Page:Distinguished Churchmen.djvu/141

Rh number of conversions in India, though that is considerable, as the increasing spirit of inquiry and readiness to hold intercourse with the missionaries. Then, remember that what we are aiming at in India is to build up a Church of India, of which the Indians themselves will be the predominant partners. We have lately drawn up a memorandum on Native Church constitution which has been very favourably received. The general idea of that memorandum is to unify and consolidate the future Church of each country, not imposing conditions that shall require it to be a branch of the Church of England, but rather that it should be an independent Church in communion with the Church of this land, formed by, and then governed by, its own members in a constituted order, and also self-supporting and self-extending. It is our hope, though the ideal may be distant in some cases, that racial distinctions will disappear, and that natives and foreigners dwelling in the same land will harmoniously and equally co-operate to create and maintain the Church in each country. I think the outlook for the future of India is most hopeful; in fact, it is so hopeful that we cannot keep pace with the present-day requirements. We could to morrow find employment for many more workers in India if we had the men and the means. Our relations with the Indian Episcopate have always been friendly. Difficulties which arose in Ceylon a good many years ago have long disappeared, and