Life in India/Trivatoor
Trivatoor.
The Hindus have many holy places; that is, places where the temples are large and famous, where there are idols supposed to possess especial power and value, to worship which great numbers of devotees resort from distant portions of the country; places where hordes of Brahmins congregate; where sin abounds, and iniquity is rampant; where idolatry brings forth its true fruit in all manner of unholiness. Trivatoor, but twelve miles from Wandiwash, is such a holy place. Yet even into such seats of heathenism the missionary may enter, and freely preach the gospel.
While at Wandiwash, we had been advised not to come hither, as the cholera was prevailing in the town, but we did not feel justified in turning aside. As we drew near the temple, we learned, from the report of guns and the music of discordant tomtoms, horns, and other instruments, that the natives were trying to propitiate the goddess of cholera. This fearful disease is supposed to be the malicious diversion of a cruel deity; and by these methods they seek to persuade her to withdraw the infliction. In going through the streets, we passed beneath cords hung across from house to house, and strung with a particular leaf for the same purpose. Over the doors these same leaves were hung, and all things showed the presence of this disease, so fatal, and, to the Hindus, so terrifying. In our morning walk through the streets, we met a procession going with offerings to appease the angry goddess; while from time to time the loud, monotonous wailing of a peculiar horn, used only in funerals, told us that one and another had gone from this dark seat of heathenism to the eternal world. At night, all around us arose the mournful outcries of assemblages, who, with rude music, bells, and loud invocations, were for hours calling upon the goddess to stay her anger. Oh! how sad, how painfully sad, to know, that of all who were around us not one called upon God!—that, except ourselves, for miles and miles in any direction, there was not one follower of Christ, nor one missionary to bid them turn from idols to the living God!
When the people found that we had come to preach and distribute books, they began to flock to the small rest-house in which we had taken up our quarters. Instead of going into the streets to preach at this place, we stationed two of our bearers at the gate of the compound in which the bungalow stands, with directions only to admit the men, and not more than thirty at a time. Seating these on mats in our room, we each addressed them, setting before them the way of salvation through Christ and the hopelessness of heathenism, and, to all who could read, gave books. When one audience had thus been addressed and presented with tracts, they were dismissed, and the second company, which had by this time accumulated at the compound-gate, was admitted. In this way we had ten audiences in the course of the day.
The advantages of this plan, where there are persons enough to fill a room in successive companies as long as you are able to speak, are many. Noisy boys are excluded; a large number of men are reached, and those who come in, being your visitors, as such feel bound to behave courteously. They do not enter into discussion to any great extent, so that you give to them an unbroken address, which is of much importance when each is to hear for so short a time. Moreover, they sit down comfortably, and are in favourable circumstances to listen with quietness and impartiality to what you have to say.
The next day was spent in the same way, in speaking to twelve companies. We were pleased at being able to sow so much seed in the shape of Gospels and tracts in this place, for it is full of Brahmins said to be very bigoted. When the government sent a man to vaccinate the people, so as to check the ravages of the smallpox, they supposed it to be a scheme to innoculate them with the virus of Christianity. To avoid this danger of innoculation with a new faith, they seized him, beat him, and cast him out of their borders. Smallpox, as well as cholera, they look upon as an infliction from the hands of the cruel Mari-ammah; hence they seek for deliverance from its ravages, not so much by medical aid as by the soothing power of offerings, with the music of tomtoms horns and guns, upon the mind of the angry goddess.