853rd OKDINAEY GENERAL MEETING, 



HELD IN COMMITTEE KOOM B, THE CENTRAL HALL, 

 WESTMINSTER, ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 11th, 1916, 

 AT 4.30 P.M. 



The Eev. Prebendary H. E. Fox, M.A., in the Chair. 



The Minutes of the Meeting held on July 11th were read and 

 confirmed, and the Secretary announced the Election of Mrs. Annie 

 Trotter, Mr. Alfred Holness, Mr. P. Traer Harris, the Rev. W. Shaw 

 Caldecott, and Miss Edith Mayfield as Associates of the Institute, and of 

 the Rev. Walter Robbins, the Rev. G. B. Durrant, and the Rev. G. 

 Parker as Missionary Associates. 



The Secretary drew the attention of the Meeting to the great loss 

 which the Institute had suffered by the recent death of David Howard, 

 Esq., D.L., F.C.S., Vice-President and Trustee, and read a Resolution of 

 sympathy with Mr. Howard's wife and family which the Council had 

 passed that afternoon, the Members and friends present standing during 

 the reading in token of respect. 



THE INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIANITY UPON OTHER 

 RELIGIOUS SYSTEMS By the Eev. W. St. Clair 

 TiSDALL, M.A., D.D. 



HEN any two religions are brought for any considerable 



length of time into close contact with one another, it is 



natural to expect them to exercise more or less of an 

 influence, for good or evil" upon each other. An instance of this 

 is afforded by comparing the immense change which has been 

 produced upon the religion of the Indian Aryans by the corrupt 

 polytheistic and animistic faiths of the Dasyus, or native inhabi- 

 tants, whom they subdued. Other influences besides this 

 doubtless operated to effect the enormous change which becomes 

 evident when we compare the religion of the Rig- Veda with 

 Modern Hinduism, but not a slight part of the degradation 

 which we find in the latter is directly traceable to the influence 

 of which we speak. In the same way, the Buddhism of China 

 is very different from Buddha's original teaching, as learnt from 

 the Tipitakas of Ceylon, and originally of Magadha. The 

 religions of Japan, again, have powerfully affected, and been in 

 turn affected by, the Mahayana system of Buddhism introduced 

 from Korea and China. 



Introduction, 



