Page:Life in India or Madras, the Neilgherries, and Calcutta.djvu/304

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WANDIWASH.
262

fosters purity in the soul. Christianity alone is from God; it alone bears the marks of a divine original.




Vantha-vasi.

In the midst of a wide-spread and fertile plain, dotted over with villages, stands the town of Vantha-vasi, commonly called, by the English, Wandiwash. It is known to history as the scene of a battle between the French and the English, in which the latter were victorious, and in which the native troops on both sides abstained from fighting. With remarkable wisdom, they concluded that it was not worth while for them to shed their blood in a contest to decide whether they should have Englishmen or Frenchmen for their masters. By us it is remembered as the place of a few days' delightful sojourn, while making known the truth to polite and intelligent companies of Hindus.

If it was satisfactory to us to get within the walls of a bungalow, and to be able to turn aside to read a chapter in the Bible, and pray in a private room, it seemed equally satisfactory to