{
  "bookName": "History of Christianity in India: Source Materials",
  "authorName": "M. K. Kuriakose",
  "publisherName": "Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge",
  "publicationYear": 2011,
  "chapterNumber": 58,
  "chapterName": "1787. Schwartz on Casteism at Tanjore and Tranquebar",
  "pageFrom": 69,
  "pageTo": 69,
  "pages": [
    {
      "pageNumber": 69,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n69\n58. SCHWARTZ ON CASTEISM AT TANJORE AND\nTRANQUEBAR (1787 A.D.)\nThe question of the relationship between the traditional caste struc-\ntures and the practices of the Christian church was an important issue\nin Tanjore and Tranquebar Protestant churches during the eighteenth\ncentury. Schwartz had to deal with this problem frequently. The\nfollowing is a descripton of the way in which the caste was dealt with\nin the church during the time of Schwartz. H. Pearson, Memoirs of\nthe Life and Correspondence of the Rev. Christian Swartz (1835), Vol. II,\npp. 115-119.\n'Concerning the question about castes,' he (Schwartz) observes,\n'both at Tranquebar and here, our congregations consists of nearly\nan equal number of the higher and the lower.' He then refers\nparticularly to the difficulties which naturally arose as to the inter-\ncourse between natives of different castes, even after their conver-\nsion to that divine religion, which while it invariably recognises the\ndistinction of rank in civil society, teaches that all are brethren, as\nthe children of the same common Father, and the disciples of the\nsame meek and lowly Saviour. 'Here,' he continues, 'the men\nand women of the higher caste sit on one side of the church, and\non the other, those of the lower.\n'I have carefully avoided all unnecessary restraint, and thus\nhave met with fewer difficulties. Even at the administration of the\nsacrament, sometimes one or other of the lower caste has first\napproached to receive it, without producing any unpleasant sensa-\ntion. Should you visit our church on a Sunday, you would observe\nwith surprise the clean appearance of the lower caste, so that one\nmight often take them for the higher. What renders them peculi-\narly obnoxious, is their practice of feeding upon dead cattle. I have\nalways expressed the utmost abhorrence of such a custom, and\npositively declared that I would not allow it, and accordingly I\nhardly know any instance of it here. The country priests and\ncatechists generally belong to one of the higher castes. The catechist\nGabriel is, indeed, of the lower; but not withstanding this, he\nconverses freely with people of a higher class, as he pays particular\nattention to cleanliness in his dress. In the interior of the country,\nsuch intercourse is certainly not so easy. I was lately invited to\nthe house of a heathen of the higher caste, when the pariar catechist\ncame to me. I called to him, 'Stop; I will come to you; the\nsuttirer, that is, the people of the higher caste, have not yet learned\nto be humble: they are proud sinners-yet we must bear with\nthem. This they were not willing to admit, and accordingly\nshowed kindness to the catechist. ist. In another place, in the house\nof a heathen, many people assembled, whom I catechised and prayed\nwith, and we even had divine service there on Sunday. The master\nof the house sat down at my feet, listening with great attention. O!",
      "status": "completed"
    }
  ]
}