THE MEMORY OF THE JUST.
By his last will and testament Schwartz left all he had to the mission.
He had never married, and had, therefore, no family obligations to
consider, but a hundred star pagodas, equal to about £43 in English
currency at that time, he directed should be divided amongst his
sister’s children. His two gold watches were to be sold and the
proceeds given to the poor, thirty star pagodas were to go to his
personal servant, and a few silver articles to his friend, Mr.
Kohlhoff, as a token of his hearty love. But, apart from these trifling
specific bequests, all his savings, together with such property as
he had built with his own money, were devoted to the maintenance and
support of the work he loved so well. His own personal needs had always
been few, his life almost ascetic in its simplicity, so that he was
able to put by the allowance from the Government as chaplain to the
soldiers, and yet he was generous to the poor, and always ready to help
young catechists in their studies. As we have seen, he consistently
refused to accept any presents from either European or native rulers to
whom he had been of service, and this in a time and place when fortunes
were easily made and bribes excused redounds greatly to his credit. A
more disinterested and faithful man never served his God and country
better than he.
Serfogee Rajah took immediate steps towards the erection of a monument
to commemorate the virtues of his beloved friend, and, writing to the
Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, begged them at his expense
to have prepared and send a marble monument to his memory to be placed
in the church, and near the pulpit where he preached. He closed his
request with the words, “May you, honourable sirs, ever be enabled to
send to this country such missionaries as are like the late Rev. Mr.
Schwartz!” The work was entrusted to Flaxman, and comprised a beautiful
group in bas relief representing the death-bed scene, where among some
children and friends Serfogee, the Hindu prince, is holding the hand
of his dying friend and receiving his blessing. The inscription is as
follows:--
To the memory of the
REVEREND CHRISTIAN FREDERIC SCHWARTZ,
born at Sonnenburg of Neumark, in the Kingdom of Prussia,
the 26th October, 1726,
and died at Tanjore, the 13th February, 1798,
in the seventy-second year of his age.
Devoted from his early manhood to the office of Missionary in the
East, the similarity of his situation to that of the first preachers
of the Gospel produced in him a similar resemblance to the simple
sanctity of the Apostolic character. His natural vivacity won the
affection, as his unspotted probity and purity of life alike commanded
the reverence, of the Christian, Mohammedan and Hindu; for Sovereign
princes, Hindu and Mohammedan, selected this humble pastor as the
medium of political negotiation with the British Government, and the
very marble which here records his virtues was raised by the liberal
affection and esteem of the Rajah of Tanjore, Maha Raja Serfogee.
[Illustration: SERFOGEE RAJAH’S MONUMENT TO SCHWARTZ]
Still more expressive and touching are the lines which are inscribed
on the granite stone which covers the grave of Schwartz, written and
composed by Serfogee himself, a curiosity as being the only specimen of
English verse ever attempted by a Hindu prince, at any rate up to that
time. After the inscription of name and date, the following are the
lines of poetry:
Firm wast thou, humble and wise,
Honest, pure, free from disguise,
Father of orphans, the widow’s support,
Comfort in sorrow of every sort.
To the benighted, dispenser of Light,
Doing, and pointing to that which is right.
Blessing to princes, to people, to me,
May I, my father, be worthy of thee!
Wisheth and prayeth thy Sarabojee.
It ought to be placed on record that this grateful prince did not
only honour his benefactor by an affectionate epitaph; he showed how
much he revered his memory by building an orphanage and school and
maintaining by his own generosity many poor children, he also gave
every opportunity for his Christian servants to attend the services of
their own Church. He never forgot his friend. When Dr. Buchanan visited
the Rajah some time afterwards he was led up to where the portrait of
Schwartz hung upon the wall of the palace. “He then discoursed,” says
the visitor, “for a considerable time concerning ‘that good man,’ whom
he ever revered as his father and guardian.”
Ten years later Bishop Middleton was also on a visit to Tanjore, and he
also records the fact that “his highness dwelt with evident delight on
the blessings which the heavenly lessons and virtues of Schwartz had
shed upon him and his people,” and a similar expression of grateful
regard occurred on the attendance of Bishop Heber at a durbar when the
Rajah talked warmly about Schwartz, “his dear father.”
It is a source of regret that this Indian prince, with all his sincere
affection for Schwartz and gratitude for his kindness to himself
personally, should not have become a Christian. His attachment to the
memory of the venerable missionary, his support and appreciation of
the Christian work among his people after the death of Schwartz, is
certainly much to his credit so long as it lasted, when we remember
that he lived and died a Hindu surrounded by his Brahmins who would
scarcely regard his sympathies in the direction of Christianity with
any approval. Still, it is disappointing to record that up to the time
of his sudden death in 1834 he never renounced his idolatries, and had
not apparently received into the darkness of his heathen head the Light
of the world.
As a matter of fact there seems good grounds for believing that the
Rajah had in his later days so far forgotten the counsels of his
venerable friend as to relax his kindly interest in the work he left
behind. There is a note in Dr. Brown’s “History of Missions,” vol. i.
p. 162, to this effect:
“We regret to find the following statement by Mr. Winstow, one of the
American missionaries, who visited Tanjore in 1828: ‘The Rajah has
become very unfriendly with the missionaries. He has yielded himself
up to dissipation and given immense sums to the Brahmins, and to the
temples to make himself a Brahmin. His only son is growing up in
ignorance, making no steady application to any study of science.’
(_American Missionary Herald_, vol. xxv. p. 140.)”
In his case, at any rate, he could not excuse his neglect of salvation
on the plea of lack of knowledge.
The directors of the East India Company were equally anxious to
perpetuate the memory of one whom they held in conspicuous honour. What
Serfogee had done at Tanjore they would do in the Church of St. Mary
in Fort St. George, Madras. On 29th October, 1807, by the direction
of the court a letter was written to say that a marble monument by
Bacon was on its way to be erected there in memory of Mr. Schwartz.
“As the most appropriate testimony of the deep sense we entertain of
his transcendent merit, of his unwearied and disinterested labours to
the cause of religion and piety, and the exercise of the finest and
most exalted benevolence, also of his public services at Tanjore,
where the influence of his name and character, through the unbounded
confidence and veneration which they inspired, was for a long course of
years productive of important benefits to the Company.” This beautiful
monument, worthy of a sculptor of such eminence, represented also the
death scene, with the exception that here Serfogee is absent, but one
of the native children is embracing the hand of the dying missionary,
his friend Kohlhoff supporting him by his arm, the figure of an angel
bearing a cross is depicted above. There is also included below the
group, emblems of the pastoral office--the Episcopal Crozier, the
Gospel trumpet with the banners of the Cross, and an open Bible, upon
which is inscribed the divine mandate of all missionary enterprise, “Go
ye unto all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Above is shown the ark of the covenant, and the whole is a most
appropriate and artistic piece of work. The inscription was written by
Mr. Huddleston, then one of the directors of the Company, and a very
intimate and valued friend of Schwartz, and is in these words:
Sacred to the memory of
THE REV. CHRISTIAN FREDERIC SCHWARTZ,
whose life was one continued effort to imitate the example of
his Blessed Master.
Employed as a Protestant missionary from the Government of Denmark,
and in the same character by the Society in England for the Promotion
of Christian Knowledge, he, during a period of fifty years, “went
about doing good,” manifesting, in respect to himself, the most entire
abstraction from temporal views, but embracing every opportunity of
promoting both the temporal and eternal welfare of others. In him
religion appeared not with a gloomy aspect or forbidding mien, but
with a graceful form and placid dignity. Among the many fruits of his
indefatigable labours was the Erection of the Church at Tanjore. The
savings from a small salary were, for many years, devoted to this
pious work, and the remainder of the expense supplied by individuals
at his solicitation. The Christian Seminaries of Ramanadporam and in
the Tinnevelly province were established by him.
BELOVED AND HONOURED BY EUROPEANS,
he was, if possible, held in still deeper reverence by the Natives
of this Country, of every degree and every sect; and their unbounded
confidence in his integrity and truth was, on many occasions, rendered
highly beneficial to the public Service.
THE POOR AND THE INJURED
looked up to him as an unfailing friend and advocate.
THE GREAT AND POWERFUL
concurred in yielding him the highest homage ever paid in this quarter
of the globe to European virtue.
THE LATE HYDER ALI CAWN,
in the midst of a bloody and vindictive war with the Carnatic, sent
orders to his officers “to permit the venerable father Schwartz to
pass unmolested, and show him respect and kindness, for he is a holy
man and means no harm to my Government”.
THE LATE TULJAJEE, RAJAH OF TANJORE,
when on his death-bed, desired to entrust to his protecting care his
adopted son, Serfogee, the present Rajah, with the administration of
all the affairs of his country. On a spot of ground, granted to him by
the same prince, two miles east of Tanjore, he built a house for his
residence and made it
AN ORPHAN ASYLUM.
Here the last twenty years of his life were spent in the Education
and Religious Instruction of Children, particularly those of indigent
parents, whom he gratuitously maintained and instructed; and here,
on the 13th of February, 1798, surrounded by his infant flock and
in the presence of several of his disconsolate brethren, entreating
them to continue to make religion the first object of their care, and
imploring with his last breath the divine blessing on their labours,
he closed his truly Christian career in the 72nd year of his age.
THE EAST INDIA COMPANY,
anxious to perpetuate the memory of such transcendent work,
and gratefully sensible of the public benefits which
resulted from his influence,
Caused this monument to be erected ANN. DOM., 1807.
The removal of Schwartz from his earthly sphere of labour was the
heaviest blow which Christian missions had yet received. His name is
one of the very first to be written in the bede roll of great Indian
missionaries. The Church thanks God for their glorious service, and for
the splendid spirit with which they did their Master’s will. But in the
days when Schwartz closed his great career the missionary cause was
still in its infancy, the pioneer example as regards our own country
was the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, who had so nobly
stood as foster parent to the Danish missionaries in Southern India,
and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, who took over the
work. But a crisis was rapidly approaching, for the enthusiasm which
made Germany hitherto the fount and origin of missionary enterprise
was cooling under the spell of a materialistic wave, a change which
Schwartz did not fail to feel even at his distance from Europe, and
lamented over. He had left behind him some faithful colleagues, in
whose hands the work would be safe, but he foresaw difficulties which
would arise when in their turn--and they were not young men--the
responsibility of pastoral oversight and leading would fall into other
hands.
The loss of Schwartz was felt all the more because he was such a
remarkable personality, one of those men of whom it is fairly admitted
that it is extremely difficult for another to take their place. Many
men can do mighty works, but only the few can beget love and inspire,
not only amongst their friends and converts, but in the hearts of
worldly wise civilians, and the priests of pagan religions, a sincere
and respectful confidence. It may be said in truth of Schwartz that in
both these directions he had no equal in his day.
He was wont to bewail his own imperfections, and those of his letters
which portray the inner reflections of his mind, show his humility, and
how little he thought of himself. But we may take with confidence the
judgment of his contemporaries, who had not only a personal knowledge
of him, but saw with their own eyes the reality of the work he had done
in India.
The Rev. Dr. Kerr, the senior chaplain at Fort St. George, who was
careful to make the fullest inquiry, and to whom was entrusted the
erection of the monument in St. Mary’s Church from the East India
Company, paid him a high tribute in a sermon. Speaking of Schwartz,
after following his honourable career in the East, he sums up his
character in these words:
“Such a course of life, zealously pursued for a long series of years,
and accompanied with that sweetly social disposition for which he was
remarkable, gained him many friends and thousands of admirers. The
blessing of the fatherless and the widow came upon him, and his hope
was gladness. He rejoiced evermore in witnessing the divine effect of
his honest endeavours, and if he did not make converts of all with whom
he associated, he seldom failed to make friends of them with whom he
happened to communicate. Not that he ever compromised a paramount duty
from any false politeness or deference to superior station; for he
decidedly and openly declared the condemnation of all who boldly and
openly set gospel rules at defiance, as often as an opportunity for the
purpose occurred. His reproof, however, was tempered with so much good
nature, the desire of doing good to the offenders was so obviously his
intention, that he seldom provoked the smallest ill-will by the strong
but fatherly remonstrance which irreligious conversation and conduct
frequently drew from him. Indeed, he seemed peculiarly gifted by divine
providence with a happy manner, which enabled him to turn almost every
occurrence, whether great or trivial, to the praise and glory of God.”
With reference to his services as a peace mediator between the
Government and Hyder Ali, and in other similar instances when he was
able to assist in the better government and development of the people,
Dr. Kerr says:
“Amidst such great public undertakings and the high degree of
consideration attached by all ranks of people in this country to Mr.
Schwartz’s character, every road to the gratification of ambition
and avarice was completely open to him. Courted by the prince of the
country in which he resided, reverenced almost to adoration by the
people at large, confidentially employed by the English Government in
objects of the first political importance--to his honour it must be
recorded, that he continued to value those things only as they appeared
likely to prove subservient to his missionary work, as they made funds
to assist him with building of his churches or the establishment of his
schools over the country. With the single eye of the Gospel, he looked
only to the effusion of divine truth, and the glad tidings of salvation
through faith in Jesus Christ. The same principle which raised him
in the public estimation, he continued to cherish in every stage of
his devotion; untarnished by the venality and corruption which from
various quarters it is well known assailed his virtue, he continued
his missionary life carrying his cross and following the steps of his
Divine Master to the end of his earthly being.”
Only three days before his own sudden death, Bishop Heber wrote an
estimation of Schwartz, which is all the more valuable because it
contains a frank admission of a mistaken impression he had previously
formed concerning one side of his character.
“Of Schwartz and his fifty years’ labour among the heathen, the
extraordinary influence and popularity which he acquired, both with
Mussulmans, Hindus, and contesting European Governments, I need give
you no account, except that my idea of him has been raised since
I came in the South of India. I used to suspect that, with many
admirable qualities, there was too great a mixture of intrigue in
his character; that he was too much of a political prophet, and that
the veneration which the heathen paid, and still pay, him, and which
indeed almost regards him as a superior being, putting crowns and
burning lights before his statue, was purchased by some unwarrantable
compromise with their prejudices. I find I was quite mistaken. He
was really one of the most active and fearless, as he was one of the
most successful missionaries who have appeared since the apostles.
To say that he was disinterested in regard to money is nothing; he
was perfectly regardless of power, and renown never seemed to affect
him, even so far as to induce an outward show of humility. His temper
was perfectly simple, open, and cheerful; and in his political
negotiations (employments which he never sought for, but which fell in
his way) he never pretended to impartiality, but acted as the avowed,
though certainly the successful and judicious agent of the orphan
prince entrusted to his care, and from attempting whose conversion to
Christianity he seems to have abstained from a feeling of honour.”
With respect to this closing remark about Serfogee, it is open to
question whether the venerable missionary would have quite appreciated
the compliment the Bishop pays him. It is always a cause for regret
that this Indian prince, the object of so much solicitude on the part
of Schwartz, should, after all, have died a pagan. But the fact of his
not having died a Christian was scarcely due to any lack of pains taken
by Schwartz towards his conversion, and it is still less likely that
he would have avoided pressing upon him the claims of religion from a
delicate sense of honour as his guardian. The evidence is all the other
way, not only as regards Serfogee, but also the old Rajah Tuljajee,
who was unhappily very far from being a Christian. In the case of the
former the many letters, such as a Christian father would write to a
son, from which some quotations have already been given, show that,
though the gospel was continually impressed upon the attention of this
young prince, he clung to his idolatries in spite of these earnest
appeals, backed up, as they were, by a sincere personal affection on
both sides. As regards the old Rajah, it was stated by Mr. Huddleston,
who knew him well, that at one time he was fully convinced of the
truths of the Christian religion, and was on the point of making a
public avowal of it, but the harsh and unjust treatment he received
from the Madras Government, which, of course, being European, had the
reputation of being Christian, entirely turned him against the faith.
One might imagine a mind half made up being thus affected, but, whether
this held him back or not, we know how much he was under the domination
of the Brahmins, and how pathetically he used to address Schwartz as
“his padre.” The real reason for this sad condition spiritually was not
only his attachment to the gods of his fathers, but his love of those
sins which in time broke up his health and ruined his power.
Bishop Wilson of Calcutta in 1839, in giving his charge to his clergy,
speaks in strong terms of recommendation of Schwartz, and in doing so
gives some very interesting personal touches of his daily life.
“Permit me again to recommend the example of this eminent missionary.
The biography of such a man is a _study_, as the artists speak. I have
stood on Schwartz’s grave, I have visited his house, I have been in
the room in which he died; I have seen his garden, his burial ground,
and his mission schools. I have preached twice in his church. Never
can I bless God enough for the honour of being permitted to speak of
the unsearchable riches of Christ in this seat of the missionary’s
labours. The venerable Kohlhoff was under him thirty-five years. He
never knew him angry or indignant, except when any servants of the
Lord were acting inconsistently or timidly--then he was all on fire.
Once Sattianaden threw difficulties in undertaking a journey. Schwartz
was much displeased and dispatched him instantly, with a sharp rebuke
for dishonouring the high calling of Christ. His strength for labour
was wonderful: five duties he performed every Sunday, one of them
being the whole English morning service. He preached twenty or thirty
minutes, and was very affectionate in his manner. He read constantly
his Hebrew Bible and his Greek Testament. Every day he assembled his
catechists and native priests to early prayers, and then sent them
out, ‘You go there,’ ‘You visit such a circle,’ ‘You see how such and
such families are going on.’ They returned about four, and reported
their proceedings. He went himself to the schools, families, residents’
abodes, came in about one and remained at home studying or writing till
four, when the catechists returned. He then took them with him, and
seated himself in the mission churchyard or in his house, according
to the season, and invited the heathen to converse and hear him read
the scriptures. He was mild, but very authoritative; very acute
also in answering their objections, and never allowed himself to be
embarrassed. In the evening he called for his moonshee, and heard him
read the Persian poets or historians, hoping particularly to relieve
his spirits.
“He always inspired respect, no one dared to trifle with him. He had a
good deal of policy and great sagacity on emergencies. His influence
was supreme; his word law; his example and conduct consistent, frank
and benignant, but with a firmness and almost sternness of purpose
which kept all around him in implicit subjection. Mr. Kohlhoff’s
strongest impression is of the authority he had acquired--no one
dared or dreamt of opposing his various missions. He was master
of everything and everybody. He, the father, and all the other
missionaries, catechists, children, his family. Schwartz was, in short,
father, priest, and judge. He was accustomed to say, ‘Will you prefer
my punishment or the Rajah’s?’ ‘Oh, Padre, yours!’ The word was no
sooner said than the sentence was awarded. In the science of governing
mankind and in habits of business he must have resembled Wesley.
“As Mr. Kohlhoff sat by me at dinner, I asked him as to Schwartz’s
general habits. He told me that he rose at five, breakfasted at six or
seven, on a basin of tea made in an open jug, with hot water poured on
it, and some bread cut into it. One half was for himself, the other for
Kohlhoff. The meal lasted not five minutes. He dined on broth and curry
very much as the natives. He never touched wine, except one glass on a
Sunday. What was sometimes sent to him was reserved for the sick. His
temperance was extraordinary, habitual, and enjoined on his catechists
and brethren. He supped at eight, and after reading a chapter in the
Hebrew Bible in private, and his own devotions, retired to rest about
ten.”
In making a final estimate of Schwartz, gathering from the elements of
evidence before us some means of judging his character, one cannot help
feeling that he stood midway between the missionaries who preceded him
and those who were to succeed him. The old order was soon to change.
For many years the Danish Mission, brave pioneers struggling against
many difficulties, had represented, not unworthily, the cause of
Christianity in India. They were under disadvantages, limited in the
area of their work by the political turmoil of the time, and also a
little straitened in themselves. It is not to be expected that these
early confessors of the faith could exercise the same judgment and
fertility of resource which are the characteristics of the modern
missionary. Their training at Halle was thorough enough, they held a
sound theology, exercised a simple faith, with great diligence they
acquired the Tamil and other languages necessary for their work, and
they had a burning zeal for the salvation of the heathen. But they had
no missionary literature to lead and instruct them, and, until Schultze
came back to Halle, they had no experienced missionary to explain
the nature of their work, and how to meet its difficulties. They
also lacked that invaluable element of supervision and control which
a Committee at the back of the workers affords at home, and which,
though not without some disadvantages for which the frailty of human
judgment is responsible, is acknowledged to be a strength to missionary
enterprise. To a certain extent every man, and they were few, was a
law unto himself. We are not forgetful of the fact that in the days
of Ziegenbalg, his end was hastened by the arrogance of a missionary
board at Copenhagen, under the domination of a self-opinionated tyrant,
and that his able coadjutor Gründler also died of a broken heart
from the same cause. But until the Society for Promoting Christian
Knowledge took over the workers, not only providing the sinews of
war, but the still more effective counsel and prayer, they went on
their way, fighting their battles, bearing their burdens, sometimes
making their blunders, doing the best they could on the spot according
to their realization of the immediate need. Even when Schwartz came
upon the scene the simplicity and independence of the work as a
Lutheran Evangelical mission was still maintained. One of the leading
missionaries of to-day describes the position of the work in those old
days in the following words:
“The missionaries themselves used to confirm and meet together for
ordinations. The catechists used to baptize. Each congregation was
independent, and ruled by its own missionary, although the missionaries
would occasionally meet, as it were, in synod, and were in the habit
of accepting guidance of any more prominent men, as, for example,
of Schwartz, whom his brother missionaries always regarded as their
spiritual father, and created into a quasi-bishop. Each missionary
in local affairs was assisted by his catechists, who, under his
presidency, formed a sort of disciplinary council, the decisions of
which in various matters brought before them were usually confirmed by
the civil power. The missionary was, in fact, regarded as the head of
the community, in the same principle as native headmen were recognized,
and was permitted to fine, flog, and otherwise punish offenders
belonging to his community.”
It is not surprising that under this rather complex system of
self-government, without lines of direct communication with England,
Denmark, and Germany, a born administrator like Schwartz should have
been looked up to with reverence and confidence. For he had the faculty
of managing men with cheerfulness, and yet, as one had said of him,
Schwartz commanded instant respect to his wishes, and made others feel
their inferiority without any sense of fear. He had a personal charm,
the power of exercising a powerful influence which inspired confidence,
even with those natives who were ready to distrust everything European.
He never lost touch with his people. One who knew him well in his
relation to others reveals the secret of his great influence. “They
saw,” he says, “other Europeans in succession lift themselves from
obscurity and humble stations to affluence, rank and power, then
disappear and others take their places, but none taking any interest in
their welfare or making use of them except as a means of accomplishing
their own aggrandizement, but _Schwartz remained with them_. In him
they always saw the same unaspiring meekness, and found in him the same
kind and disinterested friend. What could the natives of India among
whom he lived conclude respecting such a man, but that which they did
conclude, and which was a common observation among them when he was
spoken of, namely, that he was unlike and superior to all other men!”
His very abilities and influence drew him within the dangerous zone
of political affairs, and the fact that he stood so well with the
powers that were the representatives of the British Government, might
well have corrupted a man of less principle and sincerity. It may be
said of him that he sat at the tables of rich men and talked on equal
terms with the ambitious spirits of his time, but he kept his piety
and simplicity through it all. They trusted his sagacity and leaned on
his judgment in difficult situations, but they knew he was not to be
bribed, and that he kept a clean hand. He was a scholar, and had a good
knowledge of the classics, of German literature; he was also master of
Hebrew, Tamil, Persian, Hindustani, Mahratta, and the Indo-Portuguese
languages. There is no doubt that his linguistic powers were very
helpful to him, as we have seen, they so often enabled him to get past
the crafty Brahmins, and converse with the Rajah or the Pariah alike in
their own tongue about the truths of Christianity.
While he promoted the growth of a native ministry and took great pains
to train his catechists to a point of efficiency, he was not disposed
to believe that India could ever dispense with European missionaries,
who carried with them a weight of influence and respect which a native,
however worthy, could not successfully obtain. At the same time he
foresaw the importance and necessity of a native ministry under the
jurisdiction of English leaders. This was shown in the ordination,
by the rites of the Lutheran Church, of Sattianaden, who lived to a
ripe old age, and was eminently useful in the work, and whose office
as minister was cordially sanctioned by the Society for Promoting
Christian Knowledge. It is a fact sometimes hardly appreciated that a
great part of almost every day was spent by Schwartz in training his
catechists for the work of the ministry. There existed then no colleges
to undertake this important duty, and the remote possibility that one
day in India native clergy would hold their degrees from Oxford and
Cambridge never entered into his wildest dreams. He was content and
happy to do his part, and in doing this so faithfully he was preparing
the way for the wonderful developments in the service of natives which
should come in the future.
As a matter of fact, although there was a growing appreciation of the
value of utilising native converts as catechists and helpers in the
days following Schwartz, there appears to have been a corresponding
reluctance to ordain them, save in exceptional cases, to the work of
the ministry. The day of a native clergy dawned slowly. We have it
on record that, so far nearer our present time as 1851, “although
there were over 493 catechists and preachers there were under all the
societies at work in India only twenty-one ordained native pastors.”
The extreme care and thoroughness of Schwartz in his training of a
native agency was justified, and followed by the higher educational
and intellectual preparation set on foot by the wise policy of the
missionary societies. However it may answer elsewhere, it was not
sufficient for work in India that the native should go forth with
the simple equipment of an earnest heart and the Gospel message. Dr.
Richter, in his invaluable “History of Missions,” puts the case clearly
enough when he says:
“The man who attempted a discussion with either a Hindu or a
Mohammedan at a mela or in the bazaar was as good as done for if his
intellectual equipments were not equal or superior to that of his
adversary; and such an equipment means not only a thorough knowledge
of the Scriptures, but also an intimate acquaintance with the sacred
literature of his opponents, when possible in the original languages,
and sufficient theological and dialectic training to measure the
distance against their system of religion. Further, it lay in the
very nature of things that converts from high castes, who had only
found the pearl of great price after long and sore conflict, should
themselves burn with desire to commend this great treasure to their
fellow-countrymen, and that as educated men they not only possessed the
ability to profit by, but likewise might equitably claim a thorough
theological training.”
In the case of a high caste Brahmin convert, we can easily see that the
equipment as regards knowledge of his old creed is ready-made, but with
a lower caste, say a Pariah, it would be obviously almost as difficult
to acquire as with a European missionary. The question is one of great
difficulty, and involves issues which affect the true and effective
preparation of the western, as well as the eastern worker in India.
No one can, however, read the letters and journals of Schwartz without
recognizing that he solved the problem. A trained mind, an unwavering
faith in God, a complete mastery of Brahmin literature, a still better
knowledge of his Bible, the engaging art of winning the hearts of
his hearers, a never flinching denunciation of idolatry and sin, a
willingness to listen and to sympathize, an absolute fidelity to the
Christian doctrine, a yearning love for the souls of men, a meek yet
passionate love for the Saviour, these were the constituents of his
character and service. Is it any wonder that they loved and trusted
him? They gave him many titles of respect and honour, some very tender,
but when with reverence they called him “The Christian,” that name was
the best of all.
INDEX.
Agbgbar, 2.
Ahlikar, the king’s, 81.
Alexander, 156.
Alfred, King of England, 9.
Ameer Sing, Rajah of Tanjore, 132 f., 134, 135 f., 143, 164 f.
Anderson, Dr., 173.
Athelstan, 9.
Baldeus, 66.
Boehme, A. W., 20.
Bövingh, 19, 21.
Brahmins, 18, 63, 68 ff., 79, 82 f., 93 f., 107, 108, 110, 111,
134 f., 145 f., 166 f.
Brown, Dr., “History of Missions,” 186.
Buchanan, Dr., 149, 185.
Caemmerer, 137, 179.
Campbell, Lady, 133.
-- Montgomery, 149 ff.
-- Sir Archibald, 151, 152, 165.
Carnatic, Nabob of, 105, 106, 112, 114.
Caste, 25 f., 134.
Catechists, 134, 171, 198 f.
Ceylon, 8, 16, 65 ff.
Chambers, Wm., 73 ff., 98, 125.
Chengis, Khan, 9.
Churches built, 18, 24, 77, 125.
Clive, 58.
Cochin, 3.
Converts, difficulty of maintaining, 53 f., 139, 146, 148, 153.
Copenhagen Missionary Board, 23.
Cornwallis, Lord, 143, 164.
Coromandal coast, 5.
Cosmas Indicopleustes, 7 f.
Cottayam, Church of, 5.
Craithwaite, Colonel, 154.
Dame, 75.
Danish Mission, 16, 19, 20, 27, 189, 195 ff.
Demetrius, Bp., 6 f.
Dominicans, 11.
Dubois, Abbé, 158 f.
Dupleix, 58.
Dutch Missionaries, 16.
East India Company, 35, 106, 114, 146 f., 153, 186.
European life, 51, 84 ff., 117, 125.
Eusebius, 5 f.
Fabricius, Philipp, 26, 33, 64.
Fisher, 147.
Floyd, General, 173.
Franciscans, 11.
Francke, Prof. A. H., 17, 31, 32, 128.
Frederick IV., King of Denmark, 16, 21 f.
Fullerton, Colonel, 120, 121.
Gama, Vasco da, 12.
Geister, 25.
George I., King of England, 22.
Goa, 4, 12, 13, 14.
Gondophares, King, 4.
Gründler, 19, 22, 24, 196.
Halle, 17, 25, 31, 195 f.
Hassius, 18 f.
Hastings, Warren, 119 f.
Heber, Bishop, 185, 191.
Henry, Prince, 9.
Hobart, Lord, 165.
Holtzberg, 179.
Huddleston, 114, 129, 132, 140, 187, 193.
Hüttemann, G. H., 34, 64.
Hyder Ali, 79, 107, 108 ff., 117 ff., 120.
Jaenické, J. D., 136, 151, 155, 174, 177, 180, 182.
Jerusalem (New) Church, 18, 24, 46.
Jesuits, 12, 16.
Jordan, 19.
Jordanus, 11.
Kanabadi, 19.
Keistenmacher, 25.
Kennedy, Dr., 174.
Kerr, Dr., 190.
Kiernander, 45 f.
Kinsey, Captain, 173.
Kohlhoff, 54, 62, 63, 130, 174, 183, 193 ff.
Kranganur, 4.
Kubla Khan, 9.
Lally, Count, 63.
Loyola, Ignatius, 12.
Lütkens, Dr., 16, 17.
Macartney, Lord, 121.
Macpherson, Sir John, 127.
“Madras Courier,” 153.
Madura, siege of, 72.
Mahomed Issoof, 72.
Malabar coast, Church on the, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11.
Martyn, Henry, 157, 167, 173.
Matthieson, 36.
Middleton, Bishop, 185.
Ministry, native, 26, 198 f.
Mysore, King of, 108 f.
Nestorians, 8, 11.
Paezold, 144.
Pandarams, 64, 83 f.
Pantaenus, 5 ff.
Pariahs, 26, 134 f., 151.
Petrie, 135.
Plütschau, Henry, 17, 19, 24, 60.
Point Pedro, 66.
Polo, Marco, 9, 11.
Poltzenhagen, David, 34.
Prayer Book, English, 27.
Pressier, 26.
Printing Press sent to India, 20.
Rajanaiken, 26.
Richter, Dr., “History of Missions,” 199.
Roman Catholics, 16, 33, 61, 63, 71 f., 82, 91, 157 ff.
Rumbold, Sir Thomas, 107.
St. Bartholomew, 5, 7.
St. Mary’s Church, Fort St. George, Madras, 186, 190.
St. Matthew’s Gospel, 5, 7.
St. Stephen, 7.
St. Thomas, 3, 4, 11.
St. Thomas’ Mount, 5.
Sartorius, 25.
Sattianaden, 108, 136, 194, 198.
Schools, 24, 54, 115, 133 f., 136, 155, 170 f., 185.
Schultze, Benjamin, 24 f., 31, 32, 196.
Schwartz, Christian Frederick, appearance, 73 f.
arrival in India, 45.
character, 59, 189, 197 f., 200.
contemporary opinion, 121, 129, 136, 137 ff., 142 f., 144 f., 151,
152, 165, 190 ff.
death, 173, 182.
early life, 28 ff.
general habits, 194, 195.
in England, 34 ff.
last illness, 172 ff.
linguist, 48, 68, 74 f., 107, 139, 145, 198.
monuments, 183 ff., 186 ff.
money, 75 f., 77, 107, 108, 114, 115, 138, 144, 183, 198.
politics, 105, 107 ff., 127, 129, 132, 135, 138, 144, 198.
sermons, 122 f.
views on marriage, 156 f.
Serfogee, Rajah of Tanjore, 131 f., 135, 143 f., 153 ff., 164 f.,
175 f., 182, 183 ff., 192 f.
Shasters, 95, 133.
Sighelm, 8 f.
Smith, General, 104.
S.P.C.K., 19, 20, 22, 25, 27, 34, 73, 106, 128, 136, 138, 149, 153,
174, 177, 184, 189, 196, 198.
S.P.G., 20, 189.
Soldiers, English, 80 f., 103, 129, 169.
Stralsund, 21.
Stuart, Colonel, 132.
Sudras, 26.
Syrian Church, 8, 11, 15.
Teignmouth, Lord, 164 f.
Thaddeus, 3.
Thomas Cananaus, 4.
Tippoo, 120 f.
Translation work, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 32.
Tuljajee, Rajah of Tanjore, 61, 90 ff., 104 ff., 127, 129 f., 131 f.,
192 f.
Wake, Archbishop, 22.
Walther, 26.
Wesleys, 39, 195.
Wiedebroeck, 46.
Wilberforce, 149.
Wilson, Bishop, 193.
Xavier, Francis, 12 ff.
Ziegenbalg, Bartholomew, 16 ff., 21 ff., 55 f., 60, 196.
Ziegenhagen, W., 35 f.
Zion Church, 24.
* * * * *
Transcriber’s note
Minor punctuation errors have been changed without notice.
Page number references in the index are as published in the original
publication and have not been checked for accuracy in this eBook.
Page 24: “to leave Tanquebar” “to leave Tranquebar”
Page 29: “clergyman who perfomed” “clergyman who performed”
Page 137: “gentle exhortions” “gentle exhortations”
Page 167: “after rightousness” “after righteousness”