. He said, "Sir, my father is so full of rage, we are him. As to the wound he has over unable to live in the house with his eye, he got it when in a great from his seat to beat him, and threw rage with the servant; he jumpt every thing into confusion in the house; and whereas he says I beat him, I only went to the protection of my mother, as he began to abuse her it is, Sir, my father loves no one in his and tear her clothes! I tell you how house but his cow. If the cow eats, he does not care what becomes of us. He is an old man, he ought to subdue his anger, but it gets worse and worse. "The old man says, " Ask the youngest ?" I did, and he corroborated the statement of the former. I begged him to be reconciled to his children, but all was in vain. The joined his hands, and began to entreat elder son came into the room again, the father to be reconciled. The father hardened as the boy melted and humbled himself. The boy fell on his knees, clung about the legs of the fa

* The greatest degradation imaginable is connected with this idea.

ther, and then touched with his fore- | tic, and make satisfactory prohead his father's feet, and then again gress. He concludes with a few clasped his leg. All was unavailing miscellaneous remarks, which we -the old man was quite inexorable. "I only want you to let me alone," give entire; said he," God may pardon you. My liver is broken. What have I to do with you?" The boy holding his leg, and he extricating himself, and getting away from the prostrate son. I have endeavoured to pacify him before, when quarrels have taken place; but this morning all my arguments failed. This benefit, however, arose to me from the incident; the mercy of our Heavenly Father set forth in the parable of the Prodigal Son seemed inexpressibly sweet and forcible by the painful contrast that was before my eyes. Here was a person, without cause, boiling with unmingled rage against the fruit of his body-the son comes, begs forgiveness with suppliant hands and bended knees, prostrates himself, embraces his feet, clings about his legs; but all is unavailing. Our Heavenly Father is offended, insulted, forsaken-and yet his heart melts with pity, buries in oblivion all the remembrance of the past, and with open arms flies to embrace the returning rebel. Thus we see a pleasing comment upon that consoling scripture, ways are not your ways, neither are my thoughts your thoughts, saith the Lord."

CUTWA.

IF schools were set up in all the large places round every Mission station, the blessed results would almost equal those in Europe. Each school would be visited by the Missionary, and, at the same time, the people of the place and their neighbours would hear the word of God; not to say what good might arise from any book or tract left Missionary more respectable, (which at the school; it would also make the is requisite in this country,) and then viewed with much more attention than what might fall from his lips would be otherwise; and above all, the rising receive the word of life. 2nd. Begeneration would be more prepared to sides having worship in my hall with a stated congregation, I have three other stated places of worship; but the congregation is not stated, but fluctuating-the people stand for some time, and then give way to others. The method I take at these places is this; I take two or three of the native readers with me, and then begin by singing a hymn, which collects a number of My people; one of us then reads a portion of scripture, and we all speak to them in succession, and then conclude. My subjects are generally these: 1st, God created man by and for himself, himself from his Creator, which has but man wilfully sinned and separated brought on all the misery that we see in the world; we often bring in portions of their own shasters, to prove good and evil. The last subject is the Redemption by our Lord Jesus Christ, when we prove to them that there is not one man to be found who, continuing in their ways, has forsaken sin; but amongst the followers of Christ we could shew them many who strive to keep from sin, and follow the ways of holiness. These are proofs they can say nothing against, and I have often seen them in tears. These places of

A LATE communication from Mr. W. Carey contains much important intelligence respecting Native Schools-a subject on which, from his long residence entirely among the natives, and thorough knowledge of their language, which is quite as familiar to him as the English, his testimony is of peculiar value. He assures us that there is no difficulty whatever in establishing schools, provided the requisite funds could be obtained; on the contrary, that he has been " perfectly teazed with daily petitions from all quarters" to confer this favour upon them. The scholars under his personal superintendence include the children from Christian, Hindoo, and Mahomedan families, who are instructed in reading, writing, and arithme

worship are attended once a day, if
the weather permits, in rotation. I
should have had more if I could com-
3rd.
mand money to build them.
About a month ago the Serampore
Brethren sent a young man up for
Beerbhoom, who is now there, which
divides this church into two; the
greatest number of the members are
there, and I hope will now be fed with
the bread of life. The Lord prosper
his work in that quarter, and gather in
his chosen from all parts!

BENCOOLEN.

SEVERAL Letters, of various dates, have lately reached us from this station. From one of them we copy the following account of the progress making in the dissemination of tracts and copies of the holy scriptures among the natives.

doubtless appear capable of imparting. Having advanced subjects at the commencement not directly attacking their religious prejudices, and having thereby obtained some measure of attention, a tract has at length beeu prepared on the way of salvation by Christ. It contains a plain statement of the mode of redemption, rather largely illustrated by appropriate figures and parables drawn from topics familiar to the people. It is divided into three parts, the first treating of the universal prevalence of sin; the second of the great question, how can a sinner be saved; and the third of the way of salvation. It will occupy sixty or seventy octavo pages, and we trust will prove a valuable little work for extensive circulation. Of its reception we shall have occasion to speak at a future time.

of Mr. Hutchings's edition, printed at Serampore, amounting altogether, perhaps, to a thousand copies. Of these, about four hundred have been variously disposed of, and from the willing

ALTHOUGH Our further intercourse with the people has developed to us new scenes of vice and wretchedness, it has not been wholly unattended by circumstances of encouragement. The circulation of books, far from terminating in satiated curiosity, appears to have had the effect of exciting attention to the subjects of which they treat, and from the satisfaction afforded to have produced in the minds of. Conceiving the people to be in some some, a desire for additional informa- degree prepared by the previous dis tion. The number distributed this tribution of tracts, and the gospel of quarter falls short of that of the last, St. Matthew, we have, during this on account of our editions being ex- period, given away a considerable hausted, but applications have been number of copies of the New Testamore numerous. These have been ment. Mr. Winter had received chiefly for the works already in circu- several cases of an edition printed in lation, but several inquiries have been a superior style at Haarlem; he had made for new ones. None of our pub-in his possession also, a large supply lications hitherto have been of a religious nature, unless we except the tract on the creation, from the book of Genesis, which, however, the Muhammedans consider a source of the Koran. This circumstance, thoughness with which they have been geneperhaps originally unintentional on our part, has been productive, we hope, of a more extensive demand both for such tracts as have been issued, and for such religious ones as well as others, as may be printed in future. The Malays, from being but little accustomed to read, and on account of the uncertainty of their orthography, are obliged to bestow immense labour before they can comprehend the subject of almost any book. When Philip's question is put, "Under standest thou what thou readest?" the answer is commonly that of the eunuch, "How can I, except some man should guide me?" Sometimes, however, it varies, "How is it possible at the first reading?" Their own manuscripts generally require to be read over several times before they can be understood, and under these circumstances but few perhaps who have received our books would have been disposed to apply a second time, were so much toil rewarded by so little pleasure, as to many, the subjects of an erroneous religion would

rally received, and even the eagerness to obtain them manifested in some cases, we shall doubtless be able in time to distribute the remainder.

The method pursued in distributing both tracts and scriptures, has, by reason of our restricted means, been characterised by economy. It has commonly been as follows-Ten or twenty copies of the New Testament, and fifty or a hundred tracts are carried into the bazar on Sabbath-morning, which being observed as a day of rest from labour by the servants of government, the convicts, and indeed a large portion of the native population, has become a kind of market-day. Haying taken a station in a shop, or some conspicuous place, where a few people are found assembled, a portion of scripture or a tract is read, illustrated, or recommended, and a conversation is entered upon. The number of hearers perhaps gradually increases, and in conclusion, books are offered to each person found on trial qualified to read them. At other times we merely visit the shops, and inquire who in them is