“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.