INDIAN MISSION FIELD.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXII, Issue 9735, 23 July 1910, Page 7

INDIAN MISSION FIELD.

Miss Joau McGregor, who is touring the Dominion, lecturing and showing views of ludiau life, will lecture in Knox Hall on Monday evening. Having spent eight years iv India, Miss McGregor will deal with many phases of the social and religious customs of the people and will also give an aocount ol the schools of Pandita Rainabai and tell of the wonderful festival in ludia. The work of the Pandita Ramabai, Jiuown as the "Mukti Mission," is a purely undenominational, evangelical, Christian mission desigued to reach and help high caste Hindu child-widows, deserted wives, and orphans from all parts of India. Paudita Rainabai was herself a widow of the Brahmin caste, and she spent many years in pilgrimage, made up of sacrifices aud in acts of peuauco, hoping thereby to gain a knowledge of God aud salvation. After several years had beeu spent in this way aud in searching the Vedautic as well as the Puranic literature of the Hiudus, sue was brought in contact with (Jhristiaus. ■She became a Christian and went to England aud America to fit herself for educational work amongst the high caste child widows. While iv England she acterf as Professor of the Sanskrit lauguage at one of the colleges, and tlius supported herself. In 188 l J the Pandita opeued her first school for Brahmin widows, with two pupils. This was iv Bombay and since that time her work has increased, and the school was conducted in Pooua tor some time, and later on at Kiedgaou, thirty-four miles from the city of JPooua. Hundreds of young vvomeu and girls have passed through the scnool and at one time there were •,'OOO pupils iv the school.

At present some sixteen hundred inmates are in the home or village called "Mukti." A rescue home has been opened, aud has between two hundred aud three hundred inmates, who are being educated and trained iv ttie industries, while some of them work in the fields at cotton picking, etc. A boys' school forms a smaller and separate establishment, while some fifty married couples form a settlement; aud employment iv the fields, and as masons, carpenters, etc., is provided for these men. A wonderful season of revival lias bceu experienced daring the past five years, and those vvho know the Indian social Jife know best how to appreciate the , great changes wrought in the transformed lives of so many in that home.

In the story of the foundress of this mission aud all that has bpen accomplished is afforded an illustration of the capabilities of the Indian people, and especially of the women who are living sucJi lives of bondage aad, iv many cases, of degradation; and the lecture on Monday night will prove of interest to ail interested in Christian and educational subjects—the more so as India n attracting much attention owing to her present political state.