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Have Christian Missions to India Been Successful?
reign of the King of Oudh, there was not one liquor shop in Lucknow; now, under the rule of Christian Government, there are more than a hundred.
The same was the case in Upper Burmah under the reign of Theebau.' Now large revenue is gathered from the liquor traffic. In one year only (1890-91) the English Government derived Rupees 4,947,780 from the liquor traffic - a revenue three or four times larger than that derived either from Customs or Assessed Taxes, or Forest or Registration or Post Office and seven times as large as from Telegraphs, eight times as large as from Law and Justice. The income is increasing' every year by $500,000. Fifteen years ago it was calculated that not above 10 per cent, of the people of India drank spirits now they are said to be over 20 per cent. To our rulers, then who are our political Christian Missionaries, the money howsoever obtained is the highest Gospel and certainly Christianity is responsible for all this because the first representatives of Christianity sanctioned the use of wine under the pretext of a religious ceremony. Why, this is, in fact, an inseparable incident of Christianity as it is viewed by the low class people who are perverted to Christianity.
This is one of the vices which Christianity civilization is forcing on us, and you will be startled when I tell you that even the missionaries have administered intoxicants in many instances to that the conversion might become more easy and sure and thereby a larger report sent out. It is a fact that perversion precedes conversion or enlistment and registration. I make this statement not upon my own authority but upon the authority of your own countrymen of high commercial standing who have mixed for years with missionaries in India and have been eye witnesses to such diabolical methods. Even in this country I have been told by those who claim to have been present when the same methods were used with the Red Indians.
Jain Education International
97
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