RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Missions to the Heathen
centage are Christians, and of the native pastors, the most eminent are from the higher castes. There are, moreover, among them not a few secret Christians who lack the courage for open adherence. It must be admitted, nevertheless, that the number of the religiously indifferent is growing among them, and even of the entirely unbelieving, and these are more difficult to reach than orthodox Hindus. In British Ceylon, whose population follow either a corrupt Hinduism or Buddhism or a barbarous demon worship, the old Dutch Mission has scarcely left a trace, and it is only since the second decade of the nineteenth century that a genuine Evangelical mission has been established under the auspices of the Anglicans, Wesleyan Methodists, Baptists, and of the American Board, and these are active in educational work. The labor is concentrated about the district of Jaffna in the north, Candy in the center, and Colombo and Galle in the southwest and south, and there are about 36,000 Christians.
5. Non-British Upper India: This is but little occupied by the Evangelical mission. That part of Indo-China which is under French control is exclusively a field of the French missions. In Siam and Laos the Americans and Presbyterians have succeeded in gathering in this very difficult field a few small communities with altogether perhaps 15,000 Christians. In Malacca, where Singapore is the principal station, the Anglicans, the English Presbyterians and Methodists, as well as different independent missionaries, have assembled about 2,500 Christians. For a review of India, statistics, and other important matter, see India.
6. Malay Archipelago: The Malay Archipelago in the possession of Holland is for the greater part Mohammedan and is the field of labor of the Dutch and of the Rhenish and Neukirchen missionary societies. While these prosecute mission work proper among the heathen and Mohammedan population, the Protestant Church in Dutch India has undertaken the charge of the already established communities, partly derived from the old colonial mission and partly ceded to the Church by the missionary societies; they number together 274,000 Christians. On the Talaut and Sanjir Islands 55,000 have been gathered by missionaries of the Gossner Society, while the Dutch missionary societies show about 24,000, and the Neukirchen mission in central Java has gathered 1,000 Christians. The results of the Rhenish Mission among the Batak in Sumatra are very important — about 90,000 baptized. Here an excellently organized Christian Church is in process of growth; it has numerous native teachers and ordained pastors in its service and is nearly selfsupporting. The arch enemy is Islam, but from its followers also a few thousands have been won. On Nias, where the Rhenish Mission has been settled since 1865, there is now a great Christian movement, nearly 11,000 are baptized and 4,000 are among the catechumens. In Borneo, on the contrary, which was taken possession of in 1835 by the Rhenish Mission, and where seven missionaries were murdered in a bloody insurrection in 1859, the results up to date have been very slight; the number of the baptized has just passed 2,000 in
British North Borneo; the Society for the Propa gation of the Gospel has worked since 1848 not without success among the Jaks, reporting 3,000 baptized. The total number of Evangelical Christians in the Malay Archipelago is 472,000.
7. China: See China, II., 3, §§ 1-7.
8. Korea: See the article Korea.
9. Japan: See the article Japan.
Summary op the Results or the Asiatic Missions.
„.,.,_,. , _ , Christians.
British India and Ceylon 1,195,000
Non-British Upper-India ' 9^500
Malay Archipelago 472^000
China, with Korea 398500
Japan 71300
Total 2,146,800
10. Oceania: The South Sea Missions, inspired by Cook's discoveries, have extended gradually over all the South Sea Islands, starting from Tahiti, where the London Missionary Society established itself in 1797. The American Board, the Church Missionary Society, the Melanesian, the Wesleyan Methodists, the Scotch and Canadian Presbyterians, the Paris and some German missionary societies also occupy the field. Polynesia is for the most part already Christianized. In the Hawaiian Islands (q.v.), the American Board began in 1820 its work of Christianization and in 1870 the work was declared completed. Hurried away by its zeal for doctrinal independence, the American Board left the young mission church to itself, although it was not yet ripe for self-government, and the consequence was a reaction, both within and without. Of 38,000 Christians, full-blooded and half-breed natives, scarcely 15,000 remained in that Church; others went over to the Anglican Mission, which later entered this field, or became Catholics; a part may also have relapsed to heathenism. Among the numerous Japanese and Chinese immigrants some conversions have been made. The Evangelical mission had an eventful history in the three groups of the Society Islands, especially in Tahiti. In 1815 the complete victory of King Pomare helped the Christian party to power; in 1826 the conversion en masse began; in 1836, the Catholic propaganda forced its way into the field; in 1842, a French protectorate was proclaimed, and lastly, in 1863, the Paris Missionary Society in Tahiti had to relieve the London Missionary Society, and in 1887 also in Rajatea. The former has now in its care all the 11,000 converted natives. The whole English Hervey Archipelago, of which Raratonga was made widely known by John Williams (q.v.), has been Christianized by the London Missionary Society, with its 9,000 church members. The same is the case with the Samoan group, now mostly German; but here, besides the London Missionary Society, the Wesleyan Methodists were also active, reporting 32,000 converts. Principally by native teachers from Raratonga and Samoa, the Takelan, the Ellice and southern Gilbert Islands are all, at least for the greater part, Christianized. The London Missionary Society counts here about 11,000 Christians. By the Wesleyan Methodists, the neighboring Tonga Islands have also been thoroughly Christianized, with their 17,000 converts. In the Witi Archipelago Wesleyan Methodists gathered 98,000
Missions to the Heathen