piece of cloth, nine or ten yards in length, wound partly into the form of a skirt and partly into a covering for the shoulders, leaving an end hanging behind, which can be easily drawn up over the head. Besides this there is usually worn a short waist, whose short sleeves, right shoulder and back are often ornamented with neat patterns, wrought with silk and beads and even jewels. Here, too, European influences have led to the adoption, occasionally, of some modifications of the native costume. Children of both sexes are seldom encumbered with any clothing before they get to be five or six years old.

The elaborateness of the dress depends upon the station and wealth of the wearer. Those natives who have been much in the service of Europeans acquire a fondness for cast-off European clothing. It would seem a natural thing to bestow such articles freely upon one's servants, but the grotesqueness of the combination, when the housemaid parades about the drawing-room in a flounced and ruffled skirt, or the table servant makes his appearance, before invited company, wearing in place of his white coat one of master's fine shirts with the flaps dangling outside, is rather dampening to one's generous impulses.

Another and very striking peculiarity in the dress of the Telugus is the abundance of jewelry with which they bedeck themselves. Men as well as women wear it, and the latter are sometimes hung with it in every available spot from head to foot, or if not they would be if they could get it.

Not having any savings banks until the British government of late years provided them in their postal service, and money lending being confined mostly to a special class of merchants, the Telugus, like all the Hindus, if they do not hoard up coin by concealing it in the earth about their houses, invest their earnings in jewelry. Gold, silver, copper and lead, precious stones and glass, pearls, shells, ivory and choice woods are all brought into requisition, and great

skill is displayed in their manufacture, considering the rude tools with which they work.

This jewelry is distributed liberally all over the person, men using it more sparingly than women and children. The hair, ears, nose and neck, arms, wrists and fingers, waist, ankles and toes are all supplied with one or more pieces for each locality. If nature does not provide a convenient support an attaching place is made artificially. The nose is pierced as well as the ears, and not only the under lobe of the ear but the rim all around is perforated. A mere puncture is not sufficient for the lower hole, but successive pegs of increasing size are inserted to stretch it, and afterwards springy coils of bamboo wood, until it gets large enough to admit an eyelet-shaped jewel, which is sometimes an inch or more in diameter. The sight of this mutilation of the ears and nose, differing as it does only in degree from that practised in Christian lands, is usually sufficient to cure an European missionary of any lingering fancy which may exist for pendent jewelry.

The traveler's first impressions on finding himself in a community of Telugus is quite bewildering. He seems to have been transported to another world, sights and sounds are so entirely different from anything ever before experienced. Some of the street scenes of an average Hindu city are well described by a modern poet in the following lines, which might have been written truthfully of Madras:

"Forth fared they by the common way afoot,

Mingling with all the Sakya citizens,

Seeing the glad and sad things of the town; The painted streets alive with hum of noon, The traders cross-legged 'mid their spice.

and grain,

The buyers with their money in the cloth, The war of words to cheapen this or that, The shout to clear the road, the huge stone wheels,

The strong, slow oxen and their rustling loads,

The singing bearers with the palanquins, The broad-necked hamels sweating in the

sun,

The housewives bearing water from the well,

With balanced chatties, and, athwart their hips

left. One motions another to come by lifting the hand, with the palm outward, throwing it forward and downward, and to motion one away they throw the back of the hand forward and upward. A gentle twist of the head to one side indicates assent, while dissent is indicated by rapid little shakes from side to side. They push the needle, often draw the saw and plane, and drive a screw

sweet-meat shop,

The weaver at his loom, the cotton-bow

A garment with sleeves is drawn on to the left arm first. House servants persist in

Twanging; the millstones grinding meal, the dogs

Prowling for orts,

The blacksmith, with a mattock and a

spear

Reddening together in his coals, the school, Where, round their Guru, in a great half

moon

The Sakya children sang the mantras through

And learned the greater and the lesser gods."

- SIR EDWIN ARNOLD.

Many of their movements and ways are strangely the reverse of our own. They are accustomed to passing each other on the

among the heathen.

dusting before they sweep. A polite Hindu will, before entering your door, remove his shoes, but enter and sit with his turban on. But, with all their peculiarities, one cannot help being favorably impress ed by their pleasant faces, respectful conduct and a degree of refinement in their manners which most foreigners are quite unprepared to find

As to moral qualities it is difficult to characterize the Telugus. They are curious mixtures of the good and the bad. Their politeness often degenerates into gross flattery; their desire for the "favor" of their superiors often leads them into excessive faithfulness for a season, only to be followed by the sudden commission of some great dishonesty; while generally appreciative of favors, they often exhibit a surprising degree of ingratitude. The average heathen Telugu is truthful only when it is for his interest to be so, and not always so then, and since the introduction of European wines and liquors intemperance prevails to an alarming extent.

C

OMPARISON, though not always, is frequently odious. The heart of many a missionary has been saddened by unjust comparisons drawn between the Christians in western lands and those in oriental countries. Hence it is not the purpose of these lines to make comparisons, but simply to record the conviction that both individual Christians and the churches of this country generally possess elements which betoken a glorious future. The future state of the Christian church in India will not be modelled after the pattern which the occidental church has assumed, but will conform more to the original ideal as found in the New Testament.

Each land and people have their idiosyncrasies, and there is a complexion of the Hindu character which, having entered into the composition of the Christian church, will produce this promising future. A great many truths, such as that of a supreme and omnipotent God, the Trinity, incarnation or avatar, anticipation of a new era or golden age, the idea of sacrifice as an atonement for sin and others are incorporated in the Hindu system of religion and philosophy. If these truths rise to live again in their regenerated and glorified state they will adapt themselves to the new circumstances of the time, and the old environments will and must be thrown away. Hence we may expect from this intensely metaphysical and speculative, yea, and religious people, a valuable contribution to Christian theology some day. The Hindu mind may not be especially emotional, and Hindu Christians will therefore, perhaps, never distinguish themselves by writing and singing hymns such as will touch our hearts, but who will deny that there are other elements which will amply compensate for this deficiency and also redound to the praise of God?

There is no more charitable nation in the world than this people. Even in their

heathen state, their deep poverty frequently "abounds to the riches of their liberality." Some facts which have come to our observation during this time of financial stringency at home and of extreme scarcity, if not famine, in this country, have touched and cheered our hearts, and they argue well for the future. If such things can be done in a dry time what may not be accomplished in a green season? The wealth of India has not yet been touched by Christianity. So far only one of the numberless princes of this fabulous land has believed, but already the gospel is permeating the masses and working its way upwards to the higher castes. The time will yet come when we shall have not only an indigenous Christianity in India but a self-propagating one, and one that will do credit to the Master of missions.

It may be asked, What is your reason for such sanguine hopefulness? It is not my intention to elaborate all the causes, but simply to cite a few instances of our Christian's implicit faith in God and prayer which have come under my own observation, and which prove that the Christianity at home and abroad is essentially one, and that the one Spirit is producing this result here as well as there. Faith is the key that will unlock that promising future, and among the many other excellent qualities of the Hindu this faith will rouse the country for Christ.

Two weeks ago Mrs. Heinrichs was very ill and utterly unable to attend to her work in the boarding school and compound. One evening after prayer meeting one of the seminary teachers with his wife insisted on seeing her. The request being granted, he told her that they had made her a special object of prayer that evening, and that she would be better the next day. She was then lying absolutely helpless in bed, but the next day my wife recovered and moved

about for the first time, and today she is as hale and hearty as ever.

This happened soon after the intelligence of Dr. Jewett's death had reached us. No one of our native brethren seemed more

THE TAJ MAHAL, AGRA, INDIA

affected by this news than Brother Daniel, the teacher in question, because he regarded Dr. Jewett his father in the faith. I cite this instance to corroborate what has been

said concerning Dr. Jewett's being pre-eminently a man of faith and prayer. While Daniel was yet a heathen lad he had heard that a white man had come to Ramapatam, whereupon he left his native village and out of curiosity came here and followed Dr. Jewett wherever he went. One evening Dr. Jewett saw this boy standing by him at the seashore to get a glimpse at him. A conversation ensued which ended in both bowing their knees in the sand and by Dr. Jewett offering this lad in faith to God, and with prophetic instinct consecrating him to His service. Truly, the fathers of our mission built wisely when they laid its foundations in faith," and by it he, being dead, yet speaketh."

It is generally known by this time that the famine which is ravaging some parts of India now and which threatened also the Telugu country, has been graciously averted. But it is not so generally known what causes have produced this result. When this calamity was staring us in the face the Christians all over our mission banded themselves together to pray for rain. The monsoon, which was due the middle of October, did not set in until the end of November, thus giving us all ample opportunity for the exercise of faith. Repeatedly did I hear our brethren speak on James 5:18 in our prayer meetings during this time, and in Ongole the Christians gathered daily. and prayed again and again, "and then the heavens gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit." So we shall have no famine in the Telugu country, though severe scarcity bordering on it, exists in some parts.

The above brings to mind a remarkable experience which the writer had when in charge of Ongole in 1891. The southwest as well as the northeast monsoon had completely failed, and we were facing a most serious problem that year. The middle of October passed and no indication of the longed-for rains. Tanks and rivers and many wells were already dry and the re