ctures, from
the Annunciation to the Ascension, enables us to take a Hindu round
the church and tell him our Lord's life delightfully in picture story.
The best testimonial to the fidelity and correctness of detail in
these pictures is that they commend themselves entirely to the Eastern
mind. Even quite young Indian boys will turn away from large and gay
cartoons supposed to illustrate correctly some Scripture subject, and
will eagerly study its smaller and more sober counterpart, often
pointing out with much discrimination wherein the large cartoon errs,
and the particular points in which the smaller painting excels.

A young Hindu, who began by being very controversial, after visiting
the church and expressing extreme pleasure at what he saw there,
finished up by saying as he went away: "You Christians believe in your
religion. We Hindus don't believe in ours, and so we are all divided
up."

I asked one of our visitors what work he was doing. He said that as he
had not been able to qualify for Government service, he was not doing
any work. It transpired that he possessed some land, and I asked why
he did not occupy himself usefully by cultivating it. He replied that
he had quarrelled with all his relations, and so there was no one to
help him in its cultivation. As he was married, I said that in the
north of England a farmer and his wife were quite capable of
cultivating a small plot like his, without relations at their elbow.
He said that in India this would be impossible.

As it appeared that he had not been on good terms with his relations
for some years, I said that Hindus were habitually quarrelling and
refusing to forgive, but that a true religion would teach the sin of
remaining for long periods at enmity with others. He answered that
this was one of the weak spots in their religion; that India needed
reform in its methods of trade and other matters; that when it had
been reformed its religion would improve.

I replied that that was beginning at the wrong end, and that before an
effectual reform of morals could take place there must be the
foundation of a true religion.

"Then is Hinduism not the true religion?" he asked.

On my replying in the negative, he said: "If I had time I would prove
to you that it is, only unfortunately my brother will be home
presently and I must go to meet him." And he went away.

Indians, nowadays, are rather inclined to back out when it comes to
solid argument, but they a