MISTAKEN VIEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23431, 22 August 1939, Page 12

MISTAKEN VIEWS

AMERICA AND INDIA BRITISH RULE TRADUCED VIEWS OF A BISHOP "I have been interpreting India to Americans for 120 years, and I still find that most of them know very little about it," said Bishop 11. T. Badlev, of the Methodist Church of America, who arrived by the Monowni yesterday with Mrs. Badley on his way back to Delhi after attending the recent conference at which the three main branches of American Methodism were united in a single Church. The average American, the bishop said, had no idea of the immense size j and population of India, the extraordinary number of races comprising its people, or its recent and remoter history. Such views as lie had on the subject were apt to be coloured by innocent prejudice, acquired from propaganda which was continually being circulated by "hyphenated" German, Italian and Irish groups hostile to Britain. A Dual Allegiance This propaganda always sought to paint the record of British rule in the blackest possible colours and to misrepresent current events. For example, whenever rioting occurred between Hindus and Mahonimedans it was interpreted as anti-British, which was completely contrary to fact. Gandhi was regarded almost with veneration, and the harm that his policies had done and threatened to do was wholly ignored. Bishop Badley, who was born in India 03 years ago, has spent all his life there, though retaining his American citizenship and maintaining a legal residence in America. Four generations of his family have been connected with Indian mission work, and his father, the Rev. B. H. Badley. was the founder of the Luck now Christian College. Speaking of the present state of the country under its new constitution, the bishop said that, while anything like national unity could not come for many years, three unifying factors were at work —the influence of British ideals, the English language as a common tongue and the leaven of Indian Christianity. - American Methodist Union .The number of Indian Christians had increased very rapidly of lata years and was now 6.000,000. They stood, so to speak, between the Hindus and the .Mahommcdans. and were winning respect from both. The future, however, was far from happy. Gandhi had espoused certain Christian principles, hut if he had his way the conversion of Hindus to Christianity would be prevented altogether. Already many converts were being ostracised by their families and friends and suffering persecution in other ways. Bishop Badley warmly approved .Methodist union in America. 'I lie three uniting bodies, ho snki, wuio tl to Methodist Episcopal Church, to which he had belonged, the Methodist Episcopal Church. South, which had separated from the former manv years ago over slavery, and the Methodist Protestant Church. 'J ogether they had H 000 000 enrolled members, and their members and adherents made up onefifth of the country s population. Ino merger was thus by the laigest in the history of Christianity.