74 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 



dist will address his prayers to our God if he thinks he 

 can obtain any temporal benefit by so doing ; but, if 

 not, he would be just as likely to pray to Bhudda or to 

 the devil. 



I once saw a sample of heathen conversion in Cey- 

 lon that was enough to dishearten a missionary. A 

 Roman Catholic chapel had been erected in a wild part 

 of the country by some zealous missionary, who prided 

 himself upon the number of his converts. He left his 

 chapel during a few weeks' absence in some other dis- 

 trict, during which time his converts paid their devo- 

 tion to the Christian altar. They had made a few little 

 additions to the ornaments of the altar, which must 

 have astonished the priest on his return. 



There was an image of our Saviour and the Virgin : 

 this was all according to custom. But there were also 

 '' three images of Bhudda" a colored plaster-of-paris 

 image of the Queen and Prince Albert upon the altar, 

 and a very questionable penny print in vivid colors 

 hanging over the altar, entitled the " Stolen Kiss." So 

 much for the conversion of the heathen in Ceylon. The 

 attempt should only be made in the schools, where the 

 children may be brought up as Christians ; but the idea 

 of converting the grown-up heathen is a fallacy. 



