THE FUTURE OF ISLAM. 



77 



places where Mohammedans are subject to Christian governments, 

 missionary work is prevented or discouraged by the authorities." 

 That is undoubtedly the case ; for instance, in the North- AVest 

 Provinces of India, where a friend of mine is working, they are very 

 much hurt by the action of the authorities in regard to missionary 

 work. The authorities may mean well hy it, but one cannot but 

 think that they are making a great mistake. 



If you show to these ^lohammedans that you are afraid to meddle 

 with their false religion, how is it likely that they will Ijelieve that 

 you greatly estimate the truth and importance of your own ? 

 (Hear, hear I) 



I concur with the learned author in what he says about the so-called 

 " higher criticism." If you have not a book in your hand — a l)ook 

 every whit as good as the Koran is to the ^lohammedan — how can 

 you expect that they will give up their cherished belief in their book 1 

 If the Bible be not the Word of God, the power of the missionary is 

 gone, for it comes not with Divine truth, supernaturally communi- 

 cated, but merely as human opinion, which may be true or false. 

 That sort of thing will never satisfy the heart and mind of man, 

 which yearn for truth, and yearn for authority. 



Lieutenant-Colonel jNIackixlay. — Professor Margoliouth has told 

 us of the changes in Mohammedanism, many of which have been 

 largely brought about by the loss of political power. 



With the probable fall of Turkey and Morocco in the future, this 

 loss of power will, as he says, ere long be greater still. It is not 

 unnatural to suppose that the condition of the Mohammedan world 

 in general will, in the future, follow the same general lines of change 

 as those which have already appeared in Mohammedan countries 

 (such, for instance, as India), which have been governed for 

 years by alien rulers. In India it is found that the social progress 

 of ^Mohammedans during recent years has been slow^ as compared 

 with that of Parsees and Hindoos. The former have shown a relative 

 inaptness to accustom themselves to new surroundings ; they have 

 not taken so readily to the arts of peaceful progress, and education 

 is backward among them ; only a small portion of the yoinig 

 Indian students in England are ^lohammedans. AMiile Parsees and 

 Hindoos are numerous on the Bombay Town Council, the number of 

 ^lohammedans is very small. They still, of course, make excellent 

 soldiers. On the other hand, during the last twenty or thirty years 



