DR. SCUDDER'S
TALES FOR LITTLE READERS,
ABOUT THE HEATHEN.
1849
The following work, so far as the Hindoos are concerned, is principally
a compilation from the writings of Duff, Dubois, and others.
Should the eyes of any Christian father or mother rest upon it, I would
ask them if they have not a son or a daughter to dedicate to the
_missionary_ work. The duty of devoting themselves to this work of
Christ, or at least, of consecrating to it their money, their efforts,
and their prayers, is the great duty to be perseveringly and prayerfully
impressed on the minds of our children. A generation thus trained would,
with aid from on high, soon effect the moral revolution of the world.
Blessed will be that father, blessed will be that mother, who shall take
any part in such a training. And I would add, too, blessed will be that
pastor, and blessed will be that Sabbath-school teacher, who shall come
up to their help.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
General Remarks
CHAPTER II.
The Color and Ornaments of the Hindoos
CHAPTER III.
Dress, Houses, Eating, and Salutation of the Hindoos
CHAPTER IV.
Marriage among the Hindoos
CHAPTER V.
Death and Funerals among the Hindoos
CHAPTER VI.
The Gods of the Hindoos
CHAPTER VII.
The Three Hundred and Thirty Millions of the Gods of the Hindoos--The
Creation of the Universe--The Transmigration of Souls--The different
Hells
CHAPTER VIII.
Hindoo Castes
CHAPTER IX.
Hindoo Temples--Cars--Procession of Idols
CHAPTER X.
Festivals of the Hindoos
CHAPTER XI.
The worship of the Serpent
CHAPTER XII.
The River Ganges
CHAPTER XIII.
The Goddess Durga
CHAPTER XIV.
The Goddess Karle
CHAPTER XV.
Self-tortures of the Hindoos
Chapter XVI.
The Suttee, or Burning of Widows
CHAPTER XVII.
The revengeful Nature of the Hindoo Religion
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Deception of the Hindoos
CHAPTER XIX.
Superstition of the Hindoos
CHAPTER XX.
Burmah, China, etc., etc.
CHAPTER XXI.
The duty of Praying and Contributing for the Spread of the Gospel
CHAPTER XXII.
Personal Labors among the Heathen
CHAPTER XXIII.
Success of the Gospel in India and Ceylon
DR. SCUDDER'S
TALES FOR LITTLE READERS,
ABOUT THE HEATHEN.
CHAPTER I.
GENERAL REMARKS
My dear children--When I was a little boy, my dear mother taught me,
with the exception of the last line, the following prayer:
"Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take;
And this I ask for Jesus' sake."
Though I am now more than fifty years old, I often like to say this
prayer before I go to sleep. Have you ever learned it, my dear
children? If you have not, I hope that you will learn it _now_; and I
hope, too, that when you say your other prayers at night, you will also
say this. I think that you would be glad to see how this prayer looks in
the Tamul language--the language in which I am now preaching the Gospel,
and in which I hope that some of you will hereafter tell the heathen of
the Saviour. The following is a translation of it:
[Illustration: The Lord's Prayer in Tamul]
I wish that all the little heathen children knew this prayer; but their
fathers and mothers do not teach it to them. Their fathers and mothers
teach them to pray to gods of gold, or brass, or stone. They take them,
while they are very young, to their temples, and teach them to put up
their hands before an idol, and say, "Swammie." Swammie means Lord. As
idolatry is the root of all sin, these children, as you may suppose, in
early life become very wicked. They disobey their parents, speak bad
words, call ill names, swear, steal, and tell lies. They also throw
themselves on the ground in anger, and in their rage they tear their
hair, or throw dirt over their heads, and do many other wicked things.
Let me give you an instance, to show you how they will speak bad words.
A few months ago, a little girl about twelve years of age was brought to
me, with two tumors in her back. To cut them out, I had to make an
incision about eight inches in length; and as one of these tumors had
extended under the shoulder-blade she suffered much before the operation
was finished. While I was operating she cried out, "I will pull out my
eyes." "I will pull out my tongue." "Kurn kertta tayvun." The
translation of this is, "The blind-eyed god." By this expression, she
meant to say, "What kind of a god are you, not to look upon me, and help
me in my distress?" If this little girl had had a Christian father to
teach her to love the Saviour, she would not have used such bad
language. But this father was even more wicked than his daughter,
inasmuch as those who grow old in sin, are worse than those who have not
sinned so long. I never saw a more hard-hearted parent. That he was so,
will appear from his conduct after the operation was finished. He left
his daughter, and went off to his home, about forty miles distant.
Before going, he said to his wife, or to one who came with her, "If the
child gets well, bring her home; if she dies, take her away and bury
her."
I hope, my dear children, that when you think of the wicked little girl
just mentioned, you will be warned never to speak bad words. God will be
very angry with you, if you do. Did you never read what is said in 2
Kings, 2d chapter and 23d verse, about the little children who mocked
the prophet Elijah, and spoke bad words to him. O, how sorry must they
have felt for their conduct, when they saw the paws of those great bears
lifted up to tear them in pieces, and which did tear them in pieces.
Besides all this, little children who speak bad words can never go to
heaven. God will cast them into the great fire. Have you ever spoken bad
words? If so, God is angry with you, and he will not forgive you unless
you are sorry that you have done so, and seek his forgiveness through
the blood of his dear Son.