'KIM "AND HIS BROTHERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14281, 1 August 1908, Page 6

'KIM "AND HIS BROTHERS

By the Rev. J. S. Posdkb, Waitahuna. Most of us have read " Kim," Kudyard Kipling's quaint, fascinating story, of an English boy-waif, drifting amidst the native bazaar and village life of India. The book is generally an eye-opener to us, not merely us to what " the white man's burden" is in that land, but much more in its revelation that children of British parents orphaned there beeomo waifs and strays oftiines in the great cities of India, and in the end are not infrequently swallowed up in the lowest life of the land. Alas, this is far more common tlian is known. There is a great flotsam and jet-. Sam of Europeaiirborn who hide themselves among the teeming population of India, and when they die there are no friends of those submerged sahibs to lay claim to their childien. Moreover, " Tommy Atkins " sometimes marries, without his commanding officer's consent, the orphan daughter of a fellow soldier, and plants her in some humble home near the cantonments, and the brave and thrifty wife struggles along not unhappily there. But one dav the father is "sniped off" by an Afridi bullet, and the mother perhaps suddenly carried off by cholera; and the bairns, why! they are often nobody's care, and they arc simply swallowed up. '11*0 little English girl children thus left friendless are eagerly taken possession of, and grow up to lives of unutterable woe. The boys' futures, in one sense, are almost equally sad. Many of those children, it is true, are rescued by the missionaries and by the charity of sympathetic Europeans, but the percentage of those saved to those lost has been trifling. Ah! we talk of the sorrows of the child-widows of India, what arc these to the sorrows of English children in that land, sucked in to a life moio doomful still? ,- During the last few years, however, a definite and strenuous effort to rescue them has been made. The Rev. Br Graham, head of the extensive Church of Scotland Guild Mission at Kalimpong, in tho N.E. Himalayas, found his heart touched by the "cry of the children" even more than by the claims of the heathen round about him, Many another missionary had felt like him in regard to those waifs, and had mourned that the Home churches, in their Christianising zeal for India, wore oblivious to the crying need in this direction. But Dr Graham, with the faith of a George Muller and the energy of a Dr Barnardo, determined to dio more than mourn over the evil; he made up his mind to grapple it single-handed. He resolved to make "Kim" and his brothers and sisters his personal responsibility, in addition to the burden of his special missionary work. Without any financial backing, in 1900 he daringly founded what he called "the St. Andrew's Colonial Homes" for the rescue of European and Eurasian waifs.. Tho Indian Government, knowing Dr Graham's character and capacity" promptly gave him 400 acres of choice land in Kalimpong (a hill sanatorium) as asettlement, and the Anglo-Indian population—civilian, military, and mercantile— simply leapt; with united heart sympathy, to his support. With fine judgment Dr Graham organised his institution on lines blending tho distinctive c-haracterstks of the well-known Quarrier Homes of Glasgow and the great Blantyre Industrial Mission in East Africa. The result has been phenomenally successful. From its firet small beginning it has grown into well nigh the largest and most widely supported philanthropic institution in India. No finer testimony to this can be found than the testimony of Sir Charles Elliot, K.C.5.1., late Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, who calls Dr Graham's work " the ideal mission of India." Last year the number of children in residence rose from 94 to 226, and when the additional cottages now being built are completed there will be accommodation for 275. Tlie demand for admission is always far ahead of the capacity to receive. There is a staff of 19 ladies in the cottage homes, one nuTse, eight school teachers, and four others in the industrial departments. Besides this four doctors, tAvo of whom axe medical missionaries, give their honorary services to Dr Graham for this work. Each cottage is turned into a lvome, and put under the charge of two ladies—a "mother" and an "auntie," as the children call them,—who by personal example show that work and refinement are not antagonistic—a wise and needful lesson to-teach white children, especially of the poorest class, in India. Happily, Dr Graham las been able to secure for these positions helpers of exceptionally fine character, ladies of culture and rank even from the Homeland enrolling as voluntary workers in this effort to "rescue the-perish-ing." One Dunedin lady has lately be-' come an." auntie," and other New Zealand ladies are likely to follow her. Hhk " home'' method of morally educating the children, though violently opposed at first as contrary to the dignity of the -white blood in India, has amply justified itself, and is now a proved success. The industrial side—the training of the children for lives of usefulness—is equally well organised. So soon as a boy reaches a certain standard of education he becomes a half-tinier in one or' other of the industrial departments, and later on, when he has gone through the higher elementary course, a whole-timer. There is a large and well-equipped farm under the charge of a skilled Scottish fanner, where the lada are educated in arable farming, in cattle and sheep rearing, and in dairying, Two' lads so trained have come to work with farmers near Dunedin, who speak highly both of their character and working powers, and this article is mainly Written with the view of seeming similar openings for other lads. Fine workshops have been erected at the homes, and the lads are there taught all kinds of carpentry and house-building under the supervision of a Scottish expert. Engineering is taught by affiliation with the Sibpur College, and blacksmithiug and other departments are to be added as the work develops. The girls' industrial work is, plus a thorough domestic training, at present confined cliieily to lace-making, which is carried on very extensively under tho charge of a skilled English lacomaker. But a fine hospital has been donated by the Steel family, of Glasgow, as a memorial of the late Octavius Steel, of Calcutta, and this was opened last February. This is to be used l for the training of such girls as 6how an aptitude for the nurse's profession. The point aimed at is that when a girl leaves the homes she shall be in a position to earn her own livelihood, besides being a well-equipped housewife. All work and no play proverbially makes Jack a dull boy, so the element of play is not neglected. Every boy who can hear a rifle enters tho Cadet Corps, and is trained in gymnastics. A nmnber of these cadets have been received into the royal navy. Then there is a large playground, where the boys have cricket, football, and other sports; and the girls delight themselves in hockey and other athletics as enthusiastically as New Zealand girls do. The fine Bracing air of the Himalayas at Kalimpong develops indeed! as healthily-minded a lot of youngsters in this respect as one could wish to see. Dr Graham, Presbyterian missionary though he be, wisely decided that the peculiar nature of this rescue work necessitated that it be run on undenominational lines. Hence there has never arisen any friction over the religious training of the children. The Baptist is in baptised till he or she is of mature years, the Anglican is trained for confirmation by the bishop, the Presbyterian child is instructed for its first communion, and so on. And the child on leaving the homes goes forth with a commendation -to that religious body' in connection with which he or she was registered on admission. The management nf the homes is under a board, whuse president is the LieutenantGovernor of. Bengal, whose vice-pwsident is a tea planter, tuid whoso menjbers &»

the leading civil servant?, planters, and professional men of the Darjecling-Kalim-pong district. The Indian Government ia decidedly .sympathetic, and assists not only with a capitation grant, but in the erection of builffiings. The merchants ui Calcutta, have a committee in the interests of the homes, and make a splendid annual contribution. Loral committees are established in other centres of India- and in London, and retired Anglo-Indians >n Britain are championing the institution right nobly. A striking article in the 'April issue of (lie Asiatic Quarterly on "The British in India,'' by R. Carytairs, late Commissioner for Bunlwan, dealing with the present unrest in India, refers at some length to Dr Graham's work na one of national importance, ami like'y to have no small influence in maintaining* tha moral side of tho J'biglish Raj. And men of the experience of Sir Arthur Wingate, K.C.5.1., Sir I. A. Boiirdiilion. K.C.5.1., and Sir A. H. Fraser, K.C.5.1.. giva equally valuable testimony. Perhaps the most striding facUn connection with these homes is the way in which several of the Provincial Governments and the cities have made possible the rapid extension of the building of tha various cottage homes, etc. Calcutta led the way with the "Calcutta Cottage," tha central provinces following with the "Farm Home."" Sir I. A. Bourdillon put up the educational building, and others imitated his generosity. List year Sir L. Haro, Governor of fontern Bengal and Assam, offered 4000 rupees towards (be erection of an "Assam Cottage," on condition that oilier '1000 rupees were raised by public subscription within.the province. Tho "Assam Cottage" is now opened The Steel Hospital and Sanatorium was opened last February. The''' Fraser Hostel," for the bigger'boys, and the "Lucia King Cottage," for babies, are now Hearing completion ; and a "Bombay Cottage" and a new and larger educational institute • are under way. And these by no means represent all of the " something attempted, something done." Perhaps the reader may be a member of "the craft," with a heurt that responds to tho " open sesame " of the word " charity." If so, it may interest you to know than Indian Masons are enthusiastic supporters ol the homes. And the following item of Masonic news may appeal to you: — " At the installation dinner of the Dibrughar Lodge Worshipful Bro. H Shuldbam Shaw was askedi to sing bis popular Irish song, ' Phil tho fluter.' He said lie wo"uld if the Right Worshipful Master allowed him to sing as an addition a verso of bis own composition. Hero is bis addition: Now, Brothers, as you've called on raa la eing an Irish song, In return, with your permission, Sir, I'll pass tho hat along; For you must pay tho Piper; then don't think mo very wrong If I bag for your donations for the " Home 3 at Kaiuiipoiig," So let' 3 all join in with greatest generosity And put in our "takas" (rupees.) and our annas, or our' " Chits," And we'll make up a cheque which we'll send to Brother Graham for That very wortby object called " Tho Homes at Kaliurpong." Chorus: With the toot of tho flute And the twiddle of the fiddle, O; Pass the . " canbeen" down the sides and back along the middle O. Charity's our motto, and her box is named "St. John"; We'll ho'.p our Brother Graham in his work at Kaliinpong. The piper was paid promptly to the tune of 250 rupees. If any New Zealand brother's heart should incline him to " pay the piper," if he will send hie contribution to the writer of this article it will be forwarded, with fraternal greetings, to Bro. Graham. Sew Zealand- has shown a eplendid sympathy aud generosity towards the childwidows of India and towards other Christian and philanthropic work done among tho natives; but the brotherhood of race, should ever command a quicker and mora generous sympathy than that of mere cosmopolitanism. Here we havo "John Tarnson's bairas," our own kith and kin, floating in tho great sea of degenerate Orientalism and heathen environment, needing our help as no slum Arab ever yob j needed Dr Barnardo's. Shrill New Zea-' land's "bowels of compassion" be ehut up towards them?