Page:Life in India or Madras, the Neilgherries, and Calcutta.djvu/109

Rh where they are taught that Hinduism is false, and where they are required to drop all distinctions of caste? And why do bigoted parents permit them thus to go where their faith in the religion of their ancestors will be destroyed and their caste endangered? The motive is a desire to obtain a knowledge of the English language. At present there is in India a wonderful passion for the study of English; this is the language of the rulers of the land, of its courts and officers, and a knowledge of English is a stepping-stone to place, honour, and wealth. Christian missionaries lay hold of this circumstance, which makes fathers willing to risk the conversion of their sons if they may but get an English education. The missionaries of the Scotch churches, especially, have directed their entire energies to this branch of the mission work; and in Madras, Bombay, Calcutta, and other great cities, are exercising an immense influence over the youth of India. Of their scholars, several have become teachers, preachers, and ordained ministers of the gospel, while others have lucrative situations under government. The University supported by government, in which English is taught without the Bible, has been far less popular than the mission-