uninjured by such a position.

We are doing our utmost now to supply the native congregations with native pastors. The demand as yet exceeds the supply, and the quality is not always all that could be desired. But the theological schools which the Societies have established in the chief centres are doing much to remove the deficiency.

But a congregation is not fully organised when it is supplied with a minister, even in full orders. A link is needed between the minister and his people, and the people want training in managing their Church affairs. Hence the C. M. S., some years ago, urged the appointment of local Church Committees, and this measure has been generally carried out with excellent effect. Indian villagers are quite accustomed to this committee system. Their "Panchayats," or village councils, have managed all internal affairs from time immemorial. The Church Committees were first established to collect contributions towards the pastors' stipends, which are paid in to a general fund, and to conduct the money business of the Church. Naturally, they have acquired a good deal of influence in the government and discipline of their own congregations. And the establishment of them has done a good deal towards evoking that self-help which dependence on a Society supposed to be rich was by no means likely to foster. But most of the congregations, in North India at least, are still a long way short of independence in money matters. In South India and Ceylon, I believe, there are some congregations which stand in need of little or no extraneous assistance.

But our congregations are widely scattered. How are they to be drawn together and made to feel their solidarity as a body? Here comes in the Church Council system, which the C. M. S. was the first to set on foot among the converts. I have seen it stated that this step was asked for by the native Christians, and only conceded grudgingly on their demand. The fact is just the reverse. The establishment of these Councils was suggested and pressed on from home, nor did the native Christians take at all kindly to the plan until they had had several years' experience of its working. The Councils consist of the native pastors of the district or province, with some unordained agents in charge of the pastorates, together with a certain number of lay delegates elected from and by the Church Committee of each Christian village. Thus there is a full representation of all the congregations, and the lay element is present in force as well as the clerical. The secretary and treasurer are elected by the Council, and the chairman, usually a European missionary, is appointed by the Society from home. For his position is one of considerable responsibility, as respects both the infant Churches and the missionary work of the Society.

To this Council the Society makes a grant of money, according to the amount required for the payment of the pastors and other agents. The principle is that this grant should be diminished year by year, as the contributions of the native Churches increase, so that ultimately the Society shall withdraw altogether from any connection with the pastoral work, which shall be paid for by the people themselves. Not much progress has been made in the North towards reaching this most desirable consummation, but in the South the reduction has been going on regularly for some years. However, at the last two meetings of the Bengal Church Council, the Society was actually requested to diminish its contributions by a certain amount, which was made up for on the spot by promised subscriptions from the members present.

Thus the Church Council is the Trustee of the Society for the disbursement of a large amount of its funds, and you will easily see that the Society is bound to maintain its influence in the deliberations of the Council by retaining the appointment of the chairman in its own hands. Besides its responsibility to the Society in money

affairs, the Council is in a position of great influence in other respects. It has to determine the location of the pastors, subject, of course, to the approval of the bishop, and to recommend to the bishop, in conjunction with the missionaries, candidates for ordination. It stands, in fact, to the pastors much in the position of a lay patron. But besides this patronage it has the payment of their stipends in its hands, and, indeed, the fixing the amount of them as well. This, however, is usually done by a general rule, not by separate consideration of each case.

The Councils meet generally once a year, in some cases twice, and in the interim the business is carried on by an Executive Committee, elected year by year at the meeting. European missionaries are not ordinarily members of the Council, but there are exceptions. This, while it leads to some difficulties, is considered best on the whole, because the presence of too many Sahibs in the meetings might hinder the free expression of independent opinion on the part of the native members.

In this way, then, the native Christians are being drawn together and accustomed to the exercise of corporate life in their respective provinces. It is an interesting sight to see the delegates gathered together in their snowy garments, earnestly discussing some plan for the general welfare, or listening to weighty words of counsel from the bishop. For in Bengal, at all events, and I believe elsewhere also, the bishop is almost regularly present at the meetings of the Church Councils. The worst of it is, that he has to speak by an interpreter, and cannot understand the debates. Hence, with the natives, the super intending missionary is the real authority, and the bishop is something in the background with which they have little or nothing to do, except indirectly through the missionary.

The C. M. S. is thus doing what it can to promote the organisation of the infant Indian Church. The S. P. G. is introducing something similar in the missions under its charge. And thus a beginning is being made in rousing in the minds of Indian Christians a sense of their oneness as a body. This is a new idea in India. For there the feeling of solidarity is extremely limited. It does not even extend to all the inhabitants of a village unless they happen to be all of the same caste. The cultivation of public spirit therefore among the native Christians, while an extremely important, is also an exceedingly difficult, task. But the Church Councils are undoubtedly making some progress in it. It is found, however, that in some cases the area covered by them is too large, and the Churches which they seek to draw together are too far apart to feel strongly their common interest. Hence it is felt to be necessary to subdivide them into District Councils, which shall meet more often and be subordinate to the Provincial Councils. We must not, therefore, be too sanguine as to the speedy establishment of a strong sense of unity in the minds of the Indian Christians as a body throughout the country.

66

Clearly, the circumstances which attend the springing up of the Indian Church render it difficult to devise a perfect system of organisation for it, or to make rapid progress in carrying it out. There are two societies at least, besides other Missions in connection with the Church of England engaged in gathering converts. And the native Christian has as high an idea, ecclesiastically, of the "Shoshaity " to which he belongs, as the ordinary Hindu had, and as the villager has to this day, of Coompany Bahadur" in matters of government. And there are numerous other Christians connected with other societies, whom the native churchman cannot help regarding as being quite as good Christians as himself. They differ from him mainly, so far as he can see, in not reverencing the Prayer Book,—which, to say the truth, he himself does not greatly relish in its translated form. Assuredly adaptation is wanted here. Further, they regard not the bishop, of whom he himself probably knows little, however much he may be told he ought to reverence him. It is difficult then

to persuade the Indian churchman to be zealous for the establishment of an Indian Church, which shall not only exclude, but ignore the various Christians around him, of whom he does not feel either that "they are not of us," or "they went out from us"-as indeed they have not. It is necessary that we realise this as one of the greatest difficulties which beset the formation of a real Indian Church.

And yet the hundred and eighty thousand Christians connected with the Church of England are a body quite large enough, as compared with the other bodies around them, to form a tribus prærogativa in the organisation of the Christian commonwealth in India. Moreover, the episcopal form of government is the only one at all suited to the Indian mind. The average Hindu has little thought of politics, except to desire that he may be godly and quietly governed, especially the latter. Το him πολυκοιρανι is not only oùkayalov, but scarcely intelligible, beyond the affairs of his own village. Submission is his great virtue, and he demands a present embodiment of authority to submit to. Christianity of course has some effect in rousing a spirit of independence, not always manifested on the most desirable lines, but it by no means does away with the preference for a monarchical government.

But as a matter of fact, Episcopal Church Government hardly comes before the native Christian in a present and effective way. He is told that the possession of bishops is the great and blessed prerogative of our Church, and he appreciates it in some degree. But he scarcely comes in contact with the bishop, and he sees numerous Christian congregations getting on apparently very well without any. We are making a very strong demand upon his faith if we ask him to believe that the bishop, whom he knows mainly in the abstract, is in any practical sense necessary even for the Bene esse of the Church.

An instance may illustrate the state of things. The Bishop of Calcutta is a prelate of surpassing energy, and most anxious to do all in his power for the development of the native Church. But his diocese is several days and nights' journey by rail in length and a good deal more in breadth. His metropolitical duties carry him a long way beyond it. He has to look after the chaplains in all parts, and, what is more trying, after all the places where chaplains are wanted too. The Europeans and Eurasians alone are more in their scattered state than any one bishop can fairly be expected effectually to shepherd. Were these out of the way the native Churches in the diocese would demand for effective intercourse, a familiar acquaintance with eight or ten languages, to take no notice of dialects. With unremitting labour his lordship can only manage to pay the various Krishnagar Churches, lying within 80 miles of Calcutta, a hasty visit once in two or three years. And then he has, as it were, to stand behind the missionary, on whom he is dependent for the interpretation of his addresses, and through whom alone he can listen to what the people have to say. Certainly it is not his fault if the people regard him, as one of them described him, as a puttal mátra, a "mere image," called up by the superintending missionary from time to time to perform Confirmation and other episcopal functions, but having no real and vital connection with the Churches which he is supposed to govern. And certainly this is a state of things which is most repugnant to the wishes of the missionaries themselves, and of the societies too.

May we not then say that what is really needed for the further development of the organisation of the Church in India is to make episcopal superintendence real, constant, close, and effective? In fact we want to return to something like primitive episcopacy. A district like Krishnagar, with its ten flourishing pastorates and numerous scattered Christians, would have been regarded in the early ages as an ample sphere by itself for the labours of a bishop. And there are many districts of the same kind, not so compact, perhaps, but equally needing supervision. Given real

episcopal superintendence, and the Church Councils will fall into their proper place, and be most useful in keeping together the scattered congregations, and also, as I fully believe, in attracting others to join them. There would be little difficulty in combining the congregations of the two societies if they had a present and effective head connected with the native Christians by familiarity with the language and raised sufficiently above both organisations by his higher orders. At present the head is too . far off-practically out of sight. If, as we were told yesterday, the unit of Church organization is the Diocese, certain it is that the process of organisation in India must be a sum in decimal fractions. For the unit is too much like infinity to have much effect upon its constituent parts. It must be divided and sub-divided largely. Nor would any system of delegated authority under the bishop in any way supply the want. A hierarchy of archdeacons, rural deans, and so on, would simply put the bishop further off from the people, instead of bringing him into actual and felt contact with hîm. We can hardly go further than to say that the Church in India is being prepared for an episcopal organisation to be made actual in the future.

DISCUSSION.

The Rev. W. H. BRAY, late Secretary of the S. P. G., Calcutta, and now President of the Anglo-Indian and Eurasian Association.

I WISH I could be divided into two to-day, so that, fortified by twelve years experience as the representative of the S. P. G. in Calcutta, one half of me could speak of the Church's work among the native races, while the other half, as the President of the Anglo-Indian and Eurasian Association, could speak of the Eurasians. But, of course, that is impossible; I have to decide, and in deciding to speak of the Eurasians I hope the one or two who know me in this room will understand that it is not because I love the native races less, but because those who will speak of them here are more. Eurasians-Europe-Asians-the offspring of European fathers and Asiatic mothers. I would generally endorse all that Archdeacon Baly has said of the work among them and the Europeans, and especially of its great importance, while there is a reluctance among men to undertake it. All experience shows that this reluctance is real, and at first sight it is not unnatural. There is a want of romance about it; there is not the feeling that men are being brought in from outside; there is the very natural thought, we can do this kind of work, that among men of our own blood who are Christians already, at home, then why should we go out there to do it? Then about the Eurasians. There is a strong feeling among those who know anything about them at all, that they are a contemptible sort of people. We hear it said, for instance, that they have no backbone, that they have the vices of both races and the virtues of neither, and so on. But that is the talk of prejudice, half knowledge, or simple ignorance. A good deal of this is caused by comparing two classes of people who are really very different to each other. There is a class of which not very much has been made, and of which I fear much cannot be made. They may be called East Indians as a rough general distinction, though it is hard to say what they should be called. They are not Eurasians as the term is generally understood. Often they have no European blood at all; they are the descendants of natives for various reasons outcasted, and who have adopted Portuguese names. When they have European blood it is not English, but Portuguese, and the infusion is of the slightest. These are a standing difficulty. They are helpless to a degree. Speaking as a parish priest, I say that I at times regard them with simple despair when they are well, though, of course, we cannot but be compassionate and help when they are ill. But just think. How are these people living? I have often in my dining room in Calcutta shown the places for eight mat huts, each to hold a family. Eight families living in the space of one dining room. Just think of it. Then the surroundings are indescribable. Is it to be wondered at that they are as helpless as they are when their origin is considered, and their

opportunities are so miserable? Let me, however, emphasize this. They are there; you cannot kill them off. They are Christians; known to the natives as Christians. Let me say, then, to those clergy who hold back from work among them because they want to work among native races, that these people must be looked after in the very interest of the promotion of Christianity. Leave these people uncared for, and so long, you may sow the seed among the native races, but these weeds will be growing apace to check the growth of the seed. But I am spending too much of my short time upon that class. I want especially to remove prejudice from the consideration of that other class, those whom we have in our minds when we speak of Eurasians, viz., those who have a large infusion of English blood. Excepting as to colour, they are surprisingly like ourselves. They make good engineers, good pilots, and they have made good soldiers; witness their good help in the Mutinies. They are high in intelligence, high in honour, strong in loyalty. At present these Eurasians are as much to be relied upon in times of difficulty as any European. What they will be in the future depends upon what we make them. They have their faults. For instance, we hear a good deal of their being self-assertive and highly sensitive. The one explains the other, and I am very much mistaken if we English have not had much to do with their being both. We have been apt to look down upon them, and they have been obliged to assert themselves. A Scotchman once told me that the reason Scotchmen made such a fuss about being Scotch was that unless they asserted themselves they would be thought to be English. Now the Eurasian is, for the most part, in no such danger; his danger is on the opposite side, viz., that in consequence of his colour it will be forgotten that he is largely English, so he goes on asserting himself; then the next step is easy, over-assertion, a snub, and this being continued, he becomes a highly sensitive person. The remedy is with us. Admit his claim, recognise his English blood, treat him as a fellow-countryman, and there will be no need for his self-assertion. As with individuals so let it be with them as a community. Treat them with justice; let them have fair play. They do not always get it, though in the two cases that I am about to mention they have shown that they have enough backbone to successfully stand up for their rights. I said they were good engineers and good pilots. Well, at Roorkee they were told in effect that they were doing so well that the natives had no chance with them for the engineers' department-they could only take such appointments as the natives could not take. They had, in fact, too much backbone for getting their living in that way. On the other hand, though the record shows what good pilots they had been, they were told that they had not enough backbone for being pilots on the Hooghly as their fathers were, only Europeans in future could be pilots. Just see the position-jealousy from the natives on one side, contempt from the Europeans on the other. In these particulars they are righted now, and they are so far content. Let them be dealt fairly with, and it will always be SO. I have spoken of faults, but why? Because I believe in my heart that we are largely to blame for these faults. Let us, let the Church, speak the truth, they will bear it, but let us speak it in love. They are a grateful people. At this moment there is no one who is more appreciated among them than Archdeacon Baly, who has shown sympathy with them, and who has been the means of helping them in the great educational work initiated through his influence. Let them be recognised as being largely the same blood as ourselves, let them be treated as we treat Englishmen, and let it be recognised that they have a claim upon us, a claim to be cared for as fellowmembers of the Christian Church.

The Rev. R. R. WINTER, St. Stephen's Mission, Delhi.

THE last six speakers have addressed the Congress with regard to two different kinds of work, and two different kinds of people. I am going to ask you to permit me to roll them all together, and to speak of the Church rather as one whole than in its two great divisions. What is the great problem we have before us in India, with its 240,000,000 of inhabitants? We have to do all in our power to bring Christianity to them in some such form that they will be likely to realise it, not as the work of foreign teachers, but as a native growth coming up amongst themselves. I might to-day speak to you of the great importance of trying to reach the lowest classes in India, and of the vast importance of bringing Christianity to bear on the more intellectual classes,