INDIA.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 20 March 1915, Page 3

INDIA.

LECTURE BY ILK J. H. LAiNG.

in tilt* Century JdLjiii last evening

there was a fair attendance to listen to the lecture on India delivered by Air J. H. Lang, the general secretary of the I.M.C.A.

-Major G. Al. JJurlnibon presided and in a brief speech introduced the speaker und paid a higii tribute to tlie Indian troop 6 at present fighting at ilie front for the Empire. A short prayer lecf by tne Rev. A. C. Kandenson followed. -Mr Lang, in opening his speech, said that India ivas a fascinating, it wa.s more, it was a captivating country. Its total area was 1J million square miles with a population 0 i 315,000,000. SH) per cent af which got its living from the land. So great was he number of rural villages in the country, that visiting one per day it would take 1-100 years to visit them all. It was a mistake to think of the Hindu fik a black fellow; the bulk of the population was of Aryan descent, the .same as ourselves, and had originally come down from Central Asia, supposed to be the home of the white race. Later the Mohammedans and the Mongolians and othei-s migrated into the country, and at present 150 different languages wore spoken throughout the oountry. All this added to the great difficulties in front of the Government. In the country also were adherents of all the great religions of the world, and yet those people, divided by language, race and religion, were being welded into a united people with national inspirations. The present Administration had gradually changed India and

j made it a new nation. This applied ' to the educted classes, but as far as the bulk of the population was concerned, India was the India of thousands of year ago. In India to-day English was the language of the educated classes and this had broken down the barrier of difference of language in that class. In the recent English Council, the language used was English. The present work of England in India was to reach those people who in their turn would become the leaders of the people. A large number of lantern slides were shown; each picture a lecture in itself. The pictures .showing natives using the' same style of wooden plough as was used thousands of years ago. and the oxen treading out the corn showed the old unchanged India, and the pictures showing the groups of students in European dress at the various educational institutes showed the new India. Fine pictures of the wonderful Hindoo cave temples, hewn in the solid rocks of the mountains thousands of years back were shown, and in contrast a series of pictures of the later day buildings. Several pictures of fakirs wore shown at the conclusion; one sitting 011 spikes. On the motion of the Rev. W. H. Abbey a hearty vote of thanks and appreciation was accorded to Mr Lang for liis very able and' instructive address. The motion was carried by acclamation. At the request of Mr Tiang a vote of thanks was passed to the- chairman. Major Bwlinsoii, and also to Mr Hodson who manipulated the lantern. The singing of "Ood Save the K ing" terminated the proceeding*?.