The Project Gutenberg EBook of Old Daniel, by Thomas Hodson

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Title: Old Daniel

Author: Thomas Hodson

Illustrator: Unsigned

Release Date: October 20, 2007 [EBook #23123]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OLD DANIEL ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

Old Daniel; or, Memoir of a Converted Hindoo and Description of Village
Life in India.

By Thomas Hodson, with Introduction by the Rev W. Arthur, M.A.

Published about 1877.

________________________________________________________________________
The title of this book is somewhat odd, for, though certainly greatly
about the life and doings of Chickka the washerman, and his conversion
to Christianity, the memoirs are certainly not his, and indeed it is a
little difficult to see whose they are. Not apparently those of Thomas
Hodson, who is mentioned frequently in the third person, and who appears
to be as much of an ordained minister as the Reverend W. Arthur.
Strange also is the fact that the title page promises an Introduction,
but what we actually get, on the very next page, is a Preface.

However, these are minor grumbles, because what you do get is a head-on
description of village life in India, as promised, and some very nice
illustrations.

As Editor, I must hasten to say that Thomas Hodson, the author of some
of the short chapters, is no relation of mine. In fact my ancestor
Thomas Hodson, who also worked in India, but as an administrator, was
only a small child in England at the time the book was published. But
my family have had a long connection with India, and that has led to my
own great interest in the Indian sub-continent. I was very interested
to read and edit this book, and commend it to anyone who would like to
know more about Indian Village Life 150 and even 200 years ago (the hero
of the tale was born in 1799).

Although this book is constructed from pieces written by devoted
Missionaries, and although they deride the local Gods and religious
practices, I do not think the book is very convincing as an argument for
Christianity, although I describe myself as a Christian. N.H.

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