three months. The course is as follows: written examination and oral; Tamil letter, sermon, and prayer; translation of a chapter in a Tamil story-book; translation from the Tamil gospels; translation from Todd's "Lectures to Children" into Tamil; conversation with a native; exposition of some passage, oral. The sermon. will be the hardest, and I shall have to study hard to get through. There is little doubt that I shall be stationed at Periakulam, and, indeed, the station was divided to-day.

[TO HORACE E. SCUDDER.]

MADURA, Sept. 19, 1861.

Mission meeting is just over. You would have been interested in the business meetings. I can see how residence in a mission may tend to educate one into a man. You are among equals, and must at once be independent and yielding. Important questions constantly arise, affecting radically the future of the church in India. Moreover, you are placed in quite absolute control of a dozen or twenty men and their congregations, whom you are to oversee, care for, and train. No slight matter this, and a new-comer would, I think, be impressed with the soberness which seems to be the natural atmosphere of a mission meeting. Grave questions come up, and you cannot possibly shirk them. I shrink from assuming these responsibilities, and the mission has put off the day for three months by the new resolve that no new missionary shall have a station assigned him until he has passed a certain examination, satisfactorily to two examiners. He is allowed a year to study up. The examination is difficult, but I am preparing for a trial in December next. I

like the plan, it will raise the grade of qualification. For one thing I am to be able to translate any of Todd's stories. I like this part; indeed, it was entered at my suggestion. I begin to look forward to the preparation of some simple Biblical work for children. My history of Madura Mission too is on my mind.

Oh, H. ! do step in and chat, won't you? You hear nothing but confused native songs, and better, chirps of crickets. My fluid lamp burns brightly; it is n't so very different from home, save the wild song of natives passing by. I never knew such singers: they sing perpetually. Tell me all criticisms of " Bib. Sacra" articles. Few enough they will be, and I presume I should be better critic myself than any of them. But do come in. How I wish you would. Come, and I'll show you heaps of "Types." Do come. Oh that I could see you!

[JOURNAL LETTER.]

SEPT. 20.

I have been to see a temple of Pilliyar at the foot of Secanda-malie (Iskander - Alexander, or else Scanda, a Hindû deity-mountain). It lies at the foot of this enormous rock, well called a mountain. Rising sheer out of a wide plain, it is a striking feature in the scenery here. It was dark when we went there, and I have not time to describe what we did see, but it seemed wild to be groping our way about in this old building, which the priests were lighting with dim lamps. The tall pillars, lofty roof, uncouth and fantastic sculpture, and an elephant or two close by your side, all impress one most peculiarly. But my first feelings of curiosity, at the sight of temples and worship of idols, are fast giving place to a sentiment of disgust and

aversion. You cannot ride a quarter of a mile in any direction without coming upon some unsightly, dirty, filthy image, and to associate that with any sort of religious worship of human beings is to the last degree offensive to one's feelings. But I am impressed more with the deep, unfathomably deep degradation of the people than with their criminality. Criminal they undoubtedly are; but if we compare them with the masses at home, we cannot, I think, deny that the great condemnation rests upon the latter. According to Christ, the great fault of men, that of which they are to be convinced by the Holy Spirit, is unbelief in Him. Certainly then the strength of unbelief is to be measured by the weight of opposing evidence, in spite of which the unbelief is persisted in. Weighed by this test, the Hindûs are not as culpable as merely nominal Christians at home. They will be condemned, if condemned at all, on account of unbelief in a God who is to the great body but dimly revealed. People of Christian lands, if condemned, will be so on the ground that they believe neither the Father nor the Son, though all evidence possible, consistent with moral discipline, has been granted.

SEPT. 24.

I have been more than usually saddened to-day by what I have seen of heathenism. I sauntered out for a walk about the great temple. I cannot tell you how I went, or take you with me, without being too minute now. But entering through the great portico, under a pagoda which towers up more than a hundred feet, passing through rows of the goddesses of plenty, before whom were bazaar-men selling their commodities, I stopped to look awhile at the huge holy elephants

which were fanning themselves with banian-branches. They trumpeted for me, and I left, stepping by a poor woman who was bowing her head to the stone floor, and teaching her little child to do likewise; walked by one side of a famous tank in which men were washing their clothes, looked at the absurd paintings on the walls of the covered way, illustrations of local history, magnified by myth, until I had gone as far within the temple as unbelievers are permitted to go. When I reached the spot there was a fearful din of drums and shrill fifes and noisy conch-shells. In this part of the temple sunshine never falls, and as it was now dusk, all that could be seen was by the aid of dim lights. I had entered by a narrow passage to a broader one leading in the opposite direction, while directly in front was the passage to the most sacred place, which profane feet must not pollute. As I turned the corner my eye fell on a double line of people, thirty in number, standing by twos quite across the passage, with hands stretched over their hearts, worshipping. Slipping into the shadow of a huge pillar I watched them. They were in front of a little closet-like place in the opposite wall, a shrine, large enough to hold three or four persons; in a sort of sanctum sanctorum was the image, a rude figure, dressed in flowers. Before it were two or three persons who were passing and repassing lamps, doing what I could not see. As they moved the lamps, the people bowed their heads, and at last, after a grand flourish of lights, the din and clangor, which were perfectly deafening, ceased, and the line of people facing about fell flat on their faces upon the pavements and then dispersed. A like transaction soon after took place in front of the en

trance to the grand shrine of the goddess of the temple hard by.

As I stood thus gazing, close by the worshippers, yet apart from them, I seemed to have been carried into the very heart of heathenism. By my side was a stone bull sacred to Siva, back of me and opposite, two gigantic statues of deities, smeared with incense offered, while along the gloomy corridor were figures carved out of the stone pillars, casting their unsightly shadows around. I turned and walked along a dingy pathway, where no sunlight ever comes except in feeble glimmerings, and which was hardly passable, lighted by a few dim oil lamps, groping my way before me. A man dogged my footsteps. I was safe enough; yet the whole impression of the place, and the knowledge that many a deed of darkness had doubtless been perpetrated here before now, made me breathe more freely when I gained the open air, and after a few minutes' walk caught sight of our Christian church, embosomed in trees, a silent witness to the truth that there is but one living and true God.

[A few weeks later, the following incident occurred.] I took a stroll this afternoon, and walked into the temple. A crowd followed me as usual, but I did n't mind it, only not feeling very talkative I kept mum. Coming to a high place, and standing awhile, I jumped off, — about six feet, and left the crowd behind, much to my relief. I had gone but a rod or two, however, before I was brought face about by a brickbat breaking on my back. I caught up the pieces, and my first impulse was to let drive right at the crowd; but I checked myself, pocketed the insult and the pieces, and walked back to the crowd, which scat