Excerpt from India Hindu and India Christian: Or What Hinduism Has Done for India, and What Christianity Would Do for It; An Appeal to Thoughtful Hindus
India in Transition. - For about three thousand years India remained largely stationary. There were, it is true, some changes; but, on the whole, the people were guided by custom, and were content to "follow the ancients."
During the present century, however, a revolution has been taking place. Western arts and inventions are being introduced. Instead of a flint and steel, lucifer matches are used for getting a light; clocks and watches are superseding the old methods of reckoning time. Instead of travelling by palanquin or bullock cart, the railway is adopted. Instead of spinning and weaving by hand, the steam engine drives thousands of spindles and shuttles. Books are no longer copied page by page, but the printing press is employed. Newspapers, of which their fore-fathers knew nothing, are eagerly read by modern Hindus.
Western science has also been accepted. Hindu writers remained at home, and framed their geography and astronomy out of their own heads. Both have been abandoned for sciences based on careful observation and experiment. Mount Meru and the seven oceans have been given up; eclipses are no longer supposed to be caused by Rahu. There is no national science. It is the same all the world over.
Political changes have also taken place. Instead of quietly submitting to despotic rule, the rights of subjects are beginning to be understood; National Congresses are being held; and a voice in the administration is being claimed.
All these changes have been beneficial. The Hindu would be an idiot who refused to use matches, to travel by rail, or to read a newspaper because they are "foreign" inventions. It would be equally foolish to adhere to Hindu geography and astronomy. The reign of despotism in India is over. The people will gradually be intrusted with a larger and larger share in the government of the country.
The Grand Problem. - There is, however, a far more important question. Should India, besides the arts and sciences, adopt also the Religion of the West?
Although Christianity is now the prevailing religion in the West, it is acknowledged that Europeans received it from the East.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works. Это и многое другое вы найдете в книге India Hindu and India Christian