CHAPTER IV 



MISSION INDUSTRIES 



As I had gone to India to work among the outcaste 

 people I was eager to see what the work was like, so 

 on some of the longer college vacations I went to Etah 

 where I had originally hoped to go to work among the 

 outcastes. I also went on tour with Mr. and Mrs. Bandy 

 and saw the thousands of converts gathered in by this de- 

 voted, original and energetic couple. I saw the great 

 poverty of these new converts, I watched them bring in 

 their gifts of eggs, chickens, grain and potatoes as well 

 as of cash. I found that most of them were tithing, that 

 is, were giving one-tenth of all they received of money 

 or produce in order to support their preachers and 

 teachers and to build their churches and schools. I also 

 saw that where the family income, whether measured in 

 money or in kind, was two dollars a month it was im- 

 possible for a tenth of so small a sum to do all that was 

 needed to bring about a self-supporting church. I 

 looked forward and tried to imagine the day when the 

 missionary program in India should have been completed. 

 A self-supporting, self-governing, self-propagating Chris- 

 tian church seemed the minimum for which to look for- 

 ward. It was obvious that if the average church mem- 

 ber was living at a rate of from one to three cents per 

 person per day something would have to be done to 

 increase the earning capacity and the income of the 



34 



