INDIA AND SOME OF HER PEOPLE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 43, 14 November 1917, Page 8

INDIA AND SOME OF HER PEOPLE

AN INTERESTING LECTURE. The Concert Chamber of the Town Hal was -well filled last evening by an enthusiastic audience to hear the lectun by the Rev. Frank Oldrieve on 'India and Some of her People"; also the storj of India's lepers. Mr. Oldrieve lived at the Sabathu Leper Asylum, and was well qualified by residence in India tc deal with the subject. His Worship the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) presided. The ompire of India was a mine of interest to all intellectual men, observed the lecturer, in opening, and he traced the history of that country down to the occupation and government of India by the British. India was supposed to be wealthy-there was no doubt that there there'were wealthy people there, bu) there were also millions of very poor people. About 94 per cent, of the people lived in villages, and most oT the native men and women had to work hard. Tho women wore a great many ornaments, such as ear-rings, nose-rings, necklaces, finger-rings, bracelets, anklerings, and toe-rings. .This was'not due to vanity, but their method of hording their savings. They were not any more vain than the women of Wellington, whom the lecturer described as the most dressy people he had seen in the Dominion- About two-thirds of the people in India were dependent upon agriculture. They were very .conservative, and their held implements were the same as those mentioned in tho Bible. It was difficult to introduce new machinery, and in this connection the lecturer told a very laughable story. A European couple after a lew years' residence visited Britain, and one day, seeing a three-legged stool, it occurred to them that it would be an excellent thing for them to take back for use by their Indian servant who milked the co*. This was done, and the first morning the thr«s-legged stool was to be put into service there was no milk for breakfast. The, Mem Sahibs waited and waited, and ultimately the cowman waß called up to give an explanation, and the explanation was given: "Sahib," said the man, "I have been trying for threequarters of an hour to make the cow sit on that three-legged stool, and she roiuses to do so." His condition clearly indicated that the man had made a valiant effort to make the cow sit down, the lecturer dealt with the religions of India, and the lantern elides showed some of the holy men and fakirs, some doing penance, and others just busy swindling the people. ; The Indians were intensely religious; they were conservative, but they owned allegiance to the Union Jack, and were members of the great British Empire. The illustrations in connection with India's great services in the war were exceedingly interesting. The lecturer next dealt with contrasts in Indian character, and showed on tho screen a great cow hospital, where hundreds of sick, wounded, and maimed cows were being cared for. The Hindus regard tho cow as a very sacred animal, and would do everything possible to preserve its lite. In tho next picture was shown a lopor driven from his home, an outcast. He was turnod out because he was cursed by his God Mr. Oldrieve then went fully into tho problem of the leper. Lepers wore found in many countries; there wero about 250,000 lepers in India, and they were to be met with in all tho cities and in most of tho villages. Tho Mission' to Lepers was established about fifty years ago in India, and the work of the mission was to savo the untainted children. Leprosy was not hereditary, consequently the untainted native children wero worth saving. Tho mission was undenominational and unsectarian. Thirty-oight of the leading Protestant missionary societies of the world wero co-operating with tho Leper Mission by superintending the asylums. There were now 92 asylums in fourteen CllTerent countries, with 14,655 inmates, of whom 1210 wero children. Ihcrs wero 22 homes for untainted children with 718 inmates. There wore in all 63 asylums in India. The income of

the mission waa now about .£50,000. It was estimated that .E5 would keep a leper for ono year—that is, prondo him with food, shelter, ( clothing, medical treatment, and Christian teaching; and £i would support an untainted child for twelve months. The lecture throughout was very interesting, and tho pictures screened wore helpful in enabling the audience to grasp tho essential facts. At the close of the lecture a_ collection was taken up. Mr. Oldrieve is now acting as Tfew Zealand organiser of the mission.