we neared Madras, the third largest city of India, the heat began to
oppress us. Up to this time India had been unexpectedly and refreshingly
cool, at night even cold. But now it was unpleasantly warm. The heat
reminded us of the conundrum: "Why is India, although so hot, the
coldest country on the globe?" Answer: "Because the hottest thing in it
is chilly" ("chili" is the peppery sauce which the natives mix with
other spices to form "curry"). We have learned to like curry. I cannot
understand it; but if seems as if the hottest countries needed the
hottest kinds of food. At any rate we had a warm welcome in Madras,
thirteen degrees in latitude above the equator. We were fortunate in
reaching this fine city during the session of all our Baptist
missionaries in the South India, or Telugu, field--that field which a
few years ago witnessed the baptism of 2,222 converts in one day. It
was a remarkable illustration of the family and tribal spirit in
India. We Baptists believe in individual conversions, and we seek
evidence, in every case, of regeneration by the Holy Spirit. But the
coherence of the family and the village is so strong in a heathen
community, that the lot of the individual Christian is often
exceedingly hard. Occasionally there is apostasy. The resistance of an
important man to the gospel makes the persistence of his dependents in
the gospel-way almost impossible.

In some quarters, however, whole families and whole clans have been
blessedly converted, and idolatry has been completely eradicated. In
other cases where mass movements have taken place, certain
missionaries have found it physically impossible to sift out each
doubtful individual, and for safety have demanded that the whole
family or clan or village shall give up idolatry before any single
individual convert has been received for church-membership. To combine
strict faith and practice, according to the New Testament standard,
with a proper respect for local customs and traditions, demands great
wisdom in our missionaries, and makes their conferences very practical
and very necessary. Certain it is that in our Baptist missions abroad
greater care is exercised in receiving members than that to which we
are accustomed in the homeland. The missionary cannot afford to have
false disciples in the flock, if he knows it, for "one sinner
destroyeth much good."

New Year's Day at Madras was full of interest. Lady Pentland, wife of
the governor of the Madras