98 THE GOSPEL AND THE PLOW 



jah of Bikanir, one of India's representatives at the 

 Peace Conference in Paris, a cultured gentleman, a great 

 orator, a forward looking statesman, asked me to advise 

 him in agricultural matters. I was invited to lecture in 

 a number of other states but returned to America on a 

 money raising campaign in 1914, returning to India in 

 March, 1915. 



When we got to Bombay letters were awaiting me from 

 Dr. Janvier, the principal of the College, and from the 

 officers of an Indian state government urging me to go 

 immediately to the state to confer with the Maharajah. 

 As soon as I had seen my wife and children safely set- 

 tled in our bungalow at Allahabad I went over to this 

 country where I found a very great interest aroused in 

 agricultural improvement very largely through the con- 

 versation of Sir James Roberts with His Highness. The 

 Maharajah sent me to stay in his guest house, an old 

 palace, fitted up for the entertainment of his guests, 

 and said to be the most beautiful guest house in India, 

 certainly the most beautiful I have seen. He summoned 

 me to the palace, jumped in his motor and took me and 

 one of my colleagues along to a quiet little summer-house 

 palace in a garden where he could be uninterrupted. 

 For several hours he poured out to me his heart's de- 

 sire for the improvement of the 3,000,000 of his sub- 

 jects, only two per cent, of whom are literate, most of 

 them poor and backward. The Maharajah is one of 

 India's leading princes, and an exceedingly wise coun- 

 selor. He has helped the British in many ways that 

 have been made public and in a great many which the 

 time has not yet come to disclose. He bought a great 

 ocean liner and transformed it into a beautiful hospital- 

 ship. Thousands of Indian and British wounded soldiers 



