{
  "bookName": "History of Christianity in India: Source Materials",
  "authorName": "M. K. Kuriakose",
  "publisherName": "Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge",
  "publicationYear": 2011,
  "chapterNumber": 99,
  "chapterName": "1853. The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel Missionaries on Caste",
  "pageFrom": 151,
  "pageTo": 152,
  "pages": [
    {
      "pageNumber": 151,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n151\n99. THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE\nGOSPEL MISSIONARIES ON CASTE (1853 A.D.)\nIn the controversy with the Lutheran missionaries, the S.P.G.\nmissionary, G. U. Pope, explains the position of his mission on caste\nin a pamphlet entitled A Letter to the Tranquebar Missionaries regarding\nTheir Position, Their Proceedings, and their Doctrine'. The portion\nquoted here is from pp. 9-11.\nBut that you may be able to judge whether any of our people\nare right in leaving the communion of the English Church on this\nground, permit me to tell exactly what we really do in regard to\ncaste. Some of the Missionaries of the Church of England may\ndo a little less-none, I think, do more than what I state as our\npractice. Whether more should not be done is a question which\nI am not called upon to discuss with you.\n1. We do not allow any person to exercise the office of a teacher\nin any of our Missions who will not eat a meal with the Missionary\nunder whom he wishes to labour. To this regulation you owe\nnearly, if not indeed all, your accessions. The seceders see that to\nstrengthen your cause is to prepare the way for them and their\nchildren's maintenance.\n2. In the administration of the Holy Communion we do not\nallow any distinction whatever. We take care that no one shall\ncome to the table, who would there manifest, by any gesture or act,\nby sitting apart, or by seeking to communicate before or after his\nbrethren, any feeling of disgust towards his fellow Christians. Of\ncourse there is difficulty there. It is painful to insist upon little\nmatters which, under other circumstances, could be overlooked.\nBut this is a thing which must be tested. We must be on the watch\nto repress any indications of a temper of mind that would convert\nthe gifts of God into a means of condemnation to our people. In\ncharity to them we are bound to pursue this line of conduct. I\nhave heard the Cup of the Lord-the communion of His sacred\nblood-denounced as Echil (in Tamil means filthy leavings), by a\ncommunicant because one of lower caste had drunk of it before!\nMany (so called) caste Christians would not hesitate thus to speak.\nSuch persons we should certainly exclude. We cannot permit men\nto come to the altar of the Lord who have aught in their minds\nagainst, or in disparagement of their brother. Many such people\nattend our services and seek our ministrations, but on this account\nalone seek to receive the Communion from you. And you\nencourage them; and thereby render it necessary to remind you of\nthe danger of becoming partakers of other men's sins.'",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 152,
      "ocrText": "152\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\n3. I do not allow any caste distinction to be observed in the\nboarding schools in our mission. All children fed and clothed by\nme must be treated alike; must mingle in every respect on equal\nterms. Why, I have known a little child, not seven years old, burst\ninto a passion of weeping because her eating vessel simply touched\nthat of another child who was of what is called a lower caste. I have\nknown children to run away from the school in droves because a\ngirl of lower caste' went into the kitchen to take away some ashes.\nThis of course we cannot encourage. We cannot cloth these\nprejudices in mission garments, or feed them with mission rice.\n4. I do not in general use caste titles. I am somewhat singular\nin this respect. The M.D.C.S.P.G. in their recent report use them.\nI am willing to use any titles of honour to my native brethren, some\nof whom I respect very highly, but none that shall be peculiar to a\ncaste.\nIn a note (why not put it into the text), you deny your knowledge\nof the certain fact that the caste question is the sole cause of the\naccessions you have received. Now I will tell you the process as it\nhas gone on under my own eyes as it is going on now.\nA man comes to the English Missionaries, and begs to be put\ninto the Catechist's office for a morsel of rice. His caste and often\nhis character too, stand in the way of his employment. He then\ngoes to a congregation where he has relatives and friends and says\nto them, Those English Missionaries wish to make us Pariahs:\ncome with me and join the Lutherans-the old mother church that\ngives no trouble about caste or any thing else. I shall then obtain\nan appointment as your Catechist, and a living for myself and\nfamily; and in return I will take care of your interests in every way.'\nHe thus gathers a congregation which is presented to you (under\nfalse pretences, no doubt) and by you received, with (it may be)\nstipulations and provisoes which the people well know how to\nrender nugatory with the assistance of the aforesaid Catechist.\nYou may demand the signatures of the people to your requirements\nsome know nothing about the matter, and all are prepared to\nsign any thing pro forma: but do you enforce these requirements?",
      "status": "completed"
    }
  ]
}