INTRODUCTION TO MISSION WORK 5 



rest of the journey in which to ride alone and think of 

 what I had done. I prayed. When I reached my room, 

 I wrote to Mr. Robert E. Speer. In April I was com- 

 missioned to go out unordained, to carry on evangelistic 

 work among the low-caste people of North India. In 

 New York City I was appointed to Etah, in the United 

 Provinces of Agra and Oudh, India. I was graduated 

 in June and started for India. 



On Nov. 10, 1903, I arrived in Calcutta. I went 

 northwest, five hundred and fourteen miles, to Allahabad, 

 the nearest station at which the American Presbyterians 

 were at work. After spending a few happy days as the 

 guest of the late Dr. and Mrs. Arthur H. Ewing, I ac- 

 companied them to Ludhiana in the Punjab, where the 

 Presbyterian synod was to meet. At the same time the 

 Punjab and North India missions were to hold their 

 annual meetings. Here I received a most cordial and 

 hearty welcome from all the missionaries. I sat in the 

 meetings and saw how the business of the mission was 

 conducted. I noticed how much trouble was caused by 

 the refusal of a certain missionary to accept the work 

 which the missionary body assigned to him. I decided 

 that I would never be so stubborn. I had little idea how 

 soon and how keenly my decision would be put to the 

 test. When the vacancies were considered, there were 

 not nearly enough missionaries to go round. When 

 my own turn came they surprised me by saying: — 

 **We have decided that you are to teach in the college 

 at Allahabad.^' I objected. ''I had come out,'' I said, 

 **to do evangelistic work. I did not like the idea of 

 teaching, I was not fitted for it." It was pointed out 

 that in the contract signed in New York I had agreed 

 to abide by the will of a majority of the mission. The 



