India's Problem, Krishna or Christ

by John P. Jones

For the attaining of all this, the missionary must continue as an earnest student, he must maintain upon the field thorough habits of study. His missionary life, itself, should be to him, not only an interpreter of what he formerly studied, but an incitement to further regular study. Many temptations overtake the missionary to intellectual indolence as well as to intellectual dissipation. He is in danger, under the pressure of other interesting work and distractions, either not to read anything very seriously or to read in a haphazard, desultory way. The latter is specially a dangerous habit on the mission field. The missionary needs not only to cultivate habits of study and to devote certain hours daily, so far as possible, to that habit; he should, preëminently, keep before him some definite aim or ideal towards which all his reading should be directed. If he be specially a preacher, he should conscientiously and thoroughly prepare his sermons as if he were to preach to the most cultured audiences; or, if he instruct his agents, he should make previous, elaborate preparation for the same.

He should take an intelligent interest in, and make a thorough study of, the people, their social and religious customs, their economic conditions, their educational efforts, their history,—these and many other [pg 208] studies will furnish abundant and abounding interest to the thoughtful missionary and will add to his power in his work. In all these respects, no people on earth are more interesting than those of India. And for successful spiritual work among them the missionary needs to study these side issues more than he would, perhaps, among any other people.

He will find it of much help if he is apt at acquiring language. A good and usable knowledge of the vernacular of the people is a most important avenue of access to their mind and heart. The acquiring of a living language is a very different thing from the study of a dead language. A man may be a success in the one and a failure in the other. A good ear is of paramount importance in a first-class facility for acquiring and using a modern vernacular.

I would not say that a man who has not a good command of the vernacular of a people cannot be to them a good missionary; for a few of the best missionaries I know, speak the vernacular wretchedly. But I do emphasize the fact that proficiency here is of prime importance and I would also add that it should be the first work of a missionary after entering his field. To dawdle with the language the first year, is, generally speaking, to fail in acquiring it at all.

Should a young man, who intends to become a missionary, receive a special preparatory training for missionary work? Yes, to a certain extent. I heartily approve of all recent courses established in theological institutions with a view to training their students in missionary principles and literature. And I would that these courses were much enlarged so as to correspond with the relative importance of the missionary [pg 209] work. Beyond all this, I believe that every student, who intends to become a missionary, should spend time during his last year or two as a student in special preparation for his work and field. For instance, it were a great help to him who is to become a missionary in India that he study seriously the Sanskrit language and Hindu philosophy. These two would give him an important start upon his missionary career and, probably, furnish him with initial taste for that larger equipment which is essential to the great missionary. It is of course understood that the modern science of Comparative Religion has already had his attention in the general course of study. Too much emphasis cannot be placed upon the study of this science as an aid to the modern missionary.

I would also urge here the importance of each missionary, so far as his tastes and ability permit, preparing himself for the work of enriching the Christian literature of the field and country of his choice. In India this is becoming a matter, not only of growing, but also of paramount, importance. In the past, missionaries have been too much engrossed with the other departments of work to give themselves to the production of tracts and books. Much more must be done in this line in the future. Every year adds to the need for, and the influence of, a worthy literary effort expressed in the various vernaculars of India. The growing host of readers in the Christian communities and among the non-Christians is a loud cry for missionary consecration to this specific work.

There is not one possession or element of power connected with a thorough education and high culture which will not become available and most useful in [pg 210] that interesting land, and which will not be transmuted into power for the elevation and redemption of that people.

4. Spiritual Qualifications.

It would hardly seem necessary to speak on this subject. It must be everywhere understood that a life of spiritual power is, and must ever remain, the first requisite of the missionary. And yet, I fear that the missionary force of today reveals more serious delinquency at this point than at any other. If missionaries were asked, wherein lies the chief hindrance to their work, I believe they would, all but unanimously, refer to their want of spiritual power. Not that they are more defective in this respect than are the ministers at home. They are a noble band of consecrated men and women. But they greatly need, and bemoan their need of, a growing spiritual endowment, the possession of which would give to them a new joy, and, to the people, an inexhaustible gift of life, and to the missionary work a power hitherto unknown.