I India and China; that comparatively the easiest work was given to the churches at first, in the jirocess of which they might solve the great problems of mis- sionary measures and economies preparatory to the greater work awaiting them in larger and in sonie re- spects more difiicult fields.
The marvellous rise and progress of civilization in Australia during the last half-century is largely due to missionarj' effort. Three generations ago there was not a civilized man on the Australian continent, nor in the adjacent islands of Tasmania and New Zea- land. Now there are two millions of Knglisii->peaking Protestants, in the enjoyment of a good govcrnnuMit, a free press, and all the immunities of liberty, education, art, and commerce. The influence wliicii the Austra- lian colonies will eventually exert upon Polynesia and the Asiatic nations, from Japan to India, as well as upon the Indian Archipelago and New CJuinca, cannot fail to be great. Tliere is, moreover, every reason to hope that it may be both good and Ciiristian. In no communities does there exist a greater desire for the
, spread of education and the circulation of sound liter- ature. In Sydney, Jlclbourne, and Adelaide there are excellent public libraries. Whatever disadvantages were fastened upon those regions by the original plan and effort of England to populate them with trans-
MISSIONS
379
MISSIONS
S.unUpi .Gnqua iV^ a^ / JT >'| " 'i pljennaritzburg 3.4.T.n. X S C. -^^ •?4i -- -^^ Port Natal 1,3,4,
SOUTH
C O L O K '^<Cp^^T^,fs^
.-^vA-^ °^^-^.'^*^o.„ AFRICA
C.Agulhaa
200 300 400
]. Am. Board (Cons.). 2. Eng. Church M. S. 3. Encr. Soc. Prop. Gospel. 4. Eng. Wesleyan M. S. 5. Bug. London M.S. 6. EnJ. Moravian M. IS. T. Scotch Free Church M. S. 8. Scotch United Presb. M. S. O.Berlin M. S. 10. Rhine M. S. 11. Herraauusburg M. S. 12. French Evan. M. S. 13. Norwegian M. S. 14. Holland Ref. of Natal M.S.
ported criminals, have now been largeh^ if not wholly counteracted. Indeed, it is asserted by English writ- ers that there is on the whole a larger proportion of ■well-informed, educated people in the Australian colo- nies than among tlie same number of people in Great Britain, while the religious feeling is fully equal. The proportion of the aboriginal population is now not only small, but, notwithstanding all influences, growing rel- atively less, so that the missionary activity of Austra- lian Christians maj^ be expected to seek fields in the surrounding countries in the midst of which they are placed.
As the voyage of Columbus, by which America was discovered, and manj' of the expeditions hj which the New World was opened up to settlement, were in a certain sense missionary in their character, so from that day down to the present, missionary effort has been making geographical explorations, and increas- ing both the extent and thoroughness of geographical knowledge. Of this the expeditions and journeys of Livingstone in Africa are a striking proof and illustra,- tion. Moreover, the influence which missions have exerted, and are now more than ever promising to ex- ert over vast portions of the earth, renders the subject of missionary occupation in various countries one of pe- culiar interest. For a full illustration of this subject nothing less than a missionarj' map of the world is requisite ; nevertheless, very suggestive indications are practicable on a condensed scale, like those here- with presented to the reader. Without any attempt to show the island world of the southern hemisphere, to which reference has been made above, a miniature outline of India is first introduced, followed by similar outlines of other important fields, to which, for lack of space, we cannot further allude.
It would be diflicult, even with the largest map, to
impress the mind adequately' with the extent and im- portance of India. Tliat ancient country embraces a territorj' twenty-three times as large as England, and, leaving out Russia and Scandinavia, equal in extent to all Europe. It contains twentA'-one races and thirty- five nations, while its inhabitants speak fifty-one dif- ferent languages and dialects. Its population, ac- cording to the census of 1872, is 237,552,958, of which number 191,300,000 are directly governed by British rulers, and 46,250,000 by native governments depend- ent upon the British.
Notwithstanding some praiseworthy efforts to intro- duce the Gospel into India during the 18th centurj', all such efforts were opposea, and to a great extent neutralized, bj' the East India Company, which then practically ruled the country in the name of Great Britain. It was not till 1815 that toleration was ob- tained for missions in India from the British Parlia- ment. Since that period diligent efforts have been made, both by English and American Christians, to antagonize idolatry, and introduce Christian truth and worship by all appropriate means. Yet the govern- ment connection with idolatrous worship was not fully withdrawn till 1849.
A most interesting exhibit of the work and influence of missions in India may be found in a Parliamentary Blue-book ordered to be printed by the House of Com- mons, April 2, 1873. From it the following facts are abridged and copied :
"The Protestant missions of India, Burmah, and Cey- lon are maintained by 35 missionary societies, in addition to local agencies. They employ the services of 60G foreign missionaries. They o'ccnpy 522 principal stations and 2.')00 subordinate stations. A great impulse was given to these societies by the changes in public policy inaugu- rated by the charter of 1S33, and since that period the number of missionaries and the outlay on their missions have contiuued steadily to increase."