Work among the Hill Arrians. Difficulties. SECOND PAPER BY THE REV. J. CALEY, C. M. S., Cottayam, C. M. S., MISSION WORK AMONG THE ARRIANS AND PULAYANS. Mission work commenced among the hill Arrians in 1848, when five of those hardy sons of toil stood before the study door of the late much-lamented Rev. H. Baker, begging him to go and open schools amongst them. In this very commencement the hand of God is seen directing those poor ignorant and oppressed hill men to the very man who was peculiarly fitted to commence and carry on such a work. Some of his friends whom he consulted, said, "Possibly you may begin the work, and may compass something, but you will have no successor." Well, he began; and something of what he was able to effect among them may be known by the fact that the mention of "Pallatha Sahib" (the name by which Mr. Baker was always known) is enough to arrest the attention of any of his 1,400 Christian Arrians whom he has left behind, and a few words about what he did for, and amongst them, often cause tears to flow down many of their cheeks. There are two divisions of the Arrian Mission, viz., Mandakayam and Melkawa. The Mandakayam division is the older, but the Melkawa division is the more prosperous. Speaking of the Mandakayam division, Mr. Baker says, "At the beginning of 1851 many Arrians had heard of Christ; about 350 of these had been taught, but of these 120 only had counted the cost, and after two years' trial had determined to ask for baptism." Owing to fever, wild animals, high hills, etc., the work was exceedingly difficult, but there were not wanting Encourage- noble hearts to cheer the Missionary on. Sir Henry ments. Lawrence, hearing of what was being done, sent Rs. 150 with the encouraging words, "By all means go on, never mind obstacles, or whence they come." A lady sent £20 from England, and promised to continue it for five years towards preparing teachers from among the Arrians themselves. This was thought a very necessary work at that time, owing to so many of the men sent from the plains being obliged to return so soon on account of the fever. In 1852 Mr. Baker pushed on northwards and commenced work in the Melkawa division. He had been invited there by some Arrians who had visited Assapian, one of the settlements in the Mandakayam district. The first congregations established were at Erumapara and Melkawa; afterwards congregations were formed at Hanekal and Walagam. The work continued to prosper, and in 1872 the writer of this paper went with the "father of the Mission" when he formed the congregation at Coowapally. The first time he ever slept out in the jungle was when he was with the veteran Missionary on his way to and from Coowapally. Being unable to complete the journey across the hills from the Peer Maad in one day we slept out in the forest, with fires around us to keep the wild animals away. When the Missionary who had visited them, taught them, worked for them, and in every way gained their affection, died, there was naturally great grief and consternation amongst them. On visiting Melkawa, Erumapara, and Walayam a few months afterwards, I saw the sorrow his death had caused. Any allusion to him at once caused their tears to flow-in fact they were children bitterly mourning the loss of a beloved father. In the Mandakayam division there can be no doubt that the work has suffered greatly by his death. Matters arose that required his energy and determination to successfully deal with them. In the northern division, however, the work has never looked back at all. It has been steadily progressing, and is the brightest spot in the whole of our Travancore and Cochin Mission. To shew that it possesses real vitality, I may mention that in June last, some Arrians to the north of Melkawa, who had come in contact with the Melkawa Christians, came to the Bishop and asked him to send them a teacher. In the early part of August a teacher was sent, and when I, in company with Mr. Painter, visited the place at the end of the same month, we found there were already forty persons under instruction. On our way to the place we spent a Sunday at Melkawa, where I preached to a large and attentive congregation, and assisted by Mr. Painter, administered the Holy Communion to 128 men and 104 women. On the 24th of last September, Mr. Karruwella, who was appointed to Melkawa 6 or 7 years ago by Mr. Baker, and who has justified the choice by the high esteem in which he is held Work among the Palayans. The Koi by the people, was ordained and appointed as pastor of Melkawa. There is work still to be done on those slopes, but we may hope that many who are now living in heathen darkness will soon be folded within the Church of Christ. The Pulayans (slave caste.) About 1850 the Rev. T. G. Ragland, C. M. S., Secretary, Madras, who was on a visit to Malapally, urged the Rev. G. Matthan to teach the Pulayans, and left a sum of money for the purpose. With this Mr. Matthan began the work. The Rev. J. Hawksworth was the Missionary in charge and nobly seconded him. The first convert received the name of Abel. He is still alive. He induced his wife, his brother-in-law and other relations to join the new faith. The work was greatly opposed by many of the Syrians as well as by the Nairs. They burned down the first school that was put up. After this Mr. Hawksworth commenced work amongst the Pulayans in the low country at Mepra and Erupere. The movement then spread to Cottayam, Pallam, &c. There are now between 7,000 and 8,000 Christians from the Pulayans connected with the C. M. S. Mission in Travancore. THIRD PAPER BY THE REV. J. CAIN, C. M. S., Dummagudem, S. India. ON THE KOI MISSION. Mission work around Dummagudem in the Upper Godavari district, South India, began in 1860 through the earnest entreaty of Sir A. Cotton and Major General Haig, who were then engaged in carrying out the Upper Godavari Navigation Scheme. Their interest was specially excited in the jungle tribe of the Kois, who evidently form one of the southern branches of the Gond family of Central India. But Mission work could not be confined to these people only. Thousands of coolies were employed on the works, and there were other people living on the banks of the river, and the Gospel had to be preached to them. Some Native Christians from the low country were employed as evangelists, and a European Missionary came to reside here. But the human mainstay of the Mission was and is still, Indukuri Venkatarama Razu, a Native Christian of the Kshattriya caste, who was The second Missionary was here from 1864-1867, and I was here for the greater part of 1874-1879. Until 1870 some of the resident engineers, more especially the founder of the Mission, General Haig, nobly helped on the work. But in spite of all that has been done, the results have not been what was expected and hoped for, for there have been no large accessions as in the Santal and Kol Missions, and many of those who have enrolled themselves under Christ's banner have not proved whole-hearted Christian warriors. The Koi women have held back, and their adverse influence has been very strong and very fatal. If the Mission had been exclusively to the Kois and conducted in the Koi language, much greater progress (in all probability) might have been made. A suspicious, timid and yet proud race like the Kois, living in the midst of a district which was until 1860 a scene of plundering and petty warfare, is not ready to embrace at once a new religion, proclaimed by some of the ruling race, chiefly by means of Hindus from the lower districts, more especially when some of these men turn out to be most untrustworthy and very un-Christ-like, and leave Results. Extension of behind them in the Koi villages impressions which all the zeal and devotedness of the Rev. J. Venkatarama Razu has not been able to efface. For it must be confessed that our dear good brother is too trustful, too guileless, too easily imposed upon, to have the sole superintendence of any but the very best agents. There are now something like 380 Christians on our rolls, but only 70 of them are of Koi origin, and the great majority of the others are of Mala (Pariah) origin, servants of the Kois, whose touch in some parts is regarded as pollution, so much so that in some villages in the neighbouring territory of Bastar, the Kois will not eat the flesh of any animal which has been touched by a Mala after it has been killed. No European lady has yet been privileged to work among the Koi women, and the only Native Christian woman who really won their hearts by her intense loving sympathy was taken home by her Heavenly Father within a few months of her arrival here. Those few Koi Christians who are communicants have been enabled to conquer their hereditary prejudices, and kneel down beside their Christian servants at the Lord's table, although their wives are still bitter opponents of Christianity, and many of their heathen friends (?) and relatives long to excommunicate them, but Razu Garu's (for such is the familiar name by which our dear brother is known everywhere round here) influence, and the social standing of the converts have hitherto prevented that. A new departure in this Mission was taken last year, the work. when, during my absence, Major General Haig came out to form plans for extension of the work among the Kois further inland. This devoted servant of Christ was here for a year, and proposed to occupy three outstationsadvance-guard posts-in the more purely Koi country. Only one has yet been taken up, Mokpal about 75 miles N. N. E. of Dummagudem in the Bastar territory. The catechists were provided by the Provincial Church Council of the Church Missionary Society's Missions in Tinnevelly, and the same Native Church Council resolved to bear the cost of their support. Two came up, but one had soon to leave; however another has stepped forward and volunteered for the post of honour, and is now out there. At the same time a medical agent was sent up from the London Missionary Society's Mission in South Travancore, but he died six weeks ago, and we have no one to send to fill his place. We sadly want a medical Missionary here, |